Chapter 49

49

LECTURE NOTES FROM IMMORTAL ANATOMY:

Major arteries branch out from the neck, traveling into the shoulders, and down through the arms. They feed our fingertips with a healthy supply of magic. When our supply diminishes, kidneys will stimulate the production of new cells alongside red blood cells in the bone marrow, which can take a few days. The spleen and liver help recycle everything.

O ne heartbeat Soren had been by her side, begging her to stop, and in the next, he was a serpent.

Losing focus, Thessa’s veil of darkness collapsed. Nothing remained of her shadows, but a small, sputtering sphere around her.

Something warm coated her face and neck. A finger inspection revealed fresh blood. A lot of it. Thessa dismounted, smacking both Hades and Ares on their rears, leaving bloody handprints behind. “Run!”

The enemy had ended their retreat at the abrupt return of light. Fireballs already streaked across the sky, and more of her army burned. This far away from the gates, a cluster of soldiers formed a wall of protection around her, despite her pleas for escape. She was desperate; her veins pounded with worry. She pushed and shoved the rebels, trying to get to the massive serpent thundering through enemy lines.

Elemental soldiers scattered at the sight of Soren, tossing frantic fireballs, while ally Elementals were using their air-magic to blast them away. Soren’s tail looped through legs, tripping soldiers off balance while his fangs shredded their calves into ribbons. He’d taken down three soldiers in approximately three seconds, until a single blast of air sent him tumbling out of sight.

Thessa screamed, “No!” And as if the sky cried with her, rain began to fall. Her view was cut off, as was their fire—at least not without their energy-sucking air wraps and shields.

Then, like a red sea parting, General Valstrom waltzed through her army, dragging Soren by his mighty tail. An air-shield big enough for the two of them protected the fire-cuffs encasing his throat. Any relief Thessa had felt, was replaced with pure horror.

“Stand down if you want your companion back,” General Valstrom ordered.

Anger rippled through Thessa, enough to breach her wall of protection.

Her allies fended off the Supreme’s guards, leaving the two of them boxed in alone with Soren. Her magic wasn’t strong enough to absorb the general’s air-shield. There was hardly enough left to protect herself.

“Aren’t you done yet?” General Valstrom crooned .

“Let. Him. Go.”

General Valstrom pouted. “Why? I’d quite like something I can lock up and poke when I feel like it.”

“I’m going to kill you,” Thessa promised.

“And how’s that? Your shadows don’t smother like the rest.” The Supreme tilted her head in observation. “I’ve been watching you, what an interesting variation. ”

Never hesitate.

Thessa unsheathed her blade and charged at the Supreme. She’d prepared to tumble into her legs, but the general side-stepped and laughed. Thessa fell, scurrying back to reassess her shield.

Intact.

Hissing drew her attention.

General Valstrom’s face was twisting with sick pleasure as her fingers bore holes into Soren’s flesh. Thessa could hear the searing and popping of his slimy skin.

She rushed toward the revenge-struck Supreme.

Anticipating her side-step, and playing into it, Thessa managed to stab her straight in the thigh before skidding out of reach.

General Valstrom roared, yanking on Soren’s tail in retaliation.

Soren no longer hissed.He was limp.

Thessa snapped at the sight, releasing a force of rage she’d not known existed within her. She was all limbs, trampling the Elemental Supreme to the ground. Swinging in arc motion, the one she’d rehearsed with her forging hammer, Thessa stabbed. Her muscles delighted in the memory.

First, she pierced the general’s shoulder. Ripping her blade free, she sunk it into the other shoulder, cutting off the blood supply to her arms. Then she stabbed her neck—right through the center to shut her up. Blood pooled but Thessa bared her teeth and continued, stabbing both her flanks. She stabbed and stabbed until massive, hairy hands tugged her away from the macerated corpse.

A familiar voice sounded. “That’s plenty.”

Thessa whipped her head left and right, realizing Soren wasn’t in sight. “Where is he?”

She was being hauled away without an answer.

Thessa turned her head farther than she should be able to. She met Reginald’s worried eyes and said, “I need to find him.”

When his gaze shifted, she followed it, landing on the tree Soren was staked to.

“No!” Her voice cracked at the same time thunder clapped.

Thessa froze, unable to think as Reginald scooped her up and ran.

The rebellion was calling for a retreat.

No.

Just as they made it past the fighting, and towards the Celestials and healers, a flurry of screams broke out.

Reginald paused and turned back. “I’ll be damned.”

Soldiers in scarlet uniform were collapsing and thrashing. Poisonous fangs disabled every limb in their path. The enemy was falling, one by one.

Soren had called Echidna through their bond the evening before. She’d taken the river north with her newest hatchlings, crossing into enemy territory at last.

Reginald tossed Thessa into a group of Celestials like an empty barrel of mead before advancing. As war cries rang out once more, she sobbed. “Help him. Help him, someone help him!” She crumpled to the ground, pleading.

“Tess!” Gentle, yet strong hands caressed her back. “We need to go. ”

She was being dragged away again—from where she needed to be. Thessa dug her nails into the dirt and screamed, “No!”

“Stop! We need to get you somewhere safe.” That voice. It was Leora. She’d been so consumed with Soren she’d forgotten that Leora had come.

“We need to run, now!” Leora shouted, as two enemy soldiers broke through the lines and hurtled directly towards them.

Thessa managed as much magic as she could muster right before two Celestials jumped in their path—a white-haired witch with violet bangs and one with a triple pigtail. They cast a double ray of moonlight so bright it blinded their attackers.

She’d never seen Celestial magic used defensively. It was working brilliantly.

Leora and Thessa gasped in harmony as Wayland crashed into the soldiers. He slit one throat on impact before whirling around to snap the neck of the other. Where the capital had gone very wrong was not training their soldiers in hand-to-hand combat. Elemental hands were always too precious to be bothered.

“Get out of here,” Emiel demanded of them.

Thessa did just that.

“Damn you, Tess!”

She was aiming for him , dodging anyone in her path. Rebels surrounded the tree and fought in a frenzy to protect what remained of Soren. Without a second thought she funneled through them, shoved her dagger into the bark for leverage, and climbed.

Soren’s serpent head was dangling, yet he managed a low hiss when she arrived .

“I’m going to help you, please don't waste your energy on biting me.” She wasn’t sure if he understood her.

Are you in there, Soren?

No reply.

Using her dagger, she plucked all seven arm-length bolts from his scales, marring him in the process. He had no skin left. She threw each one as far as she could, hoping and praying to impale the soldiers who’d done this to him.

Once freed from all his bolts, Soren’s body crumpled to the ground.

I’m Sorry.

Jussal was there, alongside Christof, and others, to catch and carry him away. The vantage point from the treetop gave her a view of the entire scene. Serpents had swarmed the capital. She couldn’t tell Echidna’s from Soren’s but there were too many to count. Bystanders were fleeing in fear with hopelessness and confusion etched across their faces.She blinked, focusing on a group of rebels escorting a handful of townsfolk away from the bloodied streets.

Her mouth fell open in horror at what she saw next.

No, no, no.

Echidna was surrounded by enemy soldiers, bathing in fire. Without her, Soren’s bond was broken, and her serpents would roam uninhibited.

“Get down from there! You’re a target.”

Brenneth had climbed the tree to meet her.

She’d clung to the branches in shock. “Take me to him.”

“I will.”

Brenneth helped her down, then tossed her over his shoulder. As he ran through fallen bodies, their cries filled her ears.