by Sarra Cannon
Markus turned and lifted his shirt to reveal long scratches on his back. They weren’t deep like Drake’s wounds had been, but the same foul smelling pus oozed from the abrasions.
She set to work, gathering as much pure, white light to herself as she could, only to realize there wasn’t a whole lot which wasn’t tainted in some way.
“Evan, I’m going to have to use my own energy to do this. There isn’t enough here for me to get what I need. I’m going to be weak when I’m done, and I don’t know how to fly, so someone will have to help me.” She pushed the heavy ache from her heart at the thought of someone else carrying her through the sky.
“I’ll take you. Do what you need to do.”
She took deep, steadying breaths, and found the purest, brightest light she had. Eyes closed, she sent it into his body. She used the same technique, starting at the edges and brightening inward, making the worm move to the surface. The parasite was much smaller and moved much slower than the one she’d seen in Drake.
Her heart stuttered as how close Drake had been to death sank in. She took another deep breath, shaking the negative emotion aside as she continued to work, trusting the men to keep them safe until they’d killed the worm, and healed the wounds.
“We have to go. They’ll be on us in a minute.”
For the first time, Evan’s voice sounded worried. She hurried as much as she dared without scaring the worm into burrowing deeper.
The putrid smell of burnt flesh reached her nostrils just as her light filled Markus’ body. Rhia breathed a sigh of relief knowing the parasite was no longer chomping on her brother’s organs. She let herself linger in him, flooding him with healing light, swaying as she overextended herself, and then collapsing on the cold hard ground, helpless to do anything when darkness threatened to overtake her.
A huge Ikabrol barrelled across the clearing towards them with more of the same following just behind. They were in trouble, but she couldn’t muster the energy to help.
All five men, including Markus, who staggered a little as he stood, formed a line between her and the beasts, like warriors of old, facing danger with dignity and courage. She couldn’t help the surge of pride in the men facing the beasts. The air crackled between them as they readied to fight.
She lay there, too weak to stand or even speak, terror filling her as the Ikabrol warriors reached them and the battle began. All sounds exploded in her mind. Even her own heartbeat made her want to cover her ears in agony.
The fetid smell of the beasts engulfed her as the men fought. Several Ikabrols lay motionless on the ground but many more still stood. How were they going to get out of this? They were outnumbered three to one.
She fought to stay awake. Her leaden body refused to budge. A small trickle of blood seeped from her nose. Closing her eyes, she tried to gather her strength. How long she lay there, eyes closed, listening in horror at the sounds of battle, she didn’t know, but when she opened them again, Drake was back and fighting along with the other men.
Darkness closed in on her, and the sounds of battle dimmed.
When she rallied enough to open her eyes again, the men fought in unison, pushing the line of Ikabrols farther and farther from her in smooth and seamless motion.
In the darkness, just to her left, three more of the beasts came to attack from behind. Her heart pounded so fast, and so hard, she was sure the beasts would hear it and turn toward her. She wanted to scream a warning, but didn’t dare distract the men as they fought.
Using the last of her energy, she drew on everything within her reach, dark as it was, into her. The instant it touched her, crippling pain sliced through her as the stench of the beast swallowed her whole. Her very soul tore away, separating from her body, filling her with nothing but a deep, dark void. She’d made a horrible mistake, but she was powerless to stop once she’d begun to take it in. It was as though it had a mind of its own. Its sole purpose was to invade and destroy her.
She tried calling out to Drake, but her body and her mind refused to work. Ignoring the pain, she shoved the black mass of power back at the beasts with all she had left.
The three beasts turned to her, shock making their eyes bulge as they took the hit. Their roars echoed through the valley just seconds before all three turned to ash.
Everything in her slowed. Sounds muffled. No longer able to resist she succumbed to the sinister oblivion dragging her into darkness.
Chapter 13
Drake fell to his knees with an agonized roar. “Noooo!”
