The sorceress narrowed her eyes at his resolve. “You have made your choice.”
She flung her sphere of blue magic. Von ducked, and it exploded behind him. She cast a volley of brilliant spells, missing him by a hair as he dodged and dove. Each move brought him nearer until he reached a good distance. He launched off a boulder and threw his knives at the sorceress. With a sweep of her arm, an invisible force knocked them out of the air.
Damn. He must get closer.
A streak of lightning came for him. He careened out of its path, heat singeing his neck. He rolled across the ground and tossed another series of knives, one after the other. She pitched them away with a flick of her hand. It was enough to distract her for a second.
Von sprinted for the sorceress. He dove under her last attack at close range and came upon her startled face as he slashed for her throat.
The knife bounced off an unseen barrier with a loud clang.
The collision rippled the air between them, revealing a transparent golden shield. She sneered. With a wave of her hand, a blanket of Essence ensnared tight around Von, sparks of electricity zapping him. He cried out, convulsing violently. He tried to break free, but he couldn’t move an inch. The magic had immobilized him. She flicked her fingers upward, and he lifted off the ground a foot above her. By her smirk of victory, he knew this was it.
He lost.
The sorceress pointed a glowing finger at him. Von stared into the vivid, purple beam and held onto the image of his wife. Her smile. Her voice.
I love you more than my own life.
The sorceress gently tapped his forehead. A blow exploded in his head as though she had cleaved his skull. His vision blackened, and darkness consumed his world.
Then he fell into oblivion.
Chapter 41
Dynalya
Commander Von hung suspended in the air by a cloud of purple Essence. Limp and lifeless. With a flick of her wrist, the sorceress released her magic, and he hit the ground with a heavy thud. He didn’t move. The boy who’d been watching the magic skirmish from behind the tree closed his wet eyes and dropped his head against the trunk.
Dyna’s vision blurred. She didn’t want Von to die. She didn’t want anyone to die.
“Are you all right?” the sorceress asked her.
Dyna had to swallow so she could answer. “Did … did you kill him?”
She scoffed. “Do you weep for him?”
“Did you?”
“Not yet.” The sorceress curled her lip as though she regretted not doing so. “He’s under a comatose spell.”
Dyna released an exhalation of pent up breath.
“Will any more of his men come?”
“I’m not sure, they—Cassiel, he—” Dyna covered her mouth and more tears welled in her eyes. He hadn’t been able to reach her. Had they captured him? Was he alive? She should have stayed with him instead of being blinded by her selfish feelings. None of it mattered. All she wanted was to be with him now.
The sorceress rose. “He fought them well. You will see him again.”
“I will?” Dyna pressed on her heart, clinging to that hope. Something stirred in her, filling her with his presence as if he indeed was coming.
The sorceress flicked her wrist again and the fog dissolved away. Rays of golden sunlight streamed through the trees. They were about midway down the hill. Not close enough to shore, but the surface of Loch Loden was visible through the branches.
“Thank you for helping me,” Dyna said. “I need to find my companions.”
“I don’t have the time to help you there. I only came to deal with this man.”
“I’ll not let you get anywhere near him, witch!” Geon stood on shaking legs in front of Von, wielding a knife.
The sorceress rolled her eyes. “Haven’t you had enough? Either you move, or I will make you move. Choose.”
“I won’t.”
“Very well.” She raised a hand and clenched it into a fist. Geon’s right leg snapped out from under him with a sickening crack. A bloody jagged piece of bone protruded from his torn shin. He fell to the ground, his mouth splitting wide in a scream. Dyna cringed, horrified.
But Geon forced himself up, sobbing from the agony. He laid over Von, using himself as a shield. “I care not what you do to me! I won’t let you touch him!”
The sorceress hissed. “Move.”
“You must kill me first!”
She flicked a hand, hurtling the boy into another tree with a brutal thud. Still, he rose again with a whimper and crawled to Von, digging his fingers in the mud.
