And that’s when the sky opens, revealing a flaming light that brightens the darkness.
A fiery wall of flames, filled with blue hues, scorches down from the clouds, burning everything around me. I continue to scream, feeling the pain that has been bottling inside me finally empty out. I can’t control the sobs that escape through the painful yell that echoes across the Darklands. Fire consumes the mountains, the lands, and I can hear the cries of the darklings as they flee. The wind gushes, whipping fiercely around me as my fingers stretch wide. But even though the land is scorching with the flames of the God of Fire, I notice golden hues surrounding the chosen.
A protective shield from the Gods.
My eyes widen, catching sight of the darklings burning to ash. Noticing none are climbing over the mountain anymore. But the most satisfying moment is the empty spot on the mountain top where Tilly was standing.
She fled.
And damn right she should.
Chapter 46
“The darklings are living proof of the evil done by dark magic.” - Book of Azure
THE FLAMES DISINTEGRATE, FLOATING BACK up to the dark sky as my weak body hunches over, my head resting against my Fireninze for a moment.
My eyes widen in disbelief, feeling the energy of the Gods radiating through my palms. I groan, wincing as I shut my eyes and flashbacks of my hands scorching everything in sight plays through my mind like a broken record.
How was that even possible?
Wielding from the God of Fire took everything I had, and now my body is weak. My flesh feels as if the fire itself scorched me. My heart is slowing down as if I might pass out right here.
Unsure if I could survive ever doing that again.
“What the hell were you thinking!” Koen roars, veins bulging against his temples. Dark-red blood streams down his forehead and arm, making my heart skip a beat.
He could have died.
And the Queen was going to allow it.
He angrily brushes off the ash clinging to his suit and hair, striding towards me. The sounds of bones crunching under his boots echoes in the slight breeze.
Gasping for air, I slide off my horse as the fire flickers out. “You mean…” I pant, “you can't even say thank you?”
“You could have been killed wielding power from the Gods like that! No one has wielded from the Gods since…” He chokes on his words. “Since the last Queen Deskyiara.”
His eyes blaze with pure intensity as he closes the distance between us. His breath trembles as he sucks in the smokey air that surrounds us.
My lips part, closing my eyes as I breathe out.
“What if you died!” The veins against his neck pulse rapidly.
“And you could have been dead if I hadn't!” I retort fiercely.
He rakes his fingers through his tousled hair. “Damn it, Serene!” he shouts, kicking bones aside with frustration. “Can't you just stay away from death! The Royals will hunt you down now! They saw the dragons! What you did, they consider it the deadliest curse, and they will have your head for it!No dragonshall live!”
“I am not afraid of the Royals. They should be afraid of me.” I step closer, feeling the heat of the moment, noticing how the chaos of fighting against pure evil only enhances the curls perfectly framing his face.
But also, the fear that consumed me as I watched him being ripped apart by the darklings made me realize that if I ever lost him,I'd lose myself.
My hand rests against my chest while I steady my breath. But as my chin flits to catch sight of him once more, my knees buckle. I suck in a breath as his emerald eyes meet mine. His jaw tenses as his nostrils flare. The sounds of his knuckles cracking as his hands roll into tight fists echo in the air
My heart beats, the heat has yet to leave my body. Ash catches in the breeze, and I hear the whispers of the chosen—as well as the Royals—up on the hilltop. Unsure if their arrows are still locked on us.
Let their arrows soar through the sky, it would be the last thing they would ever do.
“I can hear them!” He points to his head with trembling hands. “I hear her! I feel her anger! She will have her revenge!”
