One Hundred and Five Xavier

One foot in front of the other, the repetition was mindnumbing. Days turned into nights, and nights into days. This was my life now. I stayed in the darkest parts of my mind, watching out of eyes that were no longer my own, existing within a body that was no longer my own.

I had taken so many lives since I had been taken, and I knew I would never forget the screams and the blood. There had been times I wished for death, prayed for it, anything to end the torment. Yet, no matter how bad it got, a flicker of hope sat idly by. It was a spark of life, an ember I protected with all my will. It was the memory of shimmering hair, the color of the sun, the scent of mistwood, the rich fragrance heralding the turn of fall, and a laugh that could heal heartaches and broken bones. He was home, and he was so far away from me now that it felt as if a part of my soul was missing. I would have sworn he was a dream, only I did not dream here. Yes, death would be better.

“The sky, general!” a soldier on my left shouted.

The general in question held up his hand and whispered those damn words that made my body go rigid. I stopped in my tracks as he stepped forward. We stood on the large stone bridge that connected one part of the crumbling castle to another. The sea nipped at the shore, and a few ships floated in the bay.

A soldier pointed up, and a few others removed their helmets. I watched their mouths fall open in shock, and then they all started speaking at once. My body remained relaxed, but still, no matter how much I willed it, I could not look up. It was the only thought I had until everything went to shit.

The air seemed to compress just before a loud boom made the stone bridge shudder. Explosions came from all around me, and in my peripherals, I saw flames and wooden chunks shoot toward the sky. Yells followed as pieces of the ships flew toward us, guards either ducking or placing their helmets back on as the general shouted.

Whatever was attacking us had enough power to make the general who had kept me by his side like a leashed pet tuck tail and run in the other direction.

There was a crack of thunder, and the world turned dark. Rain pelted me even if I could not feel it.

The stone bridge rocked, and the guards I could see turned to look. I knew whatever had landed behind me was bad because they turned and ran. Hot, blinding silver light raced past me, and my heart leaped. I knew that light, knew what it meant, knew how it felt. It was not Nismera, but it was a god.

Samkiel.

If I could breathe, I’d lose my breath. I knew whose power filled the sky. I knew Nismera had killed him. Grief was still my constant companion. I had spent hours in taverns beside Nismera’s guards as they sang of his demise, yet I knew this power. It called to a part of me that those damned words could not touch.

More of that light washed over me, and I basked in it even as the stone bridge rocked. Silver armor skirted past me, not even bothering to stop as they sprinted after the retreating guards. I watched with cold malice as one reached that damn general. He fought and then bled when an ablaze weapon gutted him. He fell to his knees and glared up at the god standing over him, clutching the ropes of his intestines. There was a blur and the familiar hiss of an ablaze sword cutting the air. His head rolled over the ground. Freedom! My mind reeled. But freedom was not guaranteed.

As soon as the battle started, it ended. The stone bridge stopped vibrating ominously, but smoke obscured the world. It whipped and curled, blanketing me. Fear sank its claws in deep. Had Dianna come? Had she set the world ablaze once more as she had on Yejedin?

I heard steel boots draw close, and I started to pace within the dark confines of my mind. A lithe, feminine form suddenly crashed to a stop in front of me, her body covered head to toe in silver armor. No, this wasn’t Dianna. Dianna did not wear our crest or armor, but then again, she was a weapon and did not need it. Other figures appeared at the woman’s side, all wearing the same silver steel. Two men towered over the women directly in front of me, but I saw the crowd growing behind them.

The woman twisted her wrist, and her helmet melted away.

No, not Dianna at all.

“Xavier,” she purred. “My yeyras. I’ve missed you.”

Kryella.

Her hands clamped down on the sides of my head. My vision burned green, and I screamed inside my head, her power burning me to my core. I screamed as my soul burst into flames, and for the first time in the last few months, my mouth moved under my own control. My knees buckled, but she continued to pour more of her magic into me. Iassulyn would be a fucking paradise compared to this torture, the acidic burn making me want to claw my skin off.

Kryella finally stopped, and my hands slapped down on the bridge as I panted, sweat beading on my skin. I panted, realizing it was me who made that motion, me who finally had control over my body.

My head snapped up, my eyes brimming with tears. “I-I,” I stammered. “I can move. You fixed it. Me,” I damn near sobbed.

Kryella knelt, her armor bending to points at her knees. She reached forward, and I flinched, expecting pain again, but when she cupped my cheek, there was nothing but the comfort of her touch. “Of course.”

Kryella dropped her hand and rose to her feet with easy grace before turning to the woman next to her. She slid her helmet back, and blonde hair spilled past the breast of her suit.

Athos. The goddess Athos. It was impossible.

My mind swam, and my blood pounded. They were dead. They had been thought to be dead since the Gods War, but . . . the proof was standing before me. My mind reeled. We never saw a body or their light burn through the sky. Samkiel never spoke of it, but we assumed. “How are you alive?” I choked out.

Athos did not hesitate. “We are The Eye.” The lethal soldiers behind her stood tall, holding the thick silver shields I remembered from before the fall of Rashearim. Gods, so many gods. “We are the last rebellion against Nismera the Conqueror. What we need to know now is how many more of you are alive?”