She turned and focused entirely on the massive creature that stood before her. Rhyn was standing on its other side, preparing for his next attack, and the Original was staring at her, a triumphant look in its eyes after what it had done to her brother. She couldn’t warn Rhyn of her plan to stop it, but she hoped he would fall into line as soon as he saw what she was doing.
Sloane let her focus fall to the Oblivion Stone around her neck. It was still throbbing with energy, and she directed the power to pulse around her body freely. She allowed it to mix with all the other emotions that were churning through her veins. The anger, the grief and the pain after everything she had been through since landing on Aeris all that time ago.
She took in a deep breath before she started to run towards the Braky. She raised her arm and willed the energy from the Oblivion Stone to travel up and into the flaming sword she now carried above her head. As she transferred the surging power to the weapon, the flames blazed even more brightly. With all the force she could muster, she flung the blade towards the Braky like a javelin. The Original looked stunned at the speed with which the sword flew through the air, and it tried to dodge out of the way, but the blade cannoned into its shoulder, knocking it off balance.
With the Braky distracted, Rhyn jumped into action, flinging his sword down on the Original like a hammer. The creature recovered just in time to turn and catch Rhyn’s sword in its giant clawed hands, but Sloane’s assault had worked. She had her opening.
With the Orignal’s back turned towards her, she launched herself at the creature. She pulled the dagger from her waist as she jumped towards it and landed on its back.
It dropped Rhyn’s sword and reached back to claw at Sloane as she gripped onto its muscular body. The jagged talons cut into her skin, but she was too focused on her task to call out in agony. Once it had a secure grip on her, the Braky tore Sloane off its back and hurled her away. She landed on the ground in a heap, but she looked up to see Rhyn driving his sword deep into the Braky’s chest.
The creature sent up a howl so piercing it raised the hairs on the back of Sloane’s neck. Its red eyes dimmed as its shocked stare turned in Sloane’s direction, and she grinned as she lifted the piece of the Oblivion Stone that she had cut free from around the monster’s neck.
Its mouth started frothing, and black blood was oozing from the sword that jutted out of its chest. Through its agony, the creature forced out a final smirk as it looked at Sloane.
‘You haven’t won,’ it gurgled. ‘As long as there are humans in this world, you haven’t won.’
Its threat sent chills down the back of Sloane’s spine, but she didn't react as she returned its stare. Rhyn stepped towards the Original Braky, a dagger in his hand, and he ended the creature with one last flick of his wrist before it could utter another word.
The din of battle around them suddenly went quiet. As Sloane eased herself up, she could see Brakys collapsing to the ground, their bodies becoming rigid before they started to disintegrate before her very eyes. The monsters that had terrorised the Unfaih for centuries turned to dust in seconds and were swept away by the soft breeze that wafted through the trees. There was no more hissing and snarling, and no more violent clashing of metal and claws. Not a single creature was left now that the Original Braky was gone, and a cheer rang out through the crowd of humans and Unfaih.
Sloane wasn’t focused on the people though. She pushed herself to her feet and rushed across the small clearing towards where her brother lay unnaturally against a tree. As she got closer, Sloane could see blood pooling in his hair. His skin had turned a ghostly shade of white, and a clammy sweat coated his forehead.
Sloane collapsed down to her knees at his side and gently lifted two fingers to check his pulse. It was still beating, but the rhythm was sluggish, and his breaths were so feeble she could barely see his chest rising and falling.
‘Ash,’ she said. ‘Ash, wake up.’
His eyes slowly blinked open and Sloane’s heart wrenched when she saw how little awareness he had. He was barely lucid, and his eyes were heavy with pain and exhaustion. She could see he was already losing his tenuous grip on consciousness, but at least he was still alive.
‘Did you kill it?’ he wheezed, his eyes squeezing closed in pain.
Sloane nodded. ‘The Original Braky is dead,’ she whispered. ‘The battle is over. We won.’
‘Good,’ he smiled weakly. ‘Good.’
‘I’m going to get you some help,’ she said.
