Chapter 37

CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

A terra didn’t repel Aiden’s attack.

An unfamiliar power rose with Aiden’s wave. A strength Rose could only assume was godly. She suspected the Norden goddess assisted Aiden’s approach. The Suden god also appeared too shocked by Aiden’s actions. And as Aiden’s wave rolled him forward, his arms outstretched, both gripping the hilt of Luc’s sword, he met no resistance. With all of his momentum and magic with him for this attack, he drove the blade down through Aterra’s shoulder.

Aiden’s face shifted as the weapon in his hand sank into godly flesh. It went from pure vengeance—a rage Rose knew she had felt on her own face before—to terror. He clearly hadn’t expected the blow to land. Caught off guard by his actions, Rose realized too late that this was a distraction, giving them time to ready the Compass Points’ magic.

Juliette and Carter also lost their focus, their eyes locked on the fae they knew to be cruel and selfish, the one who had blackmailed them over the years to get his way. She recognized then that they were as conflicted as she had been about Aiden. They hadn’t known how much of what happened was his responsibility versus Aterra’s control. Rose hoped this action would bring them the same peace she had found earlier. Unfortunately, they were too invested in what this action would bring to realize Rose needed their power—now.

She turned to Luc. Though he had as much cause as the others to be distracted, his eyes were locked on hers. She had seen Arie land on his shoulder and watched him slip the Suden ring on his finger. The smell of pine and cinnamon grew in the cavern, though it had already been incredibly potent. Luc sent his magic spiraling at Aterra to support Aiden’s attack, but as he did, he opened up his great chasm of magic to Rose. As Arie had instructed, she reached for it through the tunnel at the bottom of her lake, pulling from the darkness that was his power—letting it fill her. Luc was a part of her, flooding her from her toes, out to each fingertip. She couldn’t help the full-body roll as the magic connected. It felt right—more than right. Their magic more than unified—bound in a way she’d never experienced. Luc’s power was an onslaught, but one she was more than capable of handling. He didn’t moderate the channel between them—she had full access to all of him.

Wind and fire quickly joined Luc’s magic inside her. Juliette’s door burst off its hinges, and the opening in Carter’s tree was unguarded by a veil beast. They no longer only pushed their magic into her. They offered their power so she could take what was needed.

If Rose and Luc’s power was bound as a single force inside of her, Juliette and Carter’s elements circled tightly. All four elements united in a coil of strength, ready to burst. Luc pushed more magic to her, urging her to take. The depth of his power called to her, even as it seamlessly fed her own.

Caught up with the Compass Point power building, she had only a moment to realize Aterra had struck back against Aiden. In what amounted to a godly-sized backhand, Aterra swatted Aiden away. He had no prepared defense, and his body flailed as he was thrown across the cavern. Aterra plucked the sword from his shoulder and cast it away.

Rose saw too late that Aterra hadn’t only hit him, he’d pulled a sharp piece of rock from the cavern to stab him as he tossed him aside. Aterra’s aim was true, as an earth wielder’s would be. Rose’s whole body pinched as she heard Aiden’s scream. Arie burst into action, landing at Aiden’s side in human form. She knew his healing powers firsthand—but she was unsure it would be enough.

Aurora was the only one who seemed undistracted by Aiden’s actions. She layered her own attack, sending wave after wave crashing into Aterra. Rose swore the goddess nodded at her, indicating it was her turn to strike.

She couldn’t worry about what would happen to Aiden now. They needed to finish this. They wouldn’t waste the time that Aiden and Aurora had bought. Rose took a deep breath and aimed the magic spiraling inside her—the power of the four Compass Points—directly at Aterra.

Luc wasn’t where he had been in the cavern. She felt through the channel for him, the Suden child whose father walked out on him. The Suden Point who was blamed for all of Aterra’s wrongdoing. The strong fae who didn’t let any of this stop him from being the male he wanted to be. She couldn’t see him but knew he was with her—his magic flared as a reminder.

All of Aterra’s wrongs hadn’t changed Luc’s course. Just as the list of grievances she held against Aterra hadn’t changed hers. Aterra had taken her only friend from her. He killed her family. He all but banished her and stole her place as Norden Point. He made her path more difficult, but ultimately, she drew strength from the pain she’d experienced.

This path had brought her Arie and Tara’s friendship. This path had put her on a collision course with the Suden Point. She couldn’t imagine what type of relationship they would have if they had met in a Compass Point meeting instead of her dismissal at the market booth and a scuffle in the woods.

Her path wasn’t easy, and it had been filled with grief, but it had made her who she was.

The Compass Points’ magic flowed as she thrust out her hands, melding wind, water, fire, and earth together to create a single flowing channel—instead of four tangled streams. She wasn’t sure what to call the result, but the elements swirled and mixed to build a solid attack as they shot across the chasm toward Aterra.

