Before the Raging Lion (Mortality Book 4)

by Everly Frost

  His muscles moved—and it wasn’t me.

  I called out. “Mr. Bradley, turn off the machines!”

  Ruth and Helen both startled and my parents jerked upright. “What are you doing?”

  I touched my brother’s neck again and this time I was sure of it: there was less liquid pooling in his mouth.

  He’d swallowed. He must have.

  “Josh, come on. Come back to us.”

  Michael had finished squeezing the juice. The apple skin was an empty shell in his hand. There was no more. But together, we’d done as much as we could.

  Mr. Bradley paused beside me. “Are you sure, Ava?”

  “I’m sure.”

  He pressed the console and removed the breathing device from Josh’s nose. One by one the monitors shut off. Josh’s heartbeat didn’t zigzag across the air. His breath didn’t hiss through the apparatus.

  What followed was silence. Waiting.

  Arachne held her breath. My parents were frozen, their faces tear-stained. Michael suddenly clutched my hand, his heart racing as fast as mine.

  I wanted to tell him:

  Don’t be afraid. It will be okay. Nothing can break us.

  Josh taught me that.

  As if he heard his name, my brother opened his eyes.

  Epilogue

  Despite the cold, my daughter’s hand is warm in mine. She bounces on the balls of her feet, leaning forward as if she’ll burst away from the edge of the forest near the northern tower. The bear resting on the other side of her patiently allows her to grip its leg, even though her three-year-old fingers are a lot stronger than most her age.

  “Gentle hands, Rose,” I remind her.

  Her little mouth forms a sad ‘O’.

  “Sorry, bear,” she says, patting the spot that she’d gripped.

  Nine grunts back at her, nuzzling her cheek until she giggles.

  Figures appear on the far slope and Rose squeals before running toward them. “Unca Jo!”

  Nine lumbers after her, his limp hardly visible anymore.

  Before I can follow them, there’s a quiet crunch behind me, a whisper of breath at the back of my neck, and my husband drops a light kiss on the curve of my shoulder. I shiver, but not from the cold.

  “Michael.”

  He runs his hand across my shoulders and my wings almost appear. Strong emotion always brings them out. Michael seems to take delight in being responsible for their appearance more often than not.

  He says, “We should rescue your brother.”

  Up on the snowy slope, Rose has launched herself at Josh, almost knocking him over. I can hear their laughter from here.

  I spin, surprising Michael with a kiss. “In a moment.”

  He grins, wrapping his arms around me, pulling me close. His expression grows serious. “Are you prepared for the result?”

  I nod first. Then shake my head. “Actually, no.”

  “Me neither.”

  Josh is still laughing when he reaches us, Rose held firmly in his arms.

  She points, as Michael’s dad and Arachne appear behind them. “Grampa! Aunty Racky!”

  Arachne’s riding one of the leopards from Glacier’s first litter. Another leopard carries their bags.

  I lean over to kiss my brother’s cheek and Josh hugs me back. “Hi, little sister. Mom said to give you a big hug.”

  Michael greets Josh and relieves him of the over-excited bundle in his arms. “C’mon, sweetie. Up on Nine.”

  The bear is Rose’s personal favorite. So much that she wants Nine to live in the tower with us. Our home has changed a lot over the last ten years. Mr. Bradley put his skills to good use in construction, designing super mechs to help rebuild the northern tower. It’s now several levels above ground and the damaged underground levels have been repaired. He even designed a containment cell to stop the tree’s roots piercing the structure, encouraging the roots to grow in the opposite direction.

  The forest is quiet as we make our way through it. Josh goes ahead with Rose and Nine, listening as she babbles about the trees and the chickens.

  I avoid the conversation I know I need to have, steering Arachne’s leopard instead. “How are you feeling?”

  “Huge.”

  The layers of her insulated clothing mask her tummy.

  She continues. “And scared. I’ve never done this before.”

  “We’re here for you, Arachne. Whatever happens, you’ll be a great mom.”

  “Thanks for letting me stay with you until the baby’s born. It’s so peaceful here. I really need that right now.” She smiles, but indicates Mr. Bradley. “He hasn’t told me what the result is.”

  I shake my head. “We should have found out as soon as Rose was born.”

  Arachne reaches for my hand. “It’s my turn to tell you—you aren’t alone.”

  I take a deep breath. Arachne urges the leopard forward to join Josh ahead of us, leaving me to make my way over to Michael and his dad.

  “Ava.” Mr. Bradley gives me a hug. It’s taken a long time for us to get to the point where hugs are natural, but over the years, both of Michael’s parents have worked hard to reconnect with their son—and to form a bond with me.

  He takes one of my hands and one of Michael’s. He doesn’t mince words. “It’s negative. Rose doesn’t have the death gene.”

  I buckle with relief. Michael exhales the breath he was holding.

  I say, “I was so worried … If anyone was going to be born with it, it would be my daughter.”

  “I know we discussed all the possibilities—that your mortal DNA might survive your transformation and be passed to any female child—or the complete opposite—that between the both of you, your immortality might be inherited by your children. But Rose, well, she’s something else entirely. She displays all the effects of nectar without taking it.”

