Rise From the Embers (Lightness Saga #4)

by Stacey Marie Brown

  So you are going to kill me anyway?

  It’s the only way. The ultimate sacrifice.

  As if it could feel my doubt, my fear at leaving my family, it latched on to me like a vampire, melding my hands to the surface. My spine went rigid, bolts of magic shooting through my nerves.

  A scream ripped from me, my vision robbed.

  “Fionna?”

  “Mummy!”

  I could hear a roar in the distance.

  “Oh no.” Kennedy sounded panicked. “I think the stone can feel it. He’s coming for us.”

  Their voices grew distant. The cauldron tore through my mind, taking all function from me, my body responding as though it had been electrocuted.

  Thank you, Cathbad. You will do fine. I’ve been wanting this for a very long time. Though it’s a little more crowded in here than I planned.

  Lars’s demon flipped and scratched as the cauldron took possession. My lids popped open, my body rising, but I was no longer in control.

  Shite. The cauldron was using me like Stone used Zoey and Lars. Bodies they could control while they locked us back, unable to do anything but watch.

  “Fionna?” Kennedy said my name but reached for Piper, seeming to understand I was no longer in the driver’s seat. The cauldron didn’t even take notice of them, kicking over the empty vessel it used to reside in.

  Shite. Shite. Fuck.

  Yes, Fionna. You walked so easily into my trap. It’s been you I’ve wanted all along. Isaac spoke of you so often and your blooming power he couldn’t fathom in one so young. I knew it was you I would take. A Cathbad. It was easy to trick Isaac into thinking this was your destiny, to save the world. He set everything in place, leading the lamb to slaughter without even knowing it.

  Thank you for telling me all I needed to destroy the stone. But dear girl, putting him back where he belongs is only part of the strategy. I will end the stone once and for all. With him comes the sword and the spear. I will become all the treasures.

  Fuuuuucckkk.

  Your demon saving you did put a hiccup in my plans, but it was simple to get back on track. Pretend to be empty, go silent. I left little ideas in your head. It was so hard to stay quiet after the blood sacrifice. You are enormously powerful, Fionna. I will enjoy your body so much.

  This had all been a trick? The blood sacrifice gave it strength, while weakening mine, so it could take over my body.

  You always had it in your head I was the good one. So easy to play with that notion. Truth is, Fionna, there is no good or bad. Just power. And I plan to take it all.

  Cauldron and Stone were no different, each wanting to become more than objects. To become alive. Having all the supremacy and ability to act it out using our forms. And I had fallen for it.

  Like a genie escaping its bottle, they were both free, ready to fight each other for the lead. And if either one contained all four of the treasures’ magic? My mind reeled at the thought.

  I was only able to watch as Cauldron took over everything else. My body moved awkwardly over the wreckage and bodies, set on the figure striding straight toward me.

  Lars’s beautiful face came through the haze, streaked with battle residue, the hole in his abdomen healing. His eyes black, his mouth set in a smirk. We stopped a few feet away from each other.

  “I should have never doubted you would find a way to rise from the dead again,” Stone said.

  “Underestimating me will always be your downfall,” Cauldron responded, speaking with my mouth.

  “Don’t get me wrong. You made this exciting. They were all starting to bore me.”

  “You get bored quickly, except hearing yourself talk, which I was most thankful for being buried deep in a cave for centuries. I didn’t have to constantly listen to you.”

  “You know you can’t beat me, Cauldron. You are a baby in that new body. I have the energy of both the sword and spear. I have armies…” He motioned behind him to his soldiers. “I am far more powerful than you.”

  “Are you?” The cauldron tilted my head, feeling magic stir inside. What was she planning to do? “I simply took my time. Listened. Learned. As weak as fae can be, if you go really still, they become comfortable, complacent. They will tell you all you need to know.”

  “And what could you have possibly learned from these things? After centuries of watching and controlling them, I realized how weak and prone they are to corruption and greed.” He lifted his eyebrows in mocking. It was so strange to face-off with Lars. We had done it so many times, challenging and trying to break the other. It was ironic we were being used to do it again.

