Invincible (The Aerling Series Book 3)

by DelSheree Gladden

  A feral scream rips past the Mother’s lips as my hand tightens around her neck. The panic in her eyes almost gives me pause, but as her power beats against me I’m reminded of how much of that was stolen from innocent children, and any spec of hesitation I have at destroying her disappears.

  “You can’t,” she wheezes. “I’m the only one…who knows how.”

  The memories unlocked by Tāwhiri’s abilities flood my mind as the power within me builds. Attacking Tū was an instinct, one given to me purposely. Wardens are meant to protect, but I was chosen for more than that. Tāwhiri’s gift of power the day I was born contained more than a mark. It contained knowledge.

  Aerlings are made of power. They cannot kill one another in violence, but power is like water, always drawn together. Slowly, I begin to pull. The Mother recognizes my actions immediately and her struggle to get free increases along with her screaming. Tū, Hayden, Sloane, Olivia, they all rush forward through the storm of power, lending physical and inborn strength to subdue her as I continue to pull.

  Shoving all the power I now contain down into my center feels like pouring gallons of water into a balloon, stretching it, knowing it will burst if it doesn’t stop soon. My own tortured screams pour out of me as I drag it all in. Hitting the end of my power provides no relief. As my power ends, the Mother’s begins. Agony fills the whole valley as I tear and twist and pull away her essence.

  The power cramming itself into me begs for release. My skin feels ready to split in two. I howl in agony as it tries to tear me apart. Forgetting my promises to bear it all myself, I do the only thing I can to keep from being torn apart. Shoving the power across our bond, it slaps into Olivia in a rush. Dropping to her knees in shock, she cradles her head in her hands as the power keeps pouring in.

  Wasted, shriveled, the Mother’s weak voice begs, “Please,” but my heart is buried under the pain and power and I have nothing left but fury.

  Silvered-eyed, I glare down at her and say, “This is the end.” With one last tremendous effort, I pull away the last of her power and watch her vanish into the frigid air.

  Sighs of relief burst around me like balloons popping, but I’m not done yet. The memory of what happened the night I killed the Sentinel blasts to the front of my mind, clear and uninterrupted. Spinning and lashing out, daggers of pure power impale themselves in Tū’s chest, pinning him to the ground and drawing out a furious yell. They aren’t enough to kill him like they did Alex, but there is no chance of him escaping me now.

  “Get out of my way!” he screams. “The Aerlings are mine!”

  “The Aerlings were Tāwhiri’s children,” I say in a strangely calm voice. “You have no claim over them.”

  “I am the last Aerling god! I will not submit to you!” he growls. Fury bristles around him, his power pulsing, fighting to escape, but he is no match for me. “I’ve done nothing but protect my home all these centuries!”

  “By killing children,” I snap. “There is no understanding or forgiveness for that.”

  Calling every last spec of power he possesses, Tū pushes up from the ground to his knees. Bowed over under the weight of his captivity, his eyes are flooded with silver, but not even he can muster enough strength to break free. “You’re only a vessel. Not a god. They belong to me.”

  “If I have learned anything from dealing with Aerling gods,” I hiss, “it’s that power is the only true ruler. You want it, but I have it.”

  Tū’s hands ball up in fists, but he knows he is defeated. Playing the only card he has left, he says, “Destroying me has a cost. Every Sentinel in the world is linked to me. Destroy me and you’ll be condemning every one of them to death. Is that a price you’re really willing to pay?”

  For the briefest moment, I hesitate. Without the massive amount of power running through me, begging and clawing for more, maybe his words would have an impact. Maybe not. Memories of the night I watched my Caretakers die flash in front of my eyes. It wasn’t just Tū. He came for me, but the others with him delighted in tearing apart the lives of a loving family. They don’t deserve my sympathy.

  “The Aerlings belong to no one,” I say as I start pulling.

