Chapter Fifty-Nine

C HAPTER F IFTY-NINE

Sarilyn meets my gaze with ferocity. ‘I thought you might need some help.’

I choke out an astonished gasp. She didn’t run away after I freed her. No, she came back.

‘What are you doing?’ The memory of Sarilyn asking me that the day I let her go comes at me in flashes.

‘Doing what you would never have done for me,’ I had said before burning through the iron cell with my power.

Darius steps forward, his expression unreadable as he stares at the person who made his life a living hell.

‘Thief.’ Sarilyn’s acknowledgement of Darius isn’t laced with the venom it once might have held. Instead, there is a flicker of understanding that echoes between them.

And suddenly, a smirk tugs at the corner of Darius’s lips. ‘Sarilyn.’

Sarilyn’s posture is relaxed yet undeniably commanding, like it has always been.

‘I never thought of you as the cavalry type,’ I say, and she laughs.

One of Aurum’s dragons comes crashing down on us, and Darius whirls around me, slamming his shadow power at the creature.

Sarilyn throws me another blade. This one is shorter than the one I gave Link. ‘I thought I would try something new,’ she tells me as she skilfully thrusts her sword through an Aerian.

I had never seen her fight this way.

It is almost alarming.

‘Naralía!’ Ara’s mocking voice comes calling from the other side of the battlefield. I whirl to find her slowly marching her way up to us, flames dancing in her palms.

‘Go,’ Sarilyn says. ‘I’ll handle her.’

I look at her, wondering if I should, but all she does is give me a gaze that warns me not to test her. So I dart off, paving the way to Aurum. Until someone bumps into me and sends me to the ground.

I am taken aback by the sudden force, gasping for air as I desperately try to regain my footing, only to be met with a powerful kick to my stomach. I let out a cry of agony, doubling over as I gaze into the furious eyes of Col.

With her staff raised high, she prepares to strike me, but I swiftly dodge her attack only to catch a glimpse of Ara, almost overpowering Sarilyn. I tightly grasp my blade, swinging it towards Col, but she grabs my arm before sending a powerful blow to my nose.

I see stars, blood pouring from every direction.

‘You should have never come into our lives,’ Col hisses as I struggle to recover. With a swift motion, she forces me to the ground, her staff poised dangerously close to my neck. Instinctively, I catch it with my hands, my arms straining from trying to push it away from me. Col doesn’t yield. Her face is manic. ‘Where’s Loverboy now, hm?’

My face burns as I let out a raging scream at her.

Don’t waste your powers, don’t waste your powers, don’t—

I can’t stop myself.

I inhale deeply, allowing my thoughts to intertwine with the presence of the earth beneath me, the vast expanse of the sky above . . . and the creatures that roam this world.

I need you.

All of you.

A tremor ripples through the land, shaking the ground. Col’s gaze quickly lifts, and at that very moment, I feel it – the cries of every bird, the deafening roars of dragons coming to my aid, and more.

When Col looks down at me, I smile, all toothy and bloody. ‘Run.’

She releases her staff, stumbling backwards while I roll onto my front and witness the flurry of animals rushing past me. Col lets out a piercing scream as she transforms into her phoenix form. But as she takes flight, Enox seizes one of her wings in his jaw. Fernah then grabs hold of the other, ripping the phoenix apart.

Ara sees this, her face contorting in horror as she drops everything and runs towards her sister.

I spit blood onto the floor as I stand and look around me breathlessly while drowning out the cries of Col and Ara. Whether they are dead or not, it doesn’t matter to me.

Lorcan has a new family, one that’s a hundred times better than them.

The view of the river now becomes clearer as I swipe the dagger off the ground and make my way towards it.

Aurum stands by the riverbank. As if he senses my approach, he turns to face me with a smirk that speaks of malice and ruin. ‘Nara,’ he greets me, as if we are friends.

I don’t falter as I meet his gaze with my own steely resolve. ‘Just fuck right off,’ I say breathlessly and lunge for him.

He swerves and laughs, the sound unsettling as it ripples across the river’s surface. ‘I can see why Darius loves that filthy mouth of yours.’

