Chapter 72. Destruction and Want

JULIAN

Vesta stretched out her other hand, and the storm grew fiercer, the wind howling like a feral beast. Before I could form coherent words, something utterly otherworldly happened. Two blood-soaked swords lying discarded on the ground suddenly rose into the air and shot toward her, landing perfectly in her outstretched hands as though drawn by some magnetic force.

My eyes widened in disbelief. Surely, my senses must have been playing tricks on me. Perhaps I was lightheaded from the days of relentless travel, and now my mind had begun conjuring hallucinations.

I glanced over to Aurelia and the maiden standing beside her, hoping for some grounding reality, but the look on their faces stopped me cold. They had seen it too. The difference was their expressions weren’t filled with shock or disbelief—they were steeped in worry. Aurelia, in particular, looked as if she had expected this, her gaze locked on Vesta with an unspoken knowledge that made my stomach churn.<