She couldn’t be gone, she just couldn’t. He refused to believe it. “What have you done? Rhia, what have you done?” His words met empty silence. His entire body shook as rage and anguish tore through him. Fuck no. This couldn’t be happening. Head thrown back, he roared to the heavens, the ferocious sound ripping through the clearing.
“Who’s the strongest now, Dragon? Who has allowed not one, but two of their queens to die?” The beast taunted him.
A low menacing growl began somewhere deep in his chest before exploding into the night in another deafening roar. Searing heat filled his entire being, overwhelming him—consuming him.
The beast took one look at him and retreated several paces, but it wouldn’t get away.
Drake’s tongue slithered along his now pointed, razor sharp teeth. The red of his eyes shone back at him from the beasts’ black, soulless eyes as he reared his head back and raged again.
“Down, now.” Evan’s command sounded far and distant. Whether it was meant for him, or for the other men, he couldn’t tell. He was too far-gone to listen or obey. It didn’t matter. Nothing mattered anymore.
In one smooth, fluid motion, the Coalition fighters dropped to the ground and covered their heads with their hands, lying flat and motionless in the darkness.
The sight of Rhia’s lifeless body ripped whatever humanity he had left from him, shredding it to pieces. There was no reasoning with the animal inside him. It acted on instinct alone. It didn’t care who lived or who died. It wanted blood and it would get it.
The Ikabrol ran, thinking it could get away, but it wasn’t fast enough. There was nowhere it could hide where he wouldn’t find and destroy it. Drake roared again, the sound vicious enough to make even the vilest creature cower. The beast stumbled in its haste to get away, the scent of its fear heavy in the air.
Blue flames burst from Drake’s mouth, blistering and charring his lips as the air rushed from his lungs. The taste of his own scorched flesh was a grim reminder of what had brought the animal out in him. He welcomed it, embraced it even, as the dragon within overtook him. There was no turning back. It wouldn’t rest until it was sated. He took one last look at her still form before roaring into the sky again.
The beast didn’t make it to the tree line before Drake was upon it. The fire would destroy the enemy, but the dragon needed more. It needed vengeance. The metallic taste of blood was like sweet nectar on his tongue as teeth tore through bone and tissue, tearing the enemy limb from limb.
One by one, the beasts fell, their burning flesh ripped from their bodies by the enraged dragon even as the blue flames engulfed them. When it was done, nothing was left but smoldering body parts scattered throughout the clearing. The smell of burnt muscle, fur and blood hung heavy in the air, yet the dragon wanted more.
Drake saw the distorted shapes of the men immobilized on the ground through a thick haze of rage. His wicked snarls warned them to keep still. He didn’t care that these were his men—his friends, only that her death be avenged.
Evan stood and approached him with his hands before him in a gesture meant to soothe and reassure, but there was no calming the dragon. Drake saw his lips were moving, but he didn’t hear a word. Even as the dragon spit and snarled on the outside, the man inside screamed, obliterating all thought and reason.
“It’s over, Drake.” Evan took a step away from the other men, then another.
Drake tracked his every move, the persistent rumbling still vibratin
g in his chest. Rhia’s flowery scent drifted to him on the slight breeze, sending pain ricocheting to his soul once more. His angry roar shook the ground.
“We have to get out of here, Drake. She needs us to be strong and keep going. Rhia needs us.” He moved farther from the other men until Drake was facing away from them.
The deep rumble in his chest was a clear warning. Even the mention of her name could throw the dragon back into its killing rage.
Behind him, energy sizzled and popped just before it slammed into his back, dropping him to his knees. He roared, blue flames shooting out, barely missing Evan.
What he’d been hit with wasn’t lethal, but the dragon didn’t care. He roared again as he turned on the men behind him. Heat coiled inside him, threatening to break free, but he held it in check. Rhia’s body, so still, lay on the ground behind them. Each man stood straight and tall, ready to protect her with their last breaths.
