by Zora Marie
“You need to do it, now,” Lucky grunted. Fire skittered down the building, towards the Fenari below. Even through the panic that ran rampant in her she knew the fire was his.
“Raven. Raven…”
“Just do it, I’ll be fine.”
Zelia knew Raven was lying, but she glanced over her and Lucky’s shoulder to the fighting below. There was fire and so many shields and blasts shooting back and forth across the space that it became a blur of terrifying color. Then there were Koin and Alrindel.
Her world hollowed out as a blast careened towards them, two of her closest family. Kin she had killed and died for. Before her very eyes, Koin shoved Alrindel from the blast's path, and blood sprayed.
Power raged up within her and threatened to swallow her whole as Koin rolled to a stop and didn’t move. Alrindel ran for him, but it was too late. The Fenari below them began to vanish in clouds of ash, but not fast enough. Faster. Faster, before they can hurt anyone else. Before they take Alrindel, too.
“Zelia.” There was a warning cut to Lucky’s tone. “Calm. Your blast will last longer, go further.”
Calm? How can I be calm while Alrindel cradles our dying uncle? While so many of our people litter the ground? There over there, that was Vainoff lying motionless in that dusty dirt in front of Starling.
Orvi shot through the portal below them, blood red shields going up around each of the dragons. Orvi even put a shield around Alrindel as his faltered, as he gave in to his grief even though the battle continued around them.
“Breathe. Close your eyes.” Raven’s voice was calm in Zelia’s head, despite the blood that ran down Raven’s side and dripped on the ground far below.
Zelia did as Raven instructed and Raven poured calm soothing emotions down their bond, until they filled her and the roaring in her head quieted. She thought of the Fenari and of how this world would be revived with their passing. She felt it then, the power asking to be unleashed—for the barrier to be dropped. So, she ripped down the wall around her well of godly power and let it wash through the world.
A hush fell over everything as she poured herself into the magic, until she began to tremble and the power stone against her chest buzzed, begging her to use it. So, she did, she let herself tap into the other source of energy, the one that mirrored her own. She could feel her powers wash across the world for leagues in every direction, washing the stain of the Fenari from this world.
Then someone was roaring her name from somewhere below. “That’s enough! Lucky, stop her!”
She was faintly aware that it was Nikolas yelling. She wasn’t done though. The Fenari, they would strike them back, wipe her kin from existence if she missed any of them. They’d take Linithion from her, and Raven. They’d destroy everything she ever cared about.
Lucky shook her, pleading for her to stop, but she couldn’t.
“Zelia. Stop. You’ve done enough. Open your eyes.” Raven’s words were a roaring demand in her head that shook the core of her being.
Zelia couldn’t though. She couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe. Then they were falling, pain ripping down her bond to Raven as they landed hard in the middle of the courtyard.
Mere moments passed before warm hands pressed against her cheeks and someone settled in front of her. “Stop. It’s over. Please.” Linithion’s tone was both an order and a plea. “I love you. Please stop. You’re bleeding. Just breathe.”
There was a tug on the tenuous tether of a bond between them, the incomplete bond that connected soulmates to one another long before they found each other. But it was too late, the last of her power slipped through her grasp and Zelia felt her heart shudder to a stop.
“Zelia?” Linithion’s voice cracked as she shook her. “No. You promised.”
An arm tightened around Zelia’s chest as her arms and feet were freed from Raven’s harness. There was a loud crack somewhere nearby as they slid from Raven’s back. Power pulsed against her skin and she wished she could look around, but the threads that connected her to her body—to Rog, Raven, and Linithion were gone. She was gone.
Her body was laid on the ground and a heavy weight pressed against her chest for just a moment.
“She’s gone, Linithion,” Lucky said. “I’m sorry.”
“Zelia? Please.” Tears dripped onto her neck as a warm hand brushed the hair from her face. “I need you.”
