RAIN

55

Aria watched Luka, and then Shara, disappear into the storm, fear coursing through her. She didn't have to wait long before a line of pure energy shot straight toward Vera, followed quickly by another.

Two bolts.

She didn't have time to ponder what that meant because her thought was interrupted by the electric current connecting with Vera in a blinding display of light. The monster's skin glowed brighter and brighter, so brilliant the entire battlefield below them looked like it rested in daylight.

Vera was a tiny sun on the horizon, burning hotter and faster as the lightning surged and crackled through her.

"Get back!" Aria heard her mother cry just before the explosion rang out.

Aria shielded her eyes, rearing back as Vera detonated before them, shreds of the woman's body soaring through the air and sticking like melted metal to Aria's skin, burning through her flesh. She cried out at the pain as the remaining fae around her dove toward the water, seeking relief.

But as Luka fell limp from the sky, his body once again mortal, all she could think about was keeping him from hitting the harsh surface below too quickly. As fast as he was plummeting toward the sea, he would break bones. And if he was still unconscious, he would drown.

She prayed that's all it was, that he was just unconscious. She wouldn't let herself think otherwise.

Aria spiraled through the air, trying to predict the rate he was falling while she mustered up the very last dregs of her magic to slow his fall with wind. Exhaustion weighed heavily on her, but if she could just get to him… She had to get to him. There was no other option.

Luka neared the water too fast for her to reach him, but she had succeeded in slowing him down enough that he landed feet-first instead of on his back. But the impact hadn't woken him as she had hoped, so she vanished her wings and dove in after him, kicking as hard as she could. Her burned skin screamed at the harsh salt water, but she ignored it, pushing herself closer to him.

The way his hair flowed around him, his face almost peaceful—he looked like a beautiful, terrible painting. Bubbles formed at his lips and rose past her as she followed him into the depths.

She was so, so tired. But she had to keep swimming.

His arm trailed behind him loosely and she grabbed for it, grasping the tips of his fingers to pull herself to him. She wrapped an arm around him, his mouth hanging slack, more bubbles escaping.

He was going to drown before she could swim them both back to the surface. She started kicking violently, pushing herself upward with her free arm, watching those bubbles grow smaller and smaller as his air ran out.

Air, she realized. She could use her air .

She had to use air, because the surface was still far away, and she was losing steam quickly. Aria released her last tiny bit of breath in a powerful whoosh, aimed at the sea floor below them.

And she prayed one last time.

She used her arm to guide them upward, slicing through the tension of the water until they broke through the surface, propelled by that final breath. She gasped and coughed as they emerged, paddling frantically to keep them both afloat. But her magic was gone, and she could barely see straight. Fires dotted the land around them, and oily flames floated on the surface of the water, disorienting her.

Where is the beach? Panic flashed through her mind as she spun around, trying to get her bearings as she splashed. She had to get him back to shore. She tried to summon her wings again, but she had drained the last ounce of her powers just to get them to the surface. Maybe if she could wake him up…

"Luka!" she cried, tears and sea water mixing on her lips. Aria patted his face, opened his eyes with a gentle fingertip, but there was no response. She reached a frantic finger to his neck and heaved a sob when she felt a pulse. It was weak, but it was there.

Splashing came from behind her and when she whipped her head around, she was met by Evelyn's golden eyes nestled above her dark snout as she paddled toward them, followed by Finn. Relief flowed through her.

Help. Help had come for them.

"He's alive!" she shouted over the thunder that clapped above them. If lightning struck the water while they were in it… She swallowed hard against the pounding waves, desperate to keep them above water. Hours ago, the sound of storms had been music to her ears. It had been their one shot at survival. Now it was the sound of her nightmares .

Evelyn and Finn paddled faster. Every second it took them to get there was one they didn't have. Aria helped place Luka's arms around Finn's neck and shoved his body onto Finn's back before gripping Evelyn's neck with her last bit of panic-fueled strength. They had been so much farther out than she'd thought. She never would have been able to swim back on her own.

"Thank you," she whispered softly against Evelyn's fur, salt coating her tongue. "Thank you."

***

The panthers plopped Aria and Luka onto the sand before shifting and collapsing beside them, chests heaving to catch their breath. People swarmed upon them quickly.

Aria coughed, the water exiting her lungs violently, and hauled herself upright. Joyen descended upon her, wrapping Aria in her arms tightly—too tightly. Another fit of coughs clattered through Aria's throat.

"We did it," Joyen sobbed into her ear. "She's gone, Aria. We did it. The storms worked. We beat her."

They did it.

