25. Twenty-Five

Twenty-Five

Willow

"What was that?" Corentin asks as we hastily start making our way back to the ward.

"His compulsion. He has the power to command the vampires. His power's increased tenfold with the cord being removed."

None of them respond, but their unease and lack of trust for him slither through my chest. It's going to take more than a vow to convince them he means what he says. They've been burned too much already to have blind faith despite the revelations made or Caspian's previous encounter. They haven't had the opportunity to see the past he's lived like I have, so my trust comes more naturally. I know everything he has left to lose.

Our footsteps halt with a ten-foot separation between us and the darkened veil of the ward. From here, the outside looks no different. The true beauty of Elementra is completely obscured. The rainbows of colors, the sweet scent, the rejuvenating sun all appear murky and dull.

"You're not going to burn in the sunlight, are you?" I ask frantically when the thought occurs to me.

Keeper looks at me as though I've asked him to solve a complex math problem. To me, it's a fair question.

"Has the sun become toxic since my imprisonment?" he asks.

"Well, no. It's just…You know, never mind. It's just very bright out there, so I wanted to make sure."

Draken chuckles beside me, linking his warm fingers with mine as Tillman shoots me a smug smirk that I roll my eyes at. If he knew what I was going to ask, he could've butted in and saved me some embarrassment.

"Team two, scout," Tillman orders and they step through the ward with a nod.

"The five of us will have to touch you while we pass through. You're going to feel some resistance from the ward, then it'll let you go," Corentin says, laying a heavy hand on Keeper's shoulder.

With a small, fully on-board nod, Keeper looks down at me and extends his elbow out for me to take. It's a show of respect and Tanith's words ring in my mind about how family first Keeper was back in his realm, in his role, and he seems to still carry that mentality. The second he heard about Draken, he was fully committed, barely any questions asked.

Fuck, I hope I'm not allowing my bleeding heart to fall for a charade.

"Time. Move out," Tillman commands, laying his hand on Keeper's other shoulder, while Caspian and Draken take his forearms.

Instead of watching where I'm walking, I peer out of my peripheral the entire time at Keeper. Studying his face, his body language. I want to gauge his reaction to finally being free.

The ward pulls tight against my skin and it's not painful for me, but a small hiss passes through his lips. He doesn't fight it. He keeps his shoulders relaxed, his hand lying over mine where it's tucked in the crook of his arm and waits it out. Like any other time, I've been through wards when the signatures were being altered, the resistance lessens suddenly, and we glide through like we're coated in butter.

The guys release him but stand by. Their apprehension is evident in their tightly coiled postures, but I don't remove my hand. I'm awestruck as Keeper's aura begins to glow.

The dullness the forest brought to my senses gives way, revealing him in shimmering, breathtaking happiness. He's covered in a mirage of reds, oranges, yellows, pinks and they grow larger, fuller, the more his eyes scan the clearing in front of us.

"Almost five hundred years," he whispers.

"A lot's changed in that time."

"I can't even begin to fathom."

His eyes hold a childlike wonder that I recognize. I still catch myself gazing both longingly and fascinated at the perfection of Elementra. It's a sight like no other. A place so bathed in beauty, you can travel its surface a million times over and still fall more in love.

"There will be time for me to get reacquainted with this land, but we must get to Tanith. He'll go after her the moment he knows I'm free." Keeper's eyes focus again, narrowing seriously as if the deeper reality of his predicament just set in.

"She's going to be guarded, but by how many or few, I'm not sure," I say to Tillman.

"We have the best of the best with us. Unless he has the entirety of his army guarding her, we'll be fine. No word from the teams on the ground, so they aren't on the move yet. Oakly, location?" he asks.

"We're going where Terian meets Pyrathia. I'll imprint into the trees, but she's being held in secluded mountains, so coverage is minimal."

"Then let's move out so we can scout and plan our next move. Keeper, is this transport going to make you sick?" Tillman asks.

"Have no clue. Never transported before."

My entire Nexus, Oakly's, and my brother's all grumble and sigh, knowing that means he's most certainly going to get sick. That first transport, and the second and third, is pure hell.

"My Nexus, Ry's, Lyker's together. Jamie, be ready. Oakly, can you transport us all at once?"

She scoffs, shooting Tillman a withering look like how dare he offend her in front of all these people. "Of course I can."

With a determined tilt to her chin, she links her fingers through mine and Aria's while the others find an appropriate place to touch her. She shoots Tillman a smug smirk and a nod, then she whisks us through the darkness like a pro.

