It is not a command, but a gift—a soft-spoken invitation to embrace the dance of the living once more. And with that singleword cradling his heart, the boy's eyelids flutter open, revealing the dawn of his new beginning.
And,gods, is it full of pain.
Chapter 46
Moonstone
TEO
The grey pallor fades. The slackened flesh plumps once more, and then the bodies rearrange themselves out of my lap. They lay next to each other, Mikal in Estela’s arms.
I feel the second that her heartbeat sputters to life because it seeks out my own and matches my rhythm.
As my magic leaves me, I am left with my wounds and overheated skin. I put my weight on the leg that was shot earlier and feel a crack. Pressure on the fracture makes the bone snap, and I cry out. I do not have enough energy to truly move.
My body is ravaged. Drawing both of them onto my lap, I can only weep.
The light is gone. Now, we are back in the middle of a destroyed manor. The air is heavy with dust and the stench of death. Surrounded by bodies, both fresh and decaying.
We are alive.
I look down at Estela and Mikal. The gaping wounds on their chest are gone, but they have left behind a mess of bloodyclothes. I’m grateful not to have to gaze upon the grotesque spear any longer.
Every muscle in my body feels heavy, else, I would pull all of us away from the carnage.
The best I can do is brush Estela’s hair from her face and cover their chilled bodies with my arm.
"Teo!" a voice chokes out in the distance, breaking through the eerie silence.
I look up and see Vann crawling towards us, his long legs dragging him effortlessly through the wreckage. In his arms, he carries the giant child, but his weapon is nowhere to be seen. A long gash is cut across his arm deep enough to showcase sinew and bone.
I hiss at the sight, wondering if his Fuegorra was simply too exhausted to heal further wounds.
As Vann approaches, he slows, his eyes wide and his blue skin ashen. He looks at Mikal and Estela, who are both lying on the ground, and his expression softens with relief. He kneels down beside them and checks their pulses as I clutch them close.
“They’re…”
“Alive,” I breathe.
He lets out a long breath and tears line his eyes.
“Praise the gods, from their stony thrones to their foresty shadows.” Then he falls to his knees and hugs me. “Thank every greater being in the world. I thought you’d all…”
A wail from the small giant in his arms cuts him off.He tends to the young boy, but his eyes find me a second later. They are red, and a tear slips down his cheek.
“I thought I couldn’t save you this time. I am sorry. I love you, brother,” he cries.
I pat his back, bringing him close, baby and all. “We live on.And you must bear the weight of my love and brotherhood, as well.”
He laughs, and then slumps closer. Alive, in the middle of the ring of death. The word tastes sweet in a land of ash.
“I smell like shit,” Vann groans.
“Yes, you do,” I wheeze. My Fuegorra is working hard to repair the hole of my magic, and it makes me sluggish. I feel like if I close my eyes, then I’ll be lost forever. I avoid the darkness. “Tell me, after another meeting with death, do you have regrets?”
He shifts out of my arm so that his back is pressed against the rocks. “A million.”
“Tell me one,” I insist, needing to talk instead of closing my eyes.
