Finally, I find a glimmer of his strength. The rippled strand that Carnaxa somehow revived in him, it’s tip still barely shining against the black from theneni. A piece of his soul, the only fragment I’ll be able to save, but it’s the most important. She won’t give up on him, and he’ll still be able to have a piece of himself.
I cling to the ripple with all my might, feeling its gentle vibrations, and then I unleash my swirling flames around it, coating the strand with protection.
My chest glows, and I know that this is the last time. The last life I have to give, and I’ll give it to savehim.
Thylas stirs from where he lays. “Anara? What are you doing?” He tries to get up, but falls once again to the floor clutching his heart and his eyes turn bleak. Atlas’ cruel ritual will be completed soon, and he knows it from the unwavering smirk of victory strewn across his face. Thylas will be lost, but one day — one day — because she will save him, he can deliver my message.
“Tell Ereon ...” I say, my voice wavers. Each word feels like a shard of glass. My chest tightens from the weight of the magic coiling inside of me. “Tell him ... it wasn’t all fake. Tell him that I loved him, just not how he deserved to be loved. And tell him … I’m sorry.”
With those final words, the dam inside of me breaks. My magic erupts, an inferno of crimson light that scorches the air, casting everything in a glow of red. My lips curl into a bittersweet smile, knowing that this — this last piece of myself — might help save this world.
I lock eyes with Atlas as my magic digs into his flesh. His scream tears through the silence and I let my power and my soul burrow into him like claws — carving through him. Bright red droplets spray the polished floor upon which he stands. His own wicked power lashes to meet mine, but it’s useless. His body can’t fight au?ji tu?ru?. The gift that Kya gave to us, only to be used once. My soul’s offering: a power to take away all the lives I could have in the future to make things right once more, now, in this life.
Atlas’ expression shifts from fury to horror as understanding of what I’ve done dawns on him. His eyes widen and his skin begins to whisk away like charred parchment. His screams pierce the airwith raw agony. His burned skin flakes away to reveal the bones underneath. A pain he wished on so many in his kingdom simply because of his own misdeeds. How fitting this is to be his end.
The world around me begins to blur and my body begins to feel weightless. Untethered … numb. The magic has taken all that I am. I think of the people who I've come to know as friends, those I protect now. Ereon, who wanted nothing but to know love. Carnaxa, whose only crime was being born to a goddess. Thylas and his desire to do what is right, but burdened by the blood in his veins. All of them deserve to have so much more than the hand they have been dealt.
I’ve lived many lives. I’ve known love and loss. I’ve made friends and enemies. And now … I’ll make sure that this life fully means something.
I let my eyes drift close as Atlas’ remains fade into the background. I can hear someone screaming my name in the distance. My arms fall to my side, but I don’t feel any pain when my body crumbles to the ground.
Warmth envelops me and I smile one last time, knowing that soon I’ll be home.
sixty-five
Carnaxa
Iscream and slam my fists against the hearth. The fires within gave me the gift to see Thylas. I try to coax more flames, but my power continues to summon the floodwaters, using what little magic I have left. I call upon Ereon’s ice and nothing but a flurry materializes in my palm.
I look down. Beside Ereon is my dagger. The images of my mother, who started all of this play in my mind. The sound of soldiers’ sandals echo down the hallway, their hurried footsteps and roaring screamsfilling the air.
“The waters are flooding Antalis!” they howl. “Find higher ground!”
There is no ground high enough that can save them, because I plan to drown them all. I gaze down at my hands, the warmth of Ereon’s blood still clinging to my skin, and I watch as it slowly drips onto the marble floor beneath my bare feet. I lean down at his side once more and I can feel the stickiness of his blood coating my white gown.
As the wind picks up, the sheer white curtain sways and flutters with grace. His body has grown cold, and his eyes, which used to gaze at me lovingly, now hold a haunting, ghost-like quality. Will he forgive me for this night? The sacrifices I must make, my selfishness — I can’t let him go. I refuse to release the ripples that shimmer and glow inside my chest. “Only the sacrificed can save.”
I gently press my lips against his chilly forehead, running my fingers through his lush hair, and savoring his familiar scent that fills my senses.
I grab the jeweled dagger, feeling its weight in my hand, and offer a final prayer to the Goddess watching over me. I rise, my ears picking up the increasingly loud footsteps of the soldiers and feeling the vibrations of heavy thuds reverberating through the floor. They are coming.
As I gaze upwards, the moon’s ethereal glow casts a shadow over the sun, creating a captivating celestial duel. Raising the dagger, I feel the cold, sharp blade grazing my neck.
“A koneni pe o tokaeyae wae pi retolana,” I mimic her last prayer, the one on the battlefield she's shown me so many times, only changing what I need. “Death will not be the end.”
The waters rise here and the flames blaze in Shaston and I will be the sacrifice. I glance once more at his body, holding the ripples tight. I gaze upon the remnants of my home, both the outer and inner rings submerged in water as it gradually creeps towards the heart of my kingdom. Soon Antalis will fall.
The touch of the blade against my skin sends shivers down my spine and blood drips down my chest. The dagger falls, the clattering sound it makes upon hitting the floor blending with the distant roar of the waves against the gates, and I take my last breath.
“Wake up.”
I swirl in a watery grave. I wanted peace, and yet ... I open my eyes and see my mother staring at me.
“Is thisMohasha?” I ask, feeling strange, but I suppose that’s what happens after death. Behind my mother, the castle of my home is underneath the water. Its beautiful marbled walls sparkle as the fish and squid swim around it.
“I told you, death is not always the end.” She smiles at me. “I can’t prevent what is to happen, but I can affect it. Because of your sacrifice, it gave me the power to change my people — our people. And because of another’s sacrifice, there is still hope.”
“Change us?” I ask, confused.
