I walk up to Jack and reach for him, “Jack?”
Solas flies to Alice, lifting her gently from the hook through her body. Blood squelches in her chest, and Alice shrieks with a gurgle. Solas lowers her to the ground on her side. I run to her and grasp the sides of her face, pushing strands of her hair away from her eyes. “Alice? Alice, can you hear me? It’s Ivy. Wake up, honey,” I whimper to my best friend with tears blurring my vision. Solas unchains her hands from behind her back with a key from a guard. “I’m right here, Alice. Can you hear me?” She's unresponsive. I turn to Solas, “Get the others down while I heal her.” Confusion crosses his face, but he doesn’t question me as he does as requested.
I turn Alice onto her back and place my hands over the hole in her chest. My palms seize to her chest and radiate a warm golden glow. The ache in my heart intensifies in such a manner I think it'll shatter into a million pieces. Squeezing my eyes shut in concentration, tears drip down my cheeks. Alice sucks in a large breath, and my eyes shoot open. The warm glow from my hands diminishes as I remove them, grasping her face again, “Alice?”
“Ivy?” Alice croaks. I nod my head and bundle her into my arms. We embrace each other a moment before our heads snap to Eric's guttural cry. “Eric!” Alice screams, crawling swiftly to him and holds his head in her lap.
“Ivy, I need you to help me get the Arch down,” Solas requests. I stand and wrap my arms around Jack’s waist, lifting him up. He's cold. Fear grips me as Solas lifts Jack’s chains from the hook in the ceiling. He floats Jack down and lays him on the ground gently.
Wrapping my arms around him, I pull Jack tight against me, laying my head on his shoulder with my nose tucked into his neck. He’s so cold. Why's he so cold?
“Jack?” There's no response.
The Qeres must have taken a toll on his system. He isn’t healing as he should be.
“Jack, it’s Ivy. Please, wake up. Wake up, Jack,” I wrap my wings around him and squeeze his body tighter against me. Closing my eyes, I push all of my love for him into his body. Through the thin layer of my eyelids, I glimpse a golden light flare inside our cocoon. “Jack. Come back to me, Jack,” I cry. Nothing happens as the healing light recedes. “Jack?” I whimper again.
A hand grips my shoulder, and a low mellifluous voice I don’t recognize speaks, “Let me help him, Princess.”
I lower my wings and face the source of the voice. I don’t recognize his face but notice his deep purple wings and violet eyes. He's a Reaper. His black cloak is deathly still. I refuse to let him take Jack from me and send him to Paradise. “No,” I scowl at the Reaper's sad gaze. I turn back to Jack’s lifeless body. His beautiful pale face is covered in blood, and I wipe it from his cheeks. “Jack?” Nothing. “Jack Roe!” I shake him. “You better fucking listen to me, Jack! You’re not dead! You can’t leave me here! Do you hear me?” Nothing. “Jack!” I scream at his face. “Jack!”
“I’m sorry, Princess. He was given a lethal dose of Qeres. The higher the dosage, the faster it eviscerates the essence of the Divine. If I do not take him with me now, his essence will expire completely within a half hour,” the Reaper professes.
“Where will you take him?”
“To the Veil where he can journey into Paradise.”
“Help!” Alice pleads. The Reaper turns to Alice and kneels down to Eric. Lightning bursts from his fingertips into Eric’s convulsing body.
I look back to Jack and kiss his cheek as I lay him down. “Jack,” I whisper. I feel the body heat of someone standing behind me. I don’t care. I lay down next to Jack and curl into his body. I can’t breathe. My heart is breaking into a million pieces, stabbing my insides with searing needles.
“What happened?” I hear Cassius and Beckett ask in unison.
You're too late. I'm too late.
I sit up and take in Jack’s peaceful expression, locking it into my memory. I bend down and kiss his icy lips. “I love you, Jack. I’ll always love you. You are mine, and I am yours." I sit up, and Alice hugs me from behind, holding me tight. “Take him,” I tell the Reaper.
