The Oblivion Stone (The Liftsal Guardians Book 3)

by Alexandra Moody

  ‘You should return with Kai,’ Rhyn said, causing Sloane to frown up at him. His eyes pierced deeply into hers; the way they always did when he focused his full attention on her.

  She frowned and her back stiffened as she tried to process what he was saying. ‘You don’t want me to fight?’ she asked slowly as if it physically hurt her to sound each word out loud.

  ‘There’s too much of a conflict.’ His eyes darted away from her as he spoke.

  ‘You don’t trust me?’ The pain Sloane felt was filtering through in her voice despite her attempts to sound calm. She folded her arms over her chest and tried to keep the scowl she could feel developing on her forehead at bay.

  ‘I trust you,’ he replied. ‘But I don’t want to make you fight your own family. It’s not fair on you.’

  ‘Surely I can make that decision for myself.’

  ‘You shouldn’t have to,’ he replied. ‘You’ve helped us enough already. I don’t want you here.’ His eyes almost begged her to understand, but she couldn’t stomach the idea of running and hiding. She’d never turned her back on a fight, and she wasn’t about to start now, no matter how much he pleaded with her.

  ‘I’m not going anywhere,’ she said. ‘I want to help protect your people. I want to protect mine from making a horrible mistake.’

  Rhyn voiced a low growl as his frustration with her became too much to handle. ‘You can’t fight with us,’ he insisted.

  ‘But—’

  ‘Please, Sloane. For once will you just listen? Don’t make me order my warriors to drag you away.’ He pushed a hand roughly through his hair as if the one movement could ease his annoyance.

  Sloane opened her mouth to object, but Kai cut in before she could say a word. ‘I’ll take Sloane back to the castellum,’ he said.

  ‘What?’ she protested.

  ‘There’s no need for any dragging. Is there?’ Kai glanced at Sloane, his eyes saying far more than his words had. Like Sloane, he looked like he was unhappy about being sent into hiding, and she had a feeling he wanted to stay as much as she did.

  ‘Fine,’ she said, raising her hands up in defeat.

  Rhyn’s eyes narrowed as if he suspected her surrender wasn’t genuine, but he let out a breath of relief. With one hand, he reached out and gripped her shoulder.

  ‘Thank you for understanding. I don’t think I could bear it if something happened to you.’

  Her stomach dipped with guilt at his words, and she was glad when one of his warriors approached. The fighter was struggling to catch his breath, and for an Unfaih to be panting Sloane knew he must have been running hard.

  ‘What is it?’ Rhyn asked, his hand dropping from Sloane’s shoulder.

  ‘The humans are marching,’ the Unfaih scout said, between breaths. ‘They’ve reached the traps and are working through them quickly, but they’ve still got a long way to come.’

  Rhyn glanced back at Sloane and Kai. A moment of uncertainty flickered through his gaze, but his stormy eyes quickly grew hard again. ‘Go,’ he said before he turned and strode away.

  He didn’t glance over his shoulder as he departed, and Sloane felt every inch of the distance between them growing as he left. She watched him walking towards the edge of the Unfaih’s line of defence, where some warriors were making their way into the woods. He wasn’t the only one who was worried, and she couldn’t stand to think about how she’d feel if something happened to him.

  ‘Come on,’ Kai said, nodding his head in the direction of the rift.

  Sloane huffed out a breath and pulled her gaze from Rhyn’s retreating figure. ‘He’s going to be okay, right?’ she asked. She didn’t feel comfortable being parted from Rhyn when she knew he was heading for a fight. She desperately wanted to be standing by him when the battle arrived.

  ‘I wouldn’t worry about him; I’d be worried about any man who tries to fight him.’

  ‘True,’ Sloane murmured, as she followed Kai through the gathered warriors. Word of the humans approaching seemed to have rippled through the Unfaih ranks. They had been steady and watchful before, but as soon as the news hit, they became like statues. Their eyes were hard and their gazes impenetrable as they watched the lightening horizon.

