The Exodus

by Ali Winters

  She stood, the grace of her movements giving every bit of reverence to the ceremony she intended to perform. Her footsteps made no sound as she crossed to the four humans that still lived. She lifted the rope that bound them and tugged, forcing them to stand and follow. They collapsed again when she let go of their lead once she reached the altar.

  Yeva held the Hunter’s chalice in her hands, and lifted it high for all to see. She pulled a dagger from a hidden holster at her side and moved to stand over the cowering mortals, then spoke in their ancient language—a prayer to Gaia.

  One by one, she cut the flesh of the humans’ right palms until the blood of each encircled the altar. They cried out, their pleas silenced by their tears, curling into themselves as she passed. Yeva sheathed the blade then raised the chalice overhead before lowering it to her lips and drinking its waters.

  Silas looked on. What she was doing was against nature, against the laws Gaia had set forth for them. Yeva wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.

  “I thank you for the sacrifice you four are about to make, and Gaia thanks you for the chance the world will receive to start anew. Your life forces will forever be honored.” In turn, she swept her hand across each of their faces in a caress that a mother would bestow upon her child in comfort. Their bodies drained of color as they turned to ashen sculptures. The golden glow of their life threads exposed as their dried flesh fell away.

  She turned from them and picked up the Hunters chalice. Holding both cups out, she beckoned the life forces forward. The threads swirled and gathered into a single orb of light, growing brighter and brighter until the blinding light swirled around her hands.

  Silas turned his face away, unable to face the pure power filling the courtyard. He clasped the runes in his palms tighter, praying for Gaia to give him strength.

  Heat radiated from the energy’s unnatural light. When it faded, one cup remained in her hand, replacing the two. Silas swallowed hard. When Yeva faced him, her eyes glowed with a pale, yellow power. She had merged the two cups. It could never be reversed.

  TWENTY-EIGHT

  NIVIAN

  NIVIAN CLUTCHED HER head, willing the pain away as she leaned into Kain. How had the guardian of life reaped? It was impossible. She could say that Cami and the humans weren’t dead, but they weren’t living. It was a fate worse than anything she could think of.

  Her stomach rolled. The glow of those life forces had been blinding. She had never seen such light from a mortal source, they had not been due for reaping for many, long years.

  “Ah, now that is an improvement,” Yeva spoke.

  Nivian fell back when she saw the light radiating from within Yeva’s eyes.

  “Yeva, what have you done?” Silas demanded.

  “Have you not figured it out yet, Silas?” Yeva picked up the hourglass and turned it, but as the base tipped end over end, the glass and the sands remained as they were, gold flowing down to black. “I will reverse the flow of time and stop you from the beginning. I alone will remember the events that we have lived, and it is I who will live while you suffer in a prison of my making.”

  “It will never work. You cannot change the past, no matter how you wish it.”

  “Silas, when will you ever learn that I am too powerful to be limited?”

  “You are not the Goddess.”

  Yeva sneered at the perceived insult. “No, I am not.” She crouched down, bringing her face within inches of his and lifted his chin. “Not, yet,” she added softly. Nivian strained to make out the words.

  “You have destroyed the chalices,” Silas said. “No good can come of this.”

  “There will be no need for chalices anymore. I will hold power over everything.” Yeva let go of Silas’s chin with a jerk. “That is what the new chalice is for. Now that they are combined, they possess the powers of life and death—past and present.”

  “You cannot reverse the sands!” he insisted.

  “Not permanently, no. But I can turn them back to the moment that started all of this.”

  “This is madness.”

  “Once the sands are reversed, only I will retain memories of this life so that I may set this world on its correct path. I can stop you before you destroyed the peace.”

  “Nivi, we have to stop her,” Kain whispered in her ear. She nodded and squeezed his hand. They had to do something. Yeva could not be allowed to destroy the world with her quest for revenge.

  Together they rose up, taking care to step lightly as they advanced. Silas was keeping her distracted by talking. Now was their chance to do something. Nivian knew she needed to get to Silas before Yeva could complete her plan.

