I honed in on Vesirus again and prepared to throw all of my elemental power at him, but Mintosa’s deep voice rolled through the Lunar Room. “Dark Lord, apologies for the interruption… we’re under attack.”
Chapter 31
“Go,” Vesirus ordered his followers. “Defend me. Crush those who refuse to succumb to my will.”
The Lunar Room burst into action, soldiers and demons pushing and shoving to get to the door.
The Dark Lord snapped, “Vidar, seize the prisoner. I’m going to watch my servants spill the blood of my enemies in my name.”
Before I could move, Vesirus’s form turned to mist, swirling like a cyclone, and then evaporated into thin air.
‘Shit!’ Chel swore.
‘How are we supposed to kill someone who isn’t corporeal?’ Seph growled.
I will find him, I told them. He can’t have gone far. I can still feel his darkness.
‘He’s everywhere.’ My hand trembled, a sign of Phyra’s fear.
Vidar gripped my arm. I let him believe he could hold me, letting my bottom lip protrude. He smiled viciously. “Come on, Princess. It’ll all be over soon.”
I planted my feet and summoned water and air magic. I let it seep from my arm and into his hand. I imagined the blood freezing inside his veins.
He stilled… too late.
He released me and grabbed his purple tinted hand.
It was my turn to smile. I put both hands on his shoulders and slammed my power into him.
His muscles solidified as the rest of his skin turned the same shade as his hand. His veins stuck out like tiny interconnected rivers. Panicked, he set his eyes on me as they glazed over with frost, and his last breath came out as a puff of clouds. Vidar dropped to the floor and shattered, his remains nothing but thousands of tiny pieces of bloody glass.
The Dark Lord’s laugh boomed through my head as I fled down the stairs, through the main floor, and out the silver gilded doors.
I stopped, listening to the chant, the clatter of their armour and weapons. Two men led the expansive army marching for the Crystalline Palace. They’d already crossed the bridge connecting Ventosa to the mountains beyond. Vesirus’s creatures were on their way to meet them.
I sprinted through the courtyard to catch up. The features of the approaching army became clearer. The soldiers wore shades of green and blue… of purple and red; the survivors of the four kingdoms of Sarantoa. A mixture of emotions swelled within me as I realized one of the men leading them was Percifal. Both relief and elation swirled inside my chest; Phyra and Chel.
‘He’s leading the survivors against Vesirus. You’ve got to give the man respect for his tenacity,’ Seph said with admiration.
“All right, everyone,” I said to the three. “Calm yourselves. I need to focus.”
Vesirus’s army of silver and black clashed with Sarantoa’s refugees like night consuming a rainbow.
While the free men and women of my realm fought from the front, I hit from the back. I couldn’t get to the Dark Lord in his current state, but I could help my people fight his army. I formed arrows of flames to annihilate my opponents from behind. When I drew close enough, I used waves of water to drown my enemies. The power sang inside my heart, ebbing and flowing like an eternal reserve.
Blood covered my body. My tunic was soaked with it.
Limbs and heads littered the ground. Blood seeped into the mud, turning it a dark shade of burgundy, much like the sky above.
Demons shot through the air, impaling their victims with razor-sharp claws and talons. I tried to defend my people from those monsters. But there were more of them than me.
I lost all sense of time. The battle went on, and on, and on.
I never tired, but my allies did.
All thoughts left me except one; kill the enemy.
I nearly scorched Percifal with a ball of flame when he grabbed my shoulder from behind and spun me around.
“Zephyra?” His worried aqua eyes searched my face. He had a gouge on his cheek that would leave a scar.
I thumped my chest with my fist. “She’s with me.”
The space between his brows creased.
“She lives. She will be returned to her body when the Dark Lord is defeated,” I explained. “Same as your sister and Sepheus.”
He paled before taking me by both shoulders and pushing me away from the fighting.
I tried to shrug him off, but he held me firmly. “Where are you taking me? I need to fight!”
He ignored my question.
