Rise From the Embers (Lightness Saga #4)

by Stacey Marie Brown

  Fionna

  My mouth parted as I called for my sister again, but she continued to walk toward the monster who wore my man as a costume. My fingers pressed into my gut, feeling Lars’s presence expand. His demon was reacting, feeling the magic, the fear, and it wanted to attack. In the need to protect and fight for those he loved, he was draining me. My legs wobbled, and my body trembled, watching Kennedy disappear in the cloud of smoke. “Shite! Kennedy!” I took a few steps to follow her and crumpled over, my knees colliding with the ground. Gripping my waist, I sucked in deep breaths, trying to move despite the magic consuming my body.

  As a child, I had growing pains and restless leg syndrome. This felt like my entire body was experiencing both, while diminishing my energy with every attack. “Will you ease up?” I said to my gut.

  Pulse.

  “Not sure if that was a yes or no.”

  Pulse. Pulse.

  Fire shot down my nerves, his demon forgetting to be kind to the host. He wanted out. My teeth punctured my bottom lip, fighting back a groan.

  “You are dying, Druid.” Goran was suddenly beside me, watching me as if I were an insect pinned on a board, my muscles twitching in the final throes of death.

  “Thank you,” I snapped, the taste of blood on my tongue, my gaze searching for my sister. Through the haze, she was no longer visible. “You are very helpful.”

  What was she thinking? Why would she challenge the stone?

  “She’s giving you a chance. You need to do it now.” He nodded at the rucksack I carried. “I gave you my word I would help save Lars before you let me go. If you die, my word will haunt me into the next life.”

  Suddenly the ground vibrated underneath my legs, pebbles jumping like popcorn as buildings exploded and rained down on the courtyard. I threw my arms over my head and curled my body over my legs. Goran grabbed me, shielding me from the large debris breaking over the pavement. I peeked up, barely able to see anything through the haze.

  “Thank you.” I tugged away from Goran’s icy skin and awkward embrace. He dropped away from me, standing like an automaton.

  Boom! My head snapped around following another explosion from below.

  “Oh no.” My hand went to my chest as several ships sank, their burning masts the last signs of their existence; the Queen’s insignia flew off the mast. Flames flicked high in the sky, consuming it in a few gulps. Shouts and cries came from those jumping overboard.

  “Shite.” I gulped, realizing it was the exact ship where I’d last seen Croygen, Rez, Jack, and Lexie board. From my spot above, I could see the battle expand across land and sea.

  We were losing on all fronts. Any strategy we had was long gone.

  This is up to you, Fionna. It’s time to set things right. At least you have to try to protect the future for your child. For those you love.

  “Druid!” Goran growled with frustration, as though he had been calling me over and over. Blinking up at him, his empty features were uncomfortable to look at for too long. I had done that to him. He was supposed to die, and I forced him to live for selfish reasons. Just like Lars altered my destiny.

  No. We create our own destiny. I’ve always had the idea that fate was changeable. Our choices and decisions were ours. To live or die, the choice was mine.

  I reached around and grabbed the sack, and the cauldron tumbled onto the ground. My hands shook as I set it in front of me, suddenly bearing the weight of what I was about to try again.

  A high-pitched cry tore my eyes away from the object to see a creature, half human, half lizard, sprinting for me. I had seen lizard shape-shifters before. This was nothing like that. It could never shift into one or the other. It was both…permanently.

  A thick green tail swung behind him, full of thorny spikes running on either side of it all the way up its back. His human green eyes narrowed, a huge sword directed at my throat.

  A spell came to my lips, but he was already on me, murder and hate sketched on his features as he swung.

  Shite.

  The blade hissed by my ear, and I closed my eyes, knowing I was about to die. Instead of feeling the blade pierce my skin and hack at my bone, the clang of metal on metal rang in my head, jarring my teeth. I opened my eyes to Goran’s sword crossing in front of me, blocking the lizard man and shoving the thing back. With only a few moves, Goran’s blade impaled the lizard in the stomach, as he pulled a knife from his boot and ruthlessly stabbed the creature in the throat.

  The lizard choked, blood spurting from his lips, his eyes wide with the awareness of his own death. Dropping to the ground with red foam gurgling through the hole in his neck and his mouth, he looked at me one last time before his face smacked into the pavement.