“Gods, you’re relentless.”
“I won’t stop fighting,” he said, snot and tears streaming down his face. “If it were me lying there, he would never stop fighting either!”
“Must I break every bone in your body?” She twirled a finger, and Geon’s arm snapped under him. His horrid wails filled the woodland.
“Stop!” Dyna cried. “Don’t hurt him anymore!”
The sorceress glared at her. “They stole from me.”
“Then take what belongs to you and leave.”
“You would petition for men who intended to spirit you away?” She spat the word in disgust and incredulity as though they were vile creatures not worth the dust under her boot.
Dyna held her harsh gaze. “Yes.”
The brave boy was defending his commander. She didn’t want to see him tortured because of it.
The sorceress’s lips tightened in a thin line. Her glowing eyes locked on Von and Geon with such loathing, it reminded Dyna of the way Captain Gareel had looked at her. With hate. His hate had been rooted in fear for humans. What did the sorceress have to fear from them?
No one was here to stop the sorceress from enacting her will. With a flourish of her hand, Von’s body flipped over on his back.
“Don’t,” Geon begged. “Please!”
Dyna only looked at her, silently pleading.
The sorceress huffed. She flicked her fingers and from Von’s pocket emerged a silver pendant floating in the air. Diamonds and engraved runes bordered the circumference. Dyna had only glimpsed it in the time rift. Seeing it now, she was certain it matched the pendant in Azeran's journal. But there was a groove in the center where the Moonstone should be.
The sorceress secured the pendant around her neck and she laid a hand over it, closing her eyes from visible relief.
“The Lūna Medallion,” Dyna murmured.
The sorceress spun to her. “What did you say?”
Cassiel’s faint voice drifted over the hill. Dyna’s heart flooded with joy at the sight of him soaring through the air, his black wings carrying him over the trees. She called his name and his storm-cloud eyes locked on her.
He circled overhead once, not waiting to slow his descent before he tucked in his wings and swooped down. He stumbled on his awkward landing, running the rest of the way to her. Dyna choked back a sob and reached out to him, needing to touch him.
“I found you,” Cassiel said, breathless.
He dropped to his knees and removed the bindings from her wrists. His arms closed around her, holding her tight against his chest. The energy hummed between them, gentle and soft.
Tears spilled down her face, and she crumbled against him in shaking sobs. He held her as she cried. Even when she quieted, he didn’t let go.
“I feared I would never see you again,” she murmured, listening to the rhythm of his heartbeat.
“As did I,” he said into her hair, his breath caressing her cheek.
“You can say it. I’m a stupid human.”
Cassiel pulled back to look at her. He lifted her face and gently wiped her tears away. “I’m the stupid one. I should not have let you out of my sight.”
She chuckled faintly. “Stupid Celestial.”
A smile lit his face for the first time since they met, and her stomach pitched. He looked at her with a tenderness that left her heart soaring as though it had a pair of wings.
&nb
sp; He leaned forward and pressed his forehead to hers. “I am glad you are safe.”
She closed her eyes and leaned into his embrace. With him here, everything had righted again.
A massive black wolf came tearing down the hill. Cassiel stepped back as it rushed into her arms.
“Zev!” Dyna hugged him tightly. The wolf pressed his head against her shoulder, whining. “Lord Norrlen is here as well?” she exclaimed when the elf slipped from the trees next.
He lowered to one knee beside her. “I am glad we have found you, Lady Dyna. Are you injured?”
“You’re bleeding.” Cassiel touched the cut on her temple, making her wince. His gaze hardened into steel when he noticed her other injuries. “Who hurt you?”
“I’m fine,” she said, looking him over. His coat was missing, leaving his wings exposed. His torn clothes were bloody from wounds that had already healed. “What happened?”
Cassiel looked away from her. His balled fists covered in dried blood hung at his sides. His irises dulled to the muddy wisps of smoke blowing in the wind after all that mattered had gone up in flames.