I don’t respond with words. Instead, I channel my energy, feeling the familiar warmth of my power coursing through my veins. With a furious cry, I unleash that power towards him, but he counters it with a dark wave of his own magic. The impact of both our powers sends a shockwave through the ground, and the river’s waters churn in response like they are protesting against us.

We collide again and again, my power draining every second, yet I can feel Aurum’s surprise at my resilience.

When I manage to hit him, he laughs.

‘There it is!’ His yell is almost a cheer, his grin viperous. ‘That is what I wanted, Nara. For you to fight me like the reincarnation you’re meant to be. Pity it took killing your brother—’

I scream my rage at him as I lash out and throw everything I have at him, my soul, my life, my pain .

He pushes it back at me, and every bit of exhaustion overtakes me, sending me flying back. Everything spins, and I can only look up as Aurum prepares to hit me once more; yet he never does. Darius steps in front of me like a shield, blocking out Aurum’s magic.

Aurum hisses, shaking his hand as if he’s been burned. He tuts. ‘Oh, nephew, nephew. Why must you always intervene at the most inconvenient times.’

Darius doesn’t waste time in pitiful conversation as he launches himself at Aurum, their magic clashing before both shift.

I can only blink as Aurum’s new look as a shifter comes into focus. I can see the exposed bone and rot in his chest and wings, the sharp teeth on display through the gaping hole in the side of his maw.

They connect in an almighty blow, Darius fighting for us and our land, and Aurum fighting for his own gain.

I try to stand up, my voice hoarse from screaming as horror clutches my chest, watching Aurum latch on to Darius’s neck. He lands heavily, dust coating the air, while I rush towards him. His body shifts back, and Aurum descends to face us.

I’m helping Darius sit up when Aurum lets out a low, hateful laugh in his human form.

‘Oh, how I could revel in this moment for ever.’

I glare up at him.

‘Hello, sweetheart,’ Sarilyn’s voice croons from behind him. Aurum stills before he turns and sees her there by the river, her smile cold and ruthless. ‘Missed me?’

Aurum’s smile strains, not having expected Sarilyn to still be alive. ‘Sarilyn. What a surprise.’

She looks around. ‘Seems familiar, doesn’t it?’

‘I wouldn’t know.’ Aurum’s chuckle sounds taunting, reminding her of how he switched with another soul. An innocent one.

Sarilyn’s anger brews deep within her like a silent, oncoming storm. ‘I doubt this time you will be so lucky.’ She strikes first, seeming merely to entertain Aurum as he doesn’t use his powers on her.

My gaze focuses on the river, its waters glistening under the tumultuous sky.

Yet the rivers hold the answer, and the lover who once was . . .

‘Yet the rivers hold the answer,’ I repeat out loud.

Have you ever thought that perhaps the place where life was given to him is also the place where it can be taken away?

My heart races as Freya and Silaria’s words ferment inside my mind.

Sarilyn and Aurum are close to the water’s edge, fighting one another as if Aurum was a mortal now, just like her.

‘The river,’ I whisper, and glance at Darius as he narrows his eyes, trying to decipher my cryptic words.

I slowly rise, curling my fingers into fists. ‘Orna,’ I say, the word drifting through the wind. I say it louder. ‘Orna!’

Aurum freezes. His hand stops halfway through the air as he is about to strike Sarilyn. He turns to me, his eyes wide and untamed. ‘What did you say?’

I start to walk towards him. ‘Her name was Orna.’

Sarilyn looks on like I have lost my mind.

‘Solaris,’ I whisper, gazing at the dull skin that is now covered in welts and rotting away. ‘She would hate the man you have become.’

His one remaining eye burns into me with an intense fury, yet for just one moment, I see vulnerability there.

It makes him almost . . . human .

‘Take that back,’ he seethes.

‘No.’ I huff out a hostile laugh. ‘If she could see you now, she would be disgusted.’

Darius appears by my side. ‘You’re alone.’ He joins in taunting him. ‘Even the only family you have left wants you dead.’

