by Hayley Todd
I fought to keep my chin up enough to watch her but I was feeling weaker by the second. I sagged, falling to the side and barely managing to keep myself from laying down.
“That lecherous scum Zeus,” she spat the name like a curse, “seemed to have thought he could control me.” She laughed harshly. “He got his comeuppance though.”
The man at the edge of the circle dipped both amulets into the bowl filled with Valeria’s blood. “Mistress,” he called. Kenos’ head snapped over to him. “It is time.”
She grinned at me before grabbing me by the arm attached to my wounded shoulder. Agony ignited within me again but just as she had promised, unconsciousness didn’t come. Tears dripped from my eyes without permission but I didn’t have the energy to fight them.
Kenos dragged me to the edge of the circle. The man lifted the bowl and placed it within the circle without resistance. It was just a barrier for us then. Kenos dropped me and I collapsed beside her. She lifted her wrist to my mouth and grabbed the back of my neck, forcing my mouth open with one hand. She used my fangs to stab through her skin and immediately removed her arm, holding it over the bowl. Her blood welled and dripped into the mixture.
The man removed the bowl and began his spell anew. A soft glow emanated from the bowl, its colors ebbing from one shade to another. It started as a grey, not quite black, then changed to cyan, chartreuse, violet, sapphire, then solid black.
It was mesmerizing despite the danger it implied.
“What do you hope to accomplish with this?” I asked and my voice came out as barely a whisper. Maybe with her explanation, it would make some sense.
Kenos laughed. “Seira didn’t tell you my plan? That’s surprising. She always was a coward. I’m sure she anticipated that you’d stop me.” She grabbed me roughly by the chin and stared deeply into my eyes. Her’s still glowed with pulsing violet energy, tinged with blackness. “You in there, Seira? How does it feel to see your creations demolished one by one?”
When Seira didn’t come calling, she shoved harshly, knocking me back again. I was struggling so hard to remain somewhat upright. I wanted nothing more than to lay down and let myself sleep. I needed some of this pain to leave me.
“I am going to embody my full power,” she said. “Then, I’m going to devour Seira’s too. With both Order and Chaos embued in my spirit--or should I say Tempest’s spirit--I will bring an end to this endless back and forth.”
“B-but that will destroy everything,” I whispered recalling the warning Seira, Achillia, and Sage had given me.
Kenos paused. “Well, yes. That’s the point.”
An icy chill rolled down my spine. This was it. She was going to end the world and I could do nothing but watch. “What did you do to them?” I asked her, catching sight of Carson and Anton outside the circle.
She glanced lazily at them. “Ah yes, your lovers. How lucky are you? To be the center of the world for not one but two handsome men. I’m sure you enjoyed that. Harmonia was something of a slut too.”
The word cracked into me like a physical blow. The tears flowed harder but I didn’t even have the energy to sob.
“They are hopefully dead and gone to this world. It will be a blessing for them. They don’t need to suffer more thanks to you.”
My chest ached through more than physical pain.
“Mistress,” the man called.
Kenos grinned and stepped closer to him, just inside of the dome. He pulled a curved dagger from a satchel at his side and held it out to her. “At long last,” Kenos sighed, “the end of eternity is just on the other side of a cut. Isn’t that funny? After all this trouble, one slice from this blade and a little touch of your blood,” she glanced down at my chest, “and I’ll absorb all of it. All of it!” She rapidly devolved into maniac laughter.
The man cleared his throat and Kenos suddenly went silent. She took first the bowl from him, then the blade. She rested the bowl on the ground inside the circle and dipped the knife in, coating its rune-etched surface in the mixture. The symbols along the metal glowed with violet and black energy. The thing looked ancient.
“Thank you, Kyra. I know you won’t know what is to come, or what was to be, but your sacrifice will finally bring the end.” Kenos turned toward me.
My heart hammered in my chest and despite my exhaustion, I tried my best to scramble away from her. My injured shoulder forbade me from using my arm so I shuffled backwards with my other hand desperately.