  “Many things. I understood what these two would go through for each other. Felt their connection through the blood they spilt. How to put you in your place.”

  “Now it is you who is talking heedlessly.”

  “You may have purged Lars from his body, but do you think he would go so easily?”

  Stone wrinkled its dark eyebrows, lids narrowing.

  Cauldron motioned down my figure. “I got a two-for-one deal here. Took possession of a body carrying two souls. Love, it’s the damnedest thing.”

  “You think I am that easy to fool?” Stone stared at her as if she were crazy, not unlike I had seen Lars do to me many times. Although, I could see a shiver of doubt twitching the muscles along his jaw.

  Cauldron moved closer, becoming more confident in my body.

  “Undoubtedly so. Killing the King only helped set my pieces in place. Made it easier to put you back where you belong, before I consume your power.”

  “What are you talking about? You can never beat me. I destroyed that pathetic excuse for a demon. He was no King. Now I will take his spot and rule.”

  “You are still a brash, stupid fool.” Cauldron lifted my hand, touching the stone as she walked around him. Joy fizzed inside her, knocking against me like champagne bubbles. She leaned into his ear from behind. “You made it so easy. Technically, you could only become King if Stavros had no bloodline left, but guess what? He does.” She flickered my gaze to the side, looking as though I were searching for someone.

  “The dae. She’s next in line.” Stone whirled, his eyes searching for Ember. “Dae, come to me.” Lars’s daughter. His true bloodline.

  Lars’s soul rattled every bone in my body. His anger and power tripled with every minute that passed. I wondered if I was only alive because the cauldron possessed me. I couldn’t have held out much longer with his energy bashing around inside. The cauldron pushed him back, her thoughts going through my head.

  Be patient.

  Thunder rolled above, lightning flashing through the clouds. Ember was pissed.

  Like a goddess of death, Ember, sword in hand, walked through the haze, tall, proud, and striking. Streaked with blood, covered in new wounds and some healing, her jaw was set tightly, her eyes darting around in defense, taking everything in.

  Flaming red eyes popped through the fog behind her. Eli’s massive, sleek body growled in warning. A human form moved on the other side of her. West. For some reason seeing his familiar face felt calming. He had that way about him.

  “Control your pets.” Stone pointed to the dae. “Or they all become dinner for my men. And you will hand feed your lover’s body to them.”

  One of the creatures next to him, an experiment which looked disturbingly human and similar to Zoey, snapped his teeth. He appeared human until he opened his mouth, and I realized he was a strighoul with an overdeveloped gland. His mouth was full of needled teeth, his jaw opening wide to tear apart his victims easier. The monster hissed in excitement, licking his lips at the prospect of a dweller cookout.

  “This tall weed of a girl is keeping me from the throne?” Stone laughed flatly. “Can you at least challenge me?”

  “My pleasure,” Cauldron responded. Energy started to whirl inside, and I felt her grip Lars’s soul. The air crackled, whipping through the group as she opened my arms, letting the power rush out of her. “And I wasn’t talking about t
he dae, old friend.” My voice vibrated, magic pushing people to the ground with shrieks and groans.

  Holy fuck! The cauldron had heard everything, knew my ideas, the thoughts about how Lars could get back into his body. Fear and hope bashed around inside. I wasn’t sure this plan was good anymore. I tried to reach for Lars, feeling his soul brush mine.

  Let me go, Druid. This is our only chance.

  What if it doesn’t work? What if she kills you after?

  I will be happy I got to love you.

  No! Lars…

  A blast exploded out of my body, and Cauldron thrusted it all at Stone; the power rammed the stone back. His expression shifted, realizing her power was greater than he had estimated.

  Lars? The feel of him brushed by me, ripping away from my soul. Lars!

  I could make out the sound of his demon howling with pain.

  Noooo!

  Silence. Empty.

  Lars’s soul was gone.

  Chapter 29

  Ember

  Lightning sliced through the sky above my head, its power energizing my muscles. Tendrils of my energy struck a cart across the street, which exploded in flames. My demon side, which I tried to contain, would not obey. Wrath pounded at my temples, ready to strike down anyone in my path. Normal wariness of my demon, of being a dae, slithered off with every victim I took down.