We made it to the back of the battle. As we approached the bridge leading away from Ventosa, I dug my feet into the ground. “You don’t understand. I need to defeat Vesirus. When I die, Zephyra will live. As will the others. There’s no need to try to protect me.”
“Where exactly is Vesirus?”
“I don’t know.” I threw my hands up. “Everywhere. I almost had him, but he—he vanished. I can feel him though… like a darkness pressing down on me.”
He clenched his jaw, his gaze flicked over me. “You need healing. You’re covered in wounds. You won’t defeat the Dark Lord if you’re sliced to pieces.”
“You’re as wounded as I.” I swept my hand out to indicate his injured body.
He raised an eyebrow. “You should look at yourself.”
I peered down at my torso, about to argue further. I clamped my mouth shut. My shredded tunic revealed over a dozen oozing gashes. My own blood mixed with my enemies, covering me from head to toe. My head snapped back to glare at him. “I don’t feel any pain. I’m fine.”
“Come on. I’m taking you to our camp. You can rejoin us once your wounds are cleaned.”
He wasn’t budging, and Phyra wouldn’t let me threaten him.
‘The faster you listen to him, the quicker we can get back to the battle,’ Seph pointed out.
So be it.
Surrendering, I went with him across the bridge and followed him to the group of deerskin tents they’d set up in the forest of dead trees.
He opened the flap of the largest tent, in the center of the camp, for me to enter.
I nearly sank to my knees at the sight of the woman inside.
Percifal left me to rejoin the battle, satisfied I’d be taken care of.
“Miss Auralina? Is that you?” the fair-haired handmaid with bright eyes asked with astonishment.
“You’re here. You’re alive!”
She came forward to embrace me but thought better of it. “You’re covered in blood.”
“Most of it’s not mine,” I told her truthfully. “I never thought I’d see you again, Aslaug.”
She reached for a sack near the side of the tent and pulled out a fresh pair of breeches and a tunic. “I didn’t either, but here we are. Let me help you out of those rags. Why aren’t you wearing armour?”
“I didn’t have much choice. These are the clothes I was wearing when the fire elemental and I were abducted.”
She pressed her lips together.
I let her undress me, her movements careful and gentle. She used a skin of water to clean my numerous wounds before applying a thick, white salve to them. I heard the sounds of battle drifting through the thin walls of the tent from outside; the stomping of boots on the wet soil, steel clashing, grunts of triumph, and screams of pain. Other’s too injured to fight lay on blankets around the tent, letting the young women who’d volunteered to be healers tend to them. The kindness of these healers brought tears to my eyes. I watched their drawn features as they concentrated on their tasks of stitching wounds and securing broken bones.
I turned my face back to Aslaug as she wrapped my mangled arm with a bandage. “How did you escape?”
Her fingers paused; her lips quivered. She finished with the wrapping and then answered, “When the Dark Lord came, those with skills and training tried to fight back. Queen Starella—erm—your sister told Percifal to lead the rest of us through the tunnel beneath the bridge.”
I knew of t
he escape route. Pavanas had it built shortly after the Crystalline Palace was constructed. At that time, Ventosa wasn’t yet cursed with an everlasting winter.
Aslaug continued. “He wanted to fight with the others, but she made him promise to get us to safety. He agreed, reluctantly. On our way to find sanctuary, we came across King Corbin and his army of survivors. He’d found men and women from the three other kingdoms willing to fight. All of us pledged to do what we could to fight for Sarantoa. Even if it means our death. Not all of us are fit to fight, but we help in other ways. Like aiding the wounded, hunting for meals… anything we can do to make it easier for those who risk their lives for the realm.”
I frowned. “King Corbin is here too?”
Her mouth quirked. “He will be soon.”
Seph’s relief washed over me at the information she gave us.
I lifted my arms for her to slip my tunic on and then entwined my fingers with hers and stared into her eyes. “Sarantoa belongs to Celestia’s children. We will make it so again.”
She gave a slight nod. “Dying for light is better than living in darkness.”
