Chapter Forty-One

We stayed a few more hours at the party, then left with our group. It was strange to arrive at the Corrupter's fortress knowing there was no Corrupter. Walking the corridors was less creepy now, but that may have been largely due to the lack of Corrupted. The whole place was empty.

We were all tired, so we didn't bother exploring. Instead, Ara found rooms for our guests, then my lovers. I don't know what had gone on in their little meeting, but they had reached an understanding, and it was that Xae would sleep beside me that night. Not that we did anything but crawl into bed and fall asleep.

Ara chose to sleep in a guest room as well. His choice made me think twice about living in the fortress. There were too many bad memories for him there. But before we went to bed, he set a new ward with me, and he seemed happy.

Setting that massive, complex ward had sent me over the edge of exhaustion, and I fell into a deep sleep. Despite this, I woke in the middle of the night. At first, I wasn't sure what woke me. The room was quiet except for Xae's soft breathing. Nothing appeared amiss. But then I felt it.

"Ara," I whispered as I sat up.

There was something wrong.

"Ara!" I shouted as I dashed out of bed.

Xae woke instantly and shot out of bed, arms flung out as he tried to process where he was. "Where's my sword?"

I didn't have time to tell Xae what was wrong or where his damn sword was. It wouldn't help. I ran out of the bedroom in only my undershorts and followed the cord binding me to Ara. Fear was shivering down it. No—terror.

"Aranren!" I screamed.

Men came pouring out of rooms and into the corridor—both my lovers and the lords who had come with us to the citadel. Two of them were on watch duty, but they'd be on the walls, not in the fortress.

"What's wrong?" Kel shouted after me.

"I don't know!" I shouted back as I kept running. "He's afraid."

Without their bond fully settled, they apparently didn't feel what I felt from Ara. Maybe they didn't feel anything from him. But that didn't matter. I felt enough for all of us.

"Ara!" I called again as men fell into a run behind me, many of them armed.

"Ember!" a wounded voice shrieked at last.

"I'm coming! Hold on!"

But then a wave of pain lashed through me, sending me to my knees.

"Ember!" Rath knelt beside me, his arm on my back.

"Oh, Goddess," I whispered in horror. "He's here. Death is here, and he's clawing at our bond."

"He can't break it," Rath helped me to my feet. "Come on, Ember. Where is he? Take us to Aranren."

I took a steadying breath and started to run again. I came to an imposing door. Arched and carved. Heavy wood. It was open. Beyond it lay only darkness.

"Fuck," I whispered. "Oh, fuck me. We've been fools."

"What the fuck is that?" one of the Tigers growled.

"Death's domain," I said. "I thought it would have vanished without Ara to anchor it."

"I was here long before Aranren," Death said as he manifested in the doorway. "Humans worshiped me on this very spot. I need no anchor."

"You can't have him," I said. "He's protected by Spirit now."

"Is he?" Death drawled. "Did you feel my cage shatter? The bones turn to dust? Were you so certain that he was free of me?" He laughed cruelly. "I am a god! You cannot defeat me so easily. I withdrew until only a speck of myself remained in him. Small enough that you couldn't find me. Small enough that you'd feel safe in freeing him. When he warded himself with Spirit, it only pushed me deeper. And what did you do? You came back here!" He laughed again. "Do you think Aranren had that thought on his own? I was always there, guiding him so subtly that he didn't know it. And all of you fell for it. Even him."

"He's distracting us," Xae growled and ran right through the shadow-man.

I flinched, but nothing happened to Xae. Death roared but couldn't stop him. He couldn't stop the rest of us from following either. But once we were past the threshold, we were in his world.

I couldn't see. Everything turned to ink. Blinding darkness. Shouts from the other lords echoed around me. But I didn't need to see to find my lovers. I followed the cords of our bond to them, and they to me. We converged on each other in seconds, hands grasping until we formed a line.

"This way," I said, following the last cord attached to my soul, the one they couldn't sense.

The other lords would have to find their own way. We couldn't help them. But Ara was the one who needed our help the most. I didn't shout for him, just went to him. As I did, the darkness lightened. Death knew there was nothing he could do to stop me from finding Aranren, not even in his domain.