Aurum stumbles back slightly. ‘Do you think that you can ever get rid of me?’ He smacks his chest. ‘I will always win. Always!’ Spit flies out of his mouth as we corner him.

‘You can’t win,’ I say, ‘if you no longer exist.’

He is in the river now, his armour sloshing against the waters.

‘We create,’ I grit between my teeth. ‘We destroy.’

He becomes furious, raising his palm at us, but no power comes.

‘And who is to say,’ Darius angles his head, watching Aurum frantically try to conjure any bit of power he has, ‘we can’t take a life away.’

Aurum tries to speak, but it’s too late as I lift my hand, and Darius hovers his hand over mine. Our palms glow bright as our magic becomes tethered to one another. A whirlpool emerges from beneath Aurum, and he starts to shout obscenities, desperately clawing at everything in sight.

I begin to see the memories of Idris flash through me. The night I lost him, how he cared for me, how much he loved me.

Every ounce of my being is infused with that power and strength. Darius clings to me as if I am his beacon of light, and I stare and stare at Aurum. His furious roar echoes through the air as the relentless force of the water engulfs him, pulling him and all his creatures into the swirling vortex of the river.

A gold and silver light then erupts from the water in a brilliant cascade, piercing the sky and silencing the battlefield. As it dims, returning the river to its original state, I stand still, paralysed from the shock of it all.

I finally turn to Darius. We’re left panting, staring at one another in disbelief. Sweat, ash, blood and so much more coat our faces, but it doesn’t matter. Not in this moment as he closes in on me and captures my lips, his hand resting on the back of my now tangled hair.

‘He’s gone,’ I whisper, needing it to be true.

Darius nods, his forehead rubbing against mine. ‘He’s gone,’ he affirms.

A phoenix lands on the ground in front of us, a bright light emitting from its body before it shifts and out comes Lorcan. He stares at us in shock before coming over and embracing Darius with a slap on his back. They part, their hands on each other’s faces as they smile.

Sarilyn looks at me from where she stands by the river and bows her head to me.

I return the gesture just as Lorcan taps my shoulder, and I turn to hug him. When I look back, Sarilyn has disappeared.

My smile falls, but I accept that she must go.

I hear the clangs as swords drop to the ground, and Aerians and Undarions turn to face each other, accepting defeat.

‘Darius!’ Freya emerges from the throng of Dark Elves carrying an unconscious Tibith in her arms. There is panic in her eyes. ‘He’s not moving, he—’

Darius and I immediately look at one another, and without needing to say a word, we run towards her. Gently taking Tibith from Freya, Darius kneels on the ground, his hands cradling the small, lifeless body. Tibith’s fur, usually bright and soft, is now matted with the grim residue of dust and ash.

Tears swirl in my vision as I hear Darius whisper his name, and I crouch opposite him, lightly brushing my hand over Tibith’s head.

‘Come on, Tibith,’ Darius begs. ‘We need to celebrate our victory – and we can’t do that without you.’

The world around me feels unbearably still, the silence stretching on as I sob quietly.

‘Tibith,’ Darius says again, his voice cracking.

Then, barely audible, a soft sigh breaks through the stillness. My breath catches in my throat as I see a faint movement beneath Tibith’s tiny chest.

I watch, not daring to blink as he stirs again, and those wide eyes flutter open.

‘Hello, Darry,’ he says, giving him a feeble wag of his ears.

Relief sweeps over Darius’s face as he chuckles and scoops Tibith further into his arms. He doesn’t let go for minutes, and we just sit there, crying and staring at each other, relieved and exhausted.

Link and Rydan come jogging over to join us. My brothers gather by my side, their presence a comfort as Illias kneels beside me and wraps an arm around me. Leaning my head against his shoulder, I take in this moment. All of it.

Kirian watches us from a distance, his usual scary demeanour now full of pride and gratitude.

‘Did we win?’ Tibith asks, making me focus on him instead.

My laughter is mixed with tears. ‘We did,’ I whisper, looking up as the rest of the survivors gather around us and a sense of sombre victory settles upon us all.

Aurum is gone.

And Emberwell survived.