  Kain’s shoe kicked a small rock. It skidded across the square, the sound deafening to Nivian’s ears. Yeva rounded on them, stopping them in their tracks.

  “You never did heed the legends. Always dismissing them as nothing more than stories when they held more truth than fantasy,” Yeva’s final thought trailed off, as she seemed to become preoccupied with her and Kain’s presence as if they’d only just arrived.

  Nivian wanted to run from the terrifying creature before them, but forced herself to stand tall. She refused to budge even when Kain tugged on her hand in an attempt to shield her with his body. The fear that raced through her veins like a poison was strong, but she would not waver with what needed to be done. She vowed to herself that the balance would remain intact so long as she existed. With a deep breath, Nivian took a step forward.

  Yeva’s eyes narrowed on Kain before she turned her focus to Nivian. “Nivian, my dearest Nivian…” Yeva cooed.

  “What do you want, Yeva?” she demanded, refusing to be affected by the eerie influence of her hypnotic voice.

  “Nivian, come to me my wayward Hunter. We must speak of many things.”

  Nivian took a step forward, coming to a halt when Kain blocked her path with his body. “Not without me,” he demanded of Yeva.

  “It’s all right, Kain. I can take care of myself.” Nivian hoped she sounded more confident than she felt. Placing a hand on Kain’s arm, she side stepped him and approached Yeva.

  “It has been so long since I have seen the potential in you.”

  Yeva reached up to stroke Nivian’s hair, but she slapped her hand out of the way, not trusting her. “Don’t,” she warned. “I saw what you did to Cami.”

  “Oh Nivian, you are much too precious to take back the gift of life.”

  Nivian took a step back. “Get to the point.” She took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. Though her outward appearance showed nothing, Nivian gathered her power within her core. Her body swirled with energy itching to be released through her fingers. She wouldn’t be caught unprepared in this woman’s presence.

  “You were born a Hunter, do you not remember?” Yeva asked with a slight tilt of her head. The way she had spoken those last words sent ice down Nivian’s spine. The ancient already knew the answer to that.

  “Do not mock me,” Nivian bit out.

  “Oh, dear, I was not aware that you did not remember your true self.” Yeva placed the tips of her fingers over her mouth in faux realization. Her hand fell to her side as she scrutinized Nivian with her gaze as her tone traveled from saccharine to flat. “I could give you back your memories, if you wish.”

  “My memories? I thought they were gone for good.”

  “That is what Silas and Caspian would have you think. They might not have the power to restore them, but I do.”

  “I don’t believe you.”

  Yeva frowned. “You do not believe me?” She turned to Silas, flourishing her hand to present him. He was worn down. Still on his knees, his cloak covered in dirt and ripped around the edges. The Reaper, who’d always looked strong and eternal, now looked weak. He looked… mortal and powerless. Nivian narrowed her eyes.

  “Silas, why don’t you tell the girl?”

  Silas worked his jaw. When he didn’t speak, Yeva’s hand gripped a fist full of hair and jerked his face upward.
“Tell. Her,” she commanded.

  “Yeva speaks the truth. She could give you back your memories,” Silas admitted begrudgingly through gritted teeth.

  Why hadn’t he told her this before? And more importantly, had Caspian known and simply refused to tell her?

  “Why would you help me?” Her gaze shifted back to Yeva.

  “Don’t listen to her, Nivian!” Kain’s voice reached her from across the distance, but the promise of her memories was too tempting to ignore.

  “Oh, I will not give them to you out of the pure goodness of my heart.” She released Silas roughly. He grunted and let his head drop again, his fists still clenched in front of his body. “No, for this, there is a small price to pay.”

  “No, nothing you want would be worth it.”

  “Nothing?” Yeva turned to Kain.

  Nivian followed her gaze and swallowed. “I won’t let you hurt him.”