Or did he?

"Mother?" Xae stared off into the shadows.

Someone was there, walking toward us. A tall woman with long, golden hair and pale skin.

"Oh, fuck," Kel said next. "No, you're dead. You're not real."

"They're real, but we can't let them sway us," I said. "I'm so sorry, Xae. Tell her you love her, but we have to keep going."

Tears were streaming down Xae's cheeks. He had lost his entire family to the war. "Mother! I will avenge you!"

I almost rolled my eyes. Leave it to my Ladrin to shout words of vengeance to his beloved dead instead of words of love.

"Go back to your rest, my friends," Taroc said to a group of spirits coming up on our left. "We are here to save someone who still lives."

"You're not going to stop us!" I shouted at Death. To my lovers, I said, "We're almost there. Xae, for fuck's sake, tell your mother that you love her."

Xae grunted and nodded at his mother. "I love you. I love you all. I feel you with me always."

"Vengeance," a feminine voice ghosted over to us.

Huh. So his first choice had been correct.

"You will have it!" Xaedren swore.

The ghosts vanished and flames erupted from the ground. They shot down from the ceiling and blasted at us from the front.

"We're immune to fire, you fool," Taroc muttered.

Suddenly, through the flames, dragons appeared.

"Not immune to them though," Kel drawled.

The massive beasts snapped their jaws at us as they blocked our path.

"They can't hurt us," I said. "We are living beings in the land of the dead. Those are ghost dragons. Nothing here can hurt us. They are all phantoms and illusions. They only have substance if you believe they do."

My men trusted me and followed me forward. We walked right through the yawning mouth of a crimson beast. As soon as we were past the dragons, giant blades came swinging down at us, held by invisible hands. We cringed when they sliced through us but kept going. Next, it was a herd of horses—a stampede. Then a tidal wave. Illusion after illusion came, but we forged on. I could feel Ara. He was weakening. So, I sent him strength down our bond.

And I prayed.

I felt nothing from the Goddess, even after that prayer. And I knew then that Death had brought Ara there for a reason. Not just to keep us from him while he sought to reclaim him. But to also keep Ara from the Goddess. She couldn't enter Death's domain.

We were on our own.

I should have insisted that the others bond with Ara. If they had formed connections with him too, we could have united to fight off Death. As it was, Ara only had me. I would have to be enough.

My wraith blasted out of my body—the dark version of it. Our bond was already settled, so the white would do no good. But maybe this wraith, the one I used to free him before, could help Ara free himself. I sent it forth and watched it meld with the darkness. But I could still feel it even after it vanished from sight. It soared along the line between Ara and me. Then it reached him.

A terrible shriek echoed around us.

I grinned as my wraith returned to me.

At the other end of the line, I felt Aranren gather his strength. He was fighting, and he was stronger than he'd ever been. I sent him my love next, knowing he needed that even more than magic. And I felt a pulse of love return to me. That was the thing about love; the more you gave, the more you had.

"We're almost there," I said.

And then I saw him.

Aranren was splayed between two iron posts, hands and feet bound to them with manacles. They looked like magic-suppressing manacles, but they couldn't be. Death couldn't put them on Ara without Ara himself helping, and if Aranren had helped, he'd only be able to secure one manacle. The other would need magic to fasten. Magic that he wouldn't have. So they were an illusion that Death had convinced Ara to believe.

"They're not real, Ara!" I shouted and launched more power down our cord. "It's all illusion here!"

Ara met my stare, his eyes widened, and his expression hardened. With a gasp, he fell forward, his wrists sliding through the non-existent metal, and landed on his hands and knees. Shouts came from all around me, the other lords circling in, but I was intent on Ara. I ran forward and dropped to the ground beside him. He was in my arms seconds later.

"I'm so sorry, Ember. So sorry," Ara sobbed.

"Shh, it's not your fault," I said.

"I thought he was gone. I felt free." He clung to me, shuddering. "I truly thought we had won."

"We will win, Ara. He doesn't have you. I have you. And I'm not letting go."

"Please, don't," Ara whispered. "Don't let go, Ember. I can't go back into the bones."

