Time returned to normal, and Thames pulled back, parrying again, his attacks deliberate and strong. I blocked a blow that would’ve killed me, and my arms shook as Thames’s thin face sneered in mine. I winced as my hand flared in agony from the burns Thames had inflicted.
“Kade’s darkness needed to be destroyed, but he wasn’t the final tie to Thames,”Cassandra whispered on the wind.“I am. His mate.”
I stumbled back a step. Thames didn’t fall forward like I’d hoped, but we both raised our weapons again and continued this battle that felt unwinnable. I had to find a weakness and exploit it.
“When I’m gone, finish this, Illiana. Then live.”
The breeze died instantly, and in its place Cassandra’s cry filled the air, heartbreak lacing every second of the wailing sound.
Thames whipped his body around, distracted by the agonized scream, but I didn’t waste the moment she’d gifted to me. Thisprecious opportunity to end Thames once and for all. I stepped forward, flinging the last traces of my light I could muster directly into the center of Apollo. Straight into the place where every woman in my line had channeled their energy. I called on their magic to help me, fusing it with my light as I stabbed it into Thames’s back. Light pulsed, shining around us.
He gasped, falling forward. I removed the dagger, kicking Thames so he lost his balance, forcing him to the ground. He rolled over in surprise, but I pounced, stabbing him in his heart.
His eyes widened, taking me in. I snarled at him, letting my hatred show on every line of my face. "You will never be anything more than the evil mentioned in storybooks. Not a king, not all-powerful.” I twisted the blade harder, deeper into the flesh and bone of the evil plaguing our lands. An unintelligible sound escaped from his lips as blood gushed from them.
My hands shook, but I didn’t stop pouring my light into the blade. The thrill of seeing the monster beneath me, at my mercy, sent a rush through me, giving me what I needed to see this through.
“Bested by a queen and her mate, who sacrificed everything andwon.”
Thunder boomed, and the winds whipped around us, as I removed the blade and stabbed it into Thames’s chest one more time.
His darkness, his very essence exploded out of him, decimating the ground around us.
His eyes widened even further in shock, but it only lasted seconds before his face fell flat.
Thames had been defeated. Atheria was free.
At last, it was finally over.
Chapter 44
Lana
Aripple of cosmic energy radiated from where Thames lay dead, blasting outward, sending everyone in the vicinity to the ground.
I landed on my back, the wind knocked out of me, gasping for air. The earth shook, trembling for a moment as the aftershocks slowly died down.
I felt numb. My body unable to handle anymore, physically or mentally. The emotional devastation I ignored to finish this war burned at my throat, coming back in full force. My broken soul shattered to a point that even Thames’s death couldn’t bring a smile to my face.
I’d completed my purpose, and now? I had nothing left to give.
The fog of darkness retreated slowly, along with the storm clouds, thunder, and lightning. Slivers of sunshine peeked through the waning clouds, warming my slick skin. I rolled to my stomach as the ground shuddered again. Bracing my hands on either side of my body, I gasped.
The land between our worlds, which was once void of life, shook, dirt and decay splitting away as greenery rose triumphantly from the cracks. The rift repaired itself andsuddenly, faster than should have been possible. Atheria was finally whole.
Fae cheered around me, their celebratory cries filling the air. A pack of strox circled above before they flew south toward their home in the forests. Their help had been invaluable to win this war, taking out more legions of men than I’d even realized. Perhaps they’d return once they mourned their own losses.
Despite the magnitude of our win, none of the victories today could heal the most broken part of me.
Kade was dead.
Would anyone truly understand what we sacrificed so they could live? I prayed they never did, for their sakes. The price had been too high. But I was a queen, and alongside my king, we chose to willingly suffer so they could flourish. It was what we did as rulers.
Sacrifice.
It was what should be done.
But it didn’t help the torment now.
