So why did I feel pain now? And where was it coming from? The dead didn’t ache, so why did I? It was a persistent ache too, growing stronger with every breath.
Wait…breath? What breath? The dead didn’t need to breathe.
Yet, I was doing just that. For the love of Lela, how my lungs burned with the pain of it. It felt as if my bones were being hammered, muscles ripped apart, skin and sinew peeled away. Or perhaps not peeled way. Perhaps knit together.
My breathing grew deeper, and just as my pain reached an agonizing crescendo, it began to subside, one aching bit at a time.
Voices floated upon my awareness.
“She’s healing. I can’t believe it.” That sounded like Cora.
“Mare! Can you hear me?” My heart leapt, knowing that voice belonged to Larylis.
“She’s definitely breathing.” That one was similar to Larylis’ voice but was just slightly wrong. Teryn, then. “But where is Liam?”
At that, my eyes flew open, my blood pounding through my veins as I pushed myself upright. “He’s safe,” I tried to say, but my throat felt raw.
“Slowly, my love,” Larylis said. My vision was blurry, but I knew his face was the one wavering before me. I reached a hand to his cheek and felt his arms wrap around me. There was something else around me too. Something that felt scratchy against my tender flesh. A cloak?
I swallowed and noticed my throat was far less sore. “Liam is safe in the palace,” I croaked.
Larylis smiled, and my heart flipped as his face came into focus before my eyes. He was covered in soot, and sticky blood coated his neck, yet he was the most beautiful sight I could see. The anxious eyes of Teryn and Cora hovered behind him. “I thought you were dead,” Larylis said, pressing his forehead to mine.
“I did too,” I said. “I’m supposed to be. I…I gave everything to make that happen.”
“You sacrificed yourself,” Cora said, voice quiet. “And that, in turn, saved you somehow. Healed you.”
“What about Darius?” I asked.
“Not as lucky.” Teryn looked to the side. I followed his gaze to a pile of charred bones. Not far away, similar piles sat, some still smoking.
“The dragon’s flame killed Darius and his guards,” Larylis said. “I thought it would get me too, but I had the sense to scramble away. I’m merely seared.”
I frowned, noticing the frayed ends of his hair. With a start, I reached my hand to my head, finding nothing there but tender skin. My heart sank. I pulled my hand back, then stared at the pink flesh of my hand and arm, mottled with red burns that were growing smaller and smaller before my eyes.
“I’m sure your hair will grow back,” Cora said.
I would have blushed, if my skin would allow it. The heat rose to my cheeks regardless, and for a moment I was ashamed to be disappointed by such a simple vanity. Still, it had been beautiful hair. I shrugged with an air of nonchalance and began to rise to my feet. Larylis helped me, pulling the cloak tight around my naked body.
I stared out at the lawn. The fighting had ceased. Petite figures—the Faeran—moved amongst the injured, placing their hands on wounds, applying poultices, offering skins of some liquid or bowls of crushed herbs. A few Elvan skinweavers worked alongside them. But not everyone was lucky enough for any kind of healing. Discarded armor, weapons, blood, and bodies littered the grass and extended as far as I could see. Soldiers were gathering the dead, while others secured those who had surrendered.
So much death. Yet, somehow, not my own.
The air filling my lungs suddenly felt more luxurious than anything I could ever imagine. The breeze tickling my hairless scalp felt like a lover’s caress. The pain in my muscles and the blood rushing through my veins were like a beautiful song.
I was alive.
The sound of wings beat overhead, and a gush of air pushed against me as Ferrah landed nearby with a screech. I smiled at her.
“What do we do now?” Teryn asked.
We all looked to Cora, who shrugged. “We continue on as planned. Return the heart of El’Ara. Seal the veil.”
“How?” I asked. “Ailan is…”
Cora sighed. “Liam is Morkara now.”
A slight panic rippled through me. “How is he supposed to handle the return of the Mora? He’s a baby. He doesn’t know how to be steward over Ancient magic, much less repair the tear in the veil.”