  The scar I gave him thirteen years ago widens as his power is torn out of him. The desire to look away as I strip him of his power is almost too much to ignore, but I force myself to watch. This was my choice. The consequences are mine. The image of his past slowly consuming him makes me sick, but I don’t look away. I keep staring until all that is left of him is the remnant of his power buzzing inside my pounding skull.

  Agony presses itself around me like a blanket, but I don’t know what to do with it. Turning to my friends for help, I try to contain my fear and pain, but one look at Olivia sets it free. I step forward to reach her as her eyes roll back in her head and she falls to the ground, her body convulsing as the power she carries begs for escape.

  Chapter 32

  What Kills Her

  (Hayden)

  Diving for Olivia, I barely manage to catch her before her head smacks into the ground. I don’t know what to do as her entire body shudders in my arms. I try calling out to her, but she doesn’t respond. The adrenaline high I was riding during the fight gives way to panic. Mason crashes into us before I can say or do anything.

  “We have to get her back to the Aerling world,” Mason says frantically. His hands are pressed to her face, his eyes closed as he tries to do…something. I have no idea, but I’m really freaking out.

  Sloane is the next to drop to the ground next to us. Her hands dart in as well and her breath catches in shock. “She’s dying, Mason. She can’t hold this much power. It’s going to kill her if we don’t get rid of it soon.”

  “I know!” he snaps. His eyes lock with mine. Fear and anger makes his voice sharp. “Take us back!” he demands.

  Scrambling to get a hold of myself and my power, I briefly wonder if the barrier is still in place, if I can even still get us back to the Aerling world. I have no idea, but I have no time to worry about it. Digging down through my own fear, I wrestle my power and shove it out and around the people huddled near me. Giving of myself to protect them comes so naturally. A sigh starts to slip from my lips, but the fear of losing access to air chokes me as we’re drug through whatever weird space there is between worlds.

  It only takes a few seconds to realize it’s easier than before…and that I can breathe. Gulping in a huge breath, the disorienting feeling I was expecting never comes. Instead of feeling like I’m about to die, a sense of peace and rightness wraps itself around me before we’re dropped onto the grassy expanse of the grove.

  Mason yanking Olivia out of my arms brings me back to the situation at hand. A second later, he’s grabbing me as well, panic tearing him apart. “How do we get rid of it?” he nearly shouts at me. “What do we do?”

  I don’t know why he thinks I would know. All I can do is shrug as my panic slowly begins to consume me. “I have no clue, Mason. I thought you’d know once we got here.”

  “I’m trying,” he cries. Agony twists his features as he drops his head to rest against Olivia’s. “It’s trapped. It won’t leave. I don’t want it! How do I get it out of her, Hayden? She’s dying! She said I had to take it out, but I can’t! It’s not working!”

  Tears start pouring down his face as he picks Olivia up and cradles her in his arms, devastated and helpless. Sick at the thought that I may be forced to sit here and watch my friend die while I do nothing, I look around for Sloane, hoping she’ll be able to do something, but all I see is her backside as she rushes out of the grove.

  “Sloane’s getting help,” I tell Mason. Clamping my hand down on his shoulder, I lend him whatever support I can. “She’ll be okay. Cedrick will know what to do.”

  “I shouldn’t have done it,” Mason cries as he rocks back and forth.

  “Done what?” Everything he did, he had to do it. There was no other way. I saw him hesitate before sucking Tū dry of all his power and destroying him
, but there’s no reason for him to feel guilty over whatever happens to the Sentinels. They made their choices. It was war and they lost. None of that is Mason’s fault.

  Sobbing, Mason says, “I knew she couldn’t hold so much power.” One hand swipes at his eyes as he tries to clear away his tears, but more keep falling. “I promised myself I would take it all, but I couldn’t. I tried to hold every lost drop of it, but there was just too much. I panicked when I thought it would tear me apart and I threw it at her. This is my fault.”

  Completely broken, Mason doubles over. Olivia hangs lifelessly in his arms. I can feel the power buzzing through their veins. Mason is holding an impossible amount, but Olivia is fairly bursting with it as well. I don’t have Sloane’s talent, but I can feel how desperate the power in both of them is to escape. Mason is stronger, more capable of holding it, but it’s slowly tearing Olivia apart.

