20. Lexa

Chapter 20

Lexa

I stared at Ravyn Storm in shock. "What the hell are you doing here?" And dead at that?

Ravyn smiled sadly and shrugged. The pale glow of afterlife clung to her, a clear foreshadowing of doom. "I'm here to help."

"What happened?"

"You'll find out soon enough." Ravyn sighed, and I wondered how hard Arim would take the news that his sister had died. "I have little time. You must return with Arim to Tanselm. There's much you must do if you plan to help the Storm Lords save the land."

"It can still be saved?" I had my doubts. For years I'd spied on Tanselm, on the land's power and the Light Bringers' inner workings from religion to politics to magic.

As overqueen, Ravyn was the glue holding the Light Bringers together. Without her there, and worse, without a new overking chosen, the opportunity for internal strife would do more damage than Sin Garu might hope, thanks to the corrupt Church of Illumination.

"It can still be saved. But not without Arim and you. You, Lexa, are his biggest vulnerability right now. You must accompany him, for he'll need your power to guide him through these hard times." Ravyn shook her head. "There is so much I needed to tell him, so much he doesn't yet understand."

"So why not tell him instead of telling me?"

"I can't. My explanation would only confuse you." Ravyn dimmed, her form seeming to vanish before reappearing with fainter color. "He needs you now, Lexa. More than you can know. You'll have to trust him if you hope for any chance to defeat your brother."

I hated the tie that bound me to Sin Garu. "I don't know that I can," I answered honestly. Arim and I shared a temporary utopia, one without outside influence. In this small home, I could dream that my sorcerer loved me, that we might have a chance at happily-ever-after. But life wasn't perfect, and neither of us belonged here.

To Ravyn, I said, "The Netharat no doubt had something to do with your death. And that army belongs to a Dark Lord. How do you think Arim's going to respond to the loss of his beloved sister? By willingly taking another Dark Lord home with him? Won't the Light Bringers just love that."

"He'll take you with him. He loves you, Lexa. Trust him. Tell him…" Ravyn faded, but not before I watched her expression darken with frustration. Unfortunately, I couldn't understand what else she wanted from me.

Compassion I could offer. The newly kindled memories of my deceased family reminded me of loss, of the feelings of emptiness and grief. I knew how much Arim loved his sister, his only living relative for the last several hundred years. Even before I'd met him at University, he and Ravyn had been all that remained of the Valens family.

A loud roar interrupted my reverie. I took a deep breath, not wanting to face the grief I would be sure to find. My dread stemmed from more than revisiting my own pain. I had no desire to see Arim experience the same. His hurt would be that much worse because I cared and couldn't help myself.

I scowled, wanting and yet not wanting this bond. I'd banished Arim from my world for a reason, dealing with him in the only way I could and still survive — in opposition. Yet in just a few short days, I'd opened up to him again. The idiot Light Bringer said he loved me.

Lexa Van Norsen, a known Dark Lord, had no room for empathy. Pain and suffering were a Dark staple, the same as anything with a strong, emotional yielding. Even so, I had no urge to experience Arim's misery, regardless of the vital necessity to boost my reserves. Once again, even unwittingly, Arim interfered with my well-preserved, if not happy, life.

I left the bathroom and ventured into the living room, shocked and frightened to see Arim clutching his heart as he writhed on the floor. I raced to him and kneeled by his side.

"Arim? Talk to me. What's wrong?" I couldn't see blood or any sign of an intruder present. Which meant his pain had to have come from an outside source. I flexed my hand to call upon healing fire but found my power still lacking. Sava's shield still holds.

Relieved Arim didn't appear to be under magical attack, I sat on my knees and stroked his soft hair. I wanted to cure his pain but knew there was nothing I could do but wait it out with him. Death brought nothing but tears.

"Ravyn," he breathed, his eyes bleak. "She's gone."

I nodded, stroking his face. His emotional wounds called to me. Though I didn't want to take from him in such a weakened state, I opened myself, knowing that in doing so, I might help bear his burden.

"We have to get back." Arim's eyes filled, and I stared in alarm, having never seen him cry before. My own tears formed, compassion for the man filling with so much pain. His Darkness swelled like a black cloud, and I continued to siphon the energy, at least freeing him from some of his hurt. "By the Light, I love her so much. I don't understand what's happening."

"Let it go, Arim. Give it to me."

His black eyes looked so beautiful, so haunting in torment. "She was all I had for so long…when you were gone."

I wanted to comfort him, to tell him I'd be here for him now. But I couldn't offer what I didn't know to be true. In this place, where only the two of us existed, we had peace. Out there, beyond Sava's magic, Dark fought with Light, and Arim and I stood on opposite sides of the spectrum. No matter that we both had the same goal. I simply didn't see Tanselm's residents ever accepting a Dark Lord in their midst. Especially now, having fought off Sin Garu for so long.

Arim sat up and leaned back against the couch, still rubbing his chest. He pulled me onto his lap and clung to me, his tears falling on my shoulder. The touch of his grief ate at the feeble shields I tried to erect to hold my emotions apart.

I hugged him, willing him to ease off the rage and horror continuing to bleed through his soul. "It will get better," I said, thinking of Muri and Esel, of Sercha grinning up at me with a soft smile.

He clutched me tighter, and we sat together for a long time, calming to the sound of merging heartbeats. For now, at least, we were one.

And the comfort I felt at the thought made me fear the future more than the demons holding onto my soul.