  Michael agrees. “She’s already really strong.”

  “A bit too much like ‘Unca Cake,’” I joke. Since the battle in Seversand, we’ve traveled back to see my brothers every year. On our last visit, Rose was old enough to attempt to say her uncles’ names. Quake didn’t seem to mind being equated with food.

  The Coliseum has been transformed into a place of peace. Seversandians are journeying to the tree again, making the pilgrimage almost every day of the year. My brothers made their homes in pods nearby, welcoming and caring for those who make the journey to the tree. They keep the songs alive that will protect mortals in the years to come. Rift and Ember have three children already—all girls. They had them tested at birth and none of them have the gene.

  I can’t help but smile as we walk, remembering our last visit. When we arrived, Ember was already inundated with pilgrims wanting to meet her children. Female children are so highly valued in Seversand that, as the mother of three, Ember has taken on the status of a legend.

  “Rose is super human,” Mr. Bradley says, jolting me back to the present. “You’ll need to raise her carefully.”

  Michael and I nod. Alexander taught us that strength can lead to cruelty, but I lay my hand on Mr. Bradley’s arm. “She has a gentle heart despite her strength, Robert.”

  “She has your heart, Ava,” he says.

  I’m not sure what to say to that, but Mr. Bradley plows on. “There’s more. Pip’s found another one.”

  I jolt. “Another random born? Where?”

  “Credence—on the central island.”

  I’d always thought that Ember would make an excellent spy with her ability to become invisible, but it was my youngest brother who made it his life’s mission to scout the world, seeking new mortals. His empathy and ability to tune into other people’s thoughts were perfect for the task.

  I ask, “Boy or girl?”

  “Boy. Twelve years old. The population density masked his presence.”

  “Does Pip need my help?”

  “Urgently, I’m afraid. The kid’s got himself into a bit of trouble with the laws there. He won’t survive in the system.�
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  I glance at Michael. It’s not the first time I’ve had to intervene on behalf of a mortal. These are tricky waters to navigate and the legal systems in most countries are still coming to terms with our existence.

  Michael smiles in response. “Go, Ava. Your nephew’s not due for another two months. You’ll only be gone for a few days at most. We’ll be fine.”

  My wings are back, shimmering orange feathers dragging in the snow like flames cutting through the ice. I tuck them behind me to avoid snagging them on the passing trees.

  “Thank you for letting me know, Robert.”

  And to Michael, I say, “Give Rose a hug for me.”

  “Hah, if I can get her attention.”

  His expression becomes serious, but his worry isn’t for me: I’ve proven my invincibility too many times for that. Instead, he says, “Make sure that boy’s okay.”

  The last time I headed out to help a mortal, I almost didn’t make it there in time and the girl nearly died.

  I surge ahead, passing Josh, Arachne, and Rose on the way.

  “Mommy, fly!” Rose calls, clapping her hands.

  I spin and blow her giant kisses, catching my brother’s laughter as I half-run-half-stride away.

  “I’ll never get used to seeing that.” He throws his hands into the air. “Wings!”

  I hurry through the forest, along the glistening quartz path and past the magnolia tree. The scorpions scuttle toward the nearest branch to watch me leave.

  I’m surprised to find Snowboy standing at the edge of the cliff next to the rebuilt tower. Like all of us, he’s barely aged, but over time his skin has developed a glistening texture as if the ice is becoming more and more a part of him.

  I need to hurry, but the look on his face stops me. “Snow?”

  “I overheard.” A glimmer of a smile touches his lips. “I wish I could come with you, but I’d slow you down.”

  “You? Never.”

  His smile fades and there’s a sadness in his eyes that has been growing stronger lately. Of all my brothers, Snowboy is the one who belongs most in the icy mountains. He’s so much a part of the wild here that we’re used to him disappearing for days into the mountains, taming the leopards, and helping the bears with their new cubs. For a long time, I believed that his nature was genuinely solitary, but I’m not so sure of that anymore.

  The pinpoint focus of his eyes tells me that he’s using his powerful vision to see along the path—to my family, their laughter, the way they talk and care for each other.

  I whisper, “You’re saying goodbye.”

  “This is my home. It’s where I belong. But … I need to find my own family and I can’t do that here.”

  I haven’t had a reason to cry for a very long time but tears rush to my eyes. “This won’t be home without you.”

  “Which is why I’ll come back. I just need to go away for a while … however long it takes.”

  I wrap my wings around him. He was the first of my brothers to teach me that I’m not alone. Now I need to let him go for the same reason.

  My feathers rustle.

  He’s gone faster than I can blink, leaving me to my tears. I take a deep breath and swallow them down, turning to face the ocean. The water crashes against the rocks far below. The solar grid was removed five years ago when peace returned to Evereach and now there’s only air and space in front of me.

  For a moment, I close my eyes, absorbed in the sensation of the wind and my hair flying out behind me along with my wings. I lap up the sound of the laughter and love in the hearts of the people who will be here when I return.

  The ocean sparkles as I leap from the cliff.

  I spread my wings and soar.

  THE END

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