Stepping out of the transport, I move to the side to avoid any sickness that may come from Keeper. Apparently, though, I'm the only one who gets physically ill around here. He's a shade of green that suggests that was unpleasant, but he keeps himself together, raising his face to the sun that's beginning to fade.

Caspian's shadows slink out of him slowly, cocooning us all in a thin layer of darkness that obscures us from sight. The large group of us are nestled in a shallow tree line that separates us from a rocky pathway that leads to the mouth of a cave. The distance is short enough that it's easy to point out the ten or so Mastery members mulling around the plateau in front of the cave. Once we step out of this small cluster of coverage, there won't be anything to hide us from view.

"Teams two and three, set up a perimeter. Any rebels you come across, quietly take down. Go. Ry, are those the only ones you sense?" Tillman asks, whispering low.

"Yeah. There's no one in that cave, Willow."

"She's in there," Me and Keeper say simultaneously. His eyes bore into the cave with such longing, eagerness, and relief, I'm surprised he's holding himself back. He feels her.

"Then we'll move out as one, take down the ten, and break through the ward. In and out—" Tillman's instructions are cut short as the buzzing of his communicator in his pants sounds loudly.

Answering with a tense noise in the back of his throat, I don't have to hear what's coming through from the other side to already know what's happening. The disturbance in the air is unnatural, rotten to the core. The all too familiar chill that slithers down my spine like a venomous snake has me straightening my shoulders, searching for him.

"Donald's here. So is the Summum-Master."

My men surround me protectively and their sudden guardedness spurs the rest of my family to react. Oakly and Aria are shoved in the middle of the makeshift circle with me, while their Nexuses join mine, creating a formidable force field around us.

"They've already arrived. We'll send you an imprint," Tillman says before hanging up. "Oakly, can you get them our location?"

"Yeah," she mutters, never taking her eyes off the cave entrance where mine are glued as well.

The air rushes from my lungs when multiple figures begin walking out the darkness of the cave mouth. Seeing Donald will never get easier, but he isn't the biggest threat right now. He's nothing, a nuisance, compared to what I'm staring at.

From head to toe, he's dressed in all black. A black robe, shoes, I'm assuming shirt and pants as well. The only color is the red borsh holding his robe closed. There're no features I can make out of the Summum-Master, nor will my revealing spell work on whatever powerful concealment he has. His mind is a fortress. I'm positive it would've been easier to enter the gates of hell back in the nonmagical realm than it would be to infiltrate his mind.

His aura is the only read I can get, and it strikes enough fear in me that I lock my knees to keep my legs from crumbling.

It's black.

Blacker than any shadow, any darkness, abyss, or void I've ever found myself staring into. This type of black is the remnants of souls he's taken, making it layered, deep, a boundless pit of despair.

Aria's ethereal ability reaches out, caressing my gift as she aims it at the Summum-Master and I'm all too aware of her searching for something the rest of us can't physically see. His soul. My arms break out in chills when she shutters, releasing a low gasp.

"Willow…" she says my name in a broken whisper.

"I know," I murmur, squeezing her hand.

If his aura alone makes me feel like the life is being sucked out of me, then his soul is just as tainted, ruined. There's no coming back for him.

"Come on out, granddaughter. No need to hide from me." His voice booms through the small space like a grenade going off.

My breath quickens as transports open, leaving Mastery members lining the path between me and him. He's arranged this like a show. My red-carpet moment. He expects me to just strut down the sixty-foot catwalk right to him as he demanded.

"We have them in numbers and strength, but we don't know what he has planned, little warrior."

"I know, but we can't abandon her. He'll kill her. Or worse…use her as a weapon."

"What're you thinking then, princess?" Corentin asks.

"We'll step out together. Hear the bullshit spew from his mouth and hopefully come to a peaceful agreement today. But if not…"

"We kill them all," Caspian declares, and a growl from Draken quickly backs him up.

"Stay between us at all times, Willow. We all may be targets, but you're his main. Tillman, tell Ry and Lyker's Nexus to move forward with us. Have Zane stand behind Willow to shield her. The E.F. will hang back for the signal. He already knows we have Keeper or he wouldn't have shown up straight here, so no point in hiding him. If shit breaks out, he'll be an asset," Corentin orders.

"No unnecessary risk today. We'll get her out safely, I promise. And stay away from him if you can. He may have a way far worse than the cord to force you to obey him," I whisper to Keeper as his eyes begin to shift. It's not a sign of hunger for food but a hunger for revenge.

