Stunned, I cried out, reaching out to hold on to something, anything, to keep from being tossed away. My fingers found a rock, and I held as tight as I could as I squeezed my eyes shut.
The storm arrived to consume us, crashing into the mountain with a boom of rock and thunder. With it came the roar of wind, of water, the yipping of animals and the screams of the dying. It whirled around me as I held on, until my fingers ached and my body was sore from being battered through the storm.
It was a long while before it stopped, and when the silence came, I let go. I was soaking wet, lying weakly on a slab of rock like an offering the storm gave up. When I opened my eyes, it was cold, and a silver-blue light shone. I lifted my head, taking in my surroundings, and my heart lurched. The explosion had been so strong it had blown away the mountain and knocked the ceiling off the vault. The temple and palace were gone, and I stared up, up, up at the night sky far above me. The moon had come out, not quite full—the only light in the sky shining down on the bleakness below. Yet all around me was light, and that’s when I saw them.
My limbs trembled as I sat up, taking in the boulders and slabs of rock around me. Walking among the ruins were the Others—feral, beautiful creatures, with pale skin and overly large eyes. Their skin was like starlight and they were tall, oh so very tall. They moved in unison, gliding toward one rock. They circled it, and that’s when I realized they must be surrounding Oren.
I rose on my tiptoes, yet I could not see him. Was he alive? Unharmed? A sob rose in my throat and I swallowed it back, hugging myself, determined to be brave. This had been his plan all along, no? To best my uncle, to destroy his sorcerers, to cause the mountain to explode and destroy the magic that held the Others captive. For here, there was no oppression.
I stood there shaking, too afraid to move and ruin the moment as the Others walked free. They ignored me as they moved, their bodies all sharp angles, yet they still walked, despite what they had endured. A hush hung over the ruins until the music began, a pure, sweet note coming from within the circle. Oren played his flute, and if he played, he must be alive.
Weariness overtook me and I sank to my knees, not caring that I scrapped them on sharp shards of broken stone. The sweet melody filled the air. I closed my eyes and lifted my face, letting it sink into me. It was a song of beauty and hope, a song of overcoming, a song of freedom. The notes swirled around me, erasing the remnants of sin and evil and torture and corrupted magic. As I listened, a lightness filled me, and if I’d had wings, I would have lifted them up and flown away. The heaviness of the past was erased, the memories of darkness gone, and nothing remained but a future of hope and beauty.
My pulse slowed, and I opened my eyes as tears streamed down my cheeks. At last, the tears I’d held back for so long came. I wept for the death of my parents, the end of my life in Solynn, the corruption of Dowler, and even the fact that I’d been forced to kill my uncle. As my tears fell, the song washed away my guilt, my mistakes, and my grief.
This was a taste of creation, the song the Creator had sung when the world was called into being. This was beauty and hope and more, so much more than anyone ever deserved. A song like this could tame the world and cause people to bask in ethereal glory and beauty. A song like this could save a soul.
Silver light shone, brighter and brighter, as though the moon itself had come down and stood in our midst. My eyes widened as I watched the Others. Before my eyes, tiny wings sprouted on their backs. The music continued as their wings grew until they reached full maturity in a matter of moments. One spread her wings and turned.
When those pale eyes met mine, I gasped. It was the one I’d seen on the altar. Now, her skin was tighter, firmer, and although she was still naked, the marks of what she’d endured were gone. She gazed at me, expression solemn, and her words sounded in my head.
Thank you for finding the Piper. Thank you for setting us free.
She turned her face heavenward and leaped. Her wings came out to support her, and she shot straight up into the sky. One by one, each of the Others followed her, hands outstretched as they moved in a flash of silver light, flying higher and higher. I watched until they were out of sight, staring so long my eyes burned, because I could have sworn that they never disappeared. In fact, as they reached the sky around the moon, each one became a blaze of glory, a silvery star that filled the night sky in a plethora of splendor.
Awe-struck I watched, wishing I, too, could become a star in the sky, free in flight, free from this world, and free from the endless pain that humanity wrecked on each other. It was all so beautiful, I thought my heart would break from the glory of it, and even when they were gone, the light remained.
At last, my gaze left the sky, and I laid eyes on my immortal husband.
He perched cross-legged on the altar, which had shockingly remained intact through the storm. Wet hair stuck to his shoulders, his white shirt sheer. His haunted face was all hollows and angles as he took the flute from his mouth and met my eyes. Standing, he spread out his arms, as though welcoming me home. I went to him, almost ran to him, but the rock and rubble slowed me down.
The moment I was within reach, he dragged me into his embrace, crushing me against his body and kissed me until I was breathless. It wasn’t merely a kiss, but relief and magic and weariness, all combined into one deep and desperate kiss. When he pulled back, his eyes blazed, and he trailed a finger down my cheek. “It is finished.”
I nodded, having nothing to add to his words. The finality of them struck me, and a thread of unease left me wondering if there was a future for us. Still holding me, he pointed up. We stood in the crater of what was left of the mountain, and above us rose the waters, almost brimming.
“The river will fill this basin until it overflows, and the rock and rubble will cover this land. The city of Dowler is no more and will never be revived. It is nothing but a worthless ruin, a warning to those who would abuse magic.”
My stomach twisted at the truth of his words. He’d saved the citizens of Dowler from certain death, even though they did not deserve it. Those who had died here were those who perpetuated such evil—my uncle, his priests, and sorcerers. I thought of my aunt and hoped she would start a new life away from the rot of corruption. I wanted to ask what would happen now, but I was afraid to speak, afraid the future I wanted with Oren would be denied to me. So I nodded in understanding as the waters brimmed over, a waterfall pouring into the depths of the mountain. Soon it would fill. Soon we’d be washed away to our deaths.
But Oren held me tight. “Look at me, Tanith,” he coaxed, drawing my eyes away from the deathly waters. “I’m not letting you go.”
Arching his back, he stretched. A ripping sound rent the air as his shirt tore and wings sprung from his back. “Oren.”
“Yes.” He held my gaze. “I’m taking you home.”
We rose, just like the Others, his wings bearing us upward. I wondered if we, too, would become like stars, to overlook the world, to bask in the heavens, where there would be no pain, no sorrow, no torture, no corruption. No more.
34Tanith
Our flight into the night sky was cold, exhilarating, and terrifying. Oren flew with certainty, following a hidden path through the stars. I must have passed out while he carried me, for now I awoke to warmth, curled so tightly around Oren I couldn’t see his face. A whiteness surrounded us and a blanket covered our naked bodies. I squinted, half afraid to open my eyes and break the spell.
“We’re not dead, are we?” I whispered.
“No.” Oren chuckled, his tenor tone stroking my inner fires. “We are alive. Would you like to see where we are?”
I loosened my grip on him, aware that one of my arms had gone to sleep. That probably wouldn’t happen if we were dead. “Yes,” I agreed, half sitting up. “Wait, no. I want to stay here with you in this warmth.”
“It will be warm wherever we go, Tanith, it’s summer.”