I’m sorry Linithion. Something in her told Zelia this was different from the other times. Dying from draining her powers just felt different. She felt looser, untethered within herself. There was no burning sensation of her body fighting to rebuild, just nothingness. Perhaps this is what it’s like to wait for your soul to be released.
“You were supposed to stop sooner than that, Zelia.” There was a smooth arrogance to the unfamiliar voice.
“Fregnar?” Nikolas said. “I thought you couldn’t leave the other realm.”
“I figure I owe Zelia for this.” Fregnar’s footsteps stopped near her head. “Jones, would you come here?”
“Why?” Jones asked wearily.
“Because she completely drained herself and I’m not sure she’ll be able to come back without help. You’re a child of a god too, so I need to take a bit of power from you and the others so I can bring Zelia back.”
“Why can’t you just give her some of your own power?”
“Because it’s not that simple. A mix is best. Now would you just come here, there’s only a short window where this will work.”
“Jones, please?” Linithion pleaded.
Flapping wings boomed in the air and then two more sets of footsteps approached.
“Thank you. Now, this is going to hurt.”
All four of the boys hissed, then a hand slammed into Zelia’s chest and light flared in her mind. Pain lanced through her, spiraling out from where Fregnar’s hand touched. It made her body tingle all over. She sucked in a breath and coughed at the ashes that burned her lungs.
Then she was in Linithion’s arms, silky hair in her face. “Never do that to me again.”
“I’m sorry.” Zelia hugged Linithion back as she fought to clear the ashes from her throat.
Ashes covered everything now, the living and the dead. Not a single body of the Fenari lay in sight, not even those that had fallen before she’d unleashed her power.
“I’ll consider us even then.” Dust stirred as Fregnar stalked away and Zelia pulled away from Linithion.
“Thank you, Fregnar.”
He turned slightly and glanced back at her over his dragon-like wing. “You’re welcome. Try not to do that again, it only works once.” He smirked and then disappeared in a flash of light.
It hit her then, that the pain she felt wasn’t her own. She whirled to stare at Raven.
“I’ll live.”
She wasn’t so sure Raven was telling the truth as she beheld the giant gash down Raven’s side.
“With a bit of help, that is.”
“Through the portal, now. Before you collapse from blood loss.” Zelia pointed at the swirl of black that Loboran somehow managed to still hold open. The injured and deceased were already being carried through.
Linithion looked over her shoulder and grimaced. “No arguing, Raven. I’ll make sure Zelia gets taken care of, too.”
30
Linithion waited until Raven was through the portal to pull her back into a hug. She was shaking and Zelia felt her soulmate’s lingering panic to the core of her being. “You scared the shit out of me.”
“Sorry.” Zelia knew the apology was hollow as she stared across the dust and ash covered ground to where Alrindel still cradled Koin’s broken body. Her head and body hurt, but her heart hurt more. I failed. We succeeded, but I failed.
There was such agony etched across her brother’s face that she had to go to him. She had to be there for him. Linithion seemed to understand, as she let go and the two of them went to kneel beside Alrindel. Blood, both blue and red, dotted and ran down Alrindel’s face, chest,
and arms. His tears had cut trails through the blood. She’d never seen him cry—not like this. She tried not to look at Koin as she knew he was gone.
“He just—he jumped in front of me.” Another tear trailed down Alrindel’s face and Zelia hugged him.
There were no words to soothe the pain of losing a loved one. There was nothing to ease the sting of loss. Fregnar had brought her back, but didn’t seem able to do it for the others. She didn’t bother trying to hide the tears that ran down her own cheeks. There was no strength in hiding them.
“At least he’ll be with Aunt Leena now. He and Vainoff will be with their soulmates.”
Alrindel scanned their surroundings then and Zelia realized he hadn’t known that Vainoff had also fallen. Probably didn’t know that she had, too. He pushed her away from him as he looked over her face, as he no doubt noted the blood that streaked her face like tears. “You,” his voice cracked.
“I’ll be fine. Are you hurt?”
“No.” He glanced down at Koin, and pain twisted his features again. Physically he wasn’t hurt, but there were other forms of hurt. Pain that couldn’t be healed with magic.