"I understand. It won't be that simple to get to him anyhow. He stays guarded with many amulets, protections, and other such relics or runes from the realms. If I could've killed him, he'd be dead. My life be damned." Keeper's accent draws even deeper, his fury evident for any to hear.

Another wave of fear crawls up my neck, causing my hair to stand on end. I'd love nothing more than for us to charge in gifts blazing and take him out, here and now, but not a single part of me believes it'll be that easy. It'd be rushed, poorly planned, and someone's life could be taken. There's still far too much we have to learn about him before we're going to be able to defeat him.

"Ready?" I ask and an echo of grunts is my only source of acknowledgment.

Caspian's shadows begin to lower like an unveiling, and I pull my shoulders back, releasing a tension-filled breath. Every part of me wants to shiver or shake, but I repress the urge. Even my dragon, knowing she's the fiercest predator in this realm, is guarded, fully aware of the danger that's in front of us. She senses just as much as I do, he's evil. Pure and simple. His willingness to do any and everything for power knows no bounds and that makes him far more dangerous than we are.

We walk until there's about a fifteen-foot distance between us and the beginning of the Mastery soldiers, all of which, turn to face us at once. These aren't the grunts that lined up at Donald's offering of them getting their revenge on me. No. This is a taste of the fully trained army.

"You've gone too far this time, Willow. First you kidnap my son and now my creature. Enough of this at once." The Summum-Master sighs, lifting his palm and waving it to Keeper as if I wasn't aware of who he was speaking about.

"I don't believe I've gone far enough. What can I do for you today?" I ask with my best customer service voice. If he's anything like Franklin was, or if Franklin got his personality from his father, then that tone will irk him enough to get to the point.

"You may start by returning my son and explaining how it is you have him blocked from me?"

My face falls for a split second before I fix it. We thought for sure he would've known that Franklin was dead, so he's either reeling me into some sort of off the wall trap, or he really doesn't know and I'm going to royally piss him off.

Leaning back a little to where Keeper is standing behind, but very close to Draken and Tillman, I ask in a low whisper, "Does he not feel when a rune is removed?"

"He'd notice, although, and I mean this with no offense, any rune I left, you wouldn't be able to remove. Franklin is different, though. Stronger. They're woven so tight, he basically knows his every move," Keeper informs me.

Oh fuck, Elementra. What did you do? Or what did I do?

"Obviously not," I grumble. "He's no longer in this realm."

A small whistle blows through Keeper's lips. "Where did you send him? Even traveling the realms, I'd think he could feel him."

"He's dead." I just come out and say it so we can quit with the roundabout. The Summum-Master is staring daggers at me for my obvious disregard to him and his impatience is growing. His face doesn't have to be visible to know it. His aura is somehow bleeding blacker, slithering across my skin like a disease.

In my mind, I figured he would've known the moment it happened, and he just didn't care enough to react immediately. Seems my assumptions were wrong or Elementra played a little interference.

"Prepare for battle then," Keeper says nonchalantly with a smirk on his lips.

The sweet but crazy is genetic, I see.

"You can have him back in exchange for Keeper's treasure," I call out, pretending to be oblivious to who or what's inside that cave.

"That is not—"

"That's all you're getting."

"Be wise with your next words, Willow. We will do this my way or the hard way. The choice is yours," he warns. Shaking his hands out of his robes, linking his fingers in front of him, I finally get a glimpse of something of him. It's just hands. Hands that are paler than my own, sickly skinny, but powerful, I know. "You can come willingly, with my creature, my son, the dragon boy, and shadow boy, or everyone you brought with you will die today, and you will watch it all happen."

Another choice.

One that can go so many ways. Ways I have no insight to because I didn't see this coming.

Scanning the well-trained, stoic soldiers, I have complete faith in our men behind us, but I can't count out the fact that these men aren't going to be as easily bested as the ones at the compound I was rescued from. They've held themselves statue still, waiting for their orders. There isn't a flinch or twitch of fear coming from any of them.

They've prepared for this.

My eyes reach the end of the runway, colliding with a brown almost black set that I loathe more than anything in this realm. Of their own devices, my fist clenches tightly, leaving crescent moon shapes in my palms. The air leaving my lungs comes out faster and faster the longer I stare at him. I'm proud to say there's no fear to be found in me, though, only anger. How could I still fear him when he's nothing compared to the monster he's standing beside? He's nothing compared to the men surrounding me.