  “Nivian, you misunderstand me. Kain is not in any danger from me. I simply wish for you to become a Hunter once more. Give up this thing that you have become, and return to me. That is the price you must pay.” Again, Yeva’s gaze flicked to Kain before she leaned in to whisper, “You will never be with him as you are now. Only as a Hunter can you have everything your heart desires. He can be yours.”

  Become a Hunter again? “How is that possible?” she choked out. Nivian had lost count how many times she’d told Kain it was a bad idea for them to be anything more than what they were, so long as they were different. If she became a Hunter that would no longer be an issue.

  “All things are possible if you follow me. I can grant you the gift of life again, forgiving your sins against me. You will get the life back that was taken before your time and everything else that was stolen from you. I only ask for you to pledge your mind and soul to me as you once did.”

  Nivian had spent so much time agonizing over her memories since she’d realized there was a past that belonged to her that she couldn’t recall, and wished for them to return. Now a solution stood in front of her, offering them to her on a silver platter. Just become a Hunter again. Was it a case of Yeva wanting to keep what she thought of as hers, or was there an unforeseen consequence much bigger than her greed, if Nivian gave up this existence to return to the one she’d lived before?

  “You could be a Hunter again. Be who you were born to be, not who you were forced to be. I could make you powerful.”

  The longer Yeva spoke, the more enticing her words became. But Nivian couldn’t shake the feeling of speaking to an African bush viper who was wrapping its beautifully scaled coils around her, distracting her until the moment she struck with her poisonous bite. It was hard to keep her mind focused. She is not trustworthy. She is not trustworthy. Nivian chanted over and over in her mind.

  “I already have power,” she countered.

  “Search your soul, Nivian. You will see that I am telling you the truth.”

  The pull of the words was strong. Her history… she could have it back. The chance to be the person she had been—to know who she’d been—was dangling in front of her.

  Just reach out and take it. Something deep inside whispered to her.

  She would be the same as Kain… Nivian looked over her shoulder. He hovered where she’d left him, worry etched across his face and feet ready to fly to her side at a seconds notice.

  All she had to do was give up who she was now… and pledge her mind to Yeva. There would be no freedom in that. She would be a slave. And no memory was worth that cost. She would lose everything she’d gained since she became a Reaper. The longing to know of her past meant nothing if she gave up her will and who she was.

  Steeling her nerves, Nivian faced Yeva again. “No. I was meant to be a Reaper,” she said. Though she was uncertain if it were true. The pretty promises Yeva made were a poison fruit in the hands of a starving man. Irresistible, but fatal.

  Retreating, she backed up careful not to take her eyes off the ancient for a second. Her hand stretched out toward Kain. He entwined their fingers as he met her halfway.

  Yeva stood in place. Her facade melted from the perceived goddess illusion to that of a demon. Her green eyes flashed, and her delicate and stunning features transformed into a twisted vision of hate. “You dare say no to me?” she shrieked.

  “What did you do to piss her off?” Azira’s pained voice asked.

  Nivian whipped around to see her standing yards away, clutching the back of her head. “Get back,” she warned.

  “I offer you my favor and you spit in my face! Without me, you are worthless. When I turn the Sands of Time back, then I will make sure the scraps of what you call an existence will be ripped away. You will never be a Reaper. I shall personally see to it that your energy dies along with your body. Even rebirth will be impossible.”

  Yeva’s skin took on a glow as her powers swirled and danced around her, cumulating in her palms.

  Azira held her hands out concentrating, but faint light only flickered before sputtering out. Her gaze shot to Kain and Nivian, horrified in the failure of her ability.

  “Stay behind us,” Kain ordered.

  Yeva flicked her wrist and a blinding orb of light flew toward them. Kain reached up, creating a blast of his own to deflect the attack.

  “Nivian!” Evander appeared at her side, shielding his eyes from the brightness of the colliding energies.

  “Evander? What are you doing here?” asked Nivian.

  “I—” Another blast. Another block causing the structures around them to rain down debris.

  “Guard Azira!” Kain ordered, not looking back.

