by Salem Cross
Ekon lunged towards us at the same time as another roar rippled across the battlefield. Nikolas, Zara, Devon, and I leapt forward to deflect his attack while the others fell back to protect Mae. Ekon wielded his sword like a true warrior. He blocked every blow the four of us attempted and managed to amputate Devon’s hand in the process. Devon fell back as the rest of us sparred with the devil.
Above us, a steady stream of fire came roaring down over us. The heat of the fire caused the air to become stifling. I could feel my skin beginning to burn and bubble. But the flames from above never actually touched us. Just as suddenly as the attack came, it was gone. Ash fell from the sky.
Your mate just reflected dragon’s fire at an undead dragon and killed it, my father’s voice alerted me. The pride in his voice could not be mistaken.
Nikolas lunged and attacked Ekon while the deranged Guardian focused his attention on me. Ekon dipped and twirled out of the way only to meet with Zara’s blade. Ekon leapt back, and I saw him draw on his dark magic. My gut told me that if we were hit with it our lives would be over.
Move! I yelled the warning as he threw his attack at us.
We leapt out of the way just as Mae jumped forward to meet his attack head-on. I watched as her violet power shot out from her hands and slammed into the blackish-blue ball of energy Ekon had hurled our way.
“You cannot stop me, child!” Ekon screamed as he jumped out of the way as his attack was thrown back at him. “I deserve—,”
Mae’s next attack cut Ekon’s speech off. Lightning bolts erupted from the ground around his feet and twisted around him, creating a makeshift cage. As she ran towards him another shadow descended over us. Ekon’s gaze shifted for just a second upwards before he smiled. I looked up in time to see the skeleton of a long-dead dragon dip towards us with its jaws open, flames already erupting from its mouth.
“Mae!” I roared and ran towards her.
She skidded to a stop and twisted so she could face the danger coming from above. She threw her hands up, creating a shield over everyone nearby just in time. The moment the flames hit the shield, they bounced off and shot back towards the dragon. The flames devoured the skeleton. Bones turned it to ash. The heat blistered my skin and sucked the air from my lungs. But none of that mattered. Because while Mae sheltered us, Ekon lunged for her with his sword aimed at her heart.
I slammed into him, pushing Ekon away from my mate. I felt the cut of his blade slice into my shoulder, but the burn of the pain was pushed to the wayside as I tried to shove my own sword into his gut. I felt the gathering of power as he snickered under his breath. Someone slammed into Ekon as his dark magic blasted outwards. I moved out of the way just as his attack blasted past my face. Samson slammed his fist into Ekon’s face and brought up his axe to chop the evil Guardian into two. Ekon threw his hands up and drew on his magic to stop Samson. Seeing the attack, Samson took to the sky.
Violet flames shot by me, hitting Ekon and effectively stopping his attack. Ekon screamed as flames devoured him. He twisted his hands, and the flames went out. With a loud snarl, Ekon whirled around and threw a blast of power at Mae, who was ready and deflected it easily. Her lightning blasted up through the ground by his feet. He roared his anger and threw another blast of magic at her. She ducked out of the way of the attack before sprinting at him.
What was she doing? There was no way she could go hand to hand with Ekon. I hurried to grab her. But Nikolas was already there, yanking her back as Ekon swung his sword with a speed Mae would have had no chance of outmaneuvering. A third roar bellowed over the battlefield and a stream of fire spurted towards us as a third skeletal dragon came swooping down. The stream of fire destroyed everything in its wake, and it was coming towards us, fast. Guardians dove out of the way, Fae ran, and the witches and wizards tried to shield themselves from the heat.
With danger approaching, Mae braced herself to shield us from the flames. With her attention split, Ekon moved to attack Mae. I rush forward with my sword raised. Arthur got to the Guardian first. He came up behind Ekon, his flail raised high in preparation for a fatal blow. Ekon must have sensed him because he turned around, swinging his own sword, and raising one hand to blast him with his twisted power. I heard Mae scream Arthur’s name. A lightning bolt spewed up from the ground between Guardians, forcing both to fall back. Ekon turned and threw his power at Mae, who threw up a shield to deflect the attack.
The heat of the flames grew unbearable as they came closer to us. I shot towards Mae, grabbed her by the waist, and soared out of the way of the dragon’s flames. Something hit me from behind. My wings absorbed a spell one of the mages below had thrown, but I was forced to land as pain made my movements stiff.
