31. Tori

Iwalked down the tunnel until the humid air of the cave hit me. I shed my coat and drew my sword. The cavern was lit by the soft glow of the wild magic spring, and I let my flames go out for the time being. The place was much louder than I remembered. Water seemed to drip from every surface, and the forest groaned with life. The sound of countless scuttling insects was broken only by the occasional shuffle of something bigger, and the leaves rustled in a breeze that didn't exist.

Ididn't need to understand it to know what it said. I'm alive, it whispered. I would deal with it later. I needed to find Luxos, and it was all too easy for him to remain hidden here.

Luckily, today he wasn't hiding from me. AsI approached Abraxas, I saw a dark figure standing before him, sword drawn. He didn't move to attack Abraxas, not yet. He was half turned so I could see his profile outlined by the dim light.

"Took you long enough, Princess. I thought this was going to be too easy."

Icontinued to close the distance. The leather on the pommel of my sword cut into my fingers as I gripped it tight. "If you lay a single finger on him, you won't live long enough to regret it."

"You know," he said, ignoring me, "I never thought I'd get to slay a dragon. Hadeon got to have all the fun there. It almost seems unfair. He's half-dead already, but I never much cared for a fair fight." He raised his sword, and I broke into a sprint. As the blade swung down, I extended my own just in time to block him. Sparks flew as steel met steel, and I shoved him back with all my strength. He skidded to a halt, and a cruel grin spread across his face.

"Keep your filthy hands off my mate, Luxos."

Hisgrin only grew. "Time for us to finally play, Princess." He didn't hesitate to lunge at me. I parried the blow and countered him with enough force to cut him in half. As my blade was about to connect, he disappeared. My swing hit nothing, and I stumbled. AsI struggled to regain my balance, he appeared behind me, and pain lanced across my back as he sliced me open.

"Fuck!" I gritted my teeth and swung around, but he vanished again and reappeared to kick my knees in from behind. My fingers were torn open as I caught myself on the rocky ground.

"That all you've got? How disappointing." He raised his sword up for the finishing blow, but I spun on my knees and kicked at his legs. Well, I tried, but he jumped away. At least my head was still attached to my shoulders.

Hematerialized a safe distance from me and laid his weapon on his shoulder. His finger waggled at me. "Tsk, tsk, Princess. You'll have to be faster than that." He was just toying with me.

Icharged at him, and we continued this one-sided dance. I would swing, and he would shadow walk. I got better at predicting his position, so I could block his strikes, but twisting and turning to keep up with him was exhausting. He was laughing and hardly breaking a sweat. I wouldn't be able to keep this up, and I would make a fatal mistake. He landed another blow across my ribs, and my blood spilled over the forest floor.

Iheard a familiar chitter, and from the edge of the trees, a faint glimmer caught my eye. I continued to dodge and strike at Luxos, guiding him slowly toward the forest. Strike, dodge, strike, dodge. His eyes laughed with malice, but we were almost there. The laughter fled as he stepped into the web Spinner had created between two trees. He tugged at his arms, only entangling himself further.

"Fucking bug," Luxos gritted, and I swung my sword. His shadows enveloped him and he disappeared again, but much of the web went with him. When he reappeared, he tripped as the cut silks wrapped around him, ensnaring him. A very satisfied chirp sounded behind me.

"Looks like I've finally managed to get you all tied up, Commander. Don't you look pretty like that?" It was his turn to snarl as I charged at full speed. He disappeared again but didn't immediately reappear.

Isearched. But he was nowhere to be seen. There was no way he had run away again. I strained my ears to listen for any sound when I heard the slink of metal as it ran over a hard surface.

Ispun and saw him standing on top of Abraxas, cutting himself free. We locked eyes, and that horrible smirk returned. "No more time for games, Princess. Too bad, it was starting to get fun."

Idarted towards him, to stop him, when I was gripped on all sides. Dark shadows slunk up from the ground and grabbed my arms and legs. Ghostly hands gripped my flesh with icy strength. I struggled against them, but they did not yield, and I couldn't raise my sword to them, if that would even work.

