“I will begrudgingly admit I am only able to go head to head with you because your power is split between Zaelos and yourself. If one of you are out of the picture…. Here in this realm, I am weaker. I am no match for the bit of my Queen’s power that he stole, not while I am out of my domain.” He turned his head, as though admitting such pained him. “I will go to the Soulseer, regardless. Should you fail, I can at least delay the inevitable.”
“Then, I will go as well,” Zorinna spoke up.
Jyuri narrowed his eyes at her. “No.”
“What do you mean,no?”
“You are this realm’s best chance at survival. You hold more political sway than anyone else here. Only you might succeed in convincing the King of your land that a genuine threat is coming.”
“I will stay with Zorinna,” Kaz said before she could further argue. “The Mages of the Consortium trust me. I can rally them.” He turned to her. “This is where we are needed, Rin.”
That seemed to finally sway her. With a long sigh, she ceded. “Fine.”
“Makatza and I can man the Phoenix Heart,” Lorian added, instantly earning a look of confusion from Kaelias. “Kaelias will stay behind and defend the Consortium.”
“I am your knight,” Kaelias signed quickly, his hands shaking so faintly I would’ve never noticed if I didn’t know how perfect his signs normally were. “You are not going anywhere without me.”
“It was not a request. It was an order.”
Kaelias raised his hands once more before letting them slam down on the table, clenched into fists so tight the skin around his knuckles turned pale.
The room had grown so tense I couldn’t help but fidget with the hem of my shirt. What was I supposed to say to them? My friends who were sacrificing everything for this one chance. My friends who were separating into groups, which felt a lot like ‘those who will die at the Soulseer’ and ‘those who will live on’. Was I supposed to promise them it would never come to that? How could I know for certain?
Kaz’s words struck me all at once.We need you strong now, Nairu.
Clearing my throat, I met the eyes of each of them. “I cannot promise you I will succeed in destroying Zaelos and separating our souls. I can only promise that I will give everything to protect those I love and to protect Lustria. Tonight’s meeting will not be our last, I assure you. I will do everything in my power to prevent that.
Zaelos has taken everything from me. Every single life I’ve lived, every person I’ve loved, he has stolen from me. I do not intend to make this easy for him. I know I have asked much of you through the years, but I have to ask for one more thing. Have faith in me. Until the final moment, do not give up.”
Kaz was the first to raise his glass, a huge grin sprawled across his face, until one by one, arms raised to meet his. “I’ll drink to that!”
Following our cheers and a few more drinks, we decided to get some rest, and I leisurely made my way back to the Consortium. I was just outside my door, buzzing from the ale I’d downed and ready to fall into a comfortable slumber, when Jyuri appeared behind me, and the distressed look on his face instantly sobered me. “We need to go.”
Before I could question him, he grabbed my wrist, and my world turned upside down with the magic of him teleporting us. I didn’t have to endure the feeling long. Apparently, we hadn’t traveled far, but I still needed a moment to regain my composure after we reappeared in what I could only describe as pitch-black nothingness. I bent over, hands on my knees, forcing down the bile that was burning its way up my throat. I’d gotten fairly used to teleporting, but not with so much alcohol in my stomach.
“What. Is. Going. On?” I forced out through short, quick breaths.
A snap of his fingers sparked a small orb of blue flame, illuminating the world around us just enough to make out that we were in some sort of cave. “I smell his blood. Alandris.”
My own drained from my face. “Where are we?”
He took off in a half-sprint, and I was following close behind him. “These are the ruins underneath the Consortium. The portals here, and elsewhere, are how the Divine Council travel quickly across Lustria. It is how Alandris meets with them.”
Upon closer inspection, the ruins were reminiscent of those we’d once discovered in the Azog Bog. Runes were carved into the walls above the hallway we’d just started down. I’d not been quick enough to read the word, but I knew the language well now—Faerie.
“Did your people create these?”
“Once upon a time… now, focus,” he hissed. “I do not know what awaits us. I alerted Kaz before I grabbed you, but it will take some time for him to collect the others and make his way down here.”
Though I had countless more questions I wanted to ask, I took his warning in stride and focused on the path ahead of us. In truth, I’d wanted the distraction of his words to keep myself from panicking. Without such, my mind wandered to the worst of assumptions, and if I let those negative thoughts consume me, I would lose myself. Instead, I counted my steps and matched my breathing to our pace.One. Two. Three.
Jyuri finally stopped where the hallway expanded into a large, open area, lit by the glowing blue light of a portal built into the rock. There in the corner, slumped down next to it, head hanging to his chest, was Alandris, sitting in a pool of blood. Too much blood.
My heart only restarted when I heard his voice—strained, but strong. “Destroy it.”
Jyuri made for the portal, blue flames curling in his palm, as I rushed to Alandris’s side.
“It’s not so bad,” he assured me as I knelt beside him.
