by Ali Winters
“No…”
Her vision wavered as she turned her eyes on Yeva. All else fell away. Nivian saw only her. With a cry, she pushed to her feet and let her dark powers flow through her. Golden sparks ignited, becoming part of the black crystals she created within her palms. She ran forward and released her power, aiming for the woman who dared to hurt someone so precious to her.
Silas be damned. Whatever he’d wanted to give to her no longer mattered. Yeva had hurt Kain. It was too late. She couldn’t stop herself now—wouldn’t stop herself. She didn’t want to. Yeva would pay for the destruction she caused.
Movement off to the side drew her eye, a dark fluttering of a cloak. Her gaze turned as the crystals that were surrounded in electrified energy left her fingertips.
Caspian?
Black energy raced toward her. She blinked, and all went dark.
TWENTY-NINE
SILAS
NIVIAN AND KAIN let out a cry as they ran, orbs of power in each of their hands as they ran toward Yeva. Glistening crystals had formed within Nivian’s grasp. Raising her hand, Yeva let fly a powerful burst of energy. As it released, the backlash stole his breath.
Yeva locked her gaze on Kain, the Hunter she had once cherished above all the others. Cold and filled with hate, her green eyes hardened. The blast she’d aimed at him, solidified as it reached its target. Kain stopped mid stride, then fell back. Nivian’s scream echoed through the empty city.
“No!” growled Silas through gritted teeth. That Hunter needed to live! Her attack had been intentional, as if she knew of Silas’s plan all along.
Silas could see the anger wash over Nivian. She was focused. Determined. Yeva had misjudged. If she’d expected Nivian to fall to the ground and give up, beg her… anything but the bloodlust he now saw in Nivian’s face, then she was more arrogant than he had realized.
Caspian appeared in the middle of the fray, two crumbling pillars at his side. His eyes instantly took in Evander guarding the small Hunter, half buried under rubble, then moved to Nivian charging toward Yeva. Power already gathered in his palms, Caspian raised his arms, and with a grimace, he let it fly.
Silas calculated. If he interfered, it would be impossible to ensure the balance. His power was waning rapidly and he needed every bit of it. He might as well be powerless for all he could do.
Dark energy collided with Nivian as the black shards of her own power left her fingertips. The impact sending her off course and sprawling to the ground, unconscious. Her attack fizzled out, save for the volley of shards that hit their mark.
The impact was a hallow thunk. Yeva’s dark laughter died out. Her fingers shook as she reached up to touch the black crystal buried in her chest. She struggled to pull in labored breaths. A pained groan, and Yeva was on all fours.
The square was filled with an eerie silence providing a respite to the chaos that had consumed them only seconds ago.
Silas pushed himself to his feet. The muscles in his legs were weak, as if they no longer wanted to support him. He forced himself to move forward, collapsing back to his knees before the chalice and hourglass.
Closing his eyes, Silas allowed his power to flow openly through his body. His hands wove throughout the air above the chalice, using the power of the melded cups to aid him in his task.
“No…” Yeva begged. “What are you doing?” Panic laced her words. Long delicate fingers reach out, beseeching him.
“I am doing what must be done.” Silas continued weaving the energies together before him, gathering all it would give.
“You know not what you do!”
Silas paused to look her in the eyes. To show her that despite all he’d done, despite all she’d done, he too was determined and would never stop until it was impossible to continue. No amount of pain could detour his convictions. Her expression lost some of its harshness as she saw in him the same thing he saw in her — a willingness to destroy himself for his goal.
“Time is a river, it can only go forward. You cannot be allowed to reverse it. Doing so would destroy the balance. You know that,” Silas reminded her wearily.
A broken sob of failure ripped itself from her throat.
Swirls of black and pale blue climbed, dancing in harmony with the other. Gently, the fingers of his free hand, coaxed the powers through the air. With a swift motion, Silas pushed the tendrils toward the Sands of Time, molding them to the glass. It shimmered then sank in, vanishing, as it became an inseparable part of its makeup.
Silas sat back on his heels. A force field was now in place, preventing any being from tampering with the flow of time. Thanks to the magic held within the combined chalices, both the Keeper of Fate and Guardian of Life would be needed in mutual agreement to unlock it. The attempt to do so would require the unwavering willingness of both parties, and no amount of duress would be tolerated. He let his shoulders slump from the exhaustion. There remained only one more thing to do.
With great effort, he made his way to Yeva’s side. Her head drooped between her shoulders as she held herself up on shaking arms. She lifted her head and stared at him through a curtain of hair. Blood dripped down her chin and tears stained her cheeks, but even that could not mar her beauty.
He sat next to her with a weary sigh, their shoulders nearly touching. She didn’t respond, but her eyes flicked to his face before returning to the glistening black shard in the center of her chest. Red rivulets flowed down, beading at the point before falling to the dust covered ground. Each drop created a crimson crown as it splashed and sank into the dirt, turning it to a sticky, red clay.
Caspian was still standing where he had appeared, surveying the crumbling architecture, and Yeva. No doubt he was running through the possibilities of what her mortal injuries and impending death meant. The frown upon his face was the same anytime his mind raced through the entirety of his knowledge. Searching for a solution that wasn’t viable.
