32. Chapter 31

Chapter 31

A ya couldn't believe her eyes.

There was Elaine, walking toward her. Only it wasn't quite her. A feminine figure walked toward her, made of pure fire. Even her hair, a swath of dancing flames, swirled behind her. But it was her. Aya was sure of it.

She held her ground.

The crowd behind her whispered and shuffled uneasily. Their fear was palpable, an acrid taint in the air. Unsure of what stood before them—a hero or some new threat against their lives. Afraid of how they were to stand against her.

But Aya was not afraid.

She swept forward until Elaine stopped before her, staring at her with twin pools of blue flames. This was who Elaine was becoming, something truly powerful that would rattle the gods to their very core.

"You can rest now, Elaine. You did it. You saved everyone."

For a moment, Elaine remained unmoving. Had she heard Aya? Or was her mind still so far away? Tendrils of doubt crept in. Her lips moved, the assurance nearly out.

Elaine's form shimmered. Flames sunk into her, exposing skin—every glorious inch of her. Aya's wings snapped wide, encircling her as Elaine's knees buckled and she dropped. Catching her before Elaine hit the ground, she looked over every part of her, hunting for any injury. Only soot and dirt married her tattooed skin. Sweat left curls clinging to her face, framing those narrow, unfocused eyes.

"Did I do it?"

Aya pulled Elaine in close, their foreheads touching. A little fear bled away, comforted by holding her lover in her arms—a little weak and filthy, but alive. Safe with her.

"Yeah, you did."

Elaine's brow furrowed as her gaze slid to the sky. A flicker of unease swept across her face. "I heard Arcan—I felt him," she said and looked at Aya suddenly, her eyes snapped to knife-point focus. "Aya, he's so angry. I mean there is rage and then there is what I felt."

"It's nothing we can't handle."

"How can you be so sure?" Elaine's grip tightened on her. "You didn't—"

"Because Arcan's witches have tried to kill me before and I'm still here."

"That's not the same."

Aya pulled back a little, offering a little, defiant smile. "Perhaps not but I say, let them come. Now, who are you?"

"What?"

Aya leaned in until their lips nearly touched. She cradled Elaine's face in her hands as she spoke in a low, fierce voice.

"You are Elaine fucking Tormelin—so what do we say to the gods?"

"Fuck the gods?"

A little laugh bubbled free. "Exactly. Fuck them. They're not winning today—or any time soon."

"I like…" Elaine's eyes fluttered shut. She went still in her arms, still breathing and warm in her arms. Aya scooped her up but as she turned, ready to call for aid, the crowd was gone. Sabra was before her. She held out a blanket and helped Aya carefully wrap Elaine up.

"Let's take her in. Alexios is with Tobias."

"How is he?" she asked, a little scared of the answer.

Sabra slanted her a weary look. "He'll heal."

In the end, Sabra led her back to Nora's club, not the warehouse. Healers greeted them at the door and took Elaine into one of the rooms. After a cursory inspection, it was determined Elaine was okay, simply drained from all the magic she used. That with some rest, she'd wake.

Sabra left her to find some food, and perhaps sensing Aya needed some time alone with Elaine. After a few hours, Sabra returned with a plate of food, saying that she had to eat, and that Elaine would be quite mad with her if she didn't. With a kiss on her cheek, Sabra left without another word.

Aya idly picked at the food but left most of it alone before she set it aside and trudged out of the room. The halls were quiet, and she heard no music from downstairs, telling her it was either in the early twilight hours or in the morning. She didn't even spot any of the staff in the halls as she wandered along until she found the room where Tobias was resting.

The door was slightly ajar and as she peered inside, Alexios was curled up in a chair beside Tobias sleeping in his bed. She crept inside and carefully shut the door behind her. Alexios sighed and glanced up, blinking wearily. Dark lines hung under his eyes. It seemed she wasn't the only one who hadn't gotten any sleep.

"You know he's going to be pissy at you if he wakes up to see you like this," she murmured as she carefully lifted the seat in the corner of the room, then set it down next to him. "He'd want you to rest."

"Last I checked, you flew through that mess yourself."

She waved him off and drew her knees up. "I'm okay. I heal fast."

Alexios stared at her with an arched look. "You flew through a burning forest."

"I've survived worst."

"I suppose you have."