  “It’s not your fault,” I say quietly. I don’t know if Olivia will survive this. The thought of losing her breaks through the adrenaline and shock and amazement that the barrier is finally gone and the war is over. Everything pours out of me as tears stumble their way down my face. She chose this path, and I know she doesn’t regret a second of it. Only knowing Mason blames himself for this would cause her pain.

  Forcing Mason to look at me, I wait until he actually sees me. “This isn’t your fault.” I hold him in my gaze, making him listen to me. “This isn’t your fault. None of it. Not the war. Not Olivia. This isn’t your fault and she knows that. She would have given up anything for you. Anything.”

  “But I promised I’d protect her.” A new batch of tears careen down his cheeks.

  “She chose to follow you. She chose to fight,” I remind him, though my own pain is pouring out as well. “She chose you, Mason, and that’s never something she’ll regret. The cost of being with you never mattered to her. She chose you.”

  Mason nods, but I can tell he’s barely holding it together. Both of our heads jerk back up as Sloane comes barreling into the grove, Cedrick trailing behind her. Some other people I’ve never met before rush in behind them. Everyone’s faces light up with panic as soon as they see and feel what has happened. Cedrick and Sloane are the first to reach us. Sloane collapses next to me, breathing hard, while Cedrick kneels carefully beside to Olivia.

  “Any change?” Sloane whispers. Her face falls when I shake my head. Fingers strangling each other’s, we both turn to Cedrick, hoping beyond all hope that he has the answer.

  Before he says anything, a woman kneels down next to him. Her hands gently brush across Olivia’s skin. Cedrick reaches out and touches Mason’s shoulder. “Mason, this is Emma, our most talented healer.”

  “But she’s not hurt,” Mason says. “It’s the power. I don’t know how to get rid of it without hurting Olivia even more.”

  Cedrick nods slowly. “I know. The power has already done damage to Olivia’s body. Emma will restore what she can. If she can heal her enough, maybe Olivia can tell us what she needs.”

  Shaking his head in confusion, Mason says, “I know what she needs. The power, I have to get rid of it before it kills her! Just tell me how to do it!”

  “We don’t know the answer, Mason,” Emma says softly. “It’s never been done before.”

  At the risk of interrupting, I say, “Why would Olivia know?”

  Cedrick frowns, worrying everyone gathered. “Except for giving up power in death, as Tāwhiri did, only Escorts are capable of giving power. It’s how they mark and transport Aerlings. We’re not meant to give up our power. I don’t know what needs to be done.”

  “Hayden,” Mason says, grabbing me roughly, “you’re an Escort, too. What do I do? How do I get rid of the power? I can’t rip it out of her. It will kill her!”

  Shaking my head, I’m completely at a loss. “I don’t know. I mean, when I brought us back, I just pushed my power out and let it fall over you guys, but it always comes back. I don’t know how Olivia gave me part of Tāwhiri’s power before. It felt right, natural, but I don’t know how to do it.”

  Mason’s shoulders sink. His whole body loses its tension as he sags in defeat. Cedrick is there to keep him from falling apart completely. “Let Emma try. If anyone knows what to do, it’s Olivia. Just let Emma try to heal her enough to wake her. It will only be temporary, but it might be enough.”

  Nodding, Mason turns to Emma and begs, “Please. Please don’t let her die.”

  Emma nods, but her hands are trembling as she reaches forward and places her hands on Olivia’s head. We all watch her breathe in. Her chest expands as she holds the air inside long enough to form a plea. I recognize what she’s doing immediately. Confirmation that the barrier is indeed abolished hits me as her expelled breath solidifies into the shape of wind spirit.

  The spirit makes her power swell, and I feel it settle over Olivia like a blanket. The buzz of power at work captivates everyone. Our eyes and hopes are glued to this woman as she tries to fix Olivia’s battered soul. As I stare at my friend, limp in Mason’s arms, I hold my breath. It seems like the time to pray, but to who? The gods of this world are dead. All we have left is a liberated group of Aerlings who are still reeling from having their entire world ripped apart. Olivia has survived so much. Winning the war can’t be what kills her.

