Essence of the Throne (Shadows of the Crown #2)

21. Chapter Twenty-One

Chapter Twenty-One

Ariella

“ B y the Angel, we’re fucked,” Gavriel whispers, and for once in his pathetic life, I agree with him.

I’ve nothing to say as I cannot get my lips to move.

My feet root to the ground as I watch the wall of water rise, defying every law of nature. People scream and run, but my mind races through options as the prince stands next to me.

I cannot let him die.

I tug on my umbral strand without hesitation, ignoring the mere seconds left before we’re hit, and pull shadows from deep within me. They pour from my skin as I weave a ward around us. Gavriel shifts uncomfortably, but remains quiet as the wave towers over our heads.

The water crashes into us with cataclysmic force, my fists clenching at my essence’s inclination to dissipate amid the onslaught. I wince at the thunderous roar as we’re buried beneath the raging ocean. My knees nearly buckle as I strain to hold the ward. We sink below the surface, murky water surrounding us on all sides while my barrier keeps us dry. My eyes flick up, peering through the essence to find that we’re already feet under water. Something akin to pure terror settles in my gut when my hands begin trembling—I’m not sure how long I can hold this.

Sweat builds along my neck while I focus on maintaining the barrier. My shadows dance and swirl, creating a dome that should protect us. But fuck, I’ve never attempted something this intense before. I can feel my essence draining faster than it should.

“What the actual fuck?” Gavriel’s voice breaks through my concentration. “You’re using forbidden essence? How?”

I grit my teeth, unable to spare the energy to respond. My arms shake with effort as the pressure increases.

“You knew about this?” He turns to Caspian, who remains oddly calm. “How long have you known she possesses illegal strands?”

“Gavriel, this isn’t the time—” Caspian starts, but his guard cuts him off.

“Not the time? She’s breaking the highest law we have! She should be executed for this!” His voice rises with each word. “And you’ve been hiding it? What else are you hiding from me?”

“Will you shut the fuck up?” I scream, my focus slipping as rage courses through me. “I’m trying to save your ungrateful ass!”

The ward flickers as my control wavers. My chest heaves, and I swear I hear a bit of wheezing from my lungs. The brute continues to yell, and though I do everything in my power to ignore him, I snap.

“Gavriel, shut up!” The last of my words are immediately drowned as I lose my concentration and the ward slips from my grasp. It feels as though a stone building crashes into me, the pain of the water’s impact momentarily blinding before I force my mind to focus.

The pressure in my chest builds as I’m tossed through the murky water. My body slams into something hard—likely debris from the destroyed buildings. The impact forces what little air I had left from my lungs.

I reach blindly ahead of me, my fingers catching on what feels like stone. My muscles strain as I pull myself along the surface, fighting against the current that wants nothing more than to drag me further into its depths.

Fuck water. Give me a dozen men with blades and a deep-rooted vendetta any day.

My lungs burn for air, but I force the panic down. Marek’s voice rings in my head, reminding me that fear is what truly kills you. I need to keep my thoughts steady.

Which way is up?

I release my grip on the stone and let my body go slack for a moment. The current doesn't hesitate to pull me in one direction—that must be down. I kick hard in the opposite direction, my legs protesting the effort against the force of the water.

Light filters through the murk above me. Just a bit further…

My head breaks the surface and I gasp, drawing in desperate breaths between waves that try to force me back under. The city streets have become canals, water rushing between buildings that somehow still stand. Broken pieces of wood and stone bob past me as I tread water .

I need higher ground to spot Caspian—I can’t see him any longer.

Several buildings ahead have exposed roofs rising above the flood. The closest looks to be about fifty feet away…I can make that swim if I time it between the surges. I wait for the next wave to pass before striking out toward it with measured strokes.

The current fights me the whole way, trying to sweep me past my target. My arms feel like lead by the time I reach the building’s wall. I dig my fingers into the cracks between stones and haul myself up inch by painful inch until I can roll onto the relative safety of the roof, though I slip back and almost lose my grip.

