The further we moved through this valley, the darker it grew above us until only slivers of red light illuminated in long arcs across our path. That didn’t mean the power from those moons was any less, but it did block some of the impact.
At some point the roaring of the sands behind us eased, and Reece and I looked back to find that the wave had stopped surging forward, caught on the cliffs, unable to move into the valley at more than a trickle. Thankfully, all our allies, including Darin and the Guardians had made it through. And now we had a shot.
Unfurling my wings, I prepared to fly high and see where Tsuma and the others had ended up. Any information about what we were up against could help, and a bird’s-eye view was an advantage. As I flapped hard, my feet left the sands, but I got no more than about five feet into the air when I hit a barrier.
The valley’s securities were still strong enough to fight me from above, leaving only our narrow path to traverse. Frustrated, I landed and resumed my sprint, understanding that there was to be no shortcut here.
“We’re not making any ground on her,” I cursed as I tried to move faster, but I was already maxed out.
“She’s pumped up on the spell’s power,” Reece bit out, not sounding remotely out of breath, despite our pace. “It’s giving her unnatural abilities.”
Explained why she’d been able to get here as quickly as we did and stay undetected along her journey. “That’s okay, she won’t get to use it for long,” I said, palming my blades, ready for whatever we came up against.
The path started to curve, winding and growing narrower. At this point there was no option but to move single file, and I followed Reece, his broad shoulders almost scraping the sides at some sections. In the small glimpses I caught from around him, I was certain we were near the end of the valley.
“Something is in the sands ahead,” Reece called back, and I ducked lower to see what he meant. It almost looked as if debris was littering the path…
It was only when the black sands crunched under my boot that I could see exactly what was rising from the sands: bones. The ones that should have been buried deep in this land, fueling its security and increasing the power that ran here.
"The ritual is underway,” Reece sounded pissed, “and if we don't hurry, she’ll succeed and the sands will wash us all away."
We were already moving at super speeds, but we found the strength to go faster, the crunching louder as more bones filled the path. It killed me to know that the dead were being ripped from their resting place and disrespected, especially when one was my sister, but there was nothing I could do to fix it right now. If we didn’t move our asses, we would be joining them in their eternal rest, and that was unacceptable.
Reece rounded one final corner, and the path opened wide for the first time in minutes, spanning out farther than it had at any other point. This was the last of the valley, the junction before the resting place of the gods. The source of the cold, biting energy.
This was our final chance to stop Tsuma before the ancients rose and destroyed us all.
46
Being one of the first to ever see this section of the Delfora stirred the parts of me that loved history and books. My entire life, I’d always devoured information, embraced cultures, and studied battle. It would have been nice if instead of battle, I was here to examine the two ancient pillars filled with sprawling script, that framed the resting place of ancient gods. Maybe if we survived, I’d finally learn this world… this language. But until then, my focus had to be on those who’d let their craving for power destroy their common sense.
Tsuma and all the Desertlandians she’d recruited to her cause.
Their numbers scattered in our direction, more than I’d initially counted, leaving only Tsuma behind between the two twenty-foot pillars. We were close enough now that I saw the script across them was familiar but unreadable. The language of the gods and the rules that Reece had spoken of all those moons ago.
The same writing tattooed across Reece’s stomach.
This was also where the spells to stop the gods from rising were carved, and Tsuma was in the perfect position to break them all.
"All the dynasties," Reece cursed as we slowed, prepared to battle the Desertlandians who were racing toward us, determined to protect Tsuma.
“Traitors,” Darin roared from nearby, having clearly noted the wash of tunics in all shades of the sand.
That was all the time we had for conversation because we were about to battle. I lifted my curved blades as my wings sprung free. I used their strength to give me more momentum. Even boxed in by the barrier above, I flew over the top of the first group to cut off the second lot, breaking their ranks. My aim was to get through this lot and to Tsuma before she could fuck the worlds.
The first Desertlandian I slashed my blades across was a pale skinned female from Shale, her brown tunic shimmering slightly in the low light. Forcing myself to ignore her youthful energy—she had no more than a few decades of life—I did not temper my attack. Slashing twice in quick succession, I was surprised when she dodged the blows and reached out to swipe her hand across my skin. A hand that was covered in a deep magenta, like it had been dipped in paint or… blood. Was this part of the ritual they were using to break the spell? What sort of weapon was it that they chose it over blades?
Needing to know what we were up against, I deliberately let her touch my skin the next time she tried, and the burn of a dark energy started deep under my muscle and connective tissue. A burn I’d felt before, even if it had never been administered this way.
She bore the power of blood-sacrifice energy, and risking a quick glance at Tsuma, I noted that she too wore hands of red, lifting them to place against the pillars. Searching further with the seconds I had, I saw what looked like a body lying in the sands before her, half-covered and unmoving. Shit, we were in trouble now.
The gathered dynasty power and the moons had gotten them here, but the final step was, as always, death. In all of its irony, death in the Delfora brought life.
My fury rose, and ignoring the burn under my skin, I swung my body to the side and released a curved blade with as much force and speed as I could. It never wavered, loyal and strong, bonded to me through many battles. The Shale female screamed as the curve sliced through her hands, both appendages hitting the sands to shrivel and burn.
"Remove their hands," I shouted to the others. “If they touch you, their magic will burn you from the inside out.”
My energy still hadn’t healed my burn, but I was strong enough to stop it from spreading and possibly destroying other parts of me. Some of my family weren’t as powered up, and this sort of dark energy could kill them.