  Goran didn’t hesitate to swipe the blade through the creature’s neck, its head rolling into the gutter. The body still twitched and jerked before me, blood pooling in the crevices of the cobblestone.

  Goran didn’t even blink, turning back to me. “Begin.”

  All I could do was nod and focus on the cauldron, my entire body trembling as I ran my hands over the rim. A throb quivered in my fingertips.

  Strange. My palms curved around the bowl, my brows drawing together.

  “What?” Goran wiped off the blood on his sword, using the victim’s clothes.

  “Nothing. I could have sworn I felt energy come off it.” So much magic and explosions swirled around, even my body shook like a shaved sheep in winter. Most likely, it was outside the object.

  Wishful thinking, Fi.

  I tugged the knife from my boot, energy and images of the blade’s experiences flashing in my head. Excitement and magic danced off it, as though sensing another story was about to be added. My fear and resolve pumped straight into it. Gripping the handle, I dug the tip of the blade into my wrist. I would cut vertical, to follow along my vein, and bleed out into the vessel.

  “Fuck. Fuck. Fuck,” I whispered to myself, blinking back the tears. I never said my goodbyes to those I loved. We had no time now.

  Pulsepulsepulsepulsepulse.

  I tried to ignore the feeling of Lars, manic and violent, as he pounded inside.

  I sliced a little incision at first, hoping Kennedy could somehow manipulate Stone into killing Stavros. It seemed impossible, but I couldn’t wait long. I hoped Lars could survive inside me, use my body until he could get back in his own. The idea of taking him down with me was agonizing. I wanted so badly for the cauldron to weaken the stone enough that Lars could return back to full Demon King again…but this was all hope.

  You fight, Lars. Stay alive, take my body somehow, some way. Raise Piper.

  Pulsepulsepulsepulsepulse.

  Yeah, he wasn’t happy with me.

  Words sang from my mouth, my world tightening to just the cauldron and me. Sounds and smells began to ebb away as the spell twirled over my tongue.

  “Mummy!” A little voice jerked me out of my trance, my head snapping up, dread cascading over on me.

  Oh gods, no.

  My world tipped on its side, watching Piper run down the path, dressed in clean clothes, her washed damp hair sticking to her face as her boots trudged toward me.

  “Piper! No!” A cry pierced the air, my voice shrieking, my legs rising.

  She smiled. “Don’t worry, Mummy. I will help. Darz needs us,” she yelled, turning away, running straight into the battle.

  A scream burned up my throat, my heart plummeted with terror. No…this can’t be happening. My legs reacted as adrenaline shoved energy into the muscles.

  “Piper!” I screamed, stumbling forward, the smoke curling in my lungs and blocking my vision. “Piper!”

  Through the debris, my boots came to a squeaky stop, my stomach twisting into knots, my heart slamming against my ribs at the sight before me.

  Amara and the faux-Zoey stood frozen, Lars’s hijacked body before them, gripping Stavros’s neck. They were both focused on the tiny five-year-old in the middle, her hands on her hips, looking as if she were scho
oling them.

  Oh. Holy. Shite.

  “Don’t worry, okay? I will save you.” She nodded at Lars’s form, bouncing on her toes like she was excited.

  “Piper.” A guttural sound volleyed from my diaphragm, my bleeding arm shaking as I grabbed for her, taking careful steps. “Come here.”

  The stone’s pitiless eyes flicked to me, then back to Piper, his head tipping in curiosity, still clutching Stavros’s neck. What if it could feel her magic and notice how powerful she was? He could easily manipulate a child’s mind and use her energy, especially when she saw Lars looking back at her.

  Piper bounded back to me and my arms wrapped around her protectively, my guard up, ready with a spell.

  Stone’s stare did not break from her, his eyebrows slightly furrowing, as though he were trying to figure her out. And I knew whatever he was thinking was not good.

  But if he tried taking her from me... The wrath of a mum would come for him.

  The stone’s mouth parted to say something, but instead Stavros tugged back, unsheathing his sword with a whoosh, the long blade finding Stone’s midsection and sliding into his gut with a sickening sound of severed flesh. Stavros ran the blade in to the hilt with a gleeful smile.