I couldn’t deny her words, because I was doing exactly that. I pulled on the beige breeches and hugged her tightly. “Thank you. For everything you’ve ever done for me.”
Before I could change my mind and stay with her while the others defended our realm, I walked out of the tent.
Chapter 32
Before Percifal had dragged me off the battlefield, we appeared to be winning. Upon returning, the tables had turned. The mortal’s side was in rough shape. Men and women lay dead or dying, ripped apart by steel or claw. The coppery scent of blood hung in the warm air. Some begged for the mercy of death, broken and suffering. Vesirus’s creatures had pushed us back closer to the bridge. If we reached the edge of the mountain, we’d be done. My kingdom’s own defense mechanism would work against us.
I threw myself back into the horde, slicing and stabbing with my sword. I aided my comrades by disarming their opponents with twining vines when I could. But the battle remained unbalanced. The possessed soldiers didn’t feel pain and could only be taken out with a killing blow. The army of Sarantoa began to tire.
I spit a gob of my own blood onto the soil and finished my kill.
War cries rang out from across the bridge.
I turned my face and saw a man with tawny hair, dressed in green and gold, charging across the bridge on a black horse. Behind him, fierce women of all ages, with mud painted faces, roared.
‘King Corbin,’ Seph revealed. ‘He’s brought the witches!’
Some of Vesirus’s creatures noticed the approaching army and broke off to stop them.
I shot fiery arrows at their backs. Some fell, erupting in columns of flames, but I couldn’t catch them all. Some got away and met Terra’s king and his witches on the bridge.
A winged demon soared fast, talons splayed, and knocked some of the witches to their deaths.
The witches fought back with weapons and magic. Though they didn’t wield as much power as I, they had the ability to paralyze their enemies long enough to drive a sword or axe through their skulls.
The majority of King Corbin’s army made it onto the battlefield and added to our numbers, breathing new life into our side.
The scales tipped again as more and more creatures met their demise.
Hope blossomed in my heart.
Steel beat against shields as the red daylight dwindled, crushing our small advantage.
I sliced through a soldier’s neck with my goddess-made sword and watched his head slide from his body, the sound of hoof beats a distant thunder that barely registered in my mind.
My sword arm dropped to my side as I turned and squinted. A man in glittering, black scale armour led more soldiers with glowing cerulean eyes across the bridge at full speed to join the Dark Lord’s warriors.
“More are coming!” I shouted.
But my warning was futile. They slammed into our backs with an inhumane force.
‘King Peyton,’ Phyra stated.
Queen Adelaide’s husband, the only information I remembered about the young man from Solis.
Sweat poured down my forehead and into my eyes, blurring my vision. I didn’t know how long I had until my body would break beyond its ability to contain the elemental power and our spirits tied to it.
We did not give up.
We pushed on through nightfall, soldiers stabbing and bludgeoning while I burned, drowned, and beheaded our rivals. The only light to illuminate the brutal landscape came from the burning bodies I’d left behind.
Thirst, exhaustion, and pain beat down the mortal men and women around me. Their movements turned sluggish. They made mistakes they couldn’t afford. I couldn’t protect them all. The likelihood of us losing became a bitter truth I refused to swallow.
I grunted as I came face to face with King Peyton, who would no longer hold that title, should Vesirus rule our realm.
His face hardened when the malicious spirit possessing him looked upon my face. “Creature of light,” he sneered with distaste. “The Dark Lord will end this if you surrender yourself to him.”
‘Don’t harm him!’ Phyra’s voice rang through my head. ‘Please. He’s like a brother to me.’
Arg! You’ve got to be jesting me!
I raised my Celestian steel in defence. I’d do my best to spare his life—for her.
King Peyton thrust his longsword forward, connecting with my blade.
I blocked and jumped back.
I lunged forward, attempting to damage his weapon.
He shifted, and I missed.
I stepped back to give myself more space, but he flung out his sword, catching me on the forearm. Wetness drizzled onto my skin.
