And even worse, now, there was a small army of newly formed akadim hunting in Lumeria. Rhyan amongst them. Akadim unlike any I’d seen before. Akadim who could walk in the day.
It was becoming increasingly clear what had to happen next. My friends, and my family had to be kept safe. Protected. Not just from the Empire. But from Rhyan.
I’d have to return to Numeria. I’d have to hunt akadim. Hunt down the man I loved.
Because even if killing him would destroy me, even if I lost my life doing so, it was better than the alternative. Better than letting his demon-self destroy whatever remained of his soul, and all that remained of his memories—all that remained of us.
I didn’t know now if any of his soul remained or existed in any form. I didn’t know what happened to a soul after it was eaten. I didn’t know how this worked. He was Auriel. But Auriel wasn’t him. Thinking about it was too confusing. But if there was any chance that Rhyan wasn’t completely gone, that some part of his soul survived, even a mere slither of the light that Rhyan once was—I wouldn’t let it be tarnished. Not while I still had strength.
Memories weren’t enough. None of this was enough. I disavowed this life. This fate. And I was fully ready to release every deal, promise, oath, and duty that had ever been thrust upon me. Everything I had ever agreed upon, or sworn to, was now void. None of it mattered anymore. Not my hopes, my dreams. Not my future. Not when Rhyan was gone.
But, I could do this. I could do this much for him. For my lover, my best friend, my partner, my soulmate.
MyRakame.
I would wait a little. But only a little. Just enough to recover my strength, enough to move forward. And then I’d go. Myself. There would be no “we” as far as Auriel was concerned.
I knew what I had to do. Kill the akadim Rhyan, stop the threat it posed to his soul, stop him from doing further harm—save anyone who might come across him now. Save everyone else we loved.
I stood again, returning to the cave’s threshold, my body taut, and ready, the rain pouring down beside me.
If I couldn’t save Rhyan’s life, if I couldn’t heal him, couldn’t restore his soul, or have him back, then I could honor his memory.
I would slay him.
Chapter
Three
MORGANA
I rose naked from the river, letting the water sluice from my bare skin. It glistened in the moonlight, as I wrung out my hair, feeling more refreshed than I had in hours. More energetic, and more powerful, despite how much magic I’d drawn on through the night. I’d never been this strong. Never this precise with my power. And never with this level of authority. It was heady. Addictive.
And it was all thanks to a fresh scar that appeared on my right wrist. As of tonight, I had three. One for my Revelation Ceremony when I became a mage. One for the kashonim I’d formed with the apprentice I left behind in Bamaria. And the third, Aemon had sliced into my skin tonight when I claimed my shield. Ereshya’s shield. Ancient and bronze and full of power. We had finally liberated it from the hands of the Emperor. No longer could they draw upon that magic, that energy. No longer could they use the orange shard embedded within to enact their will. My shard, the one which represented my light of the Valalumir, was back where it belonged. But more than that. I didn’t just possess the shard, and the shield. Because also within was Ereshya’s blood. Blood that now flowed through my veins.
The tides had turned overnight. Lyr wasn’t the only one who could call onRakashonimnow.She wasn’t the only one who could join her power with that of her past self. From now on, I could embody the full strength and power of the Goddess I once was. The queen who’d ruled over the akadim a thousand years ago.
Maraaka Ereshyawas back and with a vengeance. I’d felt this intense connection to the shard and my shield the moment I laid eyes on it. But now, after weeks and weeks of dreaming of Ereshya, and remembering my past life, remembering coming down here, getting used to a mortal life, deepening my relationship with Moriel, and fighting in the War of Light, I felt her presence like she was alive. Like I was her. Like the line between us had vanished.
I’d placed my shield on the grass just beyond the water while I’d bathed. The orange light emanating from its center rose up to meet the clear protective dome I’d cast. The effect had created small bursts of rainbows to illuminate the night. It was startlingly beautiful, but also a powerful reminder for no one to touch the shield, or touch any of my possessions. Not that I expected anyone traveling with me to dare. I’d hardly given my court permission to look at it. Even now they barely dared to look at me. And they were all completely under my thrall.
Between the moonlight and the refraction of the shard, my naked skin glowed with every color of the original Valalumir light. At that moment, I was an eternal flame come to life. I stepped onto the grass and retrieved my stave—more than aware of the red eyes covertly watching my every move. Trying not to, but being unable to drag their gaze away. With a flick of my wrist, I released the dome. The rainbows vanished but the orange light of the shard continued to glow, mixing its illumination with the moon until it filled the clearing with itscolor. Moontrees looked like the sun, and the grass had turned to bronze.
I summoned Lissa, my maid. She stepped forward from the shadows, holding out a towel in her hands. I nodded for her to approach and slowly took it from her, wrapping it around my body.
The sense of being watched began to grow. Now that I was somewhat clothed, the akadim, my army, felt freer to look upon me. To look without incurring my wrath. But even so, their subdued growls and heavy breathing still carried an undercurrent of vicious violence. It was as thick as the scent of the spices that filled the city every summer. I could practically taste it now—their lust, their violence. But I stood easily, knowing that every single one, every deadly akadim waiting before the river, wouldn’t dare disobey or attack me.
Especially one.
The one I’d coveted. The one I’d wanted most. He was who I’d needed for what came next. The most powerful warrior in Lumeria. After Aemon, he was the strongest, the deadliest the Empire had ever seen. And now he was mine. My soldier.
My general. An unstoppable beast.
Lord Rhyan Hart.
I looked out at them all in the meadow. My akadim wore silver collars around their necks, binding them to me. I gazed almost transfixed at the mix of colors in the night. The red of their irises, the silver of their collars, and the orange of my light. It was all a reminder of the power I’d accrued. The power that was owed to me—that I deserved. I’d been born the second daughter to the Arkasva, born second in line to the Seat of Power, and only now did I realize how unnecessary that title had been.
How beneath me.
