Chapter 64

64

Ella

I gasped, and my eyes fluttered open. Blind.

Pain like I'd never known tore through my body, cold following it. So cold. It was nearly impossible to drag air into my lungs. Though I could sense Cassius nearby, my vision had gone black. I tried to speak, but no words left my lips.

This was it. The end.

There was no question in my mind— this is what it's like to die .

And then a surge of strength poured through my veins, driving back the cold and filling me with warmth. The magic felt familiar and welcoming—a power I'd felt before.

The forest.

It was healing me. I could feel the energy from the trees around me, and as sensation returned to my limbs, I realized that the roots themselves had wrapped around my legs and arms. They fed their life into me, healing my wounds.

I hadn't asked, but the forest had offered. It was giving me everything it had. I could feel the life ebbing from the trees. They were also wounded.

I couldn't let them sacrifice themselves. Not after everything they'd done for me already.

"Stop!" The words broke through my lips, and I forced myself upright, tearing the roots from my limbs. "You've done enough. Don't sacrifice anymore."

My body still ached, but I was alive. I could heal on my own.

"Thank you," I said more softly. "Thank you for saving my life."

As the roots released their hold and disappeared beneath the ground, I could feel that the forest understood.

Cassius pulled me to his chest. A wash of emotions crossed his face as he released a shuddering breath. "Thank the gods you're okay."

I hugged him back, so grateful to be alive. I felt like I'd been pummeled by an avalanche. The forest had healed my injuries, but the rest of me ached tremendously, and my muscles quaked with exhaustion. The bright blue of my dress was soiled with dirt and blood. I glanced down at my chest. The wound was gone, though the area still felt tender and bruised.

His arms tensed, and his voice rang with guilt. "I'm so sorry. I had no control over my blade."

I shook my head. "It wasn't you. It was the heart." The heart. I shuddered and looked up at him. "Did we destroy it?"

The prince met my searching eyes. "You did."

A great weight slipped from my shoulders, and I relaxed in his strong arms, cherishing the sense of relief that settled over me. "Good."

Whatever happened next, I knew I'd done my part.

Cassius's jaw tensed. "You saved our kingdom, not to mention my life. I don't?—"

I reached up and traced my fingers through his hair. "And you saved me. Without you, I'd still be in there, burned alive."

"Ella—"

I pulled myself to him and pressed my lips against his—firmly at first, then as gently as a summer breeze. Tingling waves of sensation traced across my skin, and every touch became new. His arms tightened around me, and I cast tenderness aside, grasping his hair and the shirt on his back. Every kiss was defiance of all that had happened, proof that we had triumphed. That we had lived.

I pulled back. There was no time.

Cassius's lips rose into one of those heartbreaking smiles, some of the tension in him eased. "Who would have thought that a farm girl could take on the realm's most powerful mages and destroy their power? You are truly a wonder, Ella Marquette."

"I didn't destroy anything. The power was stolen. I simply gave it back."

Cassius helped me to my feet. "I'm not one to argue, but destroyed might be the more appropriate term."

I looked at the devastation around us, and my stomach tumbled.

The ancient church was gone, and in its place lay a smoldering pile of stone and ash and twisted iron. The blast had consumed the grass and left the clearing a blackened crater. The trees around the perimeter had been flattened, and those beyond were leafless and charred along one side. The heavy trunk that had shielded us from the blast was little more than embers, still glowing in places.

I swallowed around the tightness in my throat. "It seems like it was a rather narrow escape."

" Narrow doesn't cut it," Cassius muttered. "I don't think anything could have survived the immediate blast. Not even me."

His words doused my calm like ice water. I grasped his arm, looking around in panic. "Chastity! Tenebris!"

Please , by the Fates, please .

A high whinny replied in the distance, and I let out a relieved sigh. "They're okay."

A moment later, the horses trotted into view. Tenebris was fine, but Chastity was worse off. The black scars of Horace's lighting etched her hide, and she had a limp.

Ignoring Cassius's protests, I pulled free and hobbled over to my companion. "I'm so sorry I put you in danger. I never meant for you to get hurt."

She tossed her mane, then nuzzled my hand. You're far worse off. I'm sorry I couldn't trample that bastard myself.

I hugged her neck. "Thank you for protecting me and bringing me here."

She rubbed her head against mine. You've changed everything.

I paused, taking a long, low breath.

She was right. The world felt different. The hungering pulse of the heart was gone, and in its place was a renewed vibrance. I left the devastated perimeter of the clearing and limped deeper into the woods, my arms out, touching the trees and brush that had survived.

"What is it?" Cassius asked as he followed, concern in his tone. "Is everything all right?"

"Better than all right." I paused with my hand on a tree. "I feel stronger than ever, and the forest does, too. It feels…right."

Beyond the crater of destruction, the magic released by the heart vibrated through every plant and animal—a happy thrum like bees busy about their nest. A handful of little yellow flowers lifted themselves up out of the ash and began to unfold their leaves and petals, and my heart blossomed with them.

Cassius stepped up behind me, his voice soft and reverent. "Did you do that?"

I knelt beside the flowers and brushed their silky petals. "I don't think so. There are centuries of magic at work here. What was taken has been returned, and the woods are already healing."

"And what of the Triad?"

I rose and glanced back at the place the church had been, just to be certain it was gone. "I'm not sure, but we'd better find out. Fast."

Cassius scooped me up and set me in Tenebris's saddle, all before I had a chance to protest. "I think Chasity needs a break. She's done her part. You'll ride with me."

No complaints this time around.

The prince climbed up behind me, his arm looping around my waist and easing me back against him. His body was warm and safe, and for the first time all night, I relaxed and let exhaustion take over.

I bowed my head to the trees as we passed beneath them. "Thank you for your protection. I hope I've repaid your kindness."

The leaves rustled in the still air, and the branches bowed in return.

I grinned back at them. "It was an honor to serve you. Now, if you please, will you show us the way home?"

The woods parted, creating a tunnel through the trees. Cassius drew in a sharp breath, and Tenebris stopped short, but Chastity just trotted ahead into the dark. I looked up and gave the prince a wry smile. "The woods are dangerous and full of monsters, but don't worry, Your Highness. I'll protect you."