"Come on, dear wife. You've had your fun. It's time for you to do the work you were born to do. Don't keep your grandfather or husbands waiting any longer," Donald says with a broad smile and behind him, Bryce, Gish, and his three bitch brothers walk up.

They all appraise me. Grinning from ear to ear as if they've waited so long to be reunited with me.

Not happening.

"I won't be sacrificing myself or anyone else today."

"You'll never sacrifice yourself again if we can help it, princess."

"We've got you, Primary."

"Where you go, we go, little wanderer."

"Lead the way, little warrior."

"Come on, girl. Where's that noble behavior at now?" Gish calls out. His condescending, smug laugh rings in my ears and his fuckboy entourage joins in, making me hotter.

I won't waste my breath with any more foolish tactics, questions, or comments. You can't negotiate with a villain who believes those who disobey him die and everyone else is below him. The followers who carry the same standard are just as bad. They'll receive no mercy.

My first footstep seems to thunder through the space, silencing the mocking as my enemies prematurely claim their victory. Their shoulders relax, their smiles widen, and eyes heat with disgusting pleasure that has my anger rising. My blood begins to boil beneath my skin and wind twirls through my fingers, readying for my command as I take another step. The distance between us is slim, maybe fifty feet, and that's all I need to make a point.

Although my body, my mind, is full of anger, I refrain from using my full force. My purple flame shoots from my palm with a controlled order, riding on the speed of light with a push of air. None of them have time to react and I smile as Gish bellows in agony.

Burn, fuckface.

He tries tirelessly to douse my flames with his water, but it's a worthless attempt and the useless men standing around him stunned won't be able to help him either. He won't die, yet, but his face will burn completely until I put him out of his misery.

The beautiful, unhinged laughter coming from Draken and Caspian behind me is cut off abruptly when the tips of claw-like fingernails nip my neck. Bryce is the first to gain his composure and his eyes are feral as he tries to get his hand around my throat. He moved so quickly, I didn't even see him coming, but Keeper did.

"You dare harm the Adored of the Keep? My blood?" Keeper growls as his outstretched arm twitches and his hand squeezes Bryce's throat tighter.

I wrap my flaming hand around his wrist and his nails immediately retract from my neck as he hits the ground on his knees. His eyes are burning crimson, much like his mangled limb dangling beside him, but he doesn't scream out. He snarls and heaves in a futile attempt to get free from Keeper's clutches.

"Twenty-seven times. That's the number of times you bit me while I was strapped to that table. Then once more in front of my Nexus, to punish them and me. You'll repay me for that with your head," I declare.

"He bit you, unwillingly? With…"

"Pain." I finish for Keeper as his bleeding eyes burn into me.

In a move quicker than I was prepared for, he moves directly between me and Bryce, blocking my view. The sickening crack echoes louder than the screams still coming from Gish and when Bryce's body hits the ground, it shakes the entire landscape. I catch the smallest of glimpses of his rolling head as Keeper tosses it at the Summum-Master and Donald.

Up until now, I have a feeling that the Summum-Master was just testing me, seeing how far I'd be willing to take this, but now with two of his higher-ranking members done for, his intentions, his anger, his loathing hits me right in my heart and I know he's had enough.

"Bring me my targets. Kill the others," he shouts. His voice rumbles across the rocky terrain, making the pebbles at my feet vibrate.

No sooner does the order leaves his lips than the good little soldiers who've waited patiently for a command, move in.

My men instantly surround me, their elements and gifts on the surface, ready for anything. Tillman tilts his head back, whistling to the sky, and the E.F. members pour out from the tree line with a war cry pouring from their chests. The sound of bones cracking behind me is closely followed by an ear-splintering howl, and I know my brother, my family, best friends are ready.

I allow my purple flames to flow freely across the ground to make a circle around us and our people. Those of the Mastery who are stupid enough to attempt to cross the line of fire I've created burn to ash, while the others search of a way around it. Draken takes a more brutal approach and incinerates any who step forward. His animalistic excitement is contagious, and his dragon rumbles in his chest with the need to hunt. That need is calling to my beautiful beast and she's ready to be set free.

Corentin's element breezes past me, ruffling my hair as he and Caspian dance around one another, either sucking the air out of people's lungs or filling them with water. Light pours from one's palm, blindly bright and unforgiving, while darkness streams from the other, creating sinkholes that are pitch-black, swallowing people whole. Those two are like witnessing the God of Light and God of Darkness join forces. It's breathtaking in this ruthless moment, and I wish I could stand back and gawk at them.