Fuck, I need to start training in water. I’d no idea just how weak I was. It’s an embarrassing struggle as I grind my teeth hard enough to break and finally pull my torso over the rooftop. My body hunches over and nearly convulses from coughing so hard. I chuckle to myself, glad I’m alone because fuck if I’d let the prince see me like this. I’d never hear the end—

The prince.

I’m on my feet not a heartbeat later, scouring the racing water for any sign of Caspian. Does he even know how to swim? He must…Royals learn shit like that. I think. My throat tightens the longer I go without seeing him; it feels like years, though I’m certain it’s been just a few moments.

A familiar head of hair appears in my peripheral, and I’ve no time to bask in the relief I feel as I see Caspian’s head accompanied by flailing arms. “You’ve got to be kidding me!” Of course the bastard can’t swim. It’s likely the current pulling him under, but I’m too angry to care who’s at fault.

I pause. I fucking hesitate and watch with a horrific sinking feeling in my chest as the prince gets carried away.

I never hesitate.

Hesitation is the enemy of progress.

I shove Marek’s stupid words down as I stand, my body immediately clearing from all emotion. I turn around and swallow the bile that rises when I see that the entire city appears as if it’s a part of the ocean. It’s a challenge to move my legs how I need, but I push until I’m sprinting across the roof toward Caspian—who is drowning.

Caspian is drowning.

Pure, unbridled fear shoots down my spine, allowing my body to move faster than it ever has before. I do not think twice before leaping over the roof’s edge onto the next building. My eyes are a constant radar as they flit from my path to the prince and back. I force my legs to move even faster, and at one point I’m certain I feel something tear near my ankle, but fuck if that will stop me from getting to him.

I jump from roof to roof, gaining on Caspian quickly— though not quick enough , I think as a whimper escapes me when I notice his body floating with the water. I spot Gavriel clutching to the side of a building, struggling to hold on. His eyes widen when he sees me chasing after his prince, though he continues to grasp at the ledge of a window instead of going after the only one whose life matters here .

I’ll deal with him later.

I’d deal with him now if the Angel allowed it; a life for a life. There would be no hesitation in my movements as I shoved his head under the invading ocean and forced the soul from his body, if it allowed me to save Caspian in time.

I need to hurry. Time slips away with every crashing wave, but I force my vision to clear and banish the thought of death. Not yet. Looking to my left, the prince is just behind me and not a moment later, I join him in the freezing water. I dive directly in front of his body, my own moving on pure instinct as I grab him and fight the current to get both of us to a roof.

It’s the smallest relief when one appears that’s partially in the water, making it easy for me to grab a piece of wood that sticks out from the rest. I will my fingers to fuse to it and completely ignore the nauseating pain from my nails being ripped off. My arm, wrapped under both of Caspian’s over his chest, squeezes hard enough to drag him onto the roof. I wince when he drops from my hold, his head thumping against the wood, and I tell myself I’ll apologize when he’s breathing again.

I straddle his hips to hold him in place, lest the water rushing over the lower half of his body steal him from me again. Reaching deep inside, I just about tear my vital strand to pieces as I pull it forward to do my bidding. My hands rip the buttons from his shirt, exposing his pale chest. It’s easy to ignore the unreasonable amount of blood seeping from the exposed skin my nails left behind, though I know it’s going to fucking hurt when the adrenaline wears off. Leaning forward —

I pause.

I’ve never healed another person before; I do not know how to do it…

Nor do I have enough essence to even try.

“Shit!” I slap the prince’s cheek several times. “Caspian. Caspian, please wake up—of course he won’t, you stupid fucking idiot,” I mutter to myself as hundreds of thoughts flit through my head every second.

How do they help someone who drowned? I’ve seen this done…I should know.

“You must force the water from their lungs and push air back in. Push, Macey!” As much as I hate Velora, the image of her scolding a young student for not getting her technique right just might be what saves my prince.