“And you don’t know how to survive dragon fire,” Cora said, “but you did so anyway. Ailan wove this tapestry that brought us all together, brought us to where we are right now. We have to trust we can finish this without her.”
I wanted to argue, wanted to tell her she was wrong, yet something inside me felt at peace. “I suppose we don’t have any other choice, do we?”
Cora shook her head.
“All right. Let’s end this.” Linking my arm through Larylis’, I attempted an unsteady step toward the palace. “Come, Lare. Let’s go see our son.”
40
MAGIC AND BLOOD
Cora
We stood at the veil, the swirling wall of mist swallowing the sky above and the dead earth below. I took it all in, knowing it would be my last time, knowing I’d never see what this place looked like without the gray void.
I faced Mareleau. “Are you ready?”
Her eyes were already filled with tears. “You brought Mother?”
“Yes.” My gaze moved to Larylis, who wasn’t faring much better. “And Queen Mother Bethaeny.”
Mareleau let out a shuddering breath. “It’s time to say goodbye.”
I turned back to the veil and reached a hand through the tear. “Goodbye, El’Ara,” I whispered.
On the other side stood Teryn, his wounds bandaged, his deeper injuries already tended to by skinweavers. He smiled at me, arm around his mother’s shoulders. She and Helena watched the space behind me with anxious eyes. At Teryn’s other side, Valorre tossed his mane.
I stood next to Valorre, face resting against his neck as I watched Mareleau step out of the veil, holding Liam. Behind her came Larylis, followed by two Elvan guards, as well as Fanon, Etrix, and Garot. I could hardly look at Fanon without feeling his anguish over Ailan’s death. Surprisingly, he’d been steadfast about defending Mareleau and Liam in her absence.
Mareleau ran to her mother, while Larylis shared a tearful reunion with Bethaeny. I stepped away, giving them space to say their goodbyes. Valorre stayed close to my side.
“You will miss him.” Etrix’s voice startled me.
I looked from Etrix to my friends. “Him? Who do you mean?”
He nodded at Valorre.
It felt as if my blood had turned to ice. “Why would I miss Valorre? He isn’t…” My words caught on the lump in my throat.
His face flashed with a hint of sympathy. “Unicorns belong in El’Ara. He should be with his family. All the others have returned, so should he.”
“I’m his family.”
Etrix shook his head. “It was what we agreed to with Ailan, so that you’d be allowed to proceed with your side of the bargain. Mareleau, Liam, and Larylis would be the only humans allowed to remain in El’Ara, while none from El’Ara would remain in the human world.”
My mind fought to argue, to beg, to threaten.
It’s all right, Valorre said, and the fight left me. In its place an overwhelming sorrow squeezed my heart. I will stay. Do not fight. This is how it should be.
“If he stays in the human world, he will be the last of his kind. That is no life for a unicorn.” Etrix placed a hand on my shoulder. “I’m sorry.”
I sobbed, wrapping my arms around Valorre’s neck, feeling as if my chest was being crushed beneath a boulder.
Don’t be sad for me, Valorre said. I will be home.
Home. He was right. Etrix was right. El’Ara was Valorre’s home, and that was where he belonged. That didn’t make it hurt any less.
The sun was beginning to set when we finally agreed it was time to go. Another round of hugs.
Another fresh wave of tears. When I came to Mareleau, I held her tightly, and she sobbed into my hair.
“I will never forget you,” she whispered.
“I love you, Mare.” This time, there was no resentment, no darkness lingering between us. “Take care of Valorre for me.”
Mareleau and I parted, and Helena placed Liam in her daughter’s arms. Teryn released Larylis from a hug, then came to my side. Larylis planted a kiss on Bethaeny’s tear-stained cheek, then made his way to the invisible tear, where Etrix, Fanon, and Garot waited with the guards.
“I will tell this story,” Garot said, eyes on me. “I will tell it right. Make sure you find a bard in your world who will do the same.”
“I will,” I said. The guards filed into the tear. Then Garot and Etrix.