Tillman stays to my left, standing tall like the fortress he is. With either a mental command or strike from his element, the Mastery members fall to their knees with no chance at all to reach us. His mind, body, every technique operate like a machine and the sheer strength pouring from him causes me to shiver.

Movement in my peripheral steals my attention from my remarkable but deadly Nexus and I zero in on Donald's every move as his body disappears. I still can't make him out perfectly, but thanks to Corentin's gift, seeing the outline of him move through the rays is much easier. When he charges straight for me, I don't back down.

I run toward him.

My frantic heartbeat kicks up a notch with anticipation as my feet pound the rocky ground. This is the moment I've waited my entire adult life for. To be stronger, fearless. To be able to pay him back for all the shit he did to me, put me through and I plan to have my revenge in full.

Approaching me quickly, he rears his fist back, ready to strike, and at the last moment, I turn my body into his. I latch on to his outstretched arm and flip him over my body, keeping his wrist secured in a death grip. I don't hesitate as I call the strength of my dragon forth.

Lifting my leg, I bring my foot down as hard as I possibly can right at the crook of his elbow. The crack is ear piercing and a breath of relief, no matter how sick that may sound, leaves me as he bellows in pain. It's like a small tally has been placed on our board and I'm one strike closer.

Flipping his body around, I sling him to the ground by his useless arm and pounce on his chest. My anger takes full control as I raise my fist and punch him over and over and over. The sight of the red pooling from his nose, his mouth, his cheek, his whole fucking face doesn't stop me. It feeds me and I let the darker parts of myself take full control as my agony races to the surface for its vengeance.

No one interferes. No one stops me and it takes my mind a long moment to realize my throat's becoming raw. I'm screaming loudly. With every hit, a guttural roar leaves me and tears of rage stream down my face.

"No!" I bellow when suddenly my fist connects with gravel instead of skin.

Whipping around, Donald pathetically rolls out of a transport back beside the Summum-Master, who kneels beside him.

All I see is red and I shoot my shadows out at them with the intention of wrapping Donald's pathetic ass up in them and dragging him back to me. What I didn't expect, though, was for the Summum-Master to latch on to my shadows as if they were physical whips and snatch me to them.

My chest would've collided with his if not for his sickly hands catching me and squeezing my shoulders punishingly. My name filters through my mind and the space now separating me from my men, but a blast of air has them all tumbling backward as soon as they charge toward me. It has everyone who's still standing falling to the ground.

"You've surprised me, granddaughter. You'll be most useful to me." He hums into the silence. His air has created a sealed space for just the two of us.

His magic washes over me like acid. It burns, it's so toxic. Not only that, but I can also sense that it's all not his own. My gift of detecting magical signatures is going haywire beneath my skin like fire ants in a frenzy because I know he's using more than one gift at a time. There're, fuck, I don't even know, hundreds coursing through him.

"I refuse to let you use me," I grit out as his fingers brutally press into my skin.

"You have no choice."

"There's always a choice."

I shove him as hard as I can in the chest, adding in the force of my winds and his body flies from mine. I'm not na?ve enough to believe it was that easy, only that I caught him off guard. He's back on his feet in seconds, casting out a chain made of ice.

My flame melts the weapon mid-air and by the smallest, I do mean tiniest of flinches that I catch from his hands, he wasn't expecting that despite already witnessing how useless Gish's water was. He plays it off nicely, though, by standing tall, dusting himself off, and linking his hands in front of him.

I command the purple to pour from my fingers, surrounding us fully in this air bubble he's created. Trapping him back just as he's trapped me. The only difference is my flames will kill him before his air suffocates me.

"Tell me who you are," I order as I command my flames to slowly close in on us.

"I'm your grandfather," he says seriously.

"We've established that unfortunate news, but who are you? Your name."

"You do not deserve the privilege of knowing that. You're a disgrace to our name. You've disobeyed, rebelled, fought, and made everything far more difficult at every turn. You truly could've had it all, Willow. Power, status, rightful status at that. Sure, you would've been far below your Nexus, but you would've been a respected weapon." He says it all so calmly, so composed compared to the anger that was just radiating off him it makes me dizzy. His voice is deep, smooth as velvet, and he'd easily charm a snake with that pitch even though half of what he said was completely offensive.