Luxossmiled with too many teeth as he raised his sword above his head, straight over Abraxas' heart. "Say goodbye to the last dragon, gorgeous."

Ipulled as much mana from the earth as I could and concentrated it at my heart. My whole body shook with rage as dragonfire raced through my very veins. I thought about Pallas' advice to Jun about controlling the magic, guiding it with a subtle hand.

Fuckthat.

Bluelight, pure mana, wrapped itself over Luxos' arms and sword. His eyes widened in shock, and it was his turn to be held immobile. I let the dragonfire in my blood free and it wreathed me like wings. Not a dragon's wings, but something made of ash and pure starlight.

"What the fuck are you?" Luxos screamed, pulling at my tethers as his shadows writhed and screeched as they were burned away.

Ina voice that wasn't entirely my own, I said, "The beginning of all things and your end."

Dragonfireerupted from me like a meteor. Raging emerald flames flew straight at Luxos and wrapped around him. His screams merged with the crackling flames as they seared his flesh. I ran towards Abraxas, ready to deliver the final strike, but Luxos disappeared again. Whether he had been consumed by flames or managed to save himself, I didn't care. I ran my hands over Abraxas' side where the dragonfire had hit him. The area was warmer, but no marks marred him. He really was fireproof.

Isighed in relief and lay my forehead on his haunch. My relief was short-lived. The hand of death surrounded him. Its dark shadows were strong. I lit up my hands with dragonfire, but they didn't cower. If anything, they seemed to laugh at me, hissing and stretching over Abraxas. There was no more time to wait.

"Spinner," I said, as the little spider had crawled up next to me. "It's time for you to go." He gave me an angry chitter. I snapped, as I had once seen Abraxas do, and a single flame of green dragonfire appeared above my pointer finger.

"If one candle can burn away the dark, I wonder what an entire forest fire can do?" The green light reflected in all eight of Spinner's eyes, and I thought I felt him shiver.

"Well, you've certainly come a long way," a weathered voice rang out behind me. I spun and the fire flashed in my palm, burning my flesh. I hissed as the light fell over an ancient, toothless face.

"You? Have you come to stop me?"

Theold crone chuckled. "Quite the opposite, my dear. I've come to give you our blessing."

"Ourblessing?"

Theold crone gave me that wicked, toothless smile.

"Were you ever truly the seer?"

"Oh, she came here long ago. And when her body joined us, her spirit lingered, unwilling to cross the star bridge until she could earn her forgiveness. She is us, as we are her. She taught us much, and we gave her peace. She taught us that fae only seem to listen to their own kind, so it was best we approach you as her. Together we have become more, something new. Not unlike you… and your brother."

"What do you—" I started, but the crone raised her hand.

"No time for that now. We have waited for you for over a thousand years, but now we have no time. Make haste, WorldBreaker."

"You know what I intend to do. You will be destroyed."

Thecrone nodded.

"Just like that? I don't understand."

"Those who are young never do. Perhaps when you have lived for millennia, you will feel the same. For something to be reborn, something must die. This is the way of all things." I nodded. Her toothless grin spread. "Not just us, little beast. The small creature you are now, she will die as well, but you will also be reborn."

"What will I become?"

"That is up to you." Her eyes crinkled, showing the slightest hint of kindness. "But that is not the right question to ask."

"WillI miss her? The girl that I was?"

Thecrone truly smiled. "Yes, in a deep aching way that will never settle. You won't be given the time to mourn her. You will steal that time in the small hours of the morning and in the moments between the work that must come. But she must die if all is to change."

"I understand."

"No, you do not. No one can until they have gone through it. But you must do it, anyway. And the time has come. No more delays, little beast. MayShe guide you into what you will become. Correct the imbalance, WorldBreaker." She stepped back into the shadows, and I held up a hand of dragonfire. She was nowhere to be seen.

I sent Spinner out, and many of the creatures that lingered here followed him. Their sacrifice wasn't needed. The cave was quiet. There was only the much too slow rhythmic breathing of Abraxas. I grasped his snout in my hands, running my fingers over the ridges of his scales. My nails met their hard surface, and I tapped softly. I ran my hands over the slits of his nostrils, so that he might know I was there.

