43. Chapter Forty-Three

Chapter Forty-Three

Rook

I felt her pain as her power was stripped from her and my heart clenched. I needed to be there. With her. I needed to save her. I needed to—

"Keep it together, baby boy." Korbin cupped my face and rested his forehead against mine. "I know you want to be there, and we will be, but I need you to focus on here and now."

"Okay." I took a deep breath and swallowed my rage, pulling myself together and getting my head in the game. "What's the plan?"

Nox twirled his blade between his fingers. "Go in, kill everyone, save Raevyn."

Deimos grinned and pointed to Nox. "Yes. I like that plan."

"All in favour?" Nox asked, raising his hand.

"Wait," Korbin said, interrupting what I thought was a pretty good plan. "What if there's a trap or—"

"Love," I said, squeezing his hand. "Sometimes we just need to go in, guns blazing, and hope for the best."

"Besides, we've been in worse situations," Nox said with a shrug of his shoulders.

"Really?" I drawled.

"Nah, just felt like the right thing to say. Come on. Let's go kill some witches." Then he ran off with a spring in his step and tune on his lips. Fucking psycho .

Apollo

I came to with a jolt, a searing pain pulling at my arms, but it wasn't mine.

"Raevyn!"

I jumped to my feet, my wings fanning out behind me as I lost my balance. I was a little unsteady, my head swimming. I shook off the remnants of Raevyn's power and found my footing.

"Corvus!"

"Yes, Master. I'm here," he said as he flapped down from the tree.

"Where is she?"

"The lake. The others have arrived."

"Where?"

Corvus pointed a wing off to the right and I saw a group of hulking figures approaching the lake through the trees on the opposite side.

"Let's go join in the fun." I disappeared into shadow form, pulling Corvus along with me. We materialised slap bang in front of the others, and I wished I'd had something to capture the images of there faces.

"Fuck me!" the green haired one said.

"Holy shitballs," came from the dark haired one and the others flinched and jerked.

"Sorry," I said with a dry chuckle. "I see you got my note."

"Your note?" the giant asked. "I thought it was from Raevyn."

I shook my head. "She wanted to face this alone, but I couldn't let her, and I knew you'd be following. No doubt wanting to put me back in my little cell."

Korbin threw me a knowing smile. "I've a feeling that Raevyn will get her way and you probably won't see that cell again."

The silver eyed one laughed, a dark chortle that felt familiar. "Deimos?"

"Hello old friend," he replied, a wicked smile on his lips. "Joining in the bloodshed?"

I grinned back at him. "I've been cooped up too long. I'm definitely ready to save our girl."

"Well then, let's fuck this shit and start a riot." Deimos turned towards the lake and his shadows burst from him, crawling along the ground and out towards the lake like a thick black fog.

Nox howled at the moon and followed Deimos, Hawk pulled his axe from his back and the others followed with equal bloodlust.

"Come on, Corvus. Let's start a riot indeed."

Raevyn

T he pain intensified, knives peeling my skin, fire searing my vines. This was it. I was going to die. Was it even dying if I'd already been sacrificed? Would I just cease to exist?

"Yes, more!" my grandmother screamed as she drained me. The other witches were still chanting, their voices singing in unison. I used to love watching them, jealous that I couldn't join them, but now I pitied them. That this was the only coven life they knew. They could have been more. They could have been a force for good, instead of running this tragic, pathetic race for more power.

Blackness swarmed the edges of my vision and the sound of the world faded.

Wait…

The coven was stuttering, their voices dimming, but it wasn't my senses failing. Which meant it wasn't unconsciousness trying to claim me.

No. No, no, no.

They were here. But they shouldn't be, this wasn't what I planned.

I felt myself fading even more. I wouldn't be able to save them. My grandmother would win, and she'd destroy them all and there was nothing I could do to stop her.

She yelled something in frustration, and without the combined power of the coven, the spell she was using to drain me dwindled into nothing. Sweet, blessed relief cooled me as she let me go. I fell backwards into the water, unable to stop myself from sinking beneath the surface. The moon stood bright in the night sky, and I watched it as I sank deeper into the watery depths. I wondered if Nyx watched from the sky and I wondered if there was any part of her that wondered if I was worth saving. Probably not if my current situation was anything to go by. But it was a truly beautiful thing to see as I finally faded from this world.