Still distracted from Aurora’s attacks and flinging Aiden across the heart of the mountain, Aterra wasn’t prepared for what hit him. The vortex slammed into his chest. He couldn’t find purchase with his earth magic to hold himself in place as he had before. He stumbled backward.

Rose pushed her advantage—taking a step toward him across the cavern. Aterra stumbled again. Rose continued. She let out a small sigh with each step she took as she saw Aterra fall further.

Luc remained out of sight, but his magic pulsed as she reached for more. She funneled more of their connected power forward alongside the fire and wind magic pouring into her.

A plan formed in Rose’s mind as she took another step. Aurora had cleared the collapsed tunnel when she burst free. She would have to walk Aterra right into the cage that could hold a god. Could the now empty cell contain Aterra if she got him there?

A step.

Another step.

One more.

The Compass Point’s power pulsed through her. They’d moved across the cavern. Each step cost Rose, though. Her magic lagged, and her knee buckled as she tried for another. She didn’t think she could continue.

“Just hold on,” she swore she heard, whether a secret on the wind or a whisper from Luc’s tendril of power that circled her, she didn’t know. Her eyes widened to search again for the magic’s bearer as it tightened its grip on her, steadying her stance.

Aterra hadn’t found a way to repel her. Her gaze remained locked on him, focusing their power, while she did what the voice asked. She held him where he stood—no longer sure she could reach the cage. Even with the reassuring strength of Luc’s magic, another step was beyond her. Aterra flicked his fingers and flailed his arms desperately, trying to call to his amplified power to fight the Compass Points’ attack.

“What are you doing to me?” Aterra shouted as he stood his ground but could not escape her hold. Sweat dripped down her brow as the magic she commanded strained to hold him in place.

“Just a little bit more.” The whisper was at her ear again, and more of Luc’s magic flooded her senses.

“We’re reminding you that gods don’t like prisons!” Rose yelled as she tried to lift her foot for another step. Meeting too much resistance, she let her foot fall back to the ground. The earth around her caught and stabilized her—additional support from the Suden Point’s power. “The only way to teach you this lesson seems to be for you to experience it yourself.” He was still held—contained—even if it wasn’t the cage she had hoped to put him in. He couldn’t escape the combined power that locked him in place. She didn’t know her endgame. She only knew she had to hold him here—just a little longer.

“You can’t contain me! I’m more powerful than all of you!” Aterra bellowed.

He was panicking now. His magic pushed back against the unified power she wielded. He seemed to realize he had no escape. His eyes darted around the heart of the mountain, searching for a solution.

“I think we might finally be your match,” Rose said, her voice struggling. She thrust her arms out again to help physically keep the magic stream in place. She had him—but she was losing her hold.

An influx of power flowed through her. Carter and Juliette seemed to dig deeper into their power stores and thrust more magic through their connection. Her spine straightened as she reached for what each of them offered.

Breathing deeply from the exertion, Rose lifted her foot, successfully taking another step forward. “You see, Aterra, you meant to destroy, abandon, and weaken us, but we chose differently than what you destined us for.”

Aterra tried to lift himself from the ground, making himself a moving target. He flailed as his heels rose and fell, restricted from their usual movement. Rose, keeping the stream of power barreling toward him, lifted herself with an extra burst of Luc’s magic. She aimed their unified stream at a downward angle, pushing Aterra into the earth he usually commanded. His foot sank into the ground below him. Luc’s magic was warm and supportive, like a quick squeeze through intertwined fingers. He would never let her do this alone.

“You seek only to sow chaos and destruction. You seek to elevate yourself above the other gods. But we will leave this continent better than we found it. We will protect the humans and fae living here. We will restore the balance—no matter the price.”

Rose took another deep breath and sent a final push of the power she stewarded forward. Aterra’s body folded in on itself as the unified magic hit him like a punch to the stomach.

As his body unfurled, she realized it hadn’t been only the punch of magic that had kept him in place. Luc stood behind the Suden god, and even from her vantage point, she could see the ring on his finger had the needle point outstretched—piercing Aterra’s neck.

“You idiots. You can’t contain me here,” Aterra ground out, though he stumbled as the magic of his artifact used against him overtook his body.

The ground below them shook, Aterra’s earth magic taking root. The ripples in the cavern floor didn’t make it far, though. Aterra’s power momentarily muted.

Unsure what Luc was doing, she caught his eye, and he winked at her. He seemed to have a plan, at least. She pushed one more burst of the Compass Points’ magic at Aterra, anchoring him where he stood to give Luc another moment.

His magical blade appeared in his right hand. He must have collected it while she marched Aterra across the floor. She loosened her hold on Aterra, ceding Luc’s magic back to him at his request. Would her magically forged weapon be enough to kill a god? She didn’t think so—but she wasn’t sure what else Luc would do.

“Forgive me, Rose. I know you’ll come for me.” Luc’s gaze met hers as the whisper reached her.

Horror flooded her, her stomach plummeting, as he found another path.