Didn’t they know it was too fucking late?
“Don’t make me do it, Drake.” Evan’s voice echoed in his mind.
He knew what it was. “Do it.” His voice, no longer his own, was garbled and rough. There was nothing left for him—for any of them. He roared again. “I-said-fucking-do-it!” He turned to his friend again, stomping closer and closer, snarling and growling with each step, yet Evan stood his ground, refusing to engage him.
If Evan wasn’t going to protect himself, he sure as hell would protect his brothers. Scorching heat became a part of him as he swung towards the other men again. The men ducked, just as he knew they would, escaping the flame’s deadly lick. He braced himself, arms spread wide as he roared, releasing his blue flame.
He didn’t have to wait long for the energy to hit him from all sides. He hoped his misery would end, though a slow and painful death was all he deserved.
There was no physical pain. There should have been. He fell to his knees, head hung low. “Just let me die, damn you.” His fists pounded into the rock-strewn earth, gouging his flesh.
“I’m not killing you, you fucking asshole.” Evan’s voice broke.
Drake took a deep breath. “We’re as good as dead anyway.” Blood dripped from his hands onto the ground.
“We have to get her back to Avalore. The women will bring her back.”
Drake leapt over the men in one bound, going to Rhia’s side, daring them with his glare to try to stop him. Falling to his knees beside her, he gathered her into his arms, rocking her limp body back and forth, as he fought to push the dragon back. Tears ran down his cheeks like black ink in the darkness.
Desperate to see her vibrant colors, he tore the necklace from her neck, flinging it to Evan without a word. When nothing happened, he roared again.
“We have to get her home.” Evan spoke aloud. “It isn’t safe for her here.” He took a few small steps closer but stopped when Drake snapped his sharp teeth together and curled his body around Rhia’s.
Soothing heat trickled into him from behind. The dragon wanted no part of the healing, but Drake accepted it. If he wanted to help Rhia, he had to regain control.
“They won’t let us get away when we can still save her. We must go now.” Evan lifted off the ground.
Drake’s sharp teeth had yet to recede and his tongue was still forked and long, but he heard reason. Evan was right. They had to do everything in their power to get her to Avalore. Hopeless as it seemed, it was the only chance they had. They still had some distance to cross, but if by some miracle they got there fast enough, their women could bring her back.
In one smooth move, he stood with her cradled in his arms, and took to the air. The others could follow—or not. He didn’t care. Nothing was going to stop him from getting her to Avalore.
Grief churned inside him like jagged metal hooks slicing and tearing through him until he should be dead, yet he didn’t bleed. He’d never experienced such pain, such anguish, not even when Queen Angelique was murdered. He didn’t care that he was still in the dark lands, or that the others had to keep them both safe. All he could think of was the cold, lifeless body lying so still in his arms. His anguished roar pierced the silence of the night, making small creatures scurry for cover. She didn’t deserve this, not any of it. He should never have left her side.
No one dared speak to him. He’d managed to leash the dragon, if only just. The constant friction in his chest proved just how close to the surface the animal was. Heaven help them all if they couldn’t save her.
He held her cradled to his chest, her head on his shoulder. Her cold, soft lips only inches from his neck, yet no breath tickled at his skin. There was a chance, a very small one, but still a chance they could save her. But only if they could get her back to Avalore in time for the healing ceremony to take place.
The sight of the dark energies as they’d swarmed to her and filled her would be etched in his mind forever. She’d seen the beasts coming up behind them as they’d fought and had done what needed to be done to keep the men safe. It was a pure selfless act. A stupid, idiotic, selfless act.
Fuck. Fuck. FUCK. Come on, sweetheart. Hold on for me. Just a little longer.
The entire scene unfolded over and over in his mind until he thought he’d go crazy. She didn’t know what the black energy did to the women of Avalore. He hadn’t told her. He’d thought he could keep her safe from anything and everything. How could he have been so stupid? His pride and ego had taken him from her side when she’d needed him most. His head came down to rest against her cold forehead as he struggled to keep the dragon from resurfacing.