Someone else’s arms wrapped around them and she stiffened. “Thanks for saving us,” Skylar whispered.
Zelia didn’t say anything. Saying you’re welcome after what she had just done felt wrong. So very, very wrong. Skylar seemed to understand as he squeezed her a little bit tighter. She’d killed the Fenari—all of them as though they were no more than weeds in a field. Even weeds had a better chance of coming back than she’d given them.
“We should go back before Loboran collapses from trying to keep the portal open,” Linithion said.
Alrindel nodded absently and stood to pick up Koin’s body, but Barg beat him to it. “Please allow me.” Barg gingerly scooped Koin’s body up, as though he were a friend. The warrior had to see the pain in each of their faces as he nodded for them to lead the way through the portal.
Zelia hadn’t noticed the other dragons vanish into the portal or someone pick up Vainoff’s body. She wondered how long she had sat there, hugging Alrindel. Linithion took her hand in hers as they walked towards the portal. She wondered why she hadn’t seen Koin’s death in her dreams, or even her own. Perhaps because it was something she couldn’t have changed. She nodded to herself. Even if she had been able to change it, he wouldn’t have wanted her too if that meant someone else fell in his place. Koin had already decided he would leave them, at least this way his death meant something—his death saved Alrindel.
They stepped through the portal into a chaotic mess. Pain slammed into her and she doubled over, clutching her side. Linithion’s magic tingled across her back as she supported her.
“Zelia?”
“It’s Raven, not me,” she spoke through gritted teeth. For several agonizing heartbeats she struggled to push Raven’s bond to the back of her mind. She wouldn’t be able to walk, much less help if she continued to feel the pain that lanced down Raven’s side. She gulped down an iron and blood tinged lungful of air as the pain eased. Slowly, she straightened.
“You two alright?” Loboran asked. Sweat glistened on his brow as he closed the portal. His worry was written all over his face as he glanced towards Barg and Koin’s lifeless body, and then to her face.
“I’m…” She shook her head as she watched Barg carry Koin away. She didn’t have time to think about how she was. She turned to where Raven lay sprawled against Grono. “I need to see to Raven.”
“Eadon is seeing to Raven. Come here.” Loboran waved her to him, but Zelia could tell by how dim his glow had become that he was drained. Nearly as drained as she had been.
“No. You need to rest, you’ve pushed yourself too far.”
“I don’t—” Linithion took Zelia’s face in her hands and Zelia knew Linithion’s other power slipped as her eyes widened.
Zelia had so many fears anymore that she no longer knew what one Linithion would have seen. No, that wasn’t true. She knew exactly what fear had been driving her ever since Rog had stabbed Linithion.
“We’re both still here. We survived. You survived and I’m fine.” Linithion ran her fingers into Zelia’s hair and her head tingled as magic searched out what caused the dull ache in her head. There was a flicker of worry and then relief in Linithion’s eyes and Zelia pulled her into a hug.
“I told you I was alright.”
“Yes, well, all the blood streaking your face isn’t really reassuring, and I don’t know exactly what Fregnar did to you.”
“He wouldn't have done that if someone hadn't used their powers that way and completely drained herself and her power stone.” Nikolas glared at her with crossed arms. “You’re lucky Fregnar risked leaving to save you.”
She looked away and held Linithion a little tighter. She didn’t have an argument. She hadn’t been able to stop herself.
“Fregnar what?” Loboran shook his head. “Give the girls a minute, you can scold Zelia later.” He nodded for Nikolas to walk with him as he headed for the dense buzz of activity at the pasture entrance.
Zelia turned towards the dragons.
Linithion grabbed her hand as they leaned back from their hug. “Let’s go see how Raven is.”
31
Grono and Orvi were curled up next to Raven, purring and keeping her warm. The bond that linked them told her Raven was unconscious. From blood loss or pain, Zelia didn’t know. Eadon and two others worked to clean, close, stitch, and heal the massive gash that ran from Raven’s chest to her hind leg.