She smiled as though she were hearing an outlandish story from a child and lifted the blade, its tip pointed at my heart.
So, this was it. After all I had done, after all I had been through, this would finally be the end for me. I wondered if it would hurt. I wondered what I’d find on the other side. If she destroyed reality, would Heaven be gone too?
My pulse slowed as I accepted my death. I could only hope that there would be light at the end of this tunnel.
And then, with a familiar animalistic shriek, a small, slim woman with dark hair burst forth from the trees and slammed into her.
Chapter Forty-Six
Like a bullet from a gun, Kellic rocketed across the ground and collided with Kenos. Her hand went to the hilt of the blade and slammed Kenos’ hand against the ground. The girl’s white-haired head rocked back, cracking off of the grass as Kellic’s other hand clutched her throat.
Kenos gurgled nonsense sounds beneath Kellic’s iron grip but she didn’t let up. She tried to fight her off but Kellic batted her blows away like they came from a child.
Kellic’s nails dug into the skin of Kenos’ neck, drawing blood that welled down into the dirt. First, Kenos’ face went bright red, then purple, the blue as she became more and more deprived of oxygen.
I realized something was amiss—even in my addled state—before Kellic did. Kenos went rigidly still but it wasn’t from death or unconsciousness. Her fists clenched into the dirt. Her glowing eyes flicked to me, then up to the sky.
They were laying perfectly in the sunbeam that split down from the canopy of leaves. Kellic’s skin was already turning pink. After only seconds more it turned red before igniting entirely and setting her arms on fire.
Kenos smiled.
But Kellic did what she’d least expected.
She didn’t let go.
She wrenched the blade free of Kenos’ weakened grip and lifted it high, pointing its glowing tip at her chest.
Then, with little effort, she impales her.
The clearing exploded.
Light and sound blew away all my senses and everything went dark.
The void was filled with color for a change. I didn’t sit peacefully in the circle as I had before.
Achillia and Sage and several dark figures swirled around me but until my mind caught up to where I was, there was absolute silence.
Slowly, sound came to me. Singing. Someone was singing.
My head was propped in someone’s lap and the void was no longer a void. We were in an elaborate palace.
I blinked up at the high arched ceilings. Sunlight poured in through wide decorative windows around the room. I could hear birds chirping in the distance.
“Good morning, sunshine,” Achillia said, leaning over me. She, Sage, and a dozen other figures sat around me in a circle, their hands extended over me. I didn’t recognize the others but they all had those eerily familiar features. It was like looking at myself a dozen times, though the clothing and hair represented numerous different regions and eras.
The hands around me all emanated a blue-white glow and their energy deeper into my skin around my abdomen.
I tilted my head up and found that I was leaned against Seira. Her fingers were twisted gently into my hair massaging my scalp as she sang quietly. Her voice was perfect, something lullabies were made of.
“Seira?” I breathed and my voice was a raspy whisper.
She smiled down at me. “Hello, Kyra.”
I tried to sit up and several pairs of hands restrained me gently. “What’s
going on?” I asked.
Seira gave me a look that reminded me of a mother chastising a sick child for rising prematurely. It was pleasant but concerned.
She sighed. “You succeeded,” she said. “It wasn’t exactly as we’d hoped, but you kept Kenos from executing her plans.”
I peered around the circle. Achillia and Sage were the only other faces I recognized and they watched me with that same worried gaze.
“I-I didn’t do anything,” I replied.
Seira laughed. The sound jingled around the room. “You did enough. Chaos has not been defeated. She will come back stronger than she has been in several millenia. But for now, you’ve saved the world.”
I lost myself in my thoughts and the calming atmosphere of the room for a long time. I wasn’t sure how much time had passed. I shook myself and tried to lean up.