  Evander gave Nivian a questioning look and she nodded before facing Yeva again.

  She needed to get to Silas, he was holding on to something important, something he wanted her to know about, enough so that he would let Yeva treat him with such disrespect without retaliation.

  Nivian squeezed Kain’s hand. From the corner of her mouth, she spoke softly so that only he could hear. “I must go to Silas. Shield me.”

  “On it,” Kain said.

  “Enough of these games!” Nivian shouted, drawing Yeva’s attention back to her.

  Stepping away from Kain, she let her Reaper energy flow through her fingers, gathering the dark light within her palms. Countless long, thin crystals formed with the sound of shattering glass. She held nothing back. Electricity sparked in her hands, arching as the darkness expanded.

  Yeva continued to throw power, now targeting them, but to no avail. With Kain’s help, Yeva wasn’t able to connect. Her line of sight shifted and narrowed.

  Azira and Evander raised their hands, sending blasts of dark and light toward Yeva. The blast hit and she stumbled back a step, but recovered quickly. A deep, throaty laugh escaped her. “You both dare to attack me? You are weak, and pathetic,” she spit out venomously. Blood dripped from the corner of her mouth. She had been injured but not weakened. Before Nivian could warn Kain, Yeva threw a volley of attacks straight for her friends.

  Time slowed, and she stood helpless as Yeva’s powers hit at Evander and Azira’s feet. Stone exploded and showered them in a thick cloud of dust and rock.

  Yeva continued her assault, eyes wild with power and intent on exacting her revenge for Nivian’s refusal by hurting those who rallied around her.

  Vision blurred and colored by rage, Nivian took the moment of distraction and let her anger and hate fly at the ancient. The energy exploded from her hands with a strength she didn’t realize she possessed. Yeva’s eyes widened in shock, her power fading from her hands.

  The black crystals hit their mark. Yeva stumbled back looking down at her body. Shards of night pierced her skin, large and small. Dark, red blood dripped down from cuts on her cheek as crimson stained her dress, spreading out to swallow the pale green of the fabric.

  Yeva’s form flickered and she collapsed to her knees. Her hands splayed out in front of her. “How? How is this possible?” She stared at Nivian aghast, fear showing in her emera
ld eyes for the first time. Her body flickered several times more before solidifying.

  Nivian stalked toward her wavering form, letting her powers flow through her veins like an uncontrollable wildfire. They raged, racing toward her palms as though it provided the oxygen it was so desperately hungry for. It was maddening and wonderful at the same time, filling her with a sense of euphoria unlike anything she’d felt before.

  “You won’t get away with this, Yeva,” she spoke calmly through the rage in her heart as she crossed the stone floor in five long strides. She raised her hands and formed two large, black crystals. Both would hit their target. Nivian reared back.

  “Nivian, I will take care of this from here.” Silas’s weak voice broke through her trance.

  “What?” asked Nivian breathlessly, the shards of her power dropping with her loss of concentration.

  “That is enough,” he insisted, moving toward Yeva who was gasping and writhing on the ground.

  “No! We can’t let her continue to do this. She will never stop!” Nivian cried, rage tightening her throat.

  “She’s right,” Kain said. He stepped between them, breaking her view of Silas. His determination matched hers. With a nod, they charged forward together. Yeva would never stop on her own; she had to be forced out of power.

  Intense light filled the space behind Silas, leaving his form a black shadow against it. Nivian shielded her eyes as it grew larger. She stared at the light frozen in place, as if she were just another one of the many structures or pillars surrounding them unable to move.

  Her body hit the ground hard, Kain’s body on top. Nivian groaned from the impact as the air returned to her lungs. She shifted, and his body rolled off hers. Pushing herself up, Nivian looked down at Kain’s still body. Blood already seeped its way through his shirt, creating a stark contrast against the white.

  The attack that had been meant for her but had hit Kain in the chest, just above his heart. He let out a low groan, but didn’t move. Nivian’s heart stopped as she stared at Kain’s body.