"I have all those things already, rightfully and blessed by Elementra, mind you. With the added bonus of having a loving, respectful Nexus that treats me like a goddess. I'd never want the tainted version of your offerings. You can only acquire what you have by raping, killing, stealing, and torturing."

"You have no idea what you speak of. That pitiful royal line. They are no less ruthless than I am. They will hand over what is rightfully mine when I kill every one of them."

"Why do you believe anything is rightfully yours?"

"Because it is. I will mold this realm into what it should be because it is mine."

His unhinged possessiveness sears into my skin. He truly believes he's not only the rightful ruler for whatever reason, but the rightful owner. He's mad. Completely.

"Nothing is rightfully yours because you are no one. Like it or not, the Vito line won the Realm Trials, therefore they rule this realm. A realm created, fostered, and powered by Elementra. You have no right to any of that."

"They've sullied your mind just as they have history. Have no fear, though, granddaughter, I will correct that as well. I will make it right."

That promise lingers in the air between us, but he's a fool to still hold onto the belief he'll make me do anything for him. I'd sooner take my own life than allow that. I won't allow him to use me or my men or harm the ones I love.

"This isn't going to go as you think it is. I'm not a weapon nor a woman you'll use to your liking. You won't get what you want because I won't allow it," I swear.

"I'll have everything I want. With my son ruling beside me and the blood coursing through your veins, I'll have everything I want and more. This realm and any other I choose. You will bow to me and do my bidding, Willow. It makes no difference to me if it's willingly or forcefully. It is just a matter of time."

His matter-of-fact tone coats me in ice and my body breaks out in chill bumps. There's no denying he believes every word he's spoken and he'll continue to hunt for me until I'm in his grasp. He'll truly, wholly, destroy this realm. A realm he's so adamant to rule no matter the personal cost to everyone else.

"I'll swear to you the same thing I swore to your son before I turned him into a pile of ash with no promise of the beyond, so mark my words here and now. I will destroy everything you've spent millennia building. I'll erase every scrap of your existence off the face of this realm and any other you've poisoned. I'll figure out your family name and drag it so far through the ground, people will spit when they hear it uttered. You'll have no following left to keep your name alive because they will fall to my Nexus's and my hand as well. My true Nexus, my family, the one I've chosen to create, the people of Elementra will not fall to you. You are and forever will be nothing. I'll see to that."

Power bursts from both of us, colliding like atomic bombs, and the bubbles we created explode around us. I push everything I have within me. All seven of my gifts, all four of my elements, and every drop of magic I possess flow from my outstretched hands.

The power that's not rightfully his pours out in a stream of black. It crashes with mine, holding the same ferocity, fury, determination. I refuse to back down, to give up, despite the sweat dripping in my eyes, the pounding of my heart, and the tremble vibrating through my limbs.

The pressure between our abilities builds and builds until the ground beneath our feet splits open with a thundering boom. The orb of power that had been collecting between us erupts with a painful blast and sends us flying through the sky away from one another.

I catch the briefest glimpses of his back smashing into the ward concealing the cave, tearing it to pieces before my body is wrapped in air, vines, shadows, and blue flames, then I'm lowered into four sets of awaiting arms.

Slowly, they sit me on the ground and check me over, but I can't take my eyes off him.

The Summum-Master sluggishly, wobbly gets himself to his feet using the cave mouth for balance. Although I can't see his face, I know he's staring at me. My cheeks heat from the unsavory feeling caressing my skin and my pants come out faster.

A dark promise wraps itself around my heart and with that, he transports out.

"Princess, are you—"

Corentin's words are cut off when the ground beneath us begins to shake in pulses. They grip me and snatch me up, cocooning me in the middle of them when loose rocks fall from the mountain and the birds that were brave enough to stick around during the battle take to the sky, squawking.

"What the fuck is that?" Caspian asks.

Pushing myself from in the middle of them, despite their demands and arms reaching out to pull me back, I wave them off as I stare at the cave mouth.

"Tanith," Me and Keeper breathe together.

Emerging from the darkness, she makes herself and all her beauty known. The first thing she does is tilt her head up to the sun, the sun that she hasn't felt caress her in so many years. When she shakes her body out, the chains around her neck clang loudly against the stone and she growls low.

"A dragon. Little wanderer, she's a fucking real-life golden dragon," Draken breathes and a massive smile takes over his face as he steps toward her unconsciously.

"I know, my dragon. We come from her," I say softly as I link my fingers through his and step toward her.

She's the one who passed our beast down to us.