  Many warriors had already made their way through the rift up ahead, but there was a line of them still waiting to pass through when Sloane and Kai emerged from the crowd of Unfaih fighters.

  Sloane was relieved that Rhyn had managed to convince his father that his fighters were better off positioned in different places. The Unfaih were incredible in combat and had many centuries of training, but she doubted they’d needed to use any form of battle strategy in a long time. Sure, they might have fought off an onslaught of Brakys every so often, but there was no way they’d succeed using the same kind of tactics against the humans.

  ‘Kai, wait.’ Sloane said, stopping as they walked towards the rift. ‘We’re not going back to the castellum, are we?’

  He stopped and turned to face her. ‘I told Rhyn I’d take you back to the castellum … I didn’t say when.’

  Sloane smiled broadly at him. ‘You’re officially my favourite Unfaih.’

  Kai shook his head at her. ‘I think we both know that’s not true, but I’m happy to come in a very close second.’

  Sloane glanced over her shoulder as she tried to look for Rhyn. He wouldn’t be happy if he found out she’d stayed, but it wouldn’t be the first time she had ignored his wishes, and she couldn’t stand by while he did all the fighting.

  Unfaih warriors in battle armour clouded her vision, but a gap between them opened up, and she caught a brief glimpse of Rhyn. He was standing next to Elyx giving orders to the groups of Unfaih who were disappearing into the woods beyond.

  The sky was warming high above his head, and he looked so striking in the morning light. She wished she were able to stand beside him, and that they could defend the rift together, but apparently that wasn’t meant to be. He disappeared from view again, and she slowly allowed her gaze to roam around the clearing, looking at the Unfaih who surrounded them.

  There was still so many of them positioned in neat rows in front of the rift, but a large portion of the army had now departed into the woods and through the rift. Sloane’s blood hummed through her veins and her fists clenched as she thought of the fight that lay ahead. She just needed to find the best place to position herself, where she could do the most damage. The Unfaih all had their orders, but Sloane and Kai were going rogue. She wanted to be in the thick of things, so she knew they were going to have to act fast if they wanted to station themselves well.

  ‘Let’s get closer to the woods,’ Sloane murmured to Kai.

  ‘But if Rhyn sees us he’ll send us back.’

  ‘He won’t see us. We’ll find a spot amongst the warriors. I’m not hiding at the back here like a coward.’

  Kai looked to check his brother wasn’t watching before he nodded and the two of them started making their way back through the lines of Unfaih defences.

  They were almost to the front row of warriors when the sound of shouting echoed through the woods. The whole clearing fell silent, and Sloane tensed as she turned swiftly in the direction of the noise.

  It sounded like a man who was shouting, but he was too far away for her to understand what he was saying. His cries were joined by a woman’s voice, which sent chills running down Sloane’s spine. Fear gripped her, and her whole body went cold. She quickly turned to Kai who was right behind her and instinctively grabbed his arm.

  He looked down at her hand in shock, but she was too distracted by the shouts of alarm coming from the woods.

  ‘You don’t think that’s—’

  She didn’t get a chance to finish her question, as a flash of blinding light filled the clearing and a deafening boom shattered the silence. Sloane felt herself flying through the air like she’d been hit by a freight train.

  Everything happened so fast and the world around her blurred as she slammed into Kai’s ches
t and the two of them crashed hard on the ground. She felt a huge weight collapse on top of her, and her head spun as a sharp ringing sound filled her ears.

  Her whole body ached, and when she tried to move, she realised she was buried beneath an Unfaih warrior who had fallen on her. His body lay limp on top of her, and she squirmed as she tried to free herself from beneath him. Her vision was slightly blurred and the ringing still buzzed in her ears, but she could just about feel the slow movement of Kai underneath her.

  ‘Sloane?’ Kai croaked, his hand shaking her shoulder.

  Her thoughts were sluggish, and she struggled to form a coherent response.

  ‘Sloane?’ Kai repeated. His voice was louder this time as his cries broke through the fog that was clouding her senses.

  She let out a low grown, though the small noise felt like a massive effort, and Kai breathed a sigh of relief at her response. ‘Can you move?’ he asked.