“Watch out!” Mae screamed in terror.
She hit me with a blast of her power, and I was thrown out of the way. Ekon’s black magic slammed into Mae who was unprepared for the attack.
Pain that wasn’t mine exploded within me, causing me to howl in agony. Mae’s whole body tensed up just before she collapsed on the ground. Arthur and Nikolas landed on either side of her, weapons ready, as Ekon approached her unmoving body. I charged him with my sword raised. At the same time, Arthur and Nikolas lunged at Ekon. Ekon braced himself.
What none of us expected was the blast of violet fire that weaved its way past all three of us and brought Ekon to his knees. He threw his hands up as his body was engulfed in flame once again. He attacked blindly, throwing out dangerous blasts of dark magic. I was forced to retreat as deadly power shot past me. Nikolas hit the ground while Arthur took to the sky.
Mae slowly got to her feet. Her eyes were glowing, her power like static electricity skimming over her body. Her expression mixed pain with determination. Black lines crawled up her neck. Whatever Ekon’s power was doing, it was making its way into her system. Before I could react, Mae threw her hands up, and the world around her and Ekon erupted in violet flames. The blaze created a towering wall all the way around them, effectively preventing anyone from joining in the fight. My heart pounded wildly in my chest. I had to get to her.
“Mae!” Mae! I screamed her name in terror. I could feel her pain growing. I wanted to call the flames away from her and I knew that I could, but I hesitated. I did not want Mae distracted from her attack.
Trust me, the strain in her voice caused my heart to twist in pain.
Mae threw her power at Ekon. He tried to deflect her attack by launching his own in response. When he did, their powers collided. The force of the impact threw everyone in the nearby vicinity off balance. I was on my feet again in seconds, and I moved close to the barrier Mae had erected. Around the other side, I could see Arthur, Nikolas, and Zara looking for their way in.
Ekon and Mae’s power twisted together. Both fighters were vying for an attempt to overpower the other. A violent gust of energy and power swept around us as the world lit up. My heart was stuck in my throat as neither of them let up. Zara tried to inch closer to the wall of violet fire, but she shrieked as she was burned.
I could feel Mae’s pain as she gritted her teeth and pushed herself to her limits. Her whole body was glowing as she fought back Ekon’s attack. Ekon took a step towards her, trying to push his magic into her. He was taunting Mae. I could see the way his mouth moved, but I could not hear what was said over the roar of the fire. I was sure he expected her to cower from him, to crumble under the weight of his attack and his words. But he did not know my Mae. He did not know about her stubborn streak or how large her heart was. She was fighting for all of us, protecting us from this monster. She would rather die than let this Guardian do damage to the world and to the people she loved. She would back down for nothing.
The wall of flames around the two began to creep inwards, towards them. Violet bolts of lightning exploded from the ground beneath Ekon’s feet causing him to stumble towards the incoming flames. I could see him beginning to tremble. His power was weakening. Mae’s violet essence surrounded them, pushing harder, stronger than what
Ekon could handle. Then, a lightning bolt hit Ekon square on and it didn’t let up. His whole body shook under the power behind Mae’s attack. His screams were heard over the roar of their power.
Then, he exploded.
His body turned to dust. The dark magic that had been housed within his body shot outwards. Mae’s power continued to spill out of her. She screamed her determination as she tried to destroy the dark power that was unmanned and unhinged. I screamed with her, calling her name, aching to help her.
As she fought the chaotic dark magic looking to escape into the world, her body let off a strange flash of violet light. A flood of her power crossed over the battlefield and into the woods and over the mountain range. There were shouts of surprise, howls of denial, and gasps of alarm, but my attention remained on my mate. The dark magic she fought to destroy continued to swirl dangerously above her in a ball of wild energy. Without warning, her power cut through the dark magic and neutralized it.
Time seemed to slow as the world lit up so brightly that it turned white. I could feel pain. I wasn’t sure if it was my own or Mae’s. As I was encompassed by the light, I could feel the very fibers of my being becoming unraveled. The sheer magnitude of agony was mind-boggling. My mind felt like it was becoming unhinged from the agony of being pulled apart cell by cell. Just when I thought I could not take any more, the world stilled.
