Still, the draconic power receded as she fought for the memories, and in its place the will of the Weaving renewed its violent swirling around her, its fury mounting, enraged by her defiance. She could feel its grip tightening, trying to pull her back under control before she destroyed the world it had sent her to save.
Sagging into it, her limbs drooped as her control waned. It demanded so much, took so much, yet offered so little in return. But she was tired. Tired of fighting, tired of being used. Tired of being nothing more than a tool for tying up the loose ends of existence. It would be so easy to let the fire take her.
Her eyes squeezed shut.
Not today. And not on this world.
Rynna filled her lungs, willing herself to focus, to rein in the last remnants of the blaze. And when she finally opened her eyes, her human form had returned—skin, flesh, and bone. The dragon within her was sleeping now, subdued but not gone.
The storm circled closer, now, ready to carry her away, and she could no longer muster the strength to resist. Stumbling, her knees gave way as she collapsed to the ground. She knew Kaelith would still be in his own battle with the vampire. And her friends…she couldn’t bring herself to look.
Wrapping her arms around herself, the sobs heaved from deep within. She could feel the fragile, newly healed fragments of her soul being rent apart again, the raw wounds reopening as she prepared to be ripped away from the people she had come to love.
“I’m sorry.” She rocked on heels, head bowed.
But before the vortex could take her, a deafening screech shook the remaining walls of the cavern. Before her, the Great Phoenix ignited, rising from the ashes of the Wraith’s corpse, more massive and brilliant than ever before. Her wings flashed wide, overwhelming the entire space, each feather a dazzling blaze.
“Your sacrifice is honored, Wise One.” Hika’s voice thundered through the space.
“What...?” Rynna’s palms pressed over her ears.
Then, more fire exploded from the creature’s massive chest in a brilliant, blinding torrent of surging flame that engulfed the storm. And the fierce winds that had moments before threatened to drag her to another world were obliterated in an instant, reduced to nothing more than a soft breeze that barely stirred the dust around her.
“Without the Wraith weighing down my world,” Hika sang. “I’m finally free.”
Rynna blinked, staring up at the massive bird, her mind struggling to catch up. “What about the Weaving?”
“This ismyworld. And I owe you a debt, Wise One.” She let out a booming laugh. “Even the Weaving bows to the need for balance.”
Rynna stared in awe, and for the first time, the weight of the Weaving's control seemed to ease. “I don’t understand.”
“A life for a life. It’s a fair trade.”
“I really don’t understand,” Rynna repeated, shaking her head. “Did you plan this the whole time?”
The Phoenix, glowing brighter than ever, gave her a sly wink.
“All will be clear in time.” Then, her tone softened, pausing as if choosing her next words carefully. “However, I will not suffer another infection to take root here.”
She beat her massive wings once, and a wave of heated wind swept over where Fenn and Kaelith lay sprawled.
“I’m so confused,” Rynna muttered, her mind spinning.
“Thank you for the opening,” Hika added with a satisfied sigh, gaze shifting upward to the newly made gap in the cavern. “You will have one life to live on this world as you see fit, with whom you see fit.” Her eyes flickered toward where Kaelith and Fenn were just beginning to stir. “Use it wisely. When it is done, you will return to the Weaving.”
“Whaaaa…” Tears began to well in Rynna’s eyes. “Are you saying what I think you’re saying?”
And as the morning sun crested the horizon, Hika's wings unfurled once more like a creature remembering how to fly after being caged.
Water streamed down Rynna’s face. “Thank you. I think.”
The words had barely left her lips when the Great Phoenix ignited again, sending a column of white-hot flame roaring skyward through the shattered ceiling, bursting into the world above.
Rynna watched as light spilled outward from the blast, golden and warm, sweeping across the ashen cavern. Wherever it touched, color returned. The stone walls brightened, shifting from dead gray to deep, earthy tones, and the air filled with the rich scent of fresh soil and sun-warmed moss.
Above, the scorched ground softened. Vines coiled up fractured rock, tentative at first, then bold, blooming with thick leaves and bright blossoms. Grass pushed through layers of soot, uncurling into green blades like they’d only been sleeping. The wave continued, sweeping into the world beyond. Rynna couldn’t see it, but she could feel it through theGreat Phoenix. Hills once choked by ash brightened. Trees cracked open their charred skins and reached skyward, reborn.
And still, the power moved. It found Taren, and his fingers flexed into the fresh loam. Then Elara’s shoulders shook with a sudden inhale. And Bran groaned, next, low in his throat, squinting into the light.