But Ash reached out and touched her hand, stopping her as his eyes opened once more. ‘I’m sorry we won’t get our chance to start over,’ he whispered.
‘Don’t talk like that. Of course we will,’ Sloane said.
He replied with the tiniest shake of his head. ‘I always loved you and Rowe,’ he whispered. ‘Always.’
His eyes fell shut again, and Sloane’s heart started racing. ‘Ash?’ she called out, but this time there was no response. ‘Ash, wake up!’
She felt movement at her side and looked up to find Rhyn crouching down beside her.
‘Do you have any Liftsal with you?’ she asked, her voice breaking with emotion as the words rushed from her mouth. She could feel panic clawing under her skin as she waited for Rhyn’s response.
He nodded and brought out a vial of the healing water. He didn’t hesitate as he leant over and poured some of the glittering liquid into Ash’s mouth. Rhyn’s eyes were filled with uncertainty though.
‘It might be too late,’ he warned.
‘No, it will work,’ Sloane replied. But she could feel Rhyn’s doubts wrapping around her heart. Even the Liftsal had limits, and Sloane had seen for herself that it didn’t always work; that sometimes a person was too far gone and couldn’t be helped.
She watched Ash, waiting for him to recover, wishing she could do more to help her brother. His head had lulled to the side, and his breath was so weak that his chest no longer seemed to move. She could see he was losing the battle with his injury. He didn’t have much time left.
Sloane reached out to touch Ash’s cold hand. ‘I always loved you too,’ she whispered, as her brother took his last breath and was gone.
Tears gathered in her eyes as she pulled her fingers back from his hand. She wrapped her arms around her body and stared at Ash, lying so still against the tree.
As she fought back the tears that threatened to break through, Sloane slowly stood and took a step back from her brother. She had known that fighting the Brakys was never going to be easy and that people would be lost in the battle. She had never expected to feel such an agonising sense of grief though, and especially not because of her brother.
Rhyn stood with her and drew her into his arms. ‘I’m sorry,’ he murmured to her.
She didn’t know how to respond, so she stayed silent, feeling numb of any emotion. Not even the warmth of Rhyn’s arms comforted her now. She had failed Ash today, and there was no way she could make it right.
‘You’re bleeding,’ Rhyn said, as he stepped back and looked down at the bloody claw marks that stained her clothes.
The pain was starting to sear through her skin, but Sloane could barely feel it. ‘I’ll heal,’ she replied, focusing back on her brother.
‘He fought bravely today,’ Rhyn said.
Sloane couldn’t find the words to speak, so she simply nodded as she continued to stare at Ash. She felt empty inside as she watched her brother and realised she’d never get the chance to fix the immense void that had grown between them over the years.
She glanced down at the Original Braky’s fragment of the Oblivion Stone that she still clenched tightly in her fist. It was glowing just as brightly as the other pieces now, and as she slowly lifted her hand closer to her chest, all three fragments began to shine more intensely.
Sloane twisted her lips as she lowered her hand again, turning the Braky’s fragment over in her palm. She may have been the one to rip the stone from around the Original’s neck, but she knew that
Ash was part of the reason they’d recovered it. He was the reason that the battle was over.
She wiped away the tears that had begun to streak across her cheeks and turned to watch the Unfaih warriors and human soldiers celebrating around them. It was hard to believe that only weeks earlier the two peoples had been at war. But they had just defeated an evil that had threatened both of their existences by working together.
‘You survived,’ a deep voice sounded behind her. Sloane turned just in time to see Vas sweep up his son in a firm hug. The sight of Rhyn’s father with such pride and relief filling his eyes warmed Sloane’s heart. Vas was covered in black blood and looked like he’d been fighting just as hard as any other who had stood with them in battle.
As the two of them separated, Vas noticed Ash on the ground beside them and turned his focus to Sloane. ‘Your brother helped to lead the charge against the Brakys,’ he said, his voice now far more formal than it had been moments before. ‘His warning was the reason we were able to surprise them and gain the upper hand. He fought valiantly against the creatures, and you should be proud.’