Silas loosened his grip on the clay runes in his palm, they were still intact. There was no guarantee it would work, but he prayed to Gaia that she could give him the strength needed to try.
He placed a hand on Yeva’s shoulder. “Sit back, you are making it worse.”
“Do not touch me!” she snapped, slapping at his hand and missing by a wide margin. The movement caused her to cough violently, making the blood flow faster from her chest.
“Stop being ridiculous,” Silas scolded. He helped her to sit, leaning her back against him. His arms gently enfolded her, resting on hers. After a few moments, he could feel her body relax into him, letting him support her. Her head rested against his shoulder, auburn waves spilling over his arms.
“Do you think you will outlive me?” Yeva asked hoarsely. A hint of anger remained in her words through the defeat. Her heart might have turned to her love for him to ice, but her body remembered. He could feel it in the way she subconsciously drew nearer to him for more than just support.
Silas pursed his lips before answering, “No. My powers are fading fast. I could not transport from here, even if I chose to do so.”
She coughed, and Silas wiped the trail of red that dripped down her chin. “You know what this means,” Yeva said. It wasn’t a question.
Unfurling his fingers, Silas showed the tokens he’d been holding. “I do. I had anticipated it would come to something like this before too long.”
Yeva’s body shook with a silent rueful laughter.
“Shush, you must preserve your energy,” Silas admonished tenderly pulling her closer against him.
“It is hard to believe we used to love,” she said, ignoring his warning. Her voice was weaker and beginning to slur with every word.
Silence filled the space between them for several beats before he spoke. “I have never stopped.” The words were so quiet he wasn’t sure she’d heard him. “Not even for a second.”
“I very much doubt that,” said Yeva. But her tone lacked any bite but rather amazement.
“I swear it to be true.” Silas rea
ched up and caressed her face with the pads of his fingers. He traced down her jaw, trailing down the long muscles of her neck, before smoothing back a strand of hair behind her ear so he could better look at her face. Smeared blood, and wounds could not hinder her beauty. If anything, they let it shine through even more.
“Do you remember the day we met?” she whispered through her cracked and dried lips. Her breathing became ragged, causing her to gasp between words.
“I could never forget,” he murmured into her hair as he placed a kiss upon her crown.
The smell of the forest. The feel of the cool spring air. They were nothing compared to her. Yet they were burned into his memories as though it were yesterday. He’d followed a melody, both soothing and haunting, to a clearing outside an ancient forest. At first he had not seen the source of the song until he’d almost stumbled upon her. Yeva lay hidden in the tall grasses humming to herself as the warm sun kissed her skin. Her eyes had been closed, but a smile unlike any he’d seen since, was on her face. If ever there had been such a thing as angels, she would have been the first. He would not doubt that she was the origin of all the legends.
“I had loved you since the moment I laid my eyes on you.”
Yeva didn’t respond. His gaze fell to her face, she looked as if she were only sleeping. A peace he thought no longer possible for her. Looking to her chest, he saw the slightest of movements that would soon turn into an unnatural stillness.
Silas cupped her cheek and tilted her face toward him. She moved with the ease of death. He could feel the stinging of emotions as they squeezed him from the inside, threatening to crush his heart into a million pieces. He choked back the pain and blinked rapidly as a golden glow emanated from her skin. The slower her heart beat, the further her life energy ventured from her physical form.
In an instant, Silas was to his knees, holding Yeva’s limp body in his arms. Fear like ice, burned its way through his veins. She was fading, and he was glad she would not feel the excruciating pain that would come.
Silas had known he would need the runes, but had never expected it to come to such a horrible end. It all had come down to time. And time was quickly running out. The consequences of her death would be irreversible if he did not act fast. Their powers could not live without the other, the balance could not be kept.
He glanced over his shoulder at Nivian. The young Reaper was crumpled across the square, still unconscious. Caspian had used a stronger attack than he’d meant to in his panic, she would remain as she was for a while longer but her form remained solid and steady.
And the Hunter… wounded. From this distance it was impossible to tell how badly he was injured. A pool of blood had formed under his body, but his fingers twitched telling Silas that Kain still lived—at least for the time being. There wasn’t strength left in him to check on his state or help reverse the pull of death. Perhaps, he would not need it.
He was unprepared for this scenario. Kain and Nivian were an integral part of his plan. He’d created the runes to transfer Yeva’s power and his into them.
He needed both. Their mixed heritage had been perfect. They each had the history of Reapers and Hunters running though their veins. He had not accounted for the lack of time, nor for their inability to fall in line with what needed to come to pass.
His powers were fading fast in this place designed to give strength to life. It would be up to Caspian to make sure his plan was seen to the finish.
They needed time, more than what he had to give. For now, he would do what was necessary to buy what little he could.
“Caspian,” Silas called. His voice was raw and strained to his own ears, barely making a noise. He cleared his throat and tried again, “Caspian.”
CASPIAN
Caspian stared at the destruction, but his gaze once on Yeva, never left her. It was almost too much to take in the meaning of what was happening. Silas called out, finally breaking his trance, and Caspian rushed to his side.