Seira restrained me more roughly than before. “Easy,” she chided. “You are weak. If not for the amulet, you would be dead. You’re in no condition to be launching up just now. Especially considering your...delicate circumstances.”
I stared blankly up at her and realized I actually felt better than I had before. They were healing me. Or maybe imbuing me with their energy was more apt.
I must’ve been more injured than I had thought. “What did Kellic do?” I asked.
“Kellic turned the tide by taking an...alternative approach.” It was Sage that replied after several heartbeats.
I stared blankly at her, willing her to go on. She didn’t but Seira spoke up then.
“Your cousin killed Tempest with the blade meant to carry the powers of creation. In so doing, she claimed all of Chaos’ spirit,” she said softly.
“So, she’s like me?” I asked, confused at how gentle and calm they all appeared. The last communication I’d had with each of them had been violent and energetic. It was nothing like the energy the exuded now.
“Not exactly,” Achillia replied.
They all hesitated, as though worried about my reaction. Seira whistled and nodded her head at the others. They nodded back and rose, exiting the room and leaving me entirely alone with Seira.
She helped me into a sitting posture though not without propping a dozen pillows behind my back. Then, she sat next to me, watching me closely.
“Kellic has absorbed both Kenos, her dark energy, and the raw forces of Chaos. In order for Kenos to complete her spell, she had the witches in that circle merge the amulets into one. Yours. Mine. It holds not only my power in its raw form as it once did, but also the remnants of Chaos that escaped the spell. It is unprecedented but the combining of the forces doesn’t bode well.”
“W-will Kellic be okay?” I asked, her safety of priority in my mind.
Seira laughed softly. “I shouldn’t be surprised that she would be your first consideration. The...darkness that twisted her mind was a mere runoff from the amulet. That energy is not meant to be housed by those incapable of holding it. We can hope that it equipped her to handle Kenos but...the alternative is concerning.”
I stared at her. “So, she’s insane, just like Tempest?”
Seira considered it for a moment. “No, not exactly. My amulet creates a madness in the literal sense. The smallest incidences will ignite fury in those individuals. You are genetically equipped to handle that. She was not. Every slight against her has become a personal attack to her. And considering your...relationship situation, she’s furious with you. She’s not insane...yet, but her mind has been irrevocably warped. Only repairing what has been broken will repair her. Then, it’s up to her whether or not she will be able to withstand Kenos’ spirit. Tempest was driven insane because she was human. Kellic is not. There is hope yet.”
I stared at her. My mind spun. If I could repair the amulets, Kellic could survive this. But that also meant she was my adversary in the basest sense. How could my best friend and I work cohesively like that?
I hadn’t noticed the tears streaming down my face but Seira had. She lifted a finger and wiped gently at my cheek. Her touch was cool and made my skin tingle.
“So, I just have to figure out how to fix all this?” I asked her.
She chuffed, not really a laugh, more of an exasperated sound. “It won’t be that easy, but yes, we can hope that repairing the amulets and their connections with the primordial energies of Order and Chaos should make Kellic like you as you so aptly put it.”
I was baffled as I sobbed. I didn’t know where all this emotion was coming from. My heart was broken but I wasn’t much of a crier. Lately though, it seemed like all I could do.
Seira ran her thumb down my cheek again, tucking my hair behind my ear. “Be still, child,” she said and it was the first thing she’d said that exposed her age.
I laughed in perfect contradiction to the tears running down my cheeks and the sobs racking my chest.
She peered at me curiously. “You’re...well, not to be rude, but you’re ancient. Sometimes that’s hard to remember.”
Seira shocked me when she laughed, truly laughed. Her shoulders bobbed with the sound of it. “Yes, that I am. And you’re right, after so many millenia with the youngest of our ranks, I have begun to adapt to the modern ways. It is easy to lose sight of my years in existence.”
We sat quietly for several moments. “You’re going to leave me again aren’t you?” I asked her. I had encountered Seira when near death before I ever knew who or what she was. But I had only had the opportunity to speak with her and learn from her since carrying the amulet and it was now corrupted.