“Will—” Zelia lost the stomach to voice her question as Linithion dropped her hand and went to help. She was going to be sick. First Koin and now Raven, when they’d just finally completed their bond.
“I don’t know yet,” Eadon admitted, and paused when he glanced towards her.
“I’m fine,” she lied. While not physically hurt, she was certainly not fine.
“I checked her. She’s not lying, this time,” Linithion added.
Zelia forced herself to take a deep breath. Raven had lied to her and hidden most of the injury with her wing. “How can I help?” Zelia pulled on her powers, burning the blood and dirt from her skin so she wouldn’t get anything in Raven’s wound. She could feel the moisture in the air calling to her, asking to help. “I can clean her wound.” She had never used water magic before, but she had seen and felt Rogath do it so much, that the water just gathered for her.
Eadon didn’t say anything as Zelia stepped up beside him and gently guided the water through the long and jagged cut until it turned a muddy red. She found she couldn’t force the partials from the water as Rogath had, so she let it fall to the ground and gathered clean water from the air once more.
“When did you learn that?” Eadon asked as she guided another batch of water through the gash until it was free of ash and dirt.
“From Rog. He makes it look easy these days.” Zelia tried not to let herself think about who Eadon stitched up with a strip of leather that smelled of alcohol. She tried not to think about the fact that Raven may not recover from this. That she may have spent Raven’s last waking moments morning Koin’s death with Alrindel. That she had sent her away moments after being brought back from death herself.
Grono stared at her over his wing, the wing he used to both keep Raven warm and to keep her wing out of the way. “She’s been through worse. It’s been a while, but she’s seen worse,” Grono’s tone was calm and soothing. “You should go sit and warm up. I can see that you’re shaking with fatigue. Don’t let Raven wake up to you being unconscious, or worse. One of us will wake you when she begins to stir.”
Zelia couldn’t help but glare at him as he knew exactly what nerves and angles to push. Raven had clearly told him how to get her to listen, just in case. She felt, rather than saw, Eadon glanced between her and Grono, then at the tremor that was beginning in her hands.
“Linithion, you and Zelia should go get something to eat. We can handle things from here.
”
Grono’s lip twitched in what she assumed was a smirk of satisfaction. He had managed to draw Eadon’s attention to her exhaustion, too. She didn’t want to go. She didn’t want to leave Raven. But Linithion grabbed her hand and practically dragged her towards the house. She would have fought it, had she had the energy to do so.
Zelia was lost, staring out into the distance as Linithion pushed her into a seat in the dining room. Nikolas was there, sitting with his arms crossed. She hadn’t looked at him, but she knew it was him. No one else here wore all black as he did.
“I’ll be right back,” Linithion said and disappeared into the hallway.
Nikolas leaned forward and set something in front of her on the table. “A gift from Father. He’ll send the retrieved Elven souls through here when you cremate those who have fallen. Says it’ll help them get where they’re supposed to go.”
When she didn’t even look at what he’d set in front of her, he snapped in front of her face. She flinched and glared at him. He broke the object open and laid it out in front of her.
“Eat the fruit. You killed yourself draining your power like that—even a god of rebirth can’t come back without magic in their veins. Plus, I know you’ve still been using your magic.”
Zelia looked at it then, the strange red onion shaped fruit was full of seeds.
“And no, there are no strings attached. I think it physically pains him when you’re stuck in the in-between, so he’d rather keep you out of it. They’re a little sour by the way.”
Zelia pulled one of the seeds from the fruit and chewed on it. It was sour, almost like a cherry.
“All of it, squirt.” Nikolas smirked at her.
“How long have you been waiting in here?”
“I saw you two headed for the house. I was helping Skylar while I waited for you to either drop or come to your senses. Of course, I didn’t think the dragons would be the first ones to call you out on it.”
The dragons, Raven would have called her out on it the moment Zelia set foot through the portal. Zelia would never wash the image of that gaping gash from her mind, even if Raven somehow survived.