  “I win.” Stavros twisted the blade. “I always win.”

  The stone took a step back, looking at the hilt sticking from its stomach, blood soaking in the clothing around the blade. For a second, I thought I saw shock flicker over his features, but it was gone before I could be sure. Slowly Stone lifted its head, zeroing in on Stavros. A cold, evil smile curved his mouth.

  Oh shite. I knew it wasn’t really Lars, but seeing the sword go into him made me cry out.

  “Demon.” Stone grabbed the handle, yanking the long blade from Lars’s body with ease. “You aren’t even on the sidelines. I am the Stone of Fáil, the Sword of Nuada, and the Spear of Lug. I am the very thing that can kill you.” Before I could even blink, the stone flipped the blade around, slicing it across Stavros’s throat, spraying blood everywhere.

  I gasped, stumbling back with Piper, turning her away from the horror.

  Stavros stood for several beats, his eyes wide before his head tipped to the side, dangling from his neck, a river of red liquid gushing in waves as a strangled gurgled cry came from his throat. A pained, devastated expression flushed over Stavros’s face before his body fell to the ground, his head fully detaching at the impact, gushing like a squashed pumpkin. I cringed, turning my gaze to my daughter. She calmly held on to me, her face snuggled into my stomach.

  For feck’s sake. What kind of therapy is she going to need after this?

  The moment the thought passed through my head, magic drove like a lorry straight into my gut, plunging me brutally into the ground with a silent cry. Pressure crammed in every corner, filling me like a balloon, ready to pop.

  “Mummy!” Piper yelped, grabbing for me. Pure agony shredded my nerves as more magic funneled in, stealing my breath, sweat pricking at my hairline. Holy. Gobshite.

  “Fionna.” Goran grabbed for me, trying to get me back on my feet, but I bent over, moaning through the experience. My entire body shook violently, feeling Lars consume more of me.

  Shite. He’d gotten his powers back with Stavros’s death.

  I was dying slowly before when he was just demon. Now that he was King again, my bones couldn’t carry him. I wrapped my arms around my middle where it pulsed with agony.

  I loved the bastard, but he couldn’t make this easy, could he? My life was a fading tapestry, the strings unraveling quickly now. A low growl curled from my throat.

  “Get up, Fionna. Fucking move,” a voice whispered hoarsely in my ear. Goran’s hand wrapped around my arm, tugging me up. “Stavros is dead. You have to act now.”

  “Aye. No shite,” I grunted, letting him help me rise, my head swimming, bile burning my throat. I was retaining the High Demon King’s soul along with my own. There wasn’t enough room for both of us. Hopefully he could use me until the cauldron weakened the stone.

  I stumbled and wobbled but rose to my feet. Lars’s growing pulse echoed in my ears and chest. My purpose drove me forward. The precise thing I hoped for had happened. It was up to me now. While everyone’s attention was still on the dead demon, I grabbed Piper, allowing Goran to walk us swiftly through the haze, back to the cauldron.

  “Take her!” I hissed, pushing Piper to Goran. “Get her back to the castle.”

  “No, Mummy. I’m supposed to help.” I’d grown so weak she easily wiggled from my grip.

  “No!” I bellowed. “It’s too dangerous. Go back to the castle. NOW!” I hated scaring her, or for this to be her last memory of me, but her life was on the line.

  Boom! Boom!

  My gut sank; that wasn’t Ember, but cannons heading our way. Debris rained down upon us. My unstable legs zigzagged, shielding Piper, both of us leaping over objects and diving away from flames.

  “Go! Now!” I screamed at Piper, wiping the sweat from my brow. “Get to Nic!”

  “I won’t!” Piper fisted her hands in anger, her forehead crinkling. Damn, she was so stubborn. One hundred percent my daughter. “You and Auntie Ken need me. I make the third. I even memorized the spell.” She stomped her foot.

  The third?

  It was as if a force shoved me backward, the realization snapping in my brain like a puzzle piece.

  Of course. My daughter. My blood. Cathbad blood.

  Kennedy and I weren’t enough. It hadn’t even crossed my mind to bring in Piper. She was too young to be part of this. But at five she was already more powerful than I had been for years to come.