Ipressed my whole torso against the long line of his face so that my head lay between his closed eyes. "It's time, my DragonKing. No turning back now." I gave him one more gentle squeeze, but he didn't move. I walked to the edge of the forest, where the trees and underbrush obscured everything.

Iplaced my hand against the bark of the nearest tree, feeling the rough texture under my fingertips. It wasn't dissimilar to the feeling of Abraxas' scales. I placed my forehead against the tree and whispered, "Thank you," one last time.

Iclosed my eyes and reached down into the earth. It had become almost second nature to me now. It flowed readily into the surrounding forest, soaked up by every root and leaf. It was life itself. It didn't feel any different from when I channeled to a fae or a human; it was just as precious and unique. I hesitated. Who was I to trade this life for another? Abraxas was mine, and more precious to me than anything in this world, but I was just a woman. Just another living on this world, like the men and women around me. Who was I to defy Death himself?

Themagic of the earth curled through the forest, and every leaf and stem turned to me. Great swirls of blue light rose from the spring and filled the cave. It wove itself together until Life herself appeared before me. She was beautiful and larger than Abraxas. Her perfect, snow-white wings scraped the roof of the cave. Her eyes glowed a beautiful deep blue like a flawless sapphire plucked from the heart of the deepest mine. Her heartfire glowed the same deep blue, and as she released a breath, every flower in the cave blossomed to life.

Lifeand Death. The very first dragons, the very first gods of the fae. Was she merely a vision, or had she risen from the depths of the earth to stop me? My fists clenched, and my resolve was set. I would fight them both if that's what it took to get Abraxas back. But as I called some of the earth's power into me, some of her power, she gave me a sad, soft look.

"It's time, Tori."

Iheld her gaze one more moment before she dissolved back into the light streaming throughout the forest. Each tree was illuminated in her soft blue glow. I reached back for Abraxas with my mind and found the tiniest ember of emerald fire. I cradled it and pulled it along the fragile tether of our bond. It was just an ember, a spark. But the tiniest sparks are all it takes to light the mightiest fires, so that's what I did.

Thetree under my hand erupted in emerald flame. I watched the embers leap to consume tree after tree until the heat was unbearable. I released my grip and turned back to Abraxas. The magic didn't need my guidance anymore, and in another minute, the entire forest would be up in flames.

Isat down in the crook of Abraxas' arm and placed my hand as close as I could to his heart. Sweat beaded on my brow and the back of my neck. The cave was doing its job, holding the heat from the fire in. I was in the heart of the forge, and hopefully, I could craft something new from it.

Ireached out to Abraxas, feeling the shadows that were ready to strike, ready to consume him. As the fire roared behind me, I could feel them quake. It made them desperate to claw at him. ButI would never let them. They should tremble in fear.

Ipulled from the heat of the cave, the rampant destruction of the forest. Death was the beginning, and as the forest burned, the magic of life sprung forth.

Justas I had learned to summon the mana of the earth, I felt the lifeforce of the forest swirling around me. My heart felt like it was trying to claw itself out of my chest, but I slowed my breath and tugged at those threads that wove our world together. Mana from below, life from above, and they intertwined into something new and powerful in my heart. Threads pulled and lashed, trying to tangle into an irreversible knot, but my heart continued to beat, and I guided them. It felt... natural, as if I had always known how. And the threads of mana and life formed into a perfect tapestry of white light, like a newborn star.

Ichanneled that light through me and into those shadows, burning them away. They shrieked an otherworldly sound. No wait, that was me. As the magic ripped through my insides, my flesh burned away.

Thefire overtook us, but I was not fireproof. AllI saw was green light, and the pain was beyond reckoning. I watched as my flesh sizzled away into nothing. But as fast as it disintegrated, I saw it healing, the torn edges glowing with white light. I would heal just for it to be burned away again. The cycle was endless, with no respite. But still I clung to him. I focused and pulled more and more mana from the earth and life from the flames. I healed and I burned, but I did not stop.

Mylegs shook as my tears sizzled and evaporated from my eyes before they were even born. My vision tunneled into a white blur as the pain swept me away.