The Reaper nods, touches Jack’s arm, and they disappear in a blink before my eyes. Alice cries as I wail. The pain and hurt are all consuming. She sits back and lays a hand on my right shoulder with her head bowed. Eric kneels next to her, completely healed as if nothing ever happened, and places a hand beside hers. Cassius steps forward and positions a strong hand on my left shoulder, followed by Beckett’s heavy hand beside his. Solas steps close and settles a warm hand on my back. With all of their heads bowed, Solas speaks soothing Enochian words I don’t understand. Each touch is accompanied by different emotions of love, loss, sorrow, pity, and hurt. Then there's silence. Then there's peace.
Hands leave me except the one on my back. “I’ll take her to her chambers to rest,” Solas says, scooping me into his arms, and I drape my arms around his neck. I can’t face anyone, for the fear my entire body will shatter. I tuck my left wing in and stretch my right wing over my body to hide. “Cassius, show Ivy’s friends to the guest chambers.”
Solas carries me out of the torture room and ascends the steps. The air warms around us, but my entire body continues to shiver. My insides are like ice and burn like fire. Solas embraces me closer to his chest. The footsteps following us soon veer in the opposite direction. We ascend more steps, and I'm transported through another corridor before we make a sharp left turn.
Solas gently lays me on my bed, after I retract my wings inside myself. He sits beside me and takes my right hand in his left as his other hand slides the lacy fingerless glove down my arm, removing it in slow motion. His eyes search mine with a pleading sorrow as if he wants to comfort me, yet doesn’t know how. Taking my left hand, he removes the remains of the tattered glove from my arm.
“Thank you,” I say gravelly.
“I should be thanking you, Ivy. I understand you've lost someone very close and dear to your heart. For that, I have no words of comfort. It's a pain I would never wish for you. His essence will prevail in Paradise until you can meet again.” My gut clenches with his words as my heart sinks. “But what you did for this legion today, I will never be able to fully repay you. Even if I served you for the rest of my existence, it could never amount to the freedom you've given us. I'm forever in your debt, princess.” He kisses my hand.
My chest heaves and rocks as I begin to cry and Solas lifts me into his firm embrace. Tucking my face in the crook of his neck, I squeeze him back. As much as I want to be alone at this moment, the comfort he offers is what I need. “I don’t understand, Solas. Why? Why would he take him from me? I love him, Solas. I love him.”
Solas smooths my hair down my back, “I know you do. He knows it as well. He'll always be a piece of you, Ivy. He'll always be with you. No one can ever take that from you. We can only hope he is sent back to the ground for future missions.”
“Can they do that?” I ask with hope.
“It's not unheard of, though there hasn't been a case in a very long time. I know you have a lot of questions right now. But a new day is dawning. There are great things ahead for you. And if you allow me, I would like to be by your side to help you through with whatever you may need. I won't leave you.”
“We would like to offer ourselves to you as well, Princess,” Cassius announces as he enters the room with his brother.
I sit up as they kneel on one knee with their heads bowed and a fist over their chests. I'm taken aback and wipe my swollen face, “Guys, stand up.” They regard me with meaningful fixated gazes. “You're not slaves to a Dark legion anymore. Beleth is gone. You’re free. There's no need for you to pledge yourselves to me anymore. You're both my friends, and I will never treat you any less.” I face Solas who remains holding my hand, “This goes for you too.” I address the three of them, “You're free now. I would never ask you to stay by my side. I have no idea what lies ahead for me. But if you would like to stay with me of your own volition and not by any pledge, that's up to you. And
you may leave at any time you feel necessary. Am I clear?”
All three smile as they agree in unison, “Yes.”
“Ok,” I breathe out a heavy, shaky sigh.
Solas pats my hand, “We'll let you get some rest. Do you need anything before we go?” I shake my head. “Ok. We'll take turns guarding your chambers tonight and be sure any belligerent rebels are locked in the prison below.” I nod in acceptance. He rises and kisses the back of my hand again, then cups the back of my head, placing a soft kiss to my forehead. I'm a little more at ease, but I'm still in crushing pain from the loss of Jack as Solas and the Griffins leave me to rest.
It's cold and quiet. I get out of bed with the comforter wrapped around me and start a fire in the large hearth. Bright orange, red, and green flames lick the sides of the fireplace, illuminating the room. Plopping down in front of the fire, I hug my knees to my chest. I stare into the fire and let it engulf my vision. Everything but the flames at the base of the logs turn pitch black.