Sloane’s throat closed up as the Unfaih king spoke and she nodded gratefully. There was nothing more she could do for her brother, but she still had family out there who needed her help. She turned to scan the trees that surrounded them. The last time she had seen Rowe, Esther and Jack was in Ellysia. She had no idea where they were now and no idea if the three of them were safe.
‘Will you stay with Ash?’ she asked Rhyn. ‘I don’t want to leave him alone.’
Rhyn nodded, while Sloane took off through the trees and back towards the rift. When the rift came into view, Sloane saw Lorian and Kai helping the wounded lying in the grass nearby. She was so relieved to see them both moving about without injury, and she started to head towards them, hoping they might know where the others were.
As Sloane approached the rift, Rowe and Esther stepped through it. The two of them supported Jack, whose arms were draped over Sloane’s sisters’ shoulders. His eyes were still shut, and his feet were dragging behind him on the ground. Sloane rushed towards them, calling out Rowe’s name to get their attention.
Rowe glanced up, and her eyes warmed with relief as Sloane hurried towards them. She carefully helped Esther ease Jack down onto the ground, below one of the trees, as they waited for Sloane to reach them.
‘I’m so glad you’re alive,’ Rowe said, pulling Sloane into a rough hug as soon as she could.
‘Me too,’ Sloane replied. ‘Both of you,’ she added, as she lowered her arms from around Rowe and glanced towards Esther who was crouched at Jack’s side.
‘What happened to him?’ Sloane asked, her eyes falling on Jack’s still form.
‘He was knocked out by the Original Braky,’ Esther replied, as she focused on him. ‘But I think he’ll be okay.’
Sloane looked over Jack’s body for any signs of blood. Just one scratch was all that was needed for him to turn into a monster. There was no blood on his clothing though, and she comforted herself with the thought that since the Original Braky was dead, Jack would be gone too if he had been scratched by it.
Sloane lifted her eyes from Jack to meet Rowe’s gaze. She looked exhausted but still appeared to be keeping herself together despite all the bloodshed that had unfolded around them. Rowe didn’t know the truth about Ash though, and Sloane had no idea how to tell her sister that he was gone.
‘Something happened to Ash,’ Sloane started. It hurt to speak the words out loud, and the ache in Sloane’s chest throbbed with even more pain as she prepared for her sister’s reaction.
‘Where is he?’ Rowe asked, her voice soft and hopeful, but also tinged with concern.
Tears started pooling in Sloane’s eyes again. She stepped closer to her sister and took hold of her hand.
‘He didn’t make it,’ Sloane said. She still struggled to accept it was true, and her own confusion and pain was mirrored in Rowe’s eyes as she tried to understand what Sloane was saying.
‘He was killed by the Original Braky,’ Sloane said. ‘But he helped us defeat the monster, and he led the human and Unfaih forces against the creatures. He’s a hero, Rowe.’
Rowe’s eyes widened, and her lower lip trembled as she sank to her knees and wrapped her arms around her chest. There was pure agony and sadness in every sharp breath that she took, and Sloane knew it would be a long time before the anguish faded for any of them. They had only just gotten Ash back, and now he’d been torn away from them forever.
Esther moved to Rowe’s side and started gently rubbing her back. ‘There was nothing you could do,’ Esther said softly.
‘I know that,’ Rowe said, as sobs started to shake her body. ‘I just never got the chance to forgive him, and I never got to tell him I was sorry.’
Sloane could feel an ache echoing Rowe’s in her own heart. The Captain had used and manipulated them all, but no one more than Ash. Their brother had done terrible things in his father’s name, but he had not missed the opportunity to redeem himself. Sloane now knew what kind of man Ash was. She knew beyond doubt that he would have taken the chance to help them, even if he had known that it would lead to his death.
Sloane knelt next to her sister and gripped her hand again tightly. ‘He knows,’ she said softly. ‘He knows.’
