by LJ Andrews
She saw him, helping the large Ignisian who had killed Blake from the ground. Everything always came back to Killian, the Thomas family, and the abomination that had destroyed her life.
Clenching her jaw, she watched as her plan, her glory, was slipping from her grasp. Her silver eyes narrowed and she rushed across the field to make certain that didn’t happen.
***
Killian helped Dax from the ground and wrapped his arm around Dax’s shoulders. Dax slumped and his face was darkened to a deep sadness. Killian understood. He didn’t even know why he was bothering helping Dax; he couldn’t fight so he was probably dead anyway. Faint warmth tickled deep inside him as if it was trying to spur something awake. He tried to extinguish the feeling, but it seemed to grow.
All around him the people who once fought each other fell to the ground, seeming to give up the battle as if sacrificing themselves to any enemy. The Black Dawn was no respecter of persons and extinguished the life forces of everyone slowly, sadistically. Some succumbed faster than others. When the Black Dawn selected a victim it encircled their body with its black arms. Some dried up like the mummified Deshuits, others lost their brightness and slowly aged and withered.
Achlys grew uglier by the second, but her reach with the Black Dawn had strengthened, and more tendrils wrapped their twisted dark fingers around her pale, gaunt skin.
Killian glanced to his side. The queen, she was charging toward them. She held out her hands as if she was going to cast her magic, but he didn’t care if she hit him with a curse. The annoying spark was there again. He knew something was trying to reach him, but he kept pushing it away. Finally, he focused on Maurelle’s aim and the spark strengthened. Something sprang him back to life as he realized Maurelle wasn’t aiming at him; her hands were directed at Mercedes, who was sitting gloomily on the grass.
“Stop,” he said weakly, but it even drew Dax’s attention. “Maurelle, no. Stop.” His voice grew stronger.
Killian gently helped Dax to the ground and removed his spear. There was still a pull to give up. He wouldn’t reach Mercedes in time, but growing stronger was the spark of heat that reached him deep in his soul, energizing him forward.
He jogged toward the queen, and then slowly his legs moved faster until he was sprinting, the heat surging through his veins.
Maurelle raised her palm and blasted a shot of blue mist. It hit Mercedes square in the chest. Mercedes rolled backward and screamed in pain as she writhed on the squishy lawn. Maurelle stepped closer to Mercedes and blasted another red spark of mist. Mercedes screamed as gashes cut into her arms from an invisible blade.
“No, Maurelle,” Killian bellowed and swung his spear, hitting the queen hard across her shoulder.
Maurelle shot daggers from her eyes at Killian and lifted her hands up toward him as Mercedes continued to squirm in pain. Killian embraced the familiar heat and found the strange peace he’d felt earlier as he prepared to face off against Maurelle.
The queen blasted the black mist that had wrapped its painful torture around him once before, but he threw his hands out in front of him, building the translucent protection around himself before the mist could touch him.
Maurelle angrily pushed the mist harder, but Killian deflected and both powers collided between them. Killian felt the pushback from the queen’s magic, and it was as if he was pushing against three cement walls, but he held firm; Mercedes’ relentless screams as Maurelle’s curse continued to attack her fueled him.
“I won’t stop until you’re wiped away, Killian Thomas,” Maurelle bellowed through their curses.
“Maurelle, stop your attack on Mercedes. This doesn’t involve her.”
“Now you know a piece of what I feel,” she cried out.
Killian tried again. “What are you fighting for? You’ve lost control—admit it,” he screamed back.
“Infinium destroyed my mother, and the Ponderi destroyed my father! I will avenge them,” she shrieked madly.
Killian braced against her fury as her curse threatened to break his barrier. The calm peace warmed him again, urging him to keep trying.
“Stop and think Maurelle, think about why your mother wasn’t able to defend herself. She’d sacrificed her power to the ruby.”