My wraith shot out of me again and slammed into Aranren. It didn't fly through him this time but instead lingered. It seeped through his every cell, seeking out the seed that Death had hidden inside. Where was it? My soul sought Ara's and together we searched.

Meanwhile, my lovers circled us, and the other lords joined them, appearing out of the darkness as if they were wraiths themselves. I closed my eyes to focus on Ara, clutching him as tightly as he held me.

"I'm taking him to the citadel," I said.

"We will follow," Xaedren growled. "Go!"

I faded, taking Ara with me. I felt us leave. But then we hit something and reappeared. Laughter echoed all around us.

"You're in my domain," Death said. "You cannot leave by fading. You have to walk the path back to the living. Have I taught you nothing, Ember?"

"Fuck," Rath whispered.

"Ember!" Ara shouted.

I felt it too—a bone sliding over his skin.

"No!" I shoved more magic into Ara. I gave him all I was and then I remembered that even though Aranren wasn't connected to my other lovers, I was. I instantly reached for them, and they gave freely, pushing their power into me.

My men fell to their knees around us, their expressions stoic and determined. Aranren belonged to all of us now, and we fought for our own.

Death growled. It vibrated through the stones.

Another bone.

I shattered it.

Another.

I kept fighting, smashing bone after bone as they slid into place. They fell more rapidly. I couldn't keep up. My strength began to dwindle.

Ara took a shuddering breath. "Flee, my love." He pushed me away. "This is hopeless. Go while you still can."

I stumbled to my feet, but I took him with me. "Together. I just need to get you out of here, and then I can fade you somewhere safe."

Ara cried out and shuddered. I tried to pick him up, but he was bigger than me, and I was weakened by the fight.

"I've got him," Lord Vexen said as he scooped Aranren up. "Which way, Ember?"

I almost said that I didn't know, but as I clutched Ara's hand, I felt it. Death was inside him, too busy trying to take control to guard himself from me. Through Death, I saw the way out.

"This way!" I shouted. "Someone hold onto Vexen and the rest of you clasp hands."

They did, forming a line of lords, and I led us through Death's domain, stumbling every few feet as I fought his hold on Ara. Bone after bone slid into place, and I started bashing several at once, Spirit forming misty fists my lover. Hope bloomed. I could see the archway leading out. It was only ten feet away. Eight. Six.

I screamed as Death shot down the line between Aranren and me. A bone formed over my heart.

"No," Ara moaned. "No, not him! You take me!" He writhed in Vexen's arms. "You leave him alone, you fucking bastard!"

Aranren fell out of Vexen's grip, onto the cold stone, and I went with him, still holding his hand.

"No," I whispered. "Hold on, Ara. I'm not letting go. Don't you let go either."

We swayed together, and Aranren laid a hand on my cheek. "I love you, my light. Never forget that." Tears streamed down his cheeks. "I'll be watching over you from the afterworld. Always beside you."

"What?! No!"

Ara looked up at Vexen and said. "Take my head. Do it now!"

"No!" I shrieked and clung to him. But it wasn't only me doing the clinging. Death was digging inside me, sliding deeper.

Suddenly, I felt Aranren draw upon it. He summoned the Death Magic, but instead of using it to defend himself against the sword that Lord Vexen lifted, he used it to sever Spirit's cord between us. The Death strike came just as the physical one did, but the blast of the spiritual, the backlash of that great bond dying, sent all of us tumbling away from Aranren. All of us including Lord Vexen.

Death laughed, the sound becoming physical. It thrummed on my skin. I was so depleted, but I managed to get to my feet. Around me, the other lords got up faster, hands on the swords. In the center of our scattered circle stood Aranren, his head bowed and sunlight hair streaming down to cover his face. Slowly, he lifted his head, and the Corrupter met my stare.

"No!" I shouted and ran for him.

Someone barreled into me.

I kept shouting and fighting the hands that held me. But I was so weak. I couldn't escape that powerful grip. I reached over a broad shoulder, arm extending, trying to reconnect with Ara, trying to send him the protection I had promised him. But then we were past the archway, the other lords, including my lovers, dashing out on our heels.

"Fade!" Rath shouted. "Get him out of here!"

And then I was gone.