  This is who you truly are. Who you are meant to be. Feared. Awed, my demon spoke in the back of my mind.

  A dragon creature leaped for me.

  Shrieks pierced the air as my demon flew back and rammed the dragon into a sharp gate spike. Flesh and blood gushed as the monster slid down the ragged piece of metal, piercing its neck. Its tongue slid out and flapped like a squirming worm before his body went limp.

  My black eyes narrowed. I felt nothing as I searched for my next prey, the dweller in me lusting for blood. Fear sang in the air, partnering with hate and death, but I only felt cold confidence. My demon vibrated through me, turning off frivolous emotions.

  My boots crunched on the cobblestone, my sword humming, twirling in my hand preparing to strike. Some of the creatures darted away from me, having seen what I did to their kin, but there were always a few who thought themselves above a dae, that they’d be the one to take me down.

  Bring it.

  Though I was a good fighter, the stone’s creatures were confident and tough to kill. Stronger, faster, and better trained, but I was a dae. There was a reason we were hunted and executed on sight. Daes couldn’t control their powers and ended up destroying everything around them.

  I licked my lips, sensing another enemy creep up behind me. I whirled around, my blade clanging with another’s. Alki’s training was still embedded in my muscles, his lessons part of me, his voice in my head.

  “Dae,” the creature hissed, his beady black eyes planning my execution. This one was a twisted version of human with dark hair and… Was it a gorilla? His arms and chest were corded with extra strength and extra hair. My demon took it in without faltering, but the humane part of me wanted to retreat from the frightening, tragic figure. Within I felt sympathy. I understood what it was like to be considered an “abomination,” something that shouldn’t exist and killed out of fear.

  This didn’t stop me from hacking at his leg when I had the opening. An enemy was an enemy.

  Brycin, behind! Eli’s voice linked in my head. Holding my sword at the gorilla-man, I pirouetted to the side, flinging the knife hooked into my belt at the troll bounding for me. The blade struck its breastbone, stopping it with a gasping squeal.

  “Enough,” I muttered, slamming my magic into both of my attackers, flinging them back like dolls. Bolts of lightning crashed to earth, striking objects around me. Explosions shook the already crumbling buildings, showering down more chunks of debris, and stirring up the smoke and haze resembling thick fog.

  I was the cause of most of this destruction now. This was why I had to keep my demon under wraps. I was as much of a threat to my friends as the enemy. My magic had no filter between good and bad. It just destroyed.

  In the distance, I spotted my mother sparring with a strighoul with grace and pure badassery. I idolized her so much. Even though she technically didn’t give birth to me, she was my mother, through and through. And Mark was my dad, who stayed back in the castle along with Ryan, creating healing potions for the injured from plants he knew so much about. And now I had another dad, the reason I existed, creating me from pure love and heartbreak. If I lost him now…my wrath would reign down.

  Nobody fucked with my family.

  Stone and Stavros needed to die. Because Lars couldn’t kill Stavros, I felt an obligation to be the one to kill him. We had to keep it in the family. Stavros’s return started all this. And I would finish it, yearning to see his blood paint the ground.

  “Dae. Come to me.” A voice swirled around me, closing in like boa constrictor, its teeth sinking into my head, poisoning my thoughts, answering the command without a fight.

  What. The. Hell?

  Magic bent my legs and will, pointing my toes toward the voice.

  Crap on ash bark. I had felt Lars take hold of my body in the past, but this was different. I felt this inside me, as though the magic had clicked an override button in my brain.

  My demon faltered, bowing to the order as if I had told myself to move, twisting my brain like a pretzel. Thick tendrils of power swamped me, hauling me under its embrace. The magic was so dense and pure it laced along my limbs, marching me forward like a robot.

  Brycin? What the fuck are you doing? Eli yelled in my head, but I continued to advance.

  It’s not me, I said back.

  “Darlin’?” West grabbed my arm, but my feet didn’t even hesitate as I jerked free and walked by. With every step my anger rose over the loss of self-control. Thunder rumbled around me, mirroring the storm brewing inside. I was not good at being told what to do. Being controlled was a million times worse.

