The Fury's Light

by Hailey Staker

  Another loud noise rang through the forest, like a bomb had been set off. The Furies watched as Lana became a beacon of light, sending a wave of energy through the forest. Every demon, witch, and creature affiliated with the Darkness exploded, leaving no trace of their existence except a piece of jewelry that bounced off the rocks around the fire pit.

  Chapter 29

  Her eyes fluttered beneath her eyelids, remembering the battle. She could feel the warmth within her, could see the light in front of her. She knew the only way to end the pain was to reach for it. The light swirled into a small sphere, hurling itself toward her open palm. When she felt the pearl of power she wrapped her fingers around it, drawing it within her.

  Lana pushed the power from the inside out, setting off an atomic bomb in the field. Within seconds, the Dark apprentices disintegrated until only clouds of dust remained in their place, taking her brother with them. There was no amount of remediation or redemption that could save him from the Light. She saw his face then, saw the skin melt off the bone and reveal black spheres for eyes. His jaw opened wide and let out a scream that deafened her, shaking her awake.

  When she opened her eyes, she stared at tattered tapestries hanging over the remains of a decrepit wooden canopy bed frame. She lay still in the unfamiliar room. There was a window that had been boarded up to the east, letting small strands of light in from outside. Layers of dust covered torn curtains attached to a splintering rod leaning against the cracked concrete wall.

  To the west next to the bed sat a small circular table with a candle lighting the small room, the smell of dirt and moist wood in the air. In the doorway another tattered curtain, burn marks on the edges trailing the ground, separated the room from the outside world. She heard the material rustle, turning her head to see who entered the room.

  “You’re awake,” Aiden said softly, walking to sit next to her on the bed. She moved slowly, her body aching from the events of her nightmare. He took her hand, hoping she wouldn’t pull away and rubbed his thumb against her soft skin. “I was worried about you.”

  “I’m sorry,” Lana said softly.

  “You did nothing wrong,” he said, raising his eyes to meet hers. “I wanted so desperately for you to be human that I refused to train you and put your wellbeing at risk. But I am relieved you’re not human.”

  “Why are you relieved?” she asked.

  “Because humans don’t understand us, and I’m not like the others. I can’t…trust the Diviners, although they have done wonders to Dimitri and the others regarding their tempers,” he rambled. “The prophecy has always been that Light will destroy Dark, but it’s always been implied that Light is destroyed in the process yet here you are, here we are…” Aiden paused. “I don’t know what I would do if you were not here.”

  His eyes were a light turquoise, but looked dark blue in the low lighting.

  “I haven’t felt the way I feel about you in a very long time, and it terrifies me,” Lana said, a tear slipping down her cheek.

  Aiden reached to wipe the tear away. He caught her chin as Lana turned her head away, carefully turning it back toward him. “Please don’t be afraid of me.”

  He cupped her cheek in his hand, wiping the tears away that continued to fall. Leaning in, she closed her eyes as their lips touched. His were softer than she imagined, comforting her as she leaned into him. She pictured their first kiss in a different setting with him walking her to her door after taking her on a date. He would lean in to give her a good night kiss on the cheek as she stood perched against the doorframe, him pushing his weight against the wall behind her. Instead, he would kiss her lips, but somehow this felt more natural.

  Lana felt heat on her lips, pulling away slightly. She opened her eyes to see Aiden watching her carefully. She touched her lips when the warmth faded; confused at the odd sensation she felt when she kissed him.

  “So, you felt that too,” he smiled. “You don’t know how long I’ve wanted to do that.”

  “I imagined us somewhere different,” Lana smiled. She could feel herself blushing, grateful the candle only lit the corner. “Speaking of which, where are we exactly?”

  Aiden dropped his head, squeezing her hand.

  He helped her out of bed, letting her lean against him. The pressure of her against his side was light when she wrapped her arm around his back, gripping at his right side. His hand slid down to the small of her back when they walked back through the burnt curtain. Her breath caught in her throat when she looked around, seeing broken trade carts with ripped and burned covers all around, foliage grew from the ground, attached itself to the crumbled walls and on top of the roofs.

  Lana saw a fire rumbling before her, feeling the chill of the wind in the forest. Adobe huts dotted the landscape, all crumbling to pieces. The huts that were still in livable shape had been occupied by the Diviners she figured when she saw Wiley and Dimitri tossing around a ball of some sort. The roofs were once made of branches, cloth, and straw for insulation but were burned to ashes. The trees which surrounded the small town were not as tall as the trees behind them, telling her that this part of the forest had once been burned to the ground, but years of abandonment allowed them to grow back bigger, brighter, and fuller than before.

  “What is this place?” Lana asked, looking up at Aiden who had been watching her reactions.

  “Welcome to Sumardana,” Aiden said quietly.