The men were trained from birth to take dark energies in, and could tolerate the black touch for short periods, but the women couldn’t. The women carried nothing but light. The dark energies swallowed that light, feasting on it, draining the woman until she had nothing left of herself.
Any one of the men present would lay down their lives in an instant to save her, but they didn’t have what she needed. Only the healing ceremony and the light of their women could bring her back from where she now dwelled. He’d never been so helpless.
“Drake,” Evan’s voice broke through his tormented thoughts. “We have to set down. She’s not going to make it if we don’t. We’re still too far out.” Evan was always in control—always, yet his voice broke as he spoke.
“She’ll hold on. She has to.” He managed to respond through the fog of pain enveloping him.
“Listen to me, Drake. If we want to save her, we have to go down. We’ll hold the ceremony here and bring her back.” He paused for a moment. “I don’t feel any threats, but even if I did, it won’t matter if we can’t save her. Set down, now. That’s an order.”
“We need the women.” Drake snarled.
“Brienne won’t answer my call. Try reaching out to her. She could be close enough to help.”
His heart raced as Evan’s words sank in and began his descent. So immersed in his own sorrow, he hadn’t thought of the woman he’d met at the cave. “Brienne, our queen needs you now.” He sent his words careening through the sky. She had to answer. She was their only hope.
Chapter 14
“Brienne, answer my call.” Drake summoned her again, desperation making his voice tight. He couldn’t force the conversation. If she ignored him, there was nothing he could do about it. She had to come. There was no other option. If she refused, Rhia would die. Time was running out.
His feet set down on a small outcropping on the edge of the mountain. On one side, the mountain rose tall and imposing, on the other, a sheer cliff. The area would be easy to defend. The beasts wouldn’t be able to come up on them without detection. One by one, the other men circled him and Rhia, forming a tight protective ring.
When his plea wasn’t answered right away, he tried again. “Brienne, please, I have urgent need of your help.” Fear and frustration gripped him until she opened her mind to him. “I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t necessary. Rhiannon has touched the dark energies and needs the light only you can give. She’ll perish wi
thout you.” Even uttering the words sent pain tearing through him.
“I warned you to keep her safe. I should leave you to your fates.” Brienne paused as though waging a war within her. “I will come to you, we’re not far away, but I have conditions.” She paused again. “I need your word, and that of every male travelling with you, they will be followed to my exact specifications.”
“Whatever you want, whatever you need, it’s yours.” It didn’t matter what the conditions were. He’d give her anything if she agreed to help Rhia. His very life if she wanted it.
“I’ll need three people for the ceremony. Be prepared. I need a healer, and two more. Cleanse your energies as well as you can in these dark lands. It’s no easy feat. All negative thoughts must be banished from mind, body, and spirit for this to work. You must believe without a shred of a doubt she will survive, otherwise she will not.”
Her voice was getting stronger in his mind. She had to be moving closer. He relayed the message to the other men, knowing two of her brothers would be assisting in the ceremony. Aiken and Richard stepped forward and began the cleansing rituals.
“What else?”
“I do not travel alone. You will not be comfortable with my companions but I must insist on their safety. This is non-negotiable. If I sense any aggression towards any of them, I will leave. Her fate is bound to your restraint.”
Once again, Drake relayed the message. Evan frowned, but agreed. It wasn’t like they had much of a choice. They needed Brienne’s help. Either they did as she instructed or Rhia died. They’d have to trust Brienne wouldn’t bring danger to them.
“Your companions will be unharmed.”
“I don’t wish to speak to anyone, not even, and especially your commander. If I need anything, I will ask you and you can speak to the others. I want no connection made to any of them. You will allow me perform the ceremony, and then let me leave without hindrance.”
When Drake gave the newest instructions, Evan clenched his jaw and with a curt nod agreed once more.
