Angel let her go, then looked at her body with a stony mask of contempt. She murmured in Solarian, and the ice storm surrounded her, then vanished. Just like with Yazmina and Kane, there wasn’t a single scrap of cloth or hair left behind.
The surrounding storm intensified, dropping yet another tornado, and hail the size of grapefruit slammed to the ground She made her way to Sathe, and Freya moved, nuzzling her cheek with a velvety soft muzzle. Can you bring him back? the mare asked pitifully.
I don’t know, but I’m going to try, Angel replied, kneeling beside him.
She placed her hands on his forehead, and she closed her eyes as she began chanting in Solarian, the wind somehow increasing more, howling in her new ears. Sepherino and Freya stepped forward, their heads bowed, and their eyes closed. She could them blending their energies with her own. Two more melded with hers as Donay and Laris galloped up, their sides heaving, sweat covering their bodies.
Sathe’s skull slowly came back together, healing completely, but she felt as if she’d run up against an impossibly thick and tall brick wall. Please, Sathe, breathe, she thought, pouring every fiber of her being in his head and heart through her hands. I can’t live this life without you. I need you as I need air and water to survive. I’m nothing without you.
With a cry of pain, she felt the wall give after what felt like an eternity, then it shattered. Sathe’s heart began beating, and he inhaled with a loud, sharp gasp. He opened his eyes and sat up in a daze, then turned and looked at Angel, awe and wonder in his eyes. “You, you brought me back to life?”
She shook her head. “We did. I couldn’t do it on my own.”
The storm slowly faded, and the clouds broke apart as the glow faded from her eyes. She suddenly gasped, her body going rigid as she felt herself pulled roughly from her body with a terrific force. Hurtling through the far reaches of the universe, and with a blinding light, she saw an amazing sight. The brilliant blue sphere of Solaris and the fiery red planet of Elagon reformed in all their splendor, orbiting each other like they had for millennia.
She came flying back to her body, and Sathe caught her as she toppled over. “Angel? Are you okay? What happened?”
“It’s finished,” she whispered.
“What is?” he asked, brushing her hair back as her eyes closed, and the ears and tail faded.
He still had his, however, and they were sensitive enough to pick up her indistinct murmur as exhaustion claimed her. “Solaris and Elagon, they’re whole once again.”
* * *
As she fell unconscious, the spell fell from Damien and the others, and Damien sagged as the others jumped to their feet. Malik, it’s over, Laris said, his voice weary from exhaustion from having given his energy to Angel. Ciera’s dead. She had killed Sathe, but Angel brought him back.
It’s really over? he asked, sitting back down hard.
Yes. We’re on our way home now.
Malik relayed the message, and Diamonique burst into tears. Damien continued to stand, his eyes wide in shock, and Neo hit his knees, praying his thankfulness to every god he could think of.
Malik was waiting in the barn when he saw the four Dellings cantering up, Sathe on Freya, holding Angel protectively. “Will she be okay?” he asked
“She will be, she’s just beyond exhausted,” he said before dismounting. “She just needs rest.”
Malik grinned, and Laris nuzzled the top of his head affectionately. “She’ll finally be able to get that. All the rest she could ever want.”
As soon as Sathe went into the house, they bombarded him with questions, but he shook his head, Angel tight in his arms. “Everything will have to wait,” he said, then took her upstairs and bathed her, cleaning her wounds before putting her in a white gown and tucking her into bed.
Finally, he came back down, and Michael had gotten there while he’d been seeing to Angel. He flung his arms around his son, his eyes red-rimmed. “I thought I’d lost you.”
“For a few minutes, you did,” Sathe replied quietly.
“Ari’s coming in tomorrow. He’s very put out you didn’t wait for him.”
Sathe shook his head. “No way. There was no way he was going against her.”
Damien looked at him. “Why did she freeze us?”
“Because, she could feel what we couldn’t, how much stronger Ciera was.” Sathe shook his head. “She would’ve killed you, and Angel wouldn’t have handled that well.”
“What about the storm? They’re talking about tornados, here in New York,” Michael said.
“That was Angel, when Ciera killed me. You know she’s always had close ties with the weather.”
Diamonique looked around. “Where’s Taylon?”
Sathe’s voice was sad as he explained what had happened, and Neo raised an eyebrow. “Wait. You said, wolf ears and a tail?”
Sathe nodded. “I know it’s insane, but it happened to both of us. The increase of energy was what she needed to win.”
“How did Angel kill her?” Damien asked.
He shrugged. “I don’t know. I was dead for that part. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to pass out now. If you want to know anymore, ask the Dellings. I’m sure they’ll be more than happy to tell you the whole thing.” He stumbled up the stairs, took his own bath and fell across the bed, instantly asleep.
* * *
It took him two days to recover, but it almost a week before Angel could get up and around. Three days after that, they were both standing in the Winner’s Circle at the Kentucky Derby with Sepherino, and the golden colt was showing off for the cameras. Just a few short weeks later, they repeated their celebration all over again at their home track in Belmont as he claimed the Triple Crown. Sathe’s arm was around her waist, the bright sunlight glittering off a large diamond ring on her hand he’d placed there the night before.
She placed a hand on her stomach, where their four-week-old daughter was growing inside her, the next heir to the Solarian throne, but only if she chose. Angel looked up, and she saw Adea waving frantically, Malik’s arms tight around her. Shortly before graduation, she’d broken up with Jessie for the final time, and Malik had wasted no time in asking her out.Ari was right beside them, having made the move just after graduating. She smiled, feeling Sathe’s hand covering her own. He was just as amazed as she was at their unborn child. The Queen of Solaris smiled up at the Prince of Elagon. They had chosen to live their lives on Earth, and she couldn’t but marvel at the wonders that happened when worlds collide.
About the Author
Mallory Anderson is a Birmingham, Alabama native, but she’s called Rocky Mount, North Carolina home for the eight years. She lives with her two children, Ava and James, and her two fur-babies, Lil’ Mama and Oreo. She been writing since 2002, just before graduating high school.
You can connect with me on:
https://avaandjj2026.wixsite.com/malloryanderson
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When Worlds Collide: Solarian Chronicles I Page 18