“My Lord…?” he asked kneeling.
“We must act quickly, Caspian, or all will be lost.”
He looked down at two ancients, covered in dirt and blood, on the ground. Silas was not aware of the wavering of his own form as he stroked Yeva’s face with one hand, the other fisted and holding onto something.
Uncurling his fingers, Silas revealed two runes and handed one with an upside-down scythe carved onto its surface out to him. “Pay attention to what I do. You must immediately repeat the process with me.”
Caspian nodded. “Yes, my Lord,” he said obediently.
“I had hoped to use these runes to transfer our powers to those two.” His eyes moved to Nivian and Kain’s forms. “We cannot afford to wait any longer. You must watch and do the same for me once I show you how. Once we begin, the process must not be stopped until it has been completed.”
“Silas, what are you doing?” Caspian was suddenly more concerned than before.
Silas cut his hand through the air, silencing any further questions. Caspian clenched his jaw, more than uncertain about what would happen. There had never been a plan in place for Yeva’s death. Silas had always insisted on her protection. She could be subdued, but needed to be kept alive at all costs. But here she lay, in Silas’s arms, dying. The balance would never survive.
Silas placed a nearly identical rune over Yeva’s heart. Though the one placed on her had an hourglass with a line running through its center. Two symbols he had never seen before, but instantly knew their meaning. He could feel it in their power. Life and death.
Silas called forth her life thread. He chanted; his voice just above a murmur. Prayers from the beginning of existence. Prayers Caspian had believed to be lost to time.
The rune emitted an intense golden light, almost forcing him to turn his eyes away. It floated up from its resting place on Yeva’s skin and hovered over her unmoving body. A swirling thread rose from her heart, wild and angry like a tornado intent on consuming everything in its path. The life force funneled from her core, collapsing into itself. The final tendril of energy escaped her mortal coil, leaving her body still and gray.
Silas continued the incantations until the force that had kept the ancient alive was exposed, floating above her as an orb more pure than Caspian had ever thought possible.
He stopped chanting and his shoulders slumped. He was losing strength quickly, the wavering of his own figure increased.
“Silas… please be careful, you are losing too much power.”
Silas ignored him. He slipped the arm that had held Yeva to him from under her, settling her head upon his lap. He weaved his hands through the air, commanding her life force to condense.
“Caspian, you must cut the connection.”
He froze. Cut the thread? He saw no remaining connection and even if there had been… the pressure of slicing one so important ate at his nerves. Regardless, Caspian forced himself to move, bringing forth his scythe.
He stared wordlessly at Yeva’s body, and her chest gave one last sigh before stilling. Pale light radiated from within her. A wind only for her fluttered the skirt of her dress and played with the tendrils of her long hair. The longer he stared, the more it seemed as if her body was becoming transparent.
Kneeling at his side, Caspian leaned Silas back until he lay next to Yeva, his fingers entwined with hers. Whether it was a conscious gesture meant to aid the process, or one expressing the turmoil of emotions that undoubtedly overwhelmed him, Caspian couldn’t tell.
“There has to be another way—” Caspian started.
“No. Listen, you must listen. The veil between the realms will remain in stasis for one year. Before that time is up, you must find the new Guardians. I’d had the hope that…” he trailed off as his gaze flicked to Nivian and Kain. “Heal them, they are the best hope. The world needs them.”
“The new Guardians?” he questioned. There was never anything prophesied about replacements for the two originals.
“Once this is done our powers wi
ll last only one-year’s time, and not a day longer. You must find vessels that have the strength to handle it. Kain and Nivian belong to both worlds.”
Caspian looked over his shoulder, fearful that they had suffered injuries they would never recover from. He feared they were too broken.
“Caspian! You must do it now,” Silas jolted him from the sight.
Swinging at an invisible link, he felt the tug of a life force resisting the call of death. The second it had been severed, Silas began to struggle to contain her power. But within moments, he had it under control. Sweat dripped down his temple as he coaxed her energy to merge with the rune. At last, the light threatened to burn up the clay disk, fighting against its new confinement. But the power of the symbol soon overwhelmed it, pulling the ancient’s life force into it. The city grew dark as the sun moved across the sky, accentuated by the absence of the power that had threatened to blind Caspian.
He closed his eyes and focused, holding the rune above Silas’s chest. Caspian chanted; the words came to him as if they had a will of their own, flowing from between his lips.
A tug pulled against him, fighting his call. His eyes snapped open to see the dark, shimmering thread dancing before his eyes, consuming all light that came within reach. Like a black hole, it was hungry for its counterpart, hungry for the power that would complete it. The life thread floated next to the rune with the scythe.
Looking to Silas’s face, Caspian opened his mouth to speak, then stopped. Silas had turned to face Yeva. His warm eyes focused on her, showing a level of emotion that had Caspian taken aback.
The dark light of his life force continued to flow toward the clay disk, swirling and fighting Caspian’s commands. With a violent pulse, it gave in and funneled toward the rune as Yeva’s had before it. He picked up his scythe once more and sliced Silas's life thread.