He killed to save her.
All because she spoke to Von.
Dyna shook her head, covering her face. “This is my fault.”
“It’s not,” he said.
“Don’t dwell on it, my lady,” Rawn told her. “The circumstances were unavoidable.”
Zev shapeshifted into his human form and wrapped her in a hug. “Thank the God of Urn you’re safe. How did this happen?”
“Von came for me, but she stopped him with her magic,” Dyna said, nodding to the sorceress standing behind them.
They all faced her. She repeatedly glanced between Cassiel’s wings and Zev, surprised by his change.
Cassiel glared at her. “You.”
“I recognize her scent,” Zev said, his nostrils flaring. The sorceress yelped when he stood and revealed his nudity. She turned her red face away. Rawn offered Zev his cloak and passed Cassiel his coat.
“She’s the witch from the market,” Cassiel told them as he slipped it on.
“I’m no witch,” the sorceress hissed at him.
“Thank you for coming to her aid,” Rawn told her.
“I didn’t do it for you.” She scowled down at Von by her feet. “He stole something from me. I came to retrieve it.”
“You used me,” Cassiel intoned, his expression burning with rage. “To distract the others.”
She crossed her arms. “And?”
His face turned all shades of red, his hands curling as though he wished to wrap them around her throat. “I have taken lives that were not mine to take. I am damned because of you!”
The sorceress stepped back from his fury.
A weight pressed on Dyna’s heart. Burying her into a vast depth of grief that she thought something had broken inside of her.
This was Cassiel’s pain.
He had told her last night that for once he didn’t see himself as sullied; that his blood was pure enough to help her. She had seen the beginning of happiness in his eyes, but now misery clouded them.
“If you need someone to blame, blame him,” the sorceress said, pointing at Von. “They were coming for her, no matter the circumstances. Would the result have been so different if he had taken her in front of you?”
“Had we all been together, I would have ripped out his throat before he got his hands on her,” Zev growled. His yellow eyes flashed as they pinned on the commander. “Is he dead?” He glanced at Geon, who recoiled against the tree at his back.
Rawn approached to check on Von. The sorceress backed several feet away from him, electricity sparking around her. He kept his hands out faced down to show he meant no harm. He crouched by the commander and pressed two fingers at his neck.
After a pause, Rawn said, “He lives.”
“I placed him under a spell. He won’t wake without another.” The sorceress crossed her arms and faced Dyna. “How is it you know of the Lūna Medallion?”
“My ancestor wrote its history in his journal. The Medallion is the emblem of the Lunar Guild. An heirloom of the Astron family infused with the power of the moon and stars.”
The sorceress’s white brows knitted together. “Who was your ancestor?”
“Azeran Astron.”
Her mouth fell open, struggling to form the words she eventually spat out. “You are not of the Astron lineage.”
Dyna sighed, feeling a bit dejected at the immediate dismissal. “I see the Moonstone is missing, however. I know where to find it.”
Her eyes widened further. “What?”
“Dyna,” Zev warned.
“No,” Cassiel added under his breath. “Speaking of it is how we gained an elf.”
Rawn perked at the mention. Dyna gave him a slight smile. Did that mean he might join them after all? He had helped Cassiel, and the sorceress had helped her. Both needed something from Mount Ida and inexplicably, she trusted them.
“We owe it to her,” Dyna said.
Cassiel scowled. “She has already received her payment.”
He didn’t explain further than that.
“I don’t need your help. I’m well aware of its location,” the sorceress said. Her white hair flared as she spun around and walked away, heading for the shore. Within the following second, she winked out of view.
“Wait—” Dyna tried to stand but whimpered at the sharp jab of pain in her ankle and throbbing at the base of her skull.
“What’s wrong?” Zev crouched by her again. “I smell blood.”
She winced and touched her head. Now that she had moved, something wet trickled down her scalp to her neck. The blow against the log must have been worse than she thought.