Maurelle was silent, but the black mist still pushed relentlessly against him. Killian absorbed more warmth that bubbled in his chest. Closing his eyes, he welcomed the fresh surge of power. When he opened his eyes again, he threw all his energy forward at the mist. In a large flash of white light, the Infinium barrier broke and the mist disappeared. Nothing was between them. He met her silver eyes; Maurelle was fuming and gripping tightly to a purple emerald dagger.
Killian clasped his spear and released both ends. “Think, why did your mother sacrifice everything for that ruby?” he called out to her.
Maurelle shrieked and ran with the emerald dagger held up in her hand. Killian could feel her pain as she cried out. He sensed her wall breaking down, but he had to keep pushing.
He held his spear up and blocked her dagger, but she came again and again. When they locked weapons and their faces were near each other, he pushed harder against her wall. “She was trying to protect the people from darkness like this, Maurelle.”
Maurelle snarled and ripped her dagger out of the trap with his spear and sliced the blade toward his back, but he dodged her attack.
“Merlin deceived her. I was there on the Venture. It wasn’t evil. My father wasn’t evil.”
Killian blocked her dagger again. “She knew this dark magic was a possibility. Your mother loved the Hemisphere enough to sacrifice her magic for it. And now her daughter is destroying it.”
“No,” Maurelle shrieked and sliced again.
“Look around, Your Majesty,” he said without sarcasm, but as if he was trying to reach a friend. “What else is there? Achlys has the Black Dawn. She thrives on darkness and she won’t stop until the entire Hemisphere is destroyed. Who do you have on your side?”
They locked weapons again, but Maurelle didn’t push as hard. Instead, she scanned the chaos she’d caused. The Black Dawn was swallowing the abstract, steel Praetorium and dissolving the beautiful petals of the rainbow flowers in the wild garden.
She glared at Killian and pushed him away from her, but he wasn’t going to give up.
“Be brave, Maurelle, like your mother. Rhea promised to defend Hemisphere at all costs; that was her duty as Queen of the Hemisphere, and she gave her life for that promise. You can stop this.”
Maurelle’s mouth twitched, but her eyes had misted over. “Infinium took her life, not the ruby.”
“Maurelle, Axel’s Infinium. You hate me because I had a curse implanted in me when I was a child. You want to kill me because of my name, but your own mother agreed with James Thomas.”
Maurelle stepped back, her shoulders heaving with exertion as emotion filled her eyes. Killian saw his chance and he pushed more.
“I am not Axel, Maurelle. Look around—Blake is gone, the Trinity is getting eaten by the curse you thought you could control. You released Achlys, but you can fix it. It isn’t too late, Maurelle. I know the old Maurelle is in there. The Maurelle who showed her colors to me when you told me about your mother’s goodness. You told me about her golden eyes because she was so connected to every realm. She was good Maurelle, and she’s part of you. You can be her daughter again. She doesn’t need you to avenge her. She will always be remembered as a hero of the realms.”
Maurelle released a sob and brought a hand to her face. Her shoulders shook for several moments until she finally took a deep breath. “I can’t stop it. Achlys is in control of the curse.”
Killian shook his head, refusing to accept it. “There has to be a way to trap it again.”
Maurelle looked weary. “Achlys would have to lock herself with it into the gateway…” Maurelle’s eyes widened as a thought came. “But she is connected to the ruby. Axel formed the connection. If the ruby goes in, then she goes with it,
and so does the Black Dawn.”
Without waiting for Killian to process what she was saying, Maurelle pulled out the yellow scroll and grabbed the ruby. She placed the ruby to the parchment and instantly the crack pulled at the sky. The silver lining around the opening pulled and broke behind the colorless sky as the gateway opened again.
Maurelle stood by the opening and looked back at Killian. She held out her palm and Mercedes’ screams stopped. Killian rushed to her side. She was breathing, but faintly. He stroked her hair and kissed her forehead.
Killian lifted his eyes to Maurelle as she looked over the battlefield and for the first time allowed Killian to feel her true emotions. He was sick with heartache, with regret, with remorse. Killian felt his heart would explode from the pain. Maurelle met his eye once more and held the ruby close to her chest as she stepped closer to the gateway.