Silence settled between them, and perhaps for the first time, as she sat there with him with all her walls down, she suspected he finally saw her. Just as each one of them had; Sabra first, in the basement of a witch's home; Tobias in the ancient woods after he had lost everything; Elaine when Aya finally stopped shutting her out.

"The gods sent the flames," she said, staring at Tobias, oblivious in his slumber. "They're not going to stop."

"What do you mean?"

She explained all that Elaine had told her right before she passed out, watching as the color seeped from Alexios's face as the true horror of their situation was laid bare. That they were trapped; because either Honoria's spell succeeds, shattering the barrier completely and killing them all; or the gods had their way, slaughtering everyone within Purgatory to ensure the barrier falls even faster.

"They must not know about the state of the barrier," Alexios mused. "But then, shouldn't they realize something isn't right it with it now there is a crack?"

Aya glanced at him. "Because they know we will fight to fix it and they won't simply stand by, hoping Honoria's plan succeeds. They're taking their chance and doing what they failed to do all those years ago."

It was hell waiting for Elaine to wake. At some point, Aya passed out in the chair, drawn deep into the syrupy darkness. It was dreamless and peaceful, where not even the demons of her own mind touched her. Like all good things, however, it was not too last, and she jerked awake without warning.

A warm hand brushed hers.

Aya's eyes snapped wide. Elaine was sitting up, gently touching her hand. A weary smile pulled at the edge of her mouth, tears glimmering in those fathomless depths. Air rushed from her as she stared back, all the relief thrumming in her veins. Tension ebbed from her muscles until she launched out of the chair and hauled Elaine into her chest, squeezing her for dear life.

"I'm okay," Elaine wheezed. "But if you keep holding me like that I might not be."

A broken laugh shuddered from Aya's lips as she reluctantly let go. Not willing to let go, she sat on the bed. Instinctively, she cradled Elaine's cheek, drawing small circles until her witch leaned in, closing her eyes.

"You trusted me," said Elaine thickly. "You trusted me."

Aya laughed softly. "Of course. Doesn't mean it was easy. You fucking scared me walking into the flames like that."

Something dark flickered in Elaine's eyes as she pulled back and leaned against the headboard. Her face drew closed, shuttered, unreadable even to Aya. The room went so damn quiet Aya swore if a pin dropped, it would clap like thunder, splitting the air apart. Dread trickled down her spine, sending shivers rippling across her skin.

"I wasn't alone."

Three little words chilled Aya to the bone. Before she could say another word, Elaine continued, speaking about the voice she'd been hearing…and how she felt Aurora with her. It was how she knew what to do, how to walk into a burning forest and stop it. Aya drew back, the bitter sting of lies sliced against her skin. Her thoughts twisted into knots, entangling with the darker voices at the edge of her mind.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

Elaine's gaze shuttered. "I thought I was imagining things and when I finally realized it was something more, everything else was happening. I know I should've—"

"Yes, you should've," said Aya tightly. She pushed off the bed and started to pace. "Did you think I wouldn't trust you? Or were you afraid of something else?"

"I made a mistake!"

Aya turned on her, eyes dark and furious. "That voice said I shouldn't be trusted!"

"Which is why I ignored it!" Elaine snapped back.

"Until the forest."

"Yes, well, there wasn't exactly a plethora of options, was there?"

Aya's gaze hardened. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"I wanted to figure it out before I added one more damn mystery to the absolute fucking mess that we're in right now," Elaine replied heatedly. "Was it right or smart? No. It was dumb, and I am acutely aware of that. However, I think we can agree that maybe Aurora might not be the monster we originally thought her to be. That maybe she's a victim in this."

Aya wanted to snarl back that there wasn't a way to be sure. That Aurora was likely just manipulating Elaine. That's what gods and goddesses did. They played games, and mortals were simply the pieces being shoved around the board at their whim.

She released a string of curses and turned away, raking a hand through her curls. "I need some air."

"Aya…"

"Later, Elaine." Aya strode toward the door. The room was too small, the walls closing in and if she didn't get some air soon, she was likely to say or do something incredibly stupid. At the door, she paused, gripping the doorframe with white knuckles. "I'll…I'll be back. Just rest, okay?"

She wandered along the bustling streets of the Dusk Quarter. It seemed the fires had changed very little for the residents, and though a few eyed her as she passed, none dared to bother her. She ignored the whispers and the looks. No doubt rumors were already swirling of her arrival in the quarter from the fire.

