I bare my bloodied teeth. "Watch me."
I reach deep into the chamber, willing every frozen particle to my command. Water and ice surge upward, encasing Skadi in a crystalline prison, glowing with my angelic light. Her scream of rage is muffled behind frozen walls.
I stumble to Rhyland, my body screaming in protest. Blood trails behind me as I reach him, hands shaking as they grasp the wooden beam.
"This is gonna hurt, babe." My voice breaks. "Ready?"
His eyes meet mine, ocean blue dulled with pain—one sharp nod.
I rip the beam free. Rhyland's roar echoes through the chamber as blood gushes from the wound. But I can already see the injury beginning to heal. He sucks in desperate breaths as the hole in his chest slowly knits closed.
The ice prison splinters. Skadi emerges in a fury of shadow and frost, but freezes mid-attack. Lightning crackles around Rhyland's hands, illuminating the chamber in brilliant white.
Her corrupted face twists in shock.
"No…it's not true," she hisses. "You died…the Godborn….you can't be—"
"Think again, bitch." Rhyland's voice is rough but firm.
Warmth floods my system as the Atherite stone finally decides to join the party.
Divine energy knits my ribs back together, sealing wounds and mending torn muscle.
Thanks for taking your sweet-ass time.
Skadi launches herself at us, but we move as one—Rhyland's lightning arcs across the chamber as my angelic fire erupts from my hands. Light and electricity combine, creating something new—something devastating.
"No!" Terror fills Skadi's voice. "You cannot possess both storm and light!"
"The fuck we can't," I snarl.
Power explodes from us both–pure creation meeting primal storm. Skadi's physical form dissolves in a burst of blinding light. Her essence erupts upward–a swirling vortex of wind and frost that illuminates the chamber in ethereal blue.
"Shit—" I lunge for my pack with all the grace of a drunk penguin, my healing legs choosing now to remind me they're still pissed off. The jar rolls free as the essence begins spiraling toward the ceiling."Hey! Get your frosty ass back here!"
I snatch the jar and make a wild grab, but the essence dances out of reach. The swirling mass of power pulses mockingly as it hovers above us, always a few inches too far.
"Are you kidding me right now?" I glare at the dancing frost. "What are you, a toddler? Get in the damn jar!"
The essence swirls higher, moving in lazy circles near the ceiling. My arms shake from exhaustion as I jump around like an idiot trying to catch it.
Even Rhyland's height advantage isn't helping; his attempts are missing by inches. "Any ideas?" he grunts, frustration evident in his voice.
"Working on it," I mutter as the essence spins away again.
Then I feel that connection to the water molecules in the air—the same power I used to trap her physical form. With a grin, I reach out with the Aquanite's energy, creating an invisible funnel of crystalline air.
The essence fights the pull, but I've got it now. Slowly, inexorably, it spirals downward through my frozen tunnel until—
The essence enters into the jar with the force of a winter storm. I slam the lid shut, fingers trembling as I twist it tight.
Blue light pulses against the glass like a furious nightlight. I hold up my prize with a smirk. "Not so tough now, are you, you frosty bitch? Welcome to your new studio apartment."
Rhyland
58
Erik and Bryn huddle near the fire like a pair of wounded animals, my brother looking like death warmed over. The massive fucking crater behind them tells its own story—something big went down while we were dealing with Skadi.