“What are you doing, Maurelle? Just throw it in,” he shouted.
“It must be locked from the inside, Killian. You were right; it’s time I was brave like my mother,” she said softly.
Killian’s mouth dropped with the realization of what she was doing and he watched helplessly as Maurelle threw herself beyond the entrance of the gateway into the alternate Hemisphere.
“No!” Achlys shrieked with a voice more animal-like than female. He watched as an invisible rope pulled her helplessly toward the gateway. She snarled and fought against it, but her connection with the ruby was too powerful and the gateway sucked her in.
Above them, the thick black cloud of the curse billowed and began retreating through the crack in the atmosphere, following the goddess controlling it. The power was tumultuous and blew the plants like a fierce hurricane, until all at once, it stopped once the crack healed itself and disappeared as if it had never opened.
A dead silence encompassed the large lawn. Slowly, people who had been dimmed by the Black Dawn gained color again. Even the sun began gaining its beautiful green-lavender shade. The effects of the curse were wearing off and people looked around in confusion.
Mercedes coughed and Killian pulled her close against him. He scanned the field and saw families searching for loved ones, friends crying over bodies, and Trinity soldiers beginning to flee the field, while the realm people snatched others and held them as prisoners.
He saw his parents holding hands looking for someone he assumed was him. Rhetta knelt next to Dalia, who lay peacefully on the side of the field. Miller leaned on a long spear he’d found and met Killian’s eye. His grandfather smiled at him and Killian felt the adrenaline leaving his body as overwhelming emotions took its place. He offered a small smile to Miller. It was over. They’d won.
Chapter 24
Ponderi’s End
The skies from all the realms shone brightly, painting the moon in ghostly purple, green, and pink light from the different atmospheres. Killian leaned on his knees in the garden. It was torn apart, but the flowers and small dwarf trees were beginning to grow their vibrant blossoms and buds again.
The Praetorium was still full of realms people. It seemed difficult for people to just return home after the trauma they’d experienced from the battle, and most wanted to be involved with the trials of the captured Trinity soldiers being held in the underground prison.
“You okay?” Mercedes asked leaning out the door. Her hair was wavy and long. She wore a blue gown. Since the battle, Mercedes had chosen to become part of her two realms. She had a glittering tiara in her hair that Gwyniera had given to her. It had blue sapphires like her mother’s ring, but also several polished black firestone. She looked regal and beautiful.
Killian rubbed his thumb over the scabbed gashes on her cheeks. Shannon was still overwhelmed in the clinic with the wounded; those without life-threatening injuries didn’t get the luxury of the suture light.
“I’m doing all right,” he answered. “How about you?”
She shrugged. “I can’t help thinking of the end. Even with Maurelle’s curse tearing up my insides, I saw her. I saw her change, and the thought of her locked away in some other Hemisphere with that horrible woman and that curse…”
“I know. It’s eating at me too. But it was the only way to stop Achlys. Maurelle let her rage build for centuries, but somehow found a piece of the light she once had and saved us. For that, I’m grateful.”
“Have you talked to Miller recently?”
He shook his head. After the battle, Miller had announced he needed to take time for some considerations, and had been rarely out of his office since.
“I hope he’s all right,” she said sincerely.
“I’m sure he will be. It’s going to take time for everyone.”
“Hey, you two,” Dax said with more spirit than they’d heard for months.
“Dax, you’re looking a lot better,” Mercedes said, pointing at the gash across his chest. “How is your father?”
“Much better. Shannon said he got the light treatment just in time or that wound on his stomach could have been fatal. Nasty things, those Aranide.”
“Dax,” Killian said hesitantly. “How are you? I have to admit ever since…you know, you’ve seemed much more like your old-self.”
“You mean when I killed Blake, one of my best friends? I feel liberated. I know it’s not good that killing someone would make me feel better. But after Sophia was killed, I was so filled with hate. I admit even before I found Blake, I had released it. I don’t know if it was her bow I was using, but I realized she doesn’t want me hating for the rest of my life. I’m no good to anyone. When I saw Blake, I fought him to stay alive. He wouldn’t have hesitated to kill me.”