I’m so sorry, Jack. I should have got to you sooner. If I were just faster, I would have made it. I would've been able to save you. It’s all my fault. I never should have gotten involved with you. You would still be here.
I repeat my words over and over. My cries turn to wails, and at some point, I let my exhaustion take over my wrecked body and emotions.
Chapter 19
A hand grips a fistful of my hair and wrenches my head back to look him in the face. His square jaw is set as he bares his teeth, growling at me on my knees. My hands are bound to my ankles, restraining my wings firm against my back. The slightest twitch causes the binding to cut deeper into my appendages. “You will suffer,” he snarls with a vibration in his chest, reminding me of a rattlesnake. Raising his free hand, he backhands me across the face, and my head snaps to the side as the taste of salted copper fills my mouth. “No one's coming to save you,” his voice rumbles and hums in my ears as his flaming red eyes scowl at my weakness. He produces a blade and depresses its sharp point into my chest. The tip slowly digs into my flesh as he twists it deeper. I want to wince from the pain, but I've learned to conceal my vulnerability. He jerks my head back and releases my hair to clutch my chin. “Relinquish your essence to me,” he demands.
“No,” I croak.
“Then I'll watch you die.” The blade plunges into my heart, and I gasp as blood fills my mouth, spilling down my lips.
“Ivy. Ivy, wake up,” Solas’ voice drifts into my conscience. I can’t open my eyes. I shiver from head to toe, still wrapped in the comforter from my bed. A cold sweat coats my skin and my hair's sticking to my face. My chest wants to cave in, and I whimper. Solas pulls me into his lap and rocks me. “You’re ok. I’ve got you. I’ve got you.” I reach for his shirt and clinch the fabric in my fists. Laying my head on his chest, my body heaves and shutters as I silently weep.
I can’t do this by myself. I don’t know what to do.
Solas’ voice enters my thoughts, “I’m here, princess. I’ve got you. I won’t let you face this alone. I’ve got you. I’m here.” His strong body continues to rock me with a soothing rhythm.
After hours of sobbing from the loss of Jack, the vision I had in my sleep penetrates my thoughts. The monster that held me captive, demanding my essence, has me trembling with fear.
Solas' motions freeze. “Lucian,” he seethes as his chest thunders against my cheek.
I sit up, peeling from his embrace, “You know him?”
“He's your opposite.” I wait a moment for him to elaborate. “He's the Prince of Sheol, the son of Lucifer.”
My brows raise in wonder, “Why does he want my essence?”
“He can't take it from you because he's not a Reaper. You must give it to him willingly. If you do, everything good in you will cease to be. You'll become his father’s weapon, which has been their plan all along. What I don’t understand is… Why him? Lucian's a screw-up. The King would never let him take on such an important mission.”
“I would rather die than give them my essence,” I say with confidence, wiping my face.
His lips brush my forehead. Affection, protectiveness. “I know you would, but we're going to do our best to keep that from happening.”
I shake my head, “I don’t know what to do now. My life's been taken from me. I have no idea what’s going to happen.”
“You'll need to stay here. This is the safest place for you to be. We can protect you here.”
“There are some things I need to take care of first. Where are my friends?”
“They left early this morning. I assured them we would be taking good care of you. The girl… Alice?”
“Yeah.”
“She said they needed to report to Jack’s mother.”
My unstable legs quiver as I jump to my feet, dropping the coverlet to the floor, “Evelyn! Oh, no! I have to go. I need to be with her.”
“I would strongly advise against it, but I know you won't listen. I'll go with you. Do you want Cassius and Beckett to come along as well?”
“Yes… Well… I don’t know how welcoming she'll be to you. She doesn’t know you the way I do. Hopefully, she still trusts me.”
Solas stands and places his hands on my exposed arms, “Get ready, and I'll speak to the Griffins.” Affection, loyalty, responsibility.
“Give me ten minutes.” He nods, then places another kiss on my forehead before he leaves.
