Klayra sneers. “You brought this upon yourself.” She kicks his body, and Koen grunts as his almost lifeless body rolls to his back. “Watch as we take his life and know that you did this to him.To them.”
“You’re going to regret what you just did,” I hiss.
My fingers stretch open, trembling, as a searing current of fire runs through every nerve in my body. An intense, blinding light, brighter than a thousand stars against the midnight sky, erupts from my arm.From the stones.
I can’t control the rage inside me.
At this moment, I don’t want to.
A fierce, howling wind whips around me violently, grabbing my tangled hair and flinging it wildly in every direction.
It isn’t a storm rolling in.I am the damn storm.
But as I gaze at his body through the strands of hair lashing against my face, each stinging hit brings haunting images of Koen as a teen—maybe seventeen—dancing through my mind. Isee him as if through my own eyes, questioning if they are indeed my own memories.
Or the Gods here are tormenting me for coming to the Realm of Azure.
A surge of emotion wells up inside me, and I grunt, squeezing my eyes shut, desperately trying to shield myself from the piercing ache of recalling whether these visions are truly my memories.
Will the stones now haunt me forever until I remember?
“What is this!” I cry out, falling to my knees as the dirt kicks up with the wind. My hands fly to my head, pressing my fingertips firmly against me.
“Leave me alone!” My chest heaves as I pull my head down, gliding my trembling hands in my hair.
Koen and I are in the field of…wait could it be… the field of ash. However, there is no ash present. Just a field of flowers in shades of iridescent colors. My head rests against him, my golden strands falling over my chest, and my fingers curled within his. My heart beats, feeling as if the oxygen might finally leave my body.
What is happening to me...
My eyes flicker, burning as I feel wet tears running down my cheeks, trying to avoid seeing this life I don’t remember flash before me.
Through my blurred vision, I see Ivker raise the sword over Koen’s body, deliberately ignoring the wind that is coursing around us like a tornado and the beaming light that glows from me.He still wants to kill him.
He could care less about what is unfolding around us. He wants blood.
I can hear the roaring, manic cries of Klayra to do it, grabbing Ivker’s mechanical arm to pierce the sword through him at last.Iwant to run to him. I want to throw my body over his and shield him. But I am frozen.
I clench my teeth, squeezing my eyes shut for a mere second to try and control whatever is holding me still.
“Gods, stop this! Whatever this is!” I plea out to them, knowing they will never hear my cry.
“We could run away.”Koen squeezes my hand, taking his other hand to wipe a tear away from my cheek.“No one would ever find us if we left to the Darklands.”
“And what if they did find us?”I can hear my voice cracking. I can feel the pain as if this moment is happening right now.“They would kill you. They could kill you if they see you alone with me. You know the forbidden rule of the Deskyiara Royals, I shouldn’t even be holding your hand.”
“You can’t tell me this doesn’t feel right.”He shifts his body towards me, taking his palms and resting them against my cheeks.“Tell me you don’t feel this, Spark. Tell me you don’t feel that inside of you when you are with me.”
“Koen…”I breathe out, feeling as though this is the last time I say his name.
He shifts closer, his nose resting against mine, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath.“Tell me you don’t feel this, and I will leave.”
I close my eyes, shifting my chin upwards to his lips, but never touching them. I tilt my head, letting out a shaky breath as my lips barely graze his in one sudden movement.“I do feel it. I would be lying to us both if I said I didn’t.”
“I love you,”he breathes out, pulling me closer, inhaling deeply as if he is savoring this moment.“Gods, how I have loved you since the moment I saw you. I shall love you until my dying breath, whenever the Gods decide it shall be my time.”
“I love you.”My eyes open, catching the tones of his emerald eyes that melt with a golden sunset.“Now kiss me before theguards come searching for me. If the war breaks out and we die tonight, I want to at least have this moment with you.”
He draws me in tenderly, his fingers weaving gently through my hair as his lips meet mine with a soft, lingering warmth. A moment I have been begging for. I feel a fluttering sensation as if the very breath is being swept from my lungs, while his hand glides delicately down the back of my neck, drawing me ever closer into his embrace.