Seira sighed. “I will be near. You only need know how to contact me. You have had extensive experience with the amulet now, more than any of my other hosts. You may return some of its power. I will never leave you.”
The words swelled in my chest and I was both comforted and disconcerted by the idea of our connection.
Seira’s head shot up. She had the same long auburn hair that I did, though hers was braided around flowers at the crown of her head. Her eyes were the same blue-white too and they tracked something in the distance that I didn’t see.
“It’s time,” she said, rising. “He’s coming for you. Take care of him.” She looked me up and down as though trying to find something upon my form.
“Take care of him?” I asked, grasping for a hand that faded at my touch. What did she mean? Why was she so worried? Was I going to be okay?
Though I had started to feel better, the pain, agony, and crushing depression came sweeping back along with my consciousness.
Epilogue
I came to swaying gently in a pair of warm, solid arms. My head was nuzzled against someone’s neck and my fangs were out without my permission.
“Have at it, you champ,” he said, his voice rough but still with his characteristic playfulness.
Anton walked through the forest, cradling me near to him. I could just barely see the remnants of the chaos we were leaving behind.
The circle from the spell had seared its path into the grass and dozens of dead bodies were scattered around the trees. Tempest and Valeria were laid out on different sides of the clearing. I felt bad, seeing Tempest who had been driven mad by a spirit she couldn’t fight and Valeria who had chosen to save me, whether through selfish reasons or not in her final moments both tossed aside like dolls whose use had expired.
Kellic and Carson were nowhere to be seen, nor were the amulets.
“Are you okay?” I asked Anton as he walked.
He laughed, glancing down at me. “Am I okay? I only got a little slapped around. You just harnessed incredible power and got injured dozens of times. But you want to know if I’m okay?” He shook his head though it didn’t seem to be at me. “That’s so typically you.” He smiled and the expression warmed my heart.
I had worried for a time that he may not have survived that blow. I had worried the same for Carson. I should’ve known they were both alive when I didn’t feel any distress on our imprint. At the moment I hadn’t even considered it. It didn’t help th
at I had been so jacked up on Order’s power that I wasn’t sure if a shattered imprint would actually have killed me.
“I’m fine,” he replied, “I think there was a paralytic in those spears. I was unconscious and completely unable to fight it. When I finally woke up, you were out of it and Carson was gone.”
I hesitated, realizing he hadn’t seen the outcome of the fight. “I didn’t save us,” I said quietly. The words felt heavy in my chest but they were true. I had failed. I had failed Valeria and I had failed my friends and family.
Anton gazed down at me curiously, not needing to watch his steps.
“Kellic,” I said softly. “Kellic saved us. And I’m not sure if she’s even Kellic anymore.”
Anton went rigid but he continued on his path. “What do you mean?”
I looked up at him. He was so handsome. He was young as far as vampires went. He was several years older than me but biologically so, not just in appearance. He had auburn hair that looked coppery in the darkness beneath the trees. His amber eyes were bright.
“Kellic saved me. Tempest or Kenos or whatever you want to call her was about to kill me. She was about to win. But Kellic killed her and in doing that, she absorbed the powers of Chaos. Even Seira--the woman from the vision--isn’t sure what will become of her. All she knew was that her use of the Order Amulet had driven her mad. Literally. Every anger or outrage has turned massive inside her. She might hate us.” Damnable tears ran hot down my face. I was so sick of crying.
Anton didn’t reply, he just walked quietly until we reached the edge of the forest.
Though it had been dawn when this excursion had begun, it was dark now, twinkling stars above lighting our path. He carried me across the field between the trees and the house silently. The building was scarred, smoke billowing from the front gates, but otherwise, it remained intact.
Anton made his way to the back door we’d exited through and swung it open with one hand. He helped me down to my feet but still held most of my weight. I was grateful for that because I was certain my legs wouldn’t hold me.