Fanon extended his arm for Mareleau and Larylis to follow. They took one final look at us, then disappeared from view. Fanon raised a brow at Valorre who remained at my side.
I stroked his side, capturing the silky smoothness of his coat in my palm, as if I could keep it with me always. I love you, my dear friend. Life will never be the same without you.
Valorre faced me. Life should never be the same. It changes, as it should. He bowed his head, horn pointed toward me, hovering just over my midsection. Then, with a light touch, he pressed the tip of his horn below my abdomen—over my broken womb. I felt a slight pressure, then a glorious warmth.
As he pulled away, I furrowed my brow. What was that?
He ignored my question. Be happy. Happy for me. Happy for you. I will be with you.
I nodded. You be happy too.
Valorre turned and slowly made his way toward Fanon, toward the tear, and beyond. I watched until the last flash of white could no longer be seen. I watched until I caught my breath, dried my tears, and felt as if I could breathe again.
I would breathe. I would smile and be happy. But I knew part of me would always be in El’Ara.
* * *
At Centerpointe Rock, the moon shone overhead, stars twinkling in the black sky. I rested at the base of the Rock, exhausted after so much worldwalking. Helena was back with her betrothed in Tomas, Bethaeny was back at Verlot, and Teryn and I were alone at Centerpointe Rock.
Teryn squatted next to me. “Do you want me to start a fire? We could sleep here for the night.”
I shook my head. “No. I want to do it now.” Now, before I could second guess myself. Before I could convince myself it would never work. Before I could begin to hope it wouldn’t work.
With a deep breath I rose to my feet, clearing my mind. Breathe in. Breathe out. I placed my hands on the surface of the Rock, letting my senses fill with the scent of the stone, the grass around it, the harsh feel beneath my palms. I felt waves of power radiate to and from my palms, felt the Mora communicating with the Arts, Ancient magic mingling with human magic.
“I am Queen of all Lela,” I whispered to the Mora. “I am the heir of Darius. My heir is the Blood of Ailan. I claim my right by magic and blood.”
A surge of power roared through me, swirling around me, whipping my hair back. It filled me with an unparalleled euphoria with an equally unparalleled pain.
The Mora was mine. I could claim it, do anything with it. It was mine to have and mine to command.
I felt it tickling my insides, awaiting my order, burning me with its impatience to move.
I could use it. I could. Queen of Lela seemed suddenly so small, so unambitious. With this power, I could be queen of the world. Not only that, but I could…fly, fight, destroy, create—anything I wanted! It was all mine. I could be, do, or have anything. All I had to do was harness it. Give it a command. The pain and euphoria rose in tandem, spiraling up and down my body.
Breathe in. Breathe out.
I ignored the pain, ignored the euphoria, ignored the visions flashing through my mind—visions of grandeur, blood, and beauty. Instead, I focused on the veil. I saw the invisible space between two trees in a dark forest, thought of the loved ones behind that veil. Valorre, Mareleau, Liam, Larylis, the Elvan, the Faeran. Their faces replaced the visions, replaced the burning intensity inside me with a calm warmth.
I pushed the Mora away, pushed it from my palms, back down my body, down my feet.
Breathe in. Breathe out.
I pushed it away from the Rock, watching the Mora in my mind’s eye, seeing it reeling away, toward the veil. As the Mora retreated from me, from the Rock, toward the edges of Lela, I watched it crash against the invisible veil. It swirled against the barrier, and I chased it away, pushing it along the veil and toward the tear.
There, I saw the Mora streaming away, felt it leaving me, felt it leaving the land I ruled by right, magic, and blood.
I pushed it away until there was nothing left to push against.
It was gone.
The Heart of El’Ara was where it belonged.
* * *
Mareleau
The veil of mist was gone.
I hardly had time to blink before the wall of white disappeared, revealing gray, dying land all around. The ground itself looked strange, as if it were patched together. I supposed it had been, in a way. With Lela no longer creating the void in the middle of El’Ara, the remaining land must have had to reshape itself.
My heart sank, knowing what all this meant. The tear had been sealed. I would never see Mother, Cora, or Teryn again. I would never see Lela again.