Aria collapsed back into the sand at the news. At the confirmation she so desperately needed to hear. And then she remembered Luka, still unconscious beside her.

She clambered up quickly, reaching for him, grabbing at his armor, shaking him forcefully. "Luka! Luka, please!" His dark waves were plastered against his face, clotted with sand and blood. Aria pressed her hands against his chest and pushed, over and over, until water spewed out of his mouth. Horrible, wet coughs racked through him and Aria sobbed in relief at the sound of his labored breath .

"I love you," she whispered against his cracked mouth. "Please, wake up." She held his head in her arm, pressing a soft kiss to his forehead, to those ragged lips, no longer bothering to hide her affection from the people gathered around them.

A pained groan came from deep within him.

" Luka ," she breathed, relief sweeping through her, tears flowing down her face. Slowly, he came to, his eyes peeling open against the harsh air. He rolled himself onto an elbow as he spat the last bit of water from his lungs back into the sand. His chest heaved dramatically as he gasped for air. But he was alive. And when his eyes met Aria's, she knew she would do it all over again. It had been worth it, for this moment.

"We did it," she cried. " You did it."

Luka reached an arm up, grabbing for Aria's neck, and brought her face to his. Sand and salt and relief mingled on their lips.

"I love you too," he muttered against her, his voice like gravel as he kissed her again.

***

Luka pulled back from the sweet taste of Aria— alive , somehow they'd both made it through alive—to assess the situation around them, taking in the destruction that Vera had rained in such a short amount of time. He felt like he'd rolled down the side of a mountain, not a drop of power left in him, but—then he remembered.

"My mother," his voice was hoarse, raw. "Shara, where is she?"

He tried to stand, tried to haul himself up to get to her, but failed. His body was completely depleted .

"There," Evelyn beckoned, gesturing toward the water where Acasia—in her panther form—dragged Shara's limp body up the beach, her teeth clamped on the tattered remains of Shara's clothing.

Acasia shifted, collapsing onto Shara's chest in exhaustion. Her usual vibrant bronze complexion had lost its luster and her curls stuck in clumps against her forehead. A few others swarmed around them, hauling both of their bodies up to join the rest of the exhausted troops lining the shore. Finn, the last of them with any strength left, cradled Shara in his arms and carried her to rest beside Luka. Acasia stumbled behind him, assisted by two people under her arms.

"The healers are on their way," Finn said as he placed the dragon general gently in the sand beside her son.

" No ," Luka wept at the state of his mother beside him. Dark, jagged lines burned across her skin, marring her beautiful face. Her hair was singed. Her limbs sagged. And it all came rushing back to him.

Shara had channeled. Something unheard of for anyone but born Fulgaras. Yet, she'd done it, her bond with Luka's father still coursing through her and powering her in those final moments of battle, giving her the strength she needed to save them.

Luka ran his thumb over her salt-crusted forehead soothingly, tears streaming down his cheeks. He couldn't lose her, too. He couldn't—

"Mother," he rasped over his chapped lips. He wiped her hair off her face, cupping her cheek. "Mother, can you hear me? Please hold on, the healers are coming. They'll help you, just hold on."

Shara's eyes fluttered open, a weak smile tugging at her lips .

Luka exhaled sharply at her movement. But she shook her head gently. "Send them elsewhere," she said. Her voice was so faint. So soft. So at odds with the fierce, hard-headed general, the strong woman he knew.

"No!" Luka shouted, sitting upright and grabbing her hands. She couldn't give up, she couldn't just leave him like this. He wouldn't let her. "Just hang on," he pleaded, shaking his head, "you're going to make it. You'll be okay."

"It's okay, my son," she squeezed his hand, just barely. It was all the movement she could muster. "I'm ready."

"No, no, no ," Luka begged, his voice breaking. "You can't leave me. I can't lose you, too."

Shara's eyes welled as she wheezed. "I have lived a good life, Luka. I have loved and lived more than most deserve. And you, my son," she squeezed again, "you are ready to lead your people. And you will make a divine general, just like your father. We are so proud of you," her voice was barely a whisper as she nodded to him, her lips quivering. "I felt him there with me. When I channeled. I'm ready to see him again, Luka. Let us be reunited. Let me go to him."

Luka shook his head again as his chest heaved. He pulled her up and into his arms, wrapping her into a tight embrace. "I love you," he cried, his voice muffled in the crook of her neck as his shoulders shook. Fear overwhelmed him as he felt her take one last rattling breath. "Tell father I love him, too."

When Luka released Shara back into the sand, her eyes were closed, her chest unmoving. Luka collapsed against her and cried, gut-wrenching sobs coursing through him. There were no thoughts running through his mind, only pain. Grief.

