Chapter 39
I lay there, broken and defeated, when a familiar voice echoed in my mind. Ma?l's voice, from so long ago.
Get up, little hunter. The fight's not over yet.
My eyes snapped open.
Memories crashed through me like a tidal wave - Ma?l, the village, Grandmother. Every face I'd lost kindled something fierce in my soul.
"No," I whispered, pushing myself up. Survival blazed through my veins like wildfire.
My legs shook as I rose. The cell tilted and spun, but I locked my jaw and forced the world to steady.
"I still have debts to collect."
The shadows writhed in the corners, answering my call. I stretched out my hand, welcoming the icy kiss of my magic as the suppressant's chains began to crack.
Burn them all, Lor.
Ma?l , I breathed, relief washing through me at his voice. I didn't know true lunacy until I could only hear my own thoughts.
You're stuck with me, Lor, but you need to go. Now.
Chaos exploded beyond my cell. Metal screamed against metal, voices raised in alarm.
Through our bond, Oryn's presence battered against my mental walls like a storm. But I reinforced them, and they would hold.
The door crashed inward. The Alchemist stormed in, panic twisting his glittering features.
"You wretched girl!" he snarled, lunging for me.
But I wasn't his prisoner anymore.
Darkness wrapped around my fist like a lover's caress. I struck true, my knuckles crushing into his face. The alchemist reeled backward.
Blood streamed between his fingers as he clutched his face. "The suppressants," he choked out. "You shouldn't have any power!"
I stalked forward, shadows swirling around me. Every step fed my rage. The endless torture. The bitter betrayal. The cruel violations. My fists curled as heat surged through me. I glanced down to find my white flames licking my hands. Darkness coiled around the brilliant flames like serpents, casting an otherworldly radiance. This kingdom would burn for what they'd done. I would purge this land of its corruption. Starting with this monster before me.
The Alchemist stumbled away, fleeing through the open door.
A ring of keys glinted on a fallen guard's belt. I snatched them up, flinging them toward Rasher's waiting hands.
Freedom blazed in his desperate eyes.
"Wait!" Rasher's plea echoed behind me, but I was already charging through the dungeon door. Vengeance consumed me, leaving no room for allies or aid. The Alchemist was mine to destroy.
Rage fueled my pursuit as I hunted the coward through the shadowed hallway. Guards charged to intercept me, but my fury made quick work of them. Tendrils of shadow whipped through the air, binding their limbs while fire blazed across my hands. They dropped like stones, writhing as my dual powers consumed them.
His terrified screams beckoned me forward like a siren's call. He would answer for each moment of torment. For every violation of body and mind. For trying to break my spirit.
I crashed through the doors of his laboratory, toxic fumes burning my nose and throat.
Glass containers covered every surface, each holding evidence of his perverse research. My gaze swept around, hunting for my prey.
The Alchemist burst from his hiding place behind a door, brandishing a syringe in his shaking grip. Before I could move, he drove the needle into my neck. Liquid fire coursed through my veins as his poison spread.
The shadows retreated, my flames guttered, both powers dimming like stars at dawn. His cruel laughter echoed through the room as reality tilted and blurred.
"Did you truly believe you could break free?" His glittering face twisted with malicious delight. His dark features contorted with a sadistic pleasure that made my skin crawl. "I will strip away every spark of power you possess. Death will become your dearest wish."
His dark promises followed me into the growing void. But I refused to surrender to the darkness. Blood welled beneath my nails as I clenched my fists, fighting the poison's pull with every heartbeat. My vision swam, but I forced myself to remain standing, even as my legs threatened to give way beneath me.
A bone-chilling shriek sliced through the haze, more terrifying than anything I'd ever known.
The Alchemist's screams ripped through the laboratory, raw terror bleeding into each desperate sound.
My legs gave out beneath me, but not before I saw something shift in the doorway. A towering shadow stood there, backlit by dancing flames.
The shadow glided forward with lethal grace, and an unexpected peace settled over my racing heart. Death had come for his wraith at last, and I greeted him like an old friend.
Darkness beckoned with open arms, and I surrendered to its pull as reality slipped through my fingers. The alchemist's tortured screams faded into the distance like leaves scattered by an autumn breeze.
Until nothing remained but blessed silence.