Larylis put his arm around my waist. “Cora succeeded,” he said.
I looked down at Liam in my arms. “He must have succeeded as well,” I said. “The Mora sealed the tear.”
“We should return to the palace,” Fanon said. “There is much to be repaired.”
“As well as many new beginnings,” Garot said with a smile. “We’ve never had an infant as Morkara before, much less a human.”
I took in the faces of those around me, the soldiers and guards that waited to escort us back. Their eyes rested on Liam and were filled with curiosity, fear, ambition, terror, excitement. I was sure the tribunal would show more of the same.
I held my head high, chin up, shoulders back. “Garot, lead the way,” I ordered, not waiting for his swirling tunnel to begin before I proceeded forward. My son may be the ruler here, but I am still a queen. Let them remember that. If anyone wants to get to him, they’ll have to go through me.
Just before Garot opened his tunnel, something green caught my eye. I paused. A leaf was slowly unfurling from one of the dead branches to my right. In fact, everywhere I looked, tiny green buds were beginning to emerge. With a smile, I took Larylis’ hand in mine and entered the swirling tunnel.
Flowers bloomed in my wake.
41
QUEEN OF LELA
Cora
I opened my eyes to the sound of birdsong, Teryn’s bare chest rising and falling beneath my cheek. With a yawn, I sat, pulling a robe around my shoulders despite the warm air filling the tent.
“Not yet,” Teryn mumbled, pulling me back down to our cot.
My lips met his, and heat flooded me from head to toe. We rolled amongst the blankets, not caring whether sounds of our passion traveled to the nearest tents of our makeshift camp. They were probably used to it by now. There had been much…passion…as of late.
And why not? Lela was at peace. El’Ara was safe and sealed for good. Helena had solidified Tomas’ alliance with Lela through her recent wedding. Norun had fallen to the rebellion, and the conquered kingdoms had been restored. Emylia had visited to tell me she was moving on to the otherlife. Just outside our camp, a new palace was being built. A new home.
We had a lot to celebrate.
Once we were spent, we rolled onto our backs, and I giggled as Teryn kissed my neck. My hand rested over my stomach, and I remembered what Valorre had done, still unsure what it had meant. Was it too much to hope I’d been healed? Was it possible? Maybe.
Either way, the thought left a bittersweet ache in my heart.
Footsteps sounded outside the t
ent. “Your Majesties, messages have arrived,” Lord Jonston said.
Teryn sighed. “One moment,” he called out.
We dressed, then met Jonston outside. I yawned as we made our way to the meeting tent, watching carpenters and stonemasons preparing for the day’s work on the palace. The bones of our new great hall had already been constructed, rising as a backdrop to our camp.
“Messages from Tomas,” Jonston said, handing Teryn a few scrolls.
Teryn opened them. They were all from Lex. “He wants us to come for a visit and meet his baby daughter,” Teryn said.
I planted a kiss on his cheek. “Then we will have to plan one.”
Jonston passed another handful of scrolls. “Messages from Syrus. The new government is taking shape there.”
I reached for the messages, eager to know how things were going without Darius. As his heir, I remained in control of the kingdom of Syrus. Yet, I wanted to see how the kingdom would proceed with Darius’ ideals. Without the bloodshed, of course. Perhaps I could learn a thing or two. Or perhaps it would crumble. Either way, I would watch it unfold. Shape it. Make it better.
I may not have unlimited power, but I will make changes here. I will do everything I can to make this a better world in my lifetime, no matter how small those efforts will be.
I knew I couldn’t save everyone. I couldn’t change everything wrong in the world.
But I would never stop trying.
We reached the meeting tent, and Jonston went inside. I paused outside the doorway. “Can you handle the morning meeting without me? I’d like to stretch my legs for a while longer.”
Teryn squeezed my hand. “Of course, my love. But only if you’ll be my date for dinner. I’m thinking we should eat in the great hall. Sadie and Becca are dying to use the new kitchen.”
Shades of Prophecy Page 30