  Druid magic followed the laws of nature, coming in threes. For most spells, there was some form of three, like ingredients or the times you’d chanted a spell. It took three of the Cathbad bloodline to create the cauldron, my grandfather being the principal guide.

  It would take three to bring it back, me being the guide.

  “No.” I shook my head. I understood this, but I still couldn’t let my daughter me part of this…

  “Fionna!” Kennedy’s voice rang out, raw and frightened. Staggering through the cloud, she climbed over a huge chunk of a house in the middle of the street. Covered in wounds, her eyes were lined with broken vessels, as though she had been choked.

  “Ken!” I screamed, rushing to her. “Are you okay?”

  “I’m sorry, I tried. The stone is too powerful.” She reached me, taking my hands, noticing them tremble in hers. “He told me to stop breathing.” She shook her head, swallowing roughly, the memory of it still fresh. “I woke up and he was gone... and I was covered in rubble.”

  “It’s okay.”

  “No.” She gripped my arms hard. “It’s not. It’s so much more powerful than I thought. With one word, the stone can have us all on our knees or dead. Stavros isn’t even a concern anymore…”

  “Good thing. Stavros is dead.”

  “What?”

  “Discuss this later.” Goran walked up to us. “Look around. Your time is almost up.”

  Kennedy took a moment to notice the devastation, the piles of bodies on the field below, the ships on fire. Everything we loved and built was dying around us. He was right.

  “Ken, I can’t believe I’m going to do this. There is only one thing we can do to stop this.” I nodded back at the cauldron. “It’s going to take some badass Cathbad girls.”

  Piper bounced up to me, grinning, like she got her way. I could try to protect her, but if we didn’t take down the stone, what would I be protecting her from? It was much worse leaving her in a world where she could be tortured, used, and possibly abused in ways which made my blood seethe.

  Kennedy’s eyes went to Piper in shock, her mouth opening to speak. I laid my hand on hers. “The power of three. Our blood created it. We can do it again.” I don’t have much time. I didn’t say that, but I felt she understood, her expression dimming to grief.

  Goran grumbled, irritated with our lack of action
.

  “Okay. Let’s do this.” Kennedy nodded, grabbing my hand, then Piper’s. The three of us went over to the cauldron, dropping to our knees around it. Kennedy and Piper both placed their hands on it.

  Goran stood guard, letting no one get near us.

  “That tickles.” Piper giggled, tapping on the pot.

  “What tickles?” I asked.

  “Can’t you feel it?” Piper looked from me to Kennedy. “It’s alive.”

  My mouth parted. “What? What do you mean?” I placed my hands on the vessel, not feeling anything.

  “Piper, there’s noth—”

  “No, Mummy. Feel it.” She pushed my hands firmer into the cauldron, then tapped her head. “And here. I can hear it.”

  Kennedy sucked in, closing her eyes. “Crap times a hundred. I think I feel something.”

  It took several deep breaths to steady my shaking hands, but after a while I thought I felt a magic tingle in my fingers. Was it alive? Did that mean I wouldn’t have to die? How long had it been alive?

  “It doesn’t matter. The sacrament is still the same.” I didn’t want to get my hopes up, not when I would die anyway. If I didn’t find a way for Lars to get home, I was doomed.

  I almost lost focus at the sounds of people screaming in agony, gunfire, and metal crashing together. But I centered myself, starting the spell, and they followed my lead, Piper trying so hard to say the words she didn’t understand.

  Gripping the knife, I sliced a cut into Piper’s finger. She wrinkled her nose in pain but didn’t stop chanting.

  With Kennedy, I made a deeper cut across her palm, then without hesitation, I sliced the blade down both my arms, my nostrils flaring as I forced the spell out, my blood dripping over my skin and into the pot.

  The moment my finger clasped the edge again, I felt the thump of the cauldron’s life. It lapped up our blood like it was milk, giving it more strength.

  Yesss. The cauldron’s voice hissed in my head, greedily taking our gifts. Its pulse grew stronger with every beat of our hearts, while mine diminished. This is for the greater good. Look at the mess you caused for not following your destiny the first time.