Their hope had been carved in stone.
The harpies and Guardians had fought until the last of the dark creatures were either destroyed or fleeing. Some had given chase, refusing to let even one escape their rightfully deserved punishment. Now the harpies stood just on the outskirts of Rion and Arianna with the Guardians at their sides.
No one approached the pair.
No one dared.
Talon looked Rion over again. The male’s tail still flicked back and forth, and one eye watched every movement. Arianna had rested her head over the dragon’s neck and closed her eyes. Exhaustion? Contentment? He couldn't be sure.
Talon had grown up believing The Demon didn’t possess an animal shift. His teachers had taught them it was because the male had been cursed by the gods. What a lie.
And Arianna. They’d questioned whether she’d be granted one, too. None knew why her magic had been so volatile. Now he realized it had been because of this. She wasmeant to protect the world. She’d sensed the darkness spreading across their land despite no one else realizing how severe it had become.
A phoenix.
A symbol that the old self had to die before the new could arise.
His stomach clenched. Arianna had died, but what did that ultimately mean? Was the Fae part of her gone forever? Was the pair even capable of shifting back?
Arianna adjusted to a different position, heaving a sigh that Talon prayed was relief. It was difficult to tell from this distance. Her movement had Rion agitated all over again. The male’s head lifted, finally free from Arianna’s weight. His large eyes took in the landscape, scanning the area with lethal precision.
Many of the harpies placed a fist over their hearts in response, reaffirming their loyalty with the gesture. Even the Fairy Folk kept their distance, choosing to remain with the Guardians, though their spirits had certainly lifted, if the light melodies drifting from the area were anything to judge by.
Talon glanced behind him. Many were already at work, healing the wounded, searching the field, lining up the dead.He looked back at Rion. Perhaps he should have waited for Sive. Maybe he’d finally lost his mind, but Talon shoved his fear aside and let his sword belt fall to the ground. Raevina eyed him as he removed his blades next, his gaze locked on the predators lying just a short distance away.
Ellie probably should have been the one to approach first. Rion had grown fond of her and she’d certainly never tried to kill him. But Ellie was nowhere to be found at the moment. Avalon was already out searching.
Talon took a deep breath and stepped forward. Raevina caught his arm. She eyed the pair in the distance. “Be careful.”It was as much reassurance as he’d get from her. Raevina reluctantly released him, and Talon crossed the wide, empty space one slow step at a time.
Everyone watched.
None intervened.
Rion spotted him first, no surprise there. Talon’s own animal instincts were amplified tenfold whenever he took on his eagle form. He imagined Rion was experiencing something similar, though given he was anything but an animal, Talon couldn’t really be sure of anything.
Grains of earth and sand rose, circling the entire empty part of the field. Talon’s hair rose on end. There’d be no escaping if Rion perceived him as a threat. Which death would be preferable? Crushing by stone, or having his body melted by fire? Neither sounded particularly pleasant.
Talon kept moving forward, walking at a steady pace until Rion growled in warning. The dragon’s lips pulled back to reveal razor-sharp teeth. Talon paused and though his body trembled, he lifted his chin and stared directly into Rion’s green eye.
Neither male moved for a long moment. The longest of Talon’s short life.
Rion shifted a massive foot, the claws as long as Talon’s body. That’s when he spotted Arianna. She was large in her own right, but dwarfed compared to Rion’s hulking form.
Her blue eyes blinked at him sleepily. Talon took her in, awestruck by her beauty. He dared one more small step. Then another. He didn’t stop until he was close enough that Rion’s warning chuff nearly singed his skin.
Talon dropped to one knee, head bowed.
After everything they’d faced, Talon didn’t have a clue what to say or even where to begin. They’d won. The entire lot of them had prepared for a different outcome. They’d been ready to accept their fate and … they’d won.
A trickle of warmth floated across his skin. Talon lifted his head to find Arianna staring back. A bluish light emitted from her feathers, the same light that had saved hundreds on the battlefield.
“You did it,” Talon whispered, his voice small. “We won.”
Neither moved for a long agonizing moment, then Rion placed a clawed foot on the ground and pushed to his full height. It took every ounce of self-restraint in Talon’s body not to recoil from the massive shadow that grew and grew. Talon bowed his head again.
Arianna rustled her wings, and Talon’s heart crawled into his throat. What if this was the last time he ever saw them? What if Arianna ascended to the heavens where she so clearly belonged?
She fanned her wings this time, bathing him in that warm magic of hers, and Talon couldn’t stop the emotion swelling in his throat. He tried to swallow it back down. Failed.
