81. Crash

81

Crash

" S urt's Balls, Kami. Shut up." My dryad is screaming as if she's on fire, but I deliberately let my flames shoot around and past her.

Folas managed to avoid the burn, because of course it would be too easy if the assbag died. The fire mage with him shields him but can't withstand my bountiful flame.

I've missed this. So much.

Drunk on power and moving at a speed I clearly lacked before thanks to Malkar and his Kept magic.

I used to be pretty quick on my feet, able to run faster than many of my peers. But I'm on another level entirely right now.

Quit playing around and grab Kami. Ries wants to skewer Folas, so let him.

Another not-so-great skill I've acquired—the ability to mind-speak with an arrogant dragon.

That's "Better" to you, pet.

I grit my teeth, planning to shove that "pet" right up his icy ass.

The chuckle I hear in my mind doesn't help .

Oz is tossing fae around as if skimming rocks across the water. The orc obviously had strength to spare even before bonding with Malkar. But now he's incredible.

Nothing is slowing him down, and he's turned that weird more-gray-than-green color he had when looking all ogre-y before. He's larger as well.

His eyes are red, but they're smoking too. And that's not normal.

Normal for me now . Oz laughs inside my head.

Great. Now he's there.

Don't forget me. Kami's favorite, Ries adds as he jumps Folas and tackles him to the ground. They roll around, scrapping at each other.

Though I get the sense Ries is toying with him.

Folas screams, "Get off me, you piece of shit. You're nothing. You never were! Mother hates you. You will never inherit. Never!"

Guy is losing his shit for sure. And it makes me so happy to see it.

I want to watch Folas die, slowly, painfully, but Kami needs my help.

Though the trees have skewered some of the enemy while others keep them slowed down, allowing us to kill them at an easier pace, I know the skirmish can't be this easy.

Oz has much of the elven warriors in hand. And as soon as Kami neutralized Folas, my power wiped through much of their numbers. Fire destroys oh so well.

I admit, being angry has its uses. Bottled up for so long, I let my fire bathe the battle. But Malkar reminded me not to hurt the trees, not so much as I could help it.

With Ries putting out fires left and right, and me withdrawing my flame from much of the border of our skirmish, only the dickhead fire mages have been a problem for the forest.

But the leshy and his minions have been working on them as well. I watched a griffin eat a few sylphs while some kobolds and redcaps munched on the feet and legs of several fae.

Those Oz isn't hammering to mush are trying to flee, but my fires are sweeping them up.

Malkar has remained in regular form, though I know he should have felt more powerful by now. The others hum with it, a power we can all sense.

All but Malkar.

I reach Kami and pat her on the back.

She's finally stopped shrieking, bent over and shuddering, as if trying to catch her breath. "Crash?" She slowly straightens.

"In the flesh." I have to kiss her, so I do.

When I pull back, she's staring at me, half her hair covering her face, much of it growing as I watch.

It's amazing. She's like a living plant, her hair green and brown and growing flowers as she recovers from the fire that burned her.

Not my fire. Had to be from the fire mages or Folas.

She gapes at me. "Your eyes are like living flame."

"I'm hot. I know." I wink.

She blinks then laughs. "Oh, wow. I needed that." She cups her left eye.

"Kami?"

Tears stream from her right eye, the green brilliant.

She puts down her hand.

I push her hair behind her delicately pointed ear.

Her left eye is…gone.

And part of her face is a darker shade than the rest of her skin and textured like an old oak .

"I'm okay. Really."

She's not, I send to Malkar.

He approaches us, looking peeved. "There you are." He looks her over. "Nice war wound."

"You're such a dick," I snap. "She's hurt. Fix her."

"That's not my gift." Malkar shrugs. "I can't do much of anything yet. I'm still bound."

"By what?" Kami asks. "I cut off Folas's ear, and Ries is just about done with him."

We all turn and watch Ries strangle Folas to death, astride Folas's belly while he chokes him with his bare hands. And that's through the shell of water already suffocating the fucker of an elf.

A horrible way to die.

I like it.

Apparently, Malkar does too. Despite all his arguing about being the one to kill Folas, he makes no move to intercede.

Instead, he gives Ries two thumbs up. "Nice. A fitting death for that piece of shit."

I glance around, impressed that we managed to topple so many mages and warriors.

Oz is finishing the last elf who's been keeping up with him, blow for blow.

Then Oz sees me watching and stops playing. He hits the elf in the face then twists his head around.

I can hear the pop of the elf's spine from here.

"Ouch." Malkar grimaces. "That had to hurt."

Oz jogs over, lifts Kami's face to inspect her, then glares at Malkar. "Fix her."

"That's what I said," I tell him.

Malkar opens his mouth and closes it when Kami holds out a sparkling red gem containing so much power I can't believe the area hasn't exploded by now .

"Take it. She wants you to have it," Kami says softly.

Malkar stares at the gem. I'm shocked to see tears in his eyes that spill down his cheeks.

Oh, right. His sister is in part of that stone. I'm not sure how it works. Maybe it's her essence. Or maybe dragons turn to gems when they die. I don't know. But I do know he hurts, missing his dead sister.

As much as I miss Arlen.

He's always in the back of my mind. Only now, as I kill those who deserve killing, do I feel better about his loss. He'd be proud that I'm standing up for those who need it.

Taking out jack-holes who only want to oppress and degrade those weaker than them.

"Take it, Malkar," I say gruffly, nodding at the gem.

"No. Kami needs an eye." He swallows. "To replace the one stolen from her."

"You'd give me your sister's eye?" she asks.

Ries comes to join us, leaving Folas's drenched corpse behind.

He seems lighter, his smile free of the poorly hidden pain he normally carries. He looks from Kami to Malkar. "What did I miss?"

Kami answers, "Malkar is willing to give up his power for me." Her eyes—eye—mists, and she takes Malkar's hand in hers and deposits the gem in it. "Thank you."

He shakes his head, and I notice he's trembling, barely holding onto the stone.

"No, I can't… Not worthy, I…" He gives her back the gem, that stone that's vibrating with seething energy.

I've never seen him so off-balance and unsure.

The poor bastard. I know that feeling all too well.

The rest of us gather around him, offering a repeat of that stupid group hug that I secretly loved. Though I'll never, ever, admit it.

Kami gives Malkar the sweetest smile. "Malkar?"

"Yes?"

"Stop being such a fucking Lesser, " she growls in a voice not her own and shoves the gem into his mouth and down his throat.