Uncontrollable, raging grief.

It wasn't fair. He'd lost both of his parents to war. To hate. The weight of it was crushing .

And now, because of it, he had to lead in their stead. Had to find some way to follow their incredible legacy.

Oh gods , he thought between pulses of anger and sorrow, still gripping his mother's limp hand tightly. I can't do this.

***

Beside them, Acasia gripped Shara's other hand tightly, bringing it to her lips as her tears fell into the sand. Aria moved toward Luka and pried him up, pulling him into her arms where he buried his face into her chest. She held his head against her, her own tears melting into his damp hair.

She met Acasia's reddened eyes as the panther reached a hand out to Luka. Aria nudged him slightly, getting his attention. When he looked up at General Falden and squeezed her hand, Aria watched his face transform from sorrow to acceptance in real time. Something unspoken passed between them for a long moment.

"Thank you for giving my mother a reason to smile," he said softly. "You were a light for her when she needed it most."

Acasia let out a sobbed chuckle, another round of tears releasing down her cheeks as she glanced at Shara's frozen features. "There will never be anyone else like her."

"That's what I'm afraid of," Luka followed her gaze, soaking in his last moments with his mother.

Acasia gave his hand another squeeze. "But you are the best of them both, Luka. She was right. Please don't doubt that you are ready, because we need you both now more than ever," she said, eyes flitting between Luka and Aria. "Take the time you need to grieve but know that there is much work still to be done. "

The healers emerged over the sand dune then, going person by person to triage the wounded. Joyen directed them to Taren and a few of the other fae who still sat nursing their burns from the explosion.

Aria watched as Finn applied a salve to the worst of Taren's burns, the primary one running the length of their neck. She was just grateful her friend was in one piece. Their eyes connected over Luka's head, and she acknowledged them with a nod. She overheard him explaining that he and Evelyn had carried Kam to the infirmary tent with Leah. And that the tent itself— thank the gods —had made it out relatively unscathed, just a few holes burned into the roof. But there were so many injured, the tent was overflowing, and many of those who only had minor injuries were the ones sewing up the others.

She stopped listening after that, desperate to hear anything else, not letting herself think about the state Kam was in.

The scene made Aria finally assess her own damage, angry red patches dotting her body. As she turned over her left arm, the other still wrapped tightly around Luka, she hissed at the stretch of the long burn running the length of her forearm. The one that had shielded her the most. The same one that had just finished healing a few short weeks earlier.

Luka pulled back at the sound of her curse and looked at her arm, bloody and inflamed. He gestured a healer toward them but Aria glared at him. "You're in worse shape than I am, you need it more."

"I'm fine," he said softly, avoiding her gaze. "My pain is internal."

It broke something in her, seeing him like that. Knowing what the next weeks, months, years would bring him as he mourned. And despite his own pain, he watched intently as the healer gently coated her wound and bandaged it .

Behind them, Joyen called to those on the beach who could hear her. "Erdanean fae, we need to form channels for the water to reach the fires before they can rage any longer. If you have any magic left, please help as much as you can."

A few people hoisted themselves into standing positions as Joyen migrated toward the bulk of where most of the troops were still scattered along the training field and around the molten remains of the Academy.

But as her mother's voice carried across the lands, Aria felt a raindrop hit her nose. And then another. And another. Single drops turned into a downpour within moments.

She looked up to the sky, thanking whatever god had decided to bless them at this moment. She laughed, then, as the water coated her face, washing the salt from her body. Around them, the fires began to sizzle out, the flaming rock cooling and hardening once again.

She wasn't the only one who began laughing, cheering, everyone around them erupting into hysterical celebration. They had done it. They had taken a lot of damage, but they had done it.

Luka pulled her face back to his and kissed her fiercely, deeply. They separated, their foreheads resting against each other.

"I'm so sorry, Luka," Aria muttered. "I'm so, so sorry."

"She channeled," Luka said with a defeated chuckle, disbelief lacing his words as he confirmed what Aria hadn't let herself suspect. "That's never happened before in our history. But if there was anyone whose bond could save the world, it was theirs," he paused. "I'm glad she can be with him again, even if she's gone."

Aria kissed his forehead gently. "Whatever you need. I'm here. "

The rain stopped falling, the clouds clearing to reveal the morning sun peeking over the horizon, gilding the landscape in golden, hopeful light.

"I know," he said, sparing one last glance at his mother's peaceful face. He met Aria's eyes again, his sorrow turning into determination. "But right now, our people need us."