And me, a water blessed I vaguely remember says. Wilhelmina, I think?
Euphrasia’s sister’s there, too. And a few others I don’t have the energy to identify.
But then they’re boosting me out of the water, and I’m shaking off, and launching back upward into the air. For a moment, I worry I’ll plunge back down, but then my wings dry, and I realize they’ve healed, thanks to Liz’s magic. Take care of Hyperion.
He’s worse off than you, Euphrasia says. Go save your human bonded. We’ll take care of Hyperion.
But I don’t see Thunar anywhere.
In that moment, I know where he’s gone. He was merely getting rid of Hyperion and me so he could do what he really wanted. I swear, I don’t know a single creature in the universe who gets more targets painted on her back than Elizabeth Chadwick.
I fly back toward the coast as fast as I’ve ever flown, portaling the rest of the way once I’ve recovered enough to do it.
I’m still too late. Thunar’s already landing up ahead, and he doesn’t wait to blast a large column of flame. . .right at where Liz is standing, apparently waiting for him.
Can Liz block it again?
Before I’m close enough to do anything at all, I realize that Liz isn’t facing him alone. She’s surrounded by earth blessed. In fact, more are winging their way to her side in droves, coming from as far out as I can see. Some of them have humans on their backs, and some don’t. But they’re all screaming their defiance at Thunar.
He’s laughing. What do you think you pathetic fools can do to me?
I blast him from the side. Would you kill your own people just to attack one human?
I destroy anyone who defies me. He spins, his eyes flashing. As should you.
You picked this fight, and now you won’t let go even though she has more allies than you expected? Don’t be stupid.
I doubt it’s my words that sway him, though.
No, it’s the large contingent of strike blessed joining the fray. And then another one of water blessed climbing out of the surf and lining up on the shore. Earth blessed continue to arrive, but now I notice that some are straightening in front of Liz, their new wings still wet as they unfurl.
She gave the new ones wings, too? For the first time since seeing Liz, Thunar sounds. . .thoughtful. His anger is lessened. How?
Liz straightens, and she spreads her arms wide. “I grabbed the heart, which we had been keeping safe until we could return it to your father. Then I used its magic to send power to my bonded.” She lifts her chin. “Power he needed because of your unprovoked attack.”
Thunar tilts his head, but there are no new columns of flames, not yet, anyway. And?
“As you can see, I was able to use it to help all the earth blessed near me to. . .” She frowns, her nose scrunching. “I’m not sure what to call it. I upgraded them, too. They’re larger and they can fly.”
How?
“I wish I knew. The heart’s tricky. It’s powerful, but it didn’t come with a manual. Not even one written in Chinese letters.”
Thunar turns toward me this time. What’s she saying? Interpret.
I don’t understand her either, half the time. But I think the answer is, she isn’t sure how she does it. If she was this witch you knew from another life, she doesn’t remember much about it now. All the things she has done have come from trying new things and taking risks.
In typical form, Thunar demands she try to improve him next. Do the same to me. He lifts his head, as if to dare her to defy him.
“I would,” Liz says. “Really, I would. The thing is, when I pulled on its magic. . .it expanded, and then when I pushed it to Azar, I was weakened. The earth blessed near me came to help.” She coughs. “And the more, the ones you brought, also stepped in. When they did, the magic exploded around me, and then the heart kind of. . .” She blinks.
Did she drop it? Did someone take it? Thunar looks at the ground around her intently. Where did it go?
Liz clears her throat. “The thing is, I retrieved the heart from another human who had it kind of embedded in their chest.” She grimaces. “And now I think.” She makes her right hand into a fist and slams it against her chest. “I guess it did the same thing to me.”
The heart’s. . .in her body next to her heart? This isn’t great.
Before Thunar can suggest we flay her open and take it out, more earth blessed manage to squeeze their way through. The small, forest green earth blessed near the front, Prevalus, slithers closer. Can you make me larger? He blinks. And give me wings? I’d really like some wings.