  ‘No…’ she huffed out a reply. ‘Maybe … this guy on top of me is kind of making it hard.’

  ‘Hang on, I’ll try to get up,’ Kai said as he slowly eased himself out from under Sloane. As he pushed himself upwards, she heard a sharp intake of breath.

  ‘What is it?’ she asked.

  A moment later the heavy body across her back was rolled off her, and she suddenly felt like she could breathe again. She rolled onto her back and opened her eyes. Looking up, she could no longer see the soft, warm hues of morning light illuminating the sky. It wasn’t clouds that were blocking her view though, but thick grey smoke that hovered above her.

  She turned her head and looked at Kai who stood staring down at her. She was so relieved to see that he was okay, but a dark frown scarred his forehead, and he was shaking his head in shock.

  Sloane’s eyes drifted to the Oblivion Stone that hung around his neck, and she gasped as she noticed it was glowing a dazzlingly bright green colour. Before she could say anything, Kai reached down, and his two strong hands gripped her arms and helped pull her to her feet again.

  All feeling left Sloane’s body as she righted herself and looked at the clearing around her. Every single Unfaih fighter who had stood around them just moments ago was lying flat on the ground, covered in a thick layer of ash and debris. Flames crawled up a few of the trees that lined the clearing, and specks of dust and embers flickered through the air.

  Everything. Everyone. Each warrior who had stood with them was gone.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Sloane’s body started shaking violently, and her eyes glistened with tears as she slowly turned to look at the devastation around them.

  ‘What…’ her voice trailed off as an angry tear worked its way down her cheek. She roughly rubbed it away, smudging the soot and ash from her hands across her face.

  Kai was trembling just as badly beside her, his eyes filled with untold agony as he looked at the Unfaih warriors who were lying so still on the ground.

  ‘Rhyn,’ Sloane suddenly croaked. Her heart leapt to her throat, and she turned to where he’d been standing only moments ago. There was no movement along the tree line where she’d last seen him, but it was some way from the centre of the blast.

  She took off at an unsteady run as she stumbled her way over unmoving bodies and tried to find her way to him. Her heart raced, and she felt a throbbing in her gut so agonising she felt like she’d been stabbed. She staggered to the edge of the woods and started checking the warriors who were lying on the ground, both hoping and dreading she would find Rhyn among them.

  ‘Please, please,’ she whispered to herself, as she went from body to body. Some of them were still breathing, and others were moaning as they slowly began to push themselves upwards. She could hear shouting as Unfaih warriors came crashing back through the rift from Ellysia, but she couldn’t focus on them. She couldn’t focus on anything until she knew Rhyn was safe.

  The tears in her eyes started to stream more steadily as she continued to search. But with each face she passed, Sloane began to lose a slither of hope that she would find Rhyn alive. She looked up from one of the warriors as Kai crouched down beside her.

  ‘Have you seen him?’ she asked, her voice breaking with emotion.

  Kai shook his head, the sadness in his eyes reflecting her own.

  She nodded, biting her lip as she turned away from him and scanned the bodies surrounding her. She gasped in a breath as she spotted Elyx lying in the dirt and she rushed to the Unfaih warrior’s side.

  She could see his chest rising and falling, and she shook his shoulder roughly to try and rouse him.

  ‘Elyx,’ she said. ‘Elyx, wake up.’

  His eyes slowly blinked open, and he looked up at Sloane, completely dazed.

  ‘What happened?’ he rasped.

  ‘There was an explosion,’ she said, shaking her head, knowing she didn’t have time to explain. ‘You were talking to Rhyn before. Where is he?’

  Elyx’s eyes clouded like he was struggling to recall his name let alone where Rhyn had gone. ‘He’d just moved into the trees,’ he murmured finally. Without another word, Sloane leapt up and ran towards the woods.

  ‘Rhyn?’ she called out. ‘Rhyn!’

  Her voice was met with silence and a chill swept through her as though her blood had turned to ice. ‘Rhyn?’ she yelled again, as she moved unsteadily past the tree line.