Abruptly, the pain subsided to a dull ache. I drew in a deep breath as I steadied myself. My very being quaked after enduring such an explosion. How I had lived through it was a miracle. My heart stopped. What about Mae? I forced my eyes open, not realizing they were shut. Dazed and confused, I found myself lying flat on my back. I rolled to my stomach, and I pushed myself onto my knees. When I knew I would be able to stand without falling, I rose and proceeded to look for my other half. After the explosion, I expected the ground to be decimated. Guardians would be getting to their feet, and our enemy’s minions would be backing off when they realized it was over.
Instead, I found myself under a bright spotlight in some unknown location. I was surrounded by a darkness so black that even with my heightened senses, I could not see into it. There were no other sounds except for my own breathing. Although I knew I had never been here before, it was strangely familiar. As I slowly turned around to examine my surroundings, somewhere inside of me it clicked. While I had never been in a Pocket before, Mae had been, and I had shared her memories of this place.
I should have been alarmed or frightened. Instead, I felt nothing as I continued my slow rotation. There behind me in the small space on the ground and crumpled a few feet away lay Mae. The black streaks that had crawled up her neck had made their way up her face. Her body appeared almost deflated. Her leather armor was in tatters, and her blood was pooling under her.
My heart felt curiously hollow. Slowly, the daze and confusion I was feeling began to fade as I became aware of how alien my body felt to me. I didn’t belong in this weird shell. It didn’t feel right. I wanted to shed this form and free myself from my physical bonds of this world. Deep within my very essence I could feel an ache in my tattered soul as it wept. It, too, wished to be free of the body it was trapped in. It was reaching out for a piece of itself that was missing.
That missing piece was Mae.
Mae was not here. Her body was here, but Mae, my beautiful and strong Mae was gone. I was only mildly surprised not to feel much heartache. Maybe because I knew everything would be alright soon enough. I did not belong in a world that did not have her in it, and I would correct that soon.
I walked over to and knelt before Mae’s lifeless body, wondering if I was in some sort of limbo between life and death instead of a Pocket. Hopefully, this part would be swift; my soul ached to be with my mate. We were too far away from each other. I scooped up her lifeless body and held her close to my heart. Her body was cold and stiff. Lowering my head, I pressed a kiss to her forehead.
“I am sorry, Mae Flower,” I whispered out loud.
My words were lost in the silence.
Be proud, Guardian, a voice rang out.
Suddenly, the darkness felt full. I was surrounded on every side. Eyes from an unseen force peered down at me. The hair on the back of my neck rose in warning. But that was all the effect the voice had on me. It did not matter that this could be a new threat. They could take my life, and I would thank them for it. Then Mae and I could be together again.
My daughter has fulfilled her purpose, the voice continued after a moment.
Zyroe.
No wonder my body reacted immediately to his presence. A Guardian in the presence of a god was like a mouse in the presence of a cat. My eyes swept around the spotlight again, and that was when I noticed Arthur, Nikolas, and Zara’s bodies lying unmoving further away. How had I not noticed them before?
But just because her mortal life on Earth is done does not mean her life is over… Zyroe continued in a slow, thoughtful tone.
In my arms, Mae’s body began to warm. Color slowly crept back into her face, and the effects of rigor mortis began to lessen as her body relaxed. Her chest rose as her body sucked in a shaky breath. The exhale was slow and long. I felt the moment her soul returned; it was at the same moment mine began to rejoice. There was an instant state of bliss that washed over me as the woman who carried my soul and heart came back to life in my arms. Tears blurred my vision.
I did not question Zyroe how this was possible. At the moment, I did not care. All that mattered was that she was here with me once more. Everything else could wait.
She will face new obstacles in her new life as an immortal, Zyroe mused out loud. I was not sure if it was for my benefit or not. I could almost feel his excitement in the energy around me. But I have been anticipating her arrival ever since her conception, and I will make sure she is ready to handle the new trials life will offer her. However, I had not considered she would bring others with her. If it will help ease the transition into our world, I will allow the others to join us. But you have tethered your life to my daughter in a way I cannot undo. There is no question that you will remain by my daughter’s side for all eternity. So, Rylan Wellington, welcome to the family.
To Be Continued…
Hey Readers-
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-Salem Cross
Ballads of Mae Series
Song of Desolation
Song of Resurgence
Song of Transcendence
About the Author
Salem Cross is an avid writer who finds inspiration for her stories in even the smallest details in her life. She lives on the coast of North Carolina where you will either find her lounging on the beach or curled up with her three dogs on the couch while she reads a good book. She enjoys travelling, running, and woodworking. Visit her website at www.salemcrossauthor.com to find out more about Salem Cross.
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