Chapter Thirty
The Unfaih and the humans worked as one to clean up after the battle. Large pyres were raised, and all the bodies that hadn’t been poisoned by the Brakys and turned to dust were burnt together. Sloane watched Ash burn, with Rowe and Esther standing on either side of her. It was hard to say goodbye to their brother, but it helped to see him put to rest with all of the other brave humans and Unfaih who had fought and died. He was gone, but because of him, so many lives had been saved.
Sloane felt completely empty inside as she went about helping the injured. She would have expected to feel sadness at everything she had lost, but instead, she just felt hollow and exhausted. She had no more tears to cry, and her heart felt like a fractured mess of what it had been before.
After night had fallen and Sloane had spent several hours working, she went to check on Jack. He was lying under one of the leafy trees on Aeris, a little way back from one of the campfires that burned in the middle of the clearing. Though Jack was mostly in darkness, the soft glow of the fire lit his face. It wasn’t until Sloane stood directly over him that he opened his eyes.
‘How are you feeling?’ Sloane asked, sitting down beside him.
‘Like I’ve been backhanded by a monster,’ he replied.
‘You have been backhanded by a monster.’
He weakly smiled at her. ‘And that’s exactly how I feel.’
Jack tried to push himself upright but seemed to struggle with even the smallest movement. Sloane gave him a hand, and he let out an easy breath once he was settled.
‘How are you feeling?’ he said, nodding towards her stomach.
Sloane lightly touched at the areas of her body where the Braky had dug its claws into her. Rhyn had applied Liftsal to the wounds, and already she was feeling better. ‘I’ll survive,’ she replied.
But Jack was tutting as he shook his head at her. ‘I told you you’d do something crazy if I wasn’t around, and look what happened the moment I passed out...’
Sloane crossed her arms over her chest. ‘You made me do something crazy,’ she protested. ‘You told me to open a rift, and we nearly destroyed an entire world because of it! I’m pretty sure that trumps taking on the Original Braky.’
Jack let out a weak laugh. ‘Okay, you got me on that one.’
His face turned serious as he looked away from Sloane, and over to the other side of the small clearing where Esther and Rowe were helping some of the injured humans. ‘They told me about Ash,’ he said, his eyes still focused on Rowe. ‘I’m sorry.’
‘Me too,’ Sloane replied.
She let out a long breath and pulled her knees up to her chest. Rowe had been so quiet since she fou
nd out Ash had died, and she was taking it harder than Sloane. Sloane was grieving because she wouldn’t get a chance to start over with her brother, but Rowe had always been close to him.
Sloane spotted Rhyn heading towards them. He looked exhausted. There was blood staining his clothes, and his hair was a mess. She’d been through hell recently, but she knew his suffering had been just as bad, if not worse, because of all the Unfaih relying on him. The moment he saw Sloane sitting next to Jack, he gave her a weak smile and walked over to join them.
‘We’ve tended to most of the injured. We should be heading back soon,’ Rhyn said, as he approached.
Sloane nodded. She was more than ready to leave the woods they had fought in, but she also felt troubled by what lay ahead of them. She was still struggling to come to terms with all that had happened that day, and her mind was a torrent of worries that were all fighting for her attention.
‘Do you think we got all the Brakys?’ Jack asked.
‘It’s impossible to know,’ Rhyn replied. ‘There could be other originals scattered through my world.’
Sloane chewed on her lower lip and stared at the rift leading through to Ellysia. She still had all the pieces of the Oblivion Stone on her. The two fragments that were now joined together still hung around her neck and she was playing with the Braky’s fragment in her pocket.
‘We still have to shut this world off from Ellysia,’ she murmured. ‘Even if all the Brakys are dead, we can’t risk humans ever finding a way to get to the Liftsal again.’
‘Yes,’ Rhyn nodded. ‘Captain Denton and I agreed that once the Brakys were dealt with, the humans could remain in the World of the Woods, and we would stay in our world. But we cannot know how long that promise will be honoured. The only way to keep all this from happening again is to close the rifts.’
The Rift War Page 32