  Through the smoke, fire, and wreckage, I spotted Lars’s outline standing there waiting for me to appear.

  Stone.

  My stomach sank, sensing the unimpressed appearance on his face was not in my favor.

  My expression stayed cool, but panic fired through my heart, my grip tightening around my sword. I spotted Fionna standing slightly to Stone’s side, a smirk on her face. What the hell was happening? What was Fionna doing? Why did she look so odd?

  Eli’s growl vibrated behind me. I could feel both him and West taking point at my back, protecting me.

  The stone’s eyes flicked back to my companions. “Control your pets.” He motioned to Eli’s beast. “Or they all become dinner for my men. And you will hand feed your lover’s body to them.”

  I continued to take in my surroundings. The creature that took so much after Zoey stood close to Stone, his mouth open, baring his hundreds of daggered teeth at us. Zoey stood off to the side, Sprig wrapped around her ankle. A figure lying on the ground behind them.

  Holy shit. No.

  Ryker.

  Pain pierced my heart. I blinked back the shock and horror at seeing him. Was he dead? It seemed impossible someone like him could fall.

  Ryker and I had created a bond through our time in captivity, and I could feel devastation lurking in my chest. I gritted my teeth. Not the time, Ember. You can mourn later. I tried not to think of how many I would mourn if I survived.

  Amara stood near Zoey, with Lexie a few feet away from them, her attention on something to my far side.

  Following her pallid gaze, I twisted enough to see. My limbs slightly jolted in repulsion. Bile and shock coated my throat.

  Stavros’s lifeless eyes stared at me from his severed head feet away from his carcass. Blood and bits of brain matter were sprinkled between the two, like the debris of a shipwreck.

  Stavros was dead. Really dead. My first feeling was anger that I didn’t get to do it.

  Shit, I heard West exclaim through the link. The King is dead. What does
that mean?

  I don’t know. What did it mean? The one who kills the current King becomes King. Did that mean Stone was King? Did it matter? He would take over anyway.

  “This tall weed of a girl is keeping me from the throne?” The stone’s mocking laugh drew my attention back to him, his pitless eyes grazing me with derision.

  Crapping hell.

  “Can you at least challenge me?” He curved toward Fionna, making a slow smile curve her face.

  Looking closer I could see Fionna’s eyes were black. Similar to Lars.

  Something tells me Fionna isn’t home, I linked to the boys.

  No. I know her. That’s not Fionna, West replied.

  Who is she then? Eli asked.

  I don’t know, but I can tell you whatever has taken her…it’s not good.

  Seriously? Can we get a break? Is it Monday or something? I mentally sighed as I lifted my sword, ready to act.

  “My pleasure.” The faux-Fionna tilted her head, dropping her hands to the side, opening her palms. The atmosphere popped and sizzled; magic flooded from her, flogging us as it lashed out. “And I wasn’t talking about the dae, old friend.”

  A strange howl echoed through the courtyard, flooding the space with magic. As though a tsunami crashed down on me, I smacked against the cobble street under the weight, curling into a ball, a scream tearing from my throat.

  I was no stranger to tangling with powerful fae. Aneira had torn my magic from me, tortured me, and almost cut my head off when her magic pinned me to the floor. But nothing the High Fairy Queen had thrown at me was equivalent to this. Withering under the gravity, my bones cracked, every nerve burning. The magic radiating from Fionna filled every cell and felt as if it were compressing my brain.

  At the sound of a howl from behind, I twisted to the side. I pried my lids open, knowing it was from one of my boys.

  West was hunched over his legs, his dark dweller shredding his clothes, deadly spikes sprouting out of his spine, his face shaping into the beast as he roared.

  Holy crap.

  He had not been able to change since Aneira had tortured him. Having lived on the Light side too long when the worlds were still split, he could no longer shift into a dweller. But this magic was different and was powerful enough to crack through the cage, the beast flying out. His red gaze locked on mine for a brief minute, joy and elation danced in his eyes. Free! I could hear his beast cry.