“So you didn’t kill him out of revenge then?” Mercedes asked, raising an eyebrow.
Dax smiled. “Don’t get me wrong—it felt great giving that leech what he deserved. But, no. I don’t want Sophia’s memory to turn me into a bitter, hateful person. That wouldn’t serve her well.”
“You’re pretty awesome, you know that Dax?” Killian said, slapping his shoulder.
“I know,” Dax smirked. “Don’t forget it, either.”
***
Miller stared out the grand window in his office. Killian sat next to his mother, who had fuller cheeks and her long blonde hair had a beautiful gold sheen now that she was healthier. Rhetta sat on his other side and slowly stroked his hand, as if it was keeping her calm.
Owen bounced his leg nervously up and down in the large red chair behind the desk.
“I’m stepping down,” Miller said quickly. “I am no longer going to be the director.”
Marie looked surprised. “Dad, it’s the job you’ve always wanted. What’s changed?”
“Everything,” he said. “I have my family back. And after seeing the people of the realms come together…” He shook his head in disbelief. “The people don’t need me dictating what they can and can’t do. They came together at a request, but organized themselves in that battle so effortlessly. Cimmerians who had never been free to use their magic saved my life on the field with their abilities. And I am just supposed to return here and tell them they can’t use their magic anymore?”
“So get rid of that one rule,” Marie suggested. “You’re right Cimmerians should use their magic−ˮ
“It’s more than that, dear,” he interrupted. “We all can admit the Ponderi was formed out of fear. James Thomas had the greatest intentions, but after seeing what Claec and Axel could do with their abilities, he banned all extraordinary gifts. We bring realm children here and conform them to do the jobs we want them to do. I can no longer be the director and ask that of the people. I’m officially stepping down and passing the Ponderi on to Owen.”
Marie stood up and looked at her husband. Rhetta covered her mouth in surprise, but Killian didn’t believe it.
“Dad, you really want to run the Ponderi?”
Owen chuckled and looked at the ground. “Actually, no I don’t. Miller and I have talked a lot about this, but we wanted to get you three involved in the final
decision.” He paused as if making sure they were all listening. “We are ending the Ponderi.”
“What? Wait, what does that mean?” Rhetta asked.
“The Praetorium will stay, and those wishing to learn to use the technology to better the realms are welcome to come here. People can train, the realm councils will use the Praetorium as a neutral ground, but the barriers will stay down. Of course, we’ll put it to a final vote, but we believe the people will welcome the open Hemisphere. The people united together on that battle field, and those relationships are not soon forgotten.”
“I…I don’t know what to say. The Ponderi has been in place for five hundred years,” Marie said. “It won’t be easy to go on without it.”
“I agree, but it’s the right thing to do. We know it, Marie. Living with the Deshuits all those years, it is better for the people to use their natural abilities without feeling inhibited. Everyone should be able to celebrate their unique abilities, not hide them.”
No one spoke for a long time. Killian’s neck tingled with warm heat. He agreed, and he wasn’t sure why he agreed so quickly, but it felt right.
“All right, it seems like you two have thought about this for a while now. I’m with you.” Marie said.
Rhetta and Killian nodded.
“Right then,” Owen said. “We’ll put it to a vote with the realm councils. Marie and I will serve as Terrene’s council members.”
“How are you going to handle Terrene?” Killian asked. “I mean, people saw things they only believe in the movies.”
Owen nodded. “We’re doing damage control, but we’re also talking with Terrenian leaders on whether or not the barriers will be blocked from Terrene. It is quite traumatizing. We will see if the walls will go up again around the realm.”
Miller cleared his throat and rubbed a hand along the smooth marble-topped desk. “Well, if we are in agreement, then I believe this is a new beginning for the entire Hemisphere, but the end of the Ponderi.”