I amble into the bathroom and wash with cold water from the stone sink. Dry blood soaks into the cloth, some of which I realize could be Jack’s. Avoiding my reflection, I push tormenting thoughts from my mind, brush my hair, and pull it into a high ponytail on the crown of my head. In my chambers, I stare into open dresser drawers. What do I wear to tell the mother of the man I loved that her son's gone, and it’s all my fault? Ripping garment after garment from the dresser and tossing it over my shoulder, I finally settle on a pair of dark wash jeans and a black racer back tank to allow my wings the freedom they require. I catch sight of my forearm, and the lightly raised black ink stares back at me. I take a deep breath and release a heavy sigh, dropping my arm back to my side. I find the makeshift cuff I rigged to hide my permanent rank and slip it over my arm.
“Are you ready?” Solas asks from the doorway.
“I think so,” I claim, adjusting the black fabric over my mark.
“Here. Let me,” he offers, stepping forward to take the shoelace from my other hand. He loops and crisscrosses it around my forearm before tying it at the crook of my elbow snugly.
“Thanks.”
“The Griffins are waiting on The Common.”
“Ok.” I lead him from my quarters and traverse the dark corridors to the vaulted doorway, discovering it open. Cassius and Beckett are talking amongst themselves as we cross the threshold. “Um… Are we flying there?” I ask Solas with apprehension.
“Yes. It's quite a ways to the coast. If you get tired along the way, I can carry you. We can stop to rest once we cross over land.”
“I don’t know how to fly!” I shout as if he's lost his mind. Unrestrained boisterous laughter bursts from the Griffins. “What the hell's so funny?” I berate, crossing my arms.
“Have you even tried to fly yet?” Beck quips.
“No. I don’t know what I’m doing!”
“But you do,” he explains. “When you were born, you were able to move your arms and legs, correct?”
“Yes, but I had to develop the ability to use them correctly,” I retort with indignation.
“That's only because your brain was developing at the same time. Your mind's fully developed now. Especially more so since your transformation's completed. Think of your wings as just another extremity. You’ve watched birds fly, correct?”
I give him a dismissive wave of my hand as I roll my eyes, “Yeah, yeah. I get the gist.”
“Let’s see what you can do then,” Beckett challenges.
My wings burst from my shoulder blades in response, jolting my torso
forward as if someone slapped me on the back. I right my posture. “So, what? I just start flapping them like a bird? Do I jump? Do I run?”
Solas speaks from my left, “Just try to flap them first and get the feel of them.” I begin moving them up and down tentatively, and the wind picks up beneath me. “Good. Now with more force,” he commands.
Without evaluating the force I'm exerting, my wings arc up and fall down once. With that single beat, I’m shooting straight up the mountainside. The Griffins guarding the face of The Keep in their full animalistic forms follow me with their eyes. A gasp escapes me, and I beat my wings again. The view of the ocean sparkles in the sun like a million tiny diamonds blanketing its surface. Solas, Cassius, and Beckett join me in the sky. “This is amazing!” I laugh. The brothers’ wings—which I haven’t had a chance to examine yet—are a matching pair of soft browns and tans with streaks of red. They remind me of wise owls. “Which way do we go?” I beat my wings steadily to hover in place.
Solas grins, “Just stick with me. If you can keep up!” I force my wings to beat hard and fast as I angle my body forward after him, and the brothers follow close behind. There's no fear in my mind with the wind streaming over me and the powerful strength I feel in my wings. Yet, I can’t help but think I've missed my chance to fly with Jack. We fly for hours. With nothing but the howl of the wind over my ears, I scramble for words to say to Evelyn. I can’t imagine how much hurt she must be in if I feel like my world's collapsing around me.
“We are almost there!” Cassius shouts, and I catch a glimpse of land in the distance.
As we approach a white sandy beach, I yell, “How do I land?”
“Turn your wings against the wind! It'll slow you down!” Beckett hollers.
Tilting my wings with caution, the push of the wind begins slowing me down. Reaching the sand, I gently beat my wings to hover in position before letting myself drop to my feet by tucking my wings against my back. As my boots sink into the sand, my ears start ringing from the sudden drop of sound. The waves of the coast whoosh softly as they lap against the beach. “Where are we?” I ask Solas as he and the Griffins land on either side of me.
The Helio Trilogy: Volumes 1-3 Page 24
