Sterling plodded helplessly against his tapes as the storehouse door jangled shut, leaving him alone in darkness. Banes' mocking words echoed in his mind — Emilia was in peril, all because of him. He'd to escape, advise her, but the ropes held presto. That is when he heard it — a faint moan from the murk." Damian?" Sterling squinted into the blackness." Brother, is that you?" Another moan, and the shuffling of bases on concrete. A gaunt figure surfaced into a splinter of slate light, face gaunt and crippled but eyes burning with life. " Ster — ling." Damian coughed, collapsing to his knees in front of his family. With hands still tied, Sterling leaned forward precisely, checking Damian over for injuries. " How —?" Sterling began, but Damian cut him off with a shake of his head." No time. We.must get.to Emilia." He reached for Sterling's tapes with pulsing hands and sluggishly began working on the knots. Sterling's mind contended as he strained to help free himself. Banes was n't only alive, but had set up them formerly more. And now he targeted the bones
they held most dear. They had to act snappily if they wanted to save their family. This time, Sterling and Damian would end Banes formerly and for all. But first they had to escape this captivity, and presto, before it was too late. Damian's weakened state made unlashing the knots an plaintively slow process. As Sterling worked alongside his family, an idea came to him. " Leave it," Sterling said grimly." Find commodity to cut the ropes rather." Damian jounced and began searching the room. Sterling took stock of their captivity- no windows, just bare concrete walls and a single sword door. Their only way out was through that door, guarded by Banes' men no doubt. A scraping sound drew Sterling's attention. Damian had exhumed a gravel essence strip, its edge serrated but sharp. He went to work sawing at Sterling's tapes. After what sounded an eternity, the ropes fell down. Sterling rubbed feeling back into his wrists as Damian drooped, exhausted from the trouble. " Thank you, family," Sterling said, lifting Damian's arm over his shoulders. A plan was forming." Now, rest and let me handle our escape." Sterling banged on the door until it creaked open. The guard gazed in, met only by Sterling's fist crashing into his face. He caught the falling assault rifle and leveled it at the alternate guard. " Emilia. Where?" Sterling growled. The man stammered until Sterling cocked the armament meaningfully." The jetties. storehouse 12," he blurted. Sterling dragged the unconscious guards outside and shut the door. At last, freedom- and a chance to save their family. With Damian leaning heavily on him, Sterling half- carried, half- dragged his family out of the storehouse. He helped Damian into the passenger seat of their abandoned truck. " I will drive presto," he promised, turning the key. The machine driveled to life. Sterling slammed his bottom down on the gas and they hulled down. Glancing at Damian, he was bothered by how pale his family looked." Stay with me," Sterling said forcefully. Damian jounced weakly." I'm.trying." Sterling sped towards the jetties, soliciting they were not too late. As they pulled up to storehouse 12, his worst fears were realized-fortified men patrolled the entrance. " I will draw their fire," Sterling told Damian." You get Emilia and run when it's clear." Damian grasped his arm." No. We go.together." Sterling knew arguing was meaningless when Damian was like this. He readied his rifle." On three. One, two, three!" They burst from the truck firing. Sterling picked off two men as Damian felled another. They charged the storehouse under the cover of gunfire. Inside, Banes held Emilia, a gun to her head. His eyes widened seeing Sterling and Damian, alive and determined. " Let.her.go," Damian growled, slightly standing. Banes sniggered." Too late for demands. Say farewell to your family!" As Banes' cutlet tensed, Sterling took the shot. The gun went off harmlessly into the air as Banes collapsed. Emilia ran to Sterling, blubbing
. It was eventually over. Was not it? Sterling embraced Emilia tightly, relief flooding through him at having her safely in his arms formerly more. But their reunion was cut short. " Damian!" Emilia cried out. Sterling whipped around to see his family collapse to the bottom. Rushing to Damian's side, Sterling assessed his injuries with a rehearsed eye. His family's injuries from the crash had restarted, blood soaking his ragged clothes. But most intimidating was the feverish luster to Damian's skin. " We need to get him help, presto," Sterling said urgently. Together he and Emilia carried Damian's limp form out to the staying truck. As Sterling sped towards the nearest sanitarium, Emilia cradled Damian's head in her stage." Hang on, family, just a little longer," she rumored between prayers. Sterling conscious the truck to go briskly through sheer force of will. They could not lose Damian, not after everything. Not when they had only just been reunited as a family formerly more. screaming to a halt at the ER entrance, Sterling yelled for backing. Croakers rushed out with a gurney, grim expressions taking in Damian's dire condition. As they wheeled Damian outside, Sterling could only hold Emilia tightly and hope it was not too late to save his family. The long fight was not over yet, and the odds were piled against them. All they could do now was stay and supplicate. Sterling paced the waiting room like a boxed beast while Emilia sat surveillance, fritters interlocked in prayer. Hours dragged by with no word from the surgeons. Eventually, a sick croaker
surfaced." We got him stabilized, but it was close. Severe blood loss and infection set in from his injuries. He is out of the forestland for now, but it'll be a long recovery." Sterling sagged in relief, holding a blubbing
Emilia." Can we see him?" At the croaker
's nod, they hastened to Damian's room. He was mealy and still, hooked to observers telephoning slowly. But he was alive. Sterling gripped his family's cool hand tight." You are not allowed to leave us, do you hear? Keep fighting, Damian." Over days, Damian's condition stabilized but he did n't wake. Sterling hardly left his side, while Emilia oversaw medications to move Damian home for farther care. One night, Sterling started from an exhausted snooze by fritters squeezing his own. fuzzy eyes met his family's sick aspect
." Damian!" A ghost of a smile." Not.done.yet." Sterling beamed through happy gashes as Damian drifted back to sleep, but the battle was won at last. With Damian on the mend, the family turned their eyes to the future at long last free of ghosts. Their megacity was safe, family whole, and new life on the way. Peace had set up them after so important immolation- all because of unbreakable bonds of brotherhood. In the ensuing months, Damian recaptured his strength at Sterling's country estate under Emilia's devoted care. His bastard Lily's horselaugh echoed through the halls formerly more. One sunny autumn, Sterling set up Damian resting on the gallery
, face lifted to the warmth." You look well, family." Damian smiled vocally." At peace, thanks to you. Our battles are won." But Sterling's joy was shadowed by a dark memory resurfacing." What's it?" Damian asked sprucely, reading his face. " Banes' last words.a trouble to Emilia. I should have delved his abettors , assured she was safe!" Sterling berated himself. Damian laid a hand on his arm." Dwelling will not change the history. But now." He jounced to the treeline, where a man surfaced carrying a burlap sack. " No!" Sterling cried, feting the interned figure. He dashed down as the man tossed back the hood to reveal Emilia, gagged and scarified. " You did not truly suppose it would be so easy, did you?" sniggered a familiar voice behind Sterling. He spun to find Banes, incredibly alive formerly more. Banes gentled a cutter." This ends now, on my terms." As he dived , Sterling could only scream a warning to Damian over his shoulder. also cold sword bit deep and his world went dark.