My hands send a wet crack through the thunderous atmosphere when they slap against Caspian’s chest. I push and pull, push and pull, hoping that I’m doing it correctly. How many times do I do this before the air? I count to twenty before leaning down to pinch his nose and latch my mouth around his. Sucking in a deep breath, I blow the air from my lungs as hard as I can into his.

I lean back to scan his face before pressing my ear to his heart. Nothing.

“No, no, no, it was supposed to work. Fuck—please don’t do this!” I scream at his un-moving chest as I struggle to control the trembling in my hands. My eyes drag up to glare through the blinding sun, a mockery of everything happening down here. But it’s not the sun I want. No, my next words are for the Angel, so it better be listening. “If you take him from me,” I snarl, my voice wavering with a rage that burns hotter than the freezing water around us, “there will be nothing left of me but vengeance. I will hunt you to the ends of both realms, and when I find you, I will tear your name from existence.”

My fingers dig into Caspian’s chest, trembling as I press harder, desperate for any flicker of life. Nothing. Still nothing. My heart clenches, but I refuse to stop. I won’t stop.

“Your entire family, species, whatever the fuck you are,” I spit through gritted teeth, glaring at the derisive sky above, “will cease to exist. I will kill them all, one by one, and use every ounce of essence you cursed me with to tear both realms apart—city by city, stone by stone—until there is nothing left but ashes.”

The words pour from me like a dam breaking, a flood of fury and despair that drowns the sound of crashing waves. My vision blurs as I look back down at Caspian’s still form. My prince. My tether to what little light remains in this wretched world.

“I will make you watch,” I vow, my voice dropping to a venomous whisper. “All of it. And when you and I are the only things left alive…only then will I kill you. Slowly. Torturously. You will beg for forgiveness and wish you’d never created the realms in the first place.”

My fists pound against his chest, the rhythm a desperate, unyielding plea. The edge of my voice breaks as I whisper, “ Please .”

A large wave crashes over the roof, snapping me from my threat to the Angel. I cover Caspian’s face—I don’t need any more fucking water in his lungs—before making a fist with my good hand and punching his chest. I punch and punch, ignoring each rib I hear cracking as I use all my force to expel the liquid from him. If I had any essence left, I’d use my elemental affinity to drag the water out myself. But I don’t have enough…I used most of the essence inside me to shield us from the initial crash of the ocean.

“Caspian, I swear on everything that I will fucking kill you if you die.” New salty liquid slides over my lips, a more familiar taste than the water surrounding us. “ Please , Caspian,” I beg, each word cracking as my bottom lip trembles.

I’ve never been so fucking scared in my life.

Not even when my father was killed. Or when I walked into the guild for the first time.

My fist continues to pound against him—I refuse to let him go. He’s mine, and I will not allow him leave me. “I can’t do this again…I can’t lose you, too.” The longer he remains still, the more erratic my movements. “Don’t you dare leave me, you foolish fucking asshole! I can’t do this without you… please …I’ll stop fighting whatever this is between us. I’ll laugh at all your stupid jokes, and compliment you regularly, because I know how much your ego needs it. I’ll even stop insulting Gavriel every day…well, the guy is a pompous idiot, you cannot expect me—” It’s not until something wraps around my wrist do I realize I’ve been blindly punching the man underneath me, overtaken by my panic.

My eyes shoot open as Caspian rolls to the side as much as my thighs allow to cough, the sound deep but relieving. I slap his back hard on instinct to help, though I’m not sure it does anything; the wet sounds coming from him are plentiful and horrific all the same. My surroundings are blacked out, as every bit of attention I have focuses on the prince. After an eternity, he falls to his back, panting as if he’d just ran through the entire city.

I suppose he did.

I’m frozen. I was so convinced that he was gone that my brain has yet to comprehend he’s alive.

He winces with every breath, but I won’t apologize for his injuries. Beautifully full, silver eyes peer up at me and drag over my body before meeting mine. Caspian attempts to smile, though it looks more like a grimace. “If I knew coming back to life was like this, I’d die more frequently,” he whispers with a hoarse voice, a light chuckle shifting quickly to a deep cough. He watches me with tired features, waiting for a response I don’t have.