  Her gaze landed on a body up ahead, and she ran towards it, dropping to the Unfaih man’s side as she struggled to roll him over. Her heart both wrenched and warmed at the same time as she saw Rhyn’s face. His chest was slowly rising and falling, but the movement was so slight that Sloane could barely see it.

  ‘Rhyn?’ she whispered, his name catching in her throat.

  She reached out and lightly touched a hand to his handsome face. ‘Please don’t leave me.’

  ‘And why would I do that?’ he asked, slowly blinking open his light blue eyes.

  She blew out a breath she hadn’t realised she’d been holding, and buried her face in his chest as she struggled to handle the combination of fear and relief that pumped through her. ‘You’re okay,’ she said, the sound muffled by his armour.

  She felt a hand press against her back, and she lifted her head as Rhyn eased himself up. He didn’t move too far though before he wrapped an arm around her, pulling her in close. He leant his forehead against hers and every trembling emotion she felt threatened to gush out of her in one fell swoop.

  ‘Don’t scare me like that again,’ she murmured.

  He slowly shook his head. ‘I won’t leave you. Not now. Not ever,’ he replied, simply.

  Her body shivered at his words, but she nodded, not knowing how to respond. She looked up into his eyes, and she felt the truth of his words staring back at her. He would stay by her side forever; if only she would let him.

  ‘How is everyone else?’ he asked, finally breaking her gaze as he slowly eased himself to his feet.

  Sloane stood with him. ‘It’s bad. Really bad.’

  Her words set Rhyn into motion, and he rushed back to the clearing. Sloane followed, but Rhyn stilled as he reached the tree line and looked out over what had once been a bright and green clearing. Everything before them was covered in a layer of deep grey dust, and cinders still floated through the air. There were so many warriors still lying motionless on the ground, but there were also many who had started to ease themselves to their feet again.

  The Unfaih who had been protected from the blast on the other side of the rift were rushing back and forth through the portal as they tried to help evacuate the injured to the castellum. There were too many who weren’t moving though—too many who couldn’t be helped at all.

  Sloane had never seen such devastation on Rhyn’s face before. His eyes were wide and his face twisted in pain. His skin had paled dramatically, and his lips were scrunched in a grimace.

  It was horrible what had happened, but neither of them had time for sorrow when the battle was far from over. ‘My father would have timed the blast
to go off right before he attacked,’ Sloane murmured, as her gaze roamed the trees that lined the clearing for signs of movement. ‘Where are the humans?’

  Rhyn stared blankly at the woods, and she wondered if he’d heard her question. She’d never seen him in such shock, but they all needed him regain his focus fast.

  ‘They must still be dealing with the traps,’ Elyx said, answering her question as he limped over to them. ‘I doubt they were expecting them.’

  Sloane nodded as she considered his response. If the humans were still making their way through the traps, they should at least have some time to try and reassemble the remaining Unfaih warriors before the battle began.

  ‘What losses have we taken?’ Rhyn asked. His voice was rough with emotion as he turned to his second, but the focus had returned to his eyes, and they looked firm and more determined.

  ‘It’s too early to tell,’ Elyx said, his gaze roaming the clearing. ‘I estimate a quarter of the fighters who were in formation are gone, with many more too injured to fight.’

  ‘Was my father injured?’ Rhyn asked.

  Elyx shook his head. ‘He was already on the other side of the rift when it happened. I just saw him helping some of the injured retreat to the castellum.’

  A hint of relief entered Rhyn’s eyes, though they remained grim as he surveyed the scene.

  ‘We should withdraw and fight the battle on our own terms. We can’t fight this,’ Elyx continued, shaking his hand at the devastation around them. ‘We were crazy to think we could fight this way. But we know how to protect the castellum. We would have the advantage. They cannot defeat us there.’

  Sloane frowned as she listened in; surprised that Elyx was so ready to give up. Yes, they’d just experienced a massive blow, but that didn’t mean that they couldn’t still win. She looked away from the two of them and scrutinised the clearing as they continued to talk.