  Chapter 33

  Fade

  (Olivia)

  It hurts. Everything hurts so much. Pain ripples through me over and over again and I’m powerless to stop it. The power is begging for release, and I try, but it’s too late. Nothing responds. Not my arms or legs, my own power, nothing. My body is slowly being consumed by the immense power bashing around inside of me. My own innate power has been smothered, rendered useless. There’s nothing I can do to save myself.

  I suppose that should scare me. Instead, I feel oddly at peace…except for the pain.

  We won. The Aerling gods are gone. Their children are finally free. The barrier is broken—that, at least, I could feel as we traveled between worlds. The power trapped on Earth will make its way back here to renew the Aerling world and protect it. Both worlds are safe. The cost was my life, but I’m okay with that.

  I was prepared to die the day I took Mason home. It hurt to know I would be leaving him, and it’s torture now to know he’ll have to go on without me. That’s worse than what all this power is doing to me. Cringing as more of my body and soul are ripped apart, that is the one thing I wish I could change.

  Mason will feel responsible. It will eat away at him. If I could do anything to change that, I would, but all I can do is hope that Sloane’s calming touch and Hayden’s friendship and support will get him through this. I whimper as something bursts and pure agony washes over me. If I could scream, I would, the pain is so great, but it’s trapped in here with the power that won’t leave until it tears its way out of me.

  This is my own fault. Why didn’t I better explain to Mason how to get rid of the power beforehand? I’m not even completely sure I know, but I was able to give Hayden part of Tāwhiri’s power, and that didn’t even want to leave me. This, the tangled up power of three demented gods and one would-be failed savior, all of this power is desperate to be free. Those holding it may have lost their purpose and become twisted by their own desires, but the power itself is pure. It remembers the reason for its design and is begging to be able to burst out of me and fulfill its purpose.

  If I had any strength left, I would grant its wish.

  Gasping in shock, something within me responds. Air rushes into my body as my lungs expand hungrily. More power pushes in, and I try to shove it away in a flat-out panic. I can’t hold any more! Fear makes me blind, and it takes me a moment to realize this power isn’t trying to invade and take up residence. It’s trying to help!

  Realizing that, I do what I can to give it purchase, to let it in and try to make a difference. Desperately, I hope someone here in the Aerling world knows how to get the power out of me, but I realize that’s not what it’s trying to do. Bits a
nd pieces of my body and soul are stitched back together. It’s a valiant effort. As soon as something is put back together, it’s just ripped apart again. My body shudders as fear swallows me up all over again.

  The hope that I was going to survive and not leave Mason is dashed to pieces. I am aware enough of my body to feel tears running down my cheeks. How could they give him hope like that only to fail? Just let me die. Don’t hurt Mason any more than he’s already been hurt. Please!

  Just as the plea for death forms, a new power rushes in behind the first. Recognizing it immediately as Sloane’s, I tentatively grasp back onto my hope and pray this will work. Sloane’s power must be mixed with Hayden’s, because it’s more than it should be, but together they guide the foreign power through healing me. They’re still wildly ineffective as everything they repair is torn back apart, but it sticks together for longer…long enough to give me the strength to open my eyes.

  Red, swollen eyes greet me as Mason hovers over my body. Joy explodes onto his face when my eyes open, but he sees the fear in mine and freezes. “I’m dying,” I croak.

  Tears spill over his cheeks with abandon. He nods. “I know, but we’re going to save you.”

  “The power…it’s killing me. Have to…get it out.”

  “How? How do I get rid of it, Ollie? I don’t know what to do.”

  My body convulses as the healing loses ground to the power again. I feel something warm and thick slide down my cheek and I don’t need the copper taste in my mouth to tell me it’s blood. “Pull…it…out,” I gasp through the blood and pain.