Enough. I planned to encircle him with a wall of flame, but he knocked me off my feet, stunning me.
He flipped his sword over, preparing to bash me on the head with the hilt.
Using air magic, I stole the breath from his lungs.
I didn’t let go, waiting for him to lose consciousness.
Before he sank to his knees, his head separated from his body and dropped to the mud with a splash.
‘Noooooo!’ Phyra writhed inside of me, her anguish making me squirm, as though my heart tore in two.
Percifal offered his hand to help me up.
I accepted it but muttered, “Phyra is not okay with what you’ve done. I had him! If only you’d waited another moment, you would have seen.”
“If I’d waited, he would have killed you. Whether you believe so or not, it’s not a risk I was willing to take.”
I understood. The fire elemental would too—in time.
I glanced sideways at him, studying the way he limped. “You’re severely injured.”
“Yes,” he confirmed, his hand squeezing his thigh to cover the deep wound disabling him.
“The others… Zephyra, your sister, and the earth elemental’s bodies are in an icy chamber beneath the ruins of the Temple. You should go there. They will wake when I’m dead, which is shaping up to be before the night ends.”
“You left them unprotected?” His accusing lips thinned.
“Of course not.” I shot out a blast of fire at an approaching demon with six legs and a barbed tail. It squealed and wriggled beneath the burning flames. “Antarus watches over them.”
“Antarus? The unicorn?”
A possessed woman with no hair lifted her battle axe, aiming at the back of Percifal’s head. I tore the blood from her veins, and she burst into shreds of meat and bone before she could touch him. “He appeared when I absorbed their powers,” I huffed.
The whites of his eyes grew bigger as he looked over his shoulder. He plucked a piece of bloody muscle from his arm. “There’s no need for me to go there then. I will fight until the end.”
Phyra railed against my mind in disagreement. I shoved her away and replied, “Suit yourself, but get that leg taken care of before you continue.”
>
I turned my attention back to the battle, dismissing him. The bridge loomed directly behind us. Vesirus’s minions pushed forward. They wouldn’t stop until we were completely wiped out. Cries of pain filled my ears.
I could end this now, I thought.
‘Give yourself up and you kill all of us,’ Seph pointed out.
“But it would save thousands,” I whispered, taking in the carnage before me.
‘They’ll still be the Dark Lord’s prisoners,’ he replied.
“I just… I don’t know how to stop him. I don’t even know how to find him.”
‘You must have faith,’ Phyra said. She’d stayed quiet since Percifal had beheaded her cousin’s husband.
“It’s hard to have faith when you see what I’m seeing.” But I knew they were right. I couldn’t give myself up. The only way to stop the suffering was to banish Vesirus from our realm.
‘We see,’ Chel answered.
My moment of weakness ended as the others gave me strength, adding their will to my own.
I pulled water from the ground and shot it up to douse a pair of flying demons and then froze them with air magic. They plummeted to the ground, slamming into a group of combating soldiers.
My legs shook with fatigue. Pain forced its way into my senses. If my powers diminished, this would all be for naught.
I gritted my teeth and unleashed fire on a red-haired, glowing-eyed soldier and walked on, dragging my feet.
Thunder rumbled from high above. Flashes of light rained down on the field of slaughter like falling stars.
If this were another trick of the Dark Lord’s… Whatever else had come for us… I couldn’t take anymore.
I lost my footing, and the world turned on its side. My face hit the blood-slick dirt.
I rolled onto my back at the beating of wings. My jaw went slack.
Out of the blackened sky, guardians shot to the battleground armed with Celestian steel. Some of them stayed in the air to combat the winged demons.
“Are you going to lie there all night? Or are you going to win this war?” Ramiel looked down at me with crossed arms.
I dragged myself to my feet and handed him his sword. “I believe this belongs to you.” I didn’t need it any longer. I’d gotten mine back from Adelaide. “I thought guardians couldn’t get involved.”
The Elemental Diaries - Complete Series Page 94