Rawn approached her. “May I?”
She nodded, and his gentle fingers slipped through her hair, probing the back of her head until she flinched. His hand came away with red smears.
Zev growled and he bounded for Von.
Dyna saw his wolf claw at the surface in demand to kill. To protect his pack, to protect her. “No, Zev!”
“Commander didn’t hurt her!” Geon shouted at the same time.
“It’s the truth,” she said. “I fell. He didn’t mean for it to happen.”
“He kidnapped you!” Zev snarled.
“Von was only doing as our master bid!” Geon said.
“Who?”
“Von called him Master Tarn,” Dyna said.
Rawn’s expression grew alarmed. “My lady, if Tarn is pursuing you, then you are in grave danger.”
“What do you mean?” Cassiel demanded.
“Who is he?” Zev asked next.
Rawn gathered Dyna’s things into her satchel. “A discussion for another time. We must depart from here forthwith.”
“Help me stand, please,” Dyna said. Cassiel hoisted her up, and she stumbled against him, whimpering at the painful jolt that ran up her leg.
He hooked her arm around his neck for support. “You can’t walk on that ankle.”
“What do we do about him?” Zev asked the others, glaring at Geon.
The boy cowed against the tree, sweat dripping down his gaunt face. “I’m sorry we took her. We had to!”
Rawn laid a hand on Zev’s shoulder. “We have spilled enough blood today.”
“Are they all gone?” Geon asked. “The Raiders?”
No one answered him. He dropped his head.
“Cassiel, take me to him,” Dyna said. “Please.”
She brushed his cheek, and calm energy passed between them, softening the scowl on his face. Geon may be their enemy, but she wanted to help him. A part of her hoped it would ease her guilt over the deaths of his companions, and what stopping them had cost Cassiel.
Cassiel half lifted her, relieving the weight off her sprained ankle. He brought her to the boy who scrambled back.
“It’s all right,” she said, sinking to the ground next to him.
“What are you doing?” Geon asked cag
ily.
Dyna only smiled. She closed her eyes and laid her hands on his twisted limbs. A wave of heat unfurled in her chest as her Essence surged forth. The power traveled throughout her body in a steady stream, gathering, and taking from her own life. It coursed through her arms to her hands at her command.
A vivid green light enveloped Geon’s entire leg and forearm. She targeted the torn muscle and bones, and the broken pieces moved. He squeezed his eyes shut, gritting his teeth from the pain. Her body began trembling from the strain as Essence freely flowed from her and into this boy she didn’t know.
Heal, she ordered, restore. Slowly, the bones connected and fused. His torn skin and muscle stitched layer after layer until large pink scars formed. The light receded along with its warmth, leaving her cold and empty. Dyna slumped, completely exhausted.
“There, that’ll do,” she murmured. “Your leg and arm will be tender for a few weeks. I’ve mended what I can, but your body must do the rest. Take willows bark for the pain, and comfrey to strengthen your bones. I’m sorry. You will have a limp for the rest of your life.”
She didn’t have enough Essence to restore his leg to its previous state. Her power only went so far.
Geon gaped at his scarred arm. “God of Urn. Y—you have magic?”
“I was not aware she had such an ability,” Rawn said to the others.
Dyna stumbled to her feet, her vision swaying. She managed only one step before plunging head-first. Cassiel quickly caught her and lifted her into his arms. It should have elicited a blush, but she had no energy even for that. Her head lolled against his chest, a weight pulling on her eyelids.
“What has happened?” Rawn asked.
Zev answered, “It exerts her to heal.”
Dyna blinked sleepily at their concerned faces. “I’m all right.”
“Go,” the boy grunted as he used the tree to stand. “Captain Elon will come.”
Cassiel glared at him. “Who?”
“He’s an elf.” Geon glanced at Rawn. “Our second in command. You may have taken down twenty Raiders, but Elon is worth a hundred men. You don’t want to meet him.”
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