So much had happened since she was that angry sixteen-year-old. She was still so angry some days, enough she might tear the world apart with her bare hands. Maybe beyond her mother's hatred of Elaine, she saw that darkness in Aya. That her innocent daughter died long before she ever arrived in Purgatory, and that now something else claimed residence in that body.

Aya released a weary breath as she turned down a narrow street. There were less people there, meandering among the shops flanking either side. She passed by a dress maker and hat maker, and even a couple of jewelers. None of those things had really existed when she last lived in the quarter. More change she never even realized had happened.

As she continued her walk, a part of her tried to hold onto her anger with Elaine. Keeping something like that was so damn stupid but she was also doing the same thing. Her deal with Akaria. It hung over her head. Tobias might know a little but even he knew there were details he wasn't being told.

Aya kept on walking and began to turn over her plan.

"Hello Aya."

She froze at the voice, scarcely above a whisper. Heart pounding, she turned.

And there was Marisol.

Her ghostly form shimmered in the shadows, barely there. Smiling nervously at her. The distant sound of music and laughter, of the very notes that made up the chaos of the Dusk Quarter eddied around them. Nothing sounded between them. No breath passed over Aya's lips as she stared and stared and stared.

"You saved me," she finally said. "Why?"

"I couldn't let that demon kill you."

"Like you did?"

Marisol glanced away, eyes lowered with shame. "That was necessary."

"For me to die? For you to kill Sabra?"

"It was the only way you were truly going to connect with Akaria. I needed that. Purgatory needs that."

Confusion pushed Aya to close the distance, but Marisol shrank further into the shadows. Her gaze snapped up, wild and broken, and suddenly she seemed so much younger. All the walls she built and finery she wore was gone. Aya glimpsed the young woman she had briefly loved. She stopped.

"I needed you angry," Marisol murmured. "Angrier than you'd ever been before. It was the only way Honoria would die."

"But Elaine killed her."

"And if she hadn't, you would've never let Honoria live."

Aya's brow furrowed. "She was your ally. You were working with her! You expect me to believe you wanted her dead?"

Marisol laughed but it was a hollow sound, so weary and raw. "She spun me tales of a goddess, of how we might give a bright future to Purgatory if we freed her. By the time I realized what she was truly planning—the price of it all—I wanted to stop her. But if I walked away, I lost the chance to understand the spell and how I might stop her." Her old lover slumped against the wall, as if she were real, and looked up. "The longer I stayed, the more I realized I couldn't do it alone and I couldn't walk. I would be damning my people. So, I chose a new path—you."

Pieces clicked into place. Aya staggered back, the weight of the truth nearly buckling her completely. Bile burned the back of her throat. The dead couldn't lie, a little insurance Akaria was said to put in place so that at the time of final judgement, a soul couldn't hide their sins.

"You could've come to me."

"I couldn't risk my people."

"And what of Honoria's other council ally—who are they?"

Marisol shook her head. "I don't know. I tried to learn their name, but Honoria kept that from me. Perhaps she knew I wasn't as invested as I was when I started."

"And who they resurrected?"

"What?"

Aya let a few seconds pass before she spoke. "You had no idea they desecrated three hundred bodies to resurrect someone?"

Marisol swallowed hard. "I saw a mention of it in Honoria's journals—just once—but it hardly seemed possible. She kept saying she had found a way to find the goddess, that she was close—closer than anyone had ever been. She just needed a key. A way to free the goddess."

"Key? What key?"

"Who do you think?"

Aya's blood ran cold. A single name fell from her mouth. "Elaine."

Marisol glided from the wall. As she passed from the shadow into the light of a hung lantern, her form flickered—it was fading. Marisol's soul was dying and Aya understood why now, why she appeared. Yet the words refused to come, even as Marisol set her ghostly hand upon Aya's cheeks. Even as the tears welled in her eyes and spilled down her cheeks. Even as Marisol smiled, so full of love, and so much of the girl Aya once knew, had once vowed to marry. And she spoke again, her voice already weaker than before.

"Know that I never stopped loving you."

"Marisol…"

Faint tears glowed in Marisol's eyes. "Promise me something."

"Anything."

Marisol's soul was nearly gone as she said her final words.

"Make them pay."