Instead, a sob leaves me before I give in to the horrifying feelings I’ve ignored since my ward broke. My body is far from my control as it shakes with the force of my cries. Caspian’s warming arms wrap around me, and I do not hesitate to do the same as I bury my face in his neck. He smells mostly of fish and salt, but there’s still him under all of it. I focus on that and breathe him in, my heart slowing with each intake of his scent—he smells like home.

“Ari, it’s okay,” he says, grasping the back of my head before rocking slightly. “I’m here, angel—I’ve got you.” His steady words soothe the part of my soul that was so close to dying along with him. “Did you think you could rid of me so easily? The Angel itself couldn’t pry me away from you.”

I lean back, pressing my forehead against his. “I thou—” I hiccup, willing my voice to sound even half as strong as his. How the fuck is he so calm right now? “I thought you—” Another sob breaks my sentence. I cannot say it out loud, lest I somehow speak such a fate into existence.

Strange is not a strong enough word to describe the emotions swirling through me. Mere months ago, I was planning on ripping the air from the prince’s lungs so that I could shove his dead body in Thalion’s face. And now I’m desperate to keep his air right where it is.

Maybe strange does explain it.

I sigh into his hold as he presses kisses all over my face, purposefully missing the one place I need his lips. He fists my sopping hair and pulls my head back just far enough to look between my eyes. “I am not going anywhere, Ariella. I’m here, and I’m yours.” The declaration heats my frozen insides. I search his face, memorizing every hair, divot, and tired line. There is nothing I’ve ever needed more than to feel his mouth on mine—to feel the life swim between our bodies.

“Shut up.” My voice strains as I reach to squeeze his cheeks together, pursing his lips. “You will kiss me. Then you will apologize for making me feel this way.” Garbled noises barely make it through his mouth, so I release a little to allow him to speak once more.

“Apologize to you? As if I wasn’t the one who just died,” he exclaims. A playfulness flits through his eyes.

Image of Ariella and Caspian kissing.

“No, Caspian.” I lean forward to capture his lips with mine. It’s unbearable to resist any longer, but I find the strength to pull back when I’m breathless. My eyes remain closed as I speak against his mouth. “I want you to apologize for forcing yourself into my life. For making me feel things I never wanted to again, and carving a place for yourself in a heart that died twenty years ago when your father killed mine.” Our lips entangle again, though it is the prince who pulls away this time. The cold of the water is nothing compared to the shivering he forces upon my body as his fingers trail up my spine .

“What else should I apologize for?” he whispers against my jaw, sweeping kiss after kiss down the side of my neck.

“For how crazy I feel whenever you’re gone. And how much I miss your touch after you take it away.” I’m sobbing into his hair, only now just realizing he’s stopped kissing me, and instead is resting his ear over my heart. “I want you to apologize for how fucking badly I need you when I have done everything to reject this.”

He pulls back, wincing, to study the mess I’ve made of my face. “You couldn’t have avoided this any more than me. The only difference is I never fought it.” Sweat beads along his forehead, and I gather the minuscule amount of essence that has replenished and tug on my vital strand. I have the sense that I suddenly know what to do to heal him, so I coax the essence to the tips of my fingers and place them against his waist. It takes a moment, but a familiar light seeps from under my skin and wraps around his torso, looking for anything that needs healing.

He sighs, only to groan when the crack of bones unbreaking sounds around us. I cannot hold it long enough to mend every part of his body, though I’m confident the worst of his injuries have been taken care of.

Has it been so easy all along?

Well, I wouldn’t call this easy. I feel as if my very life is seeping from my soul. But I would do this for a hundred years if it kept him alive.

“Fuck.” I wince as I sit back on the prince’s thighs once more, breathing far too heavy to not be concerning. I’ve never used so much of my essence at one time—and I never want to again. I feel horrible . My muscles ache in ways I didn’t realize were possible; my head is pounding, and if the sun gets any brighter, I may just rip it from the sky out of spite.

“Ari,” Caspian says from somewhere far away. I want to protest. Shove him away so that I may rest for a while. But instead I listen to the nagging in my head telling me to open my eyes.

I have a feeling that the day is far from over. Wonderful.

I squint through a small opening in my lids, rearing back at how tilted the city around me looks. My eyes snap open to Caspian sitting up, his tight grip on my shoulder keeping me from falling over.

He just died. I need to be the strength in our duo until I get him to safety.

Water laps over my calves, and I frown. I’m on my feet in the next heartbeat, grabbing onto Caspian’s offered hands and gently tugging him up with me. He attempts to hide a wince, ignoring my inquiring eyes as he inspects my body for injury.

“Are you okay?”

I breathe a humorous laugh, shaking my head. “No. But we can’t think about that right now…we need to get out of here.” The reality of our situation slams into me as I look around us.

Meridian, aside from the uppermost part of its hill, is completely under water. My body is too tired to swim as far as we’d need to reach the dry land, and there are no boats, or even useful pieces of debris, in sight .

I have to give it to the Angel. Not an hour ago was I commenting on the beauty of the ocean, only for it to retaliate. Impressive work—truly.

“I don’t see Gavriel anywhere…” Caspian’s voice trails off, a frown etched deep in his features. I scan the horizon with him, looking for the distinct red jacket amongst the other survivors standing on various roofs. “Wait—there!” He points to our right where a bit of bright crimson peeks through a group of people. I’m ready to toss aside thoughts of the guard when I realize that the small frame with long, blonde hair is certainly not Gavriel.

But that is his jacket—it’s too distinct to be anything but.

The prince’s shoulders slump as he concludes that same thing I did. “He must be with the group—there’s no chance he would part with the royal uniform he’s so proud of if it wasn’t to give it to a child.”

I scan the flooding city, my heart racing as I spot movement in the distance. The water level at our feet is lowering fast, but that’s not what makes my blood run cold. Beyond the submerged buildings, a massive wall of water towers over everything, moving steadily toward us. Again.

“Fuck’s sake…Caspian…” My voice catches. I’ve never felt so helpless. My essence is drained and my limbs feel like dense steel. Even if we could run, there’s nowhere close enough to escape what’s coming.

I look at my prince, still weak from drowning. His argent eyes meet mine, and I see the same realization there: we won’t survive this wave .

I meant what I said before. I direct the thought toward the Angel. If you let him die, I will tear everything apart. I do not care what it costs me. You better fucking do something.

A piercing screech cuts through the air and my entire body goes rigid. I know that sound. It’s impossible.

My head whips up as a massive white griffin circles overhead, its feathers gleaming despite the darkening clouds. Caspian stumbles back, but I grab his arm.

“Don’t move,” I whisper. “She’s here to help.”

“She?” My fingers tighten on his arm as the griffin’s shadow moves over us, the sheer size of her wingspan enough to momentarily block out the sky. But the prince stares at me like I’ve lost my mind. Maybe I have.

If that’s the cost of saving his life twice today, so be it.

The griffin lands on our roof with impossible grace, her intelligent blue eyes finding mine. She remembers me. I step closer, my breath catching at the sheer power radiating from her massive form. Every movement is deliberate, almost regal, and yet there’s something undeniably wild about her—particularly her claws, which dredge up undesirable images of me dying after her attack.

The egg I took from her nest still rests in my room at the castle. Should I have brought it after all?

“We need to go,” I state, not wasting time with pleasantries. If I remember correctly, she understood my words the last time we met. She lowers herself, and I do not hesitate to grab Caspian and practically throw him onto her back. He makes a strangled sound of protest, but I ignore it, climbing up behind him .

“Ariella, what—” We have no time for his worries, so I shove his back forward and cover him, rendering his voice silent. The griffin tilts her head back, letting out another sharp screech that reverberates through the air. It feels like a warning. One I don’t intend to question.

The griffin launches into the air just as the massive wave crashes into the building we’d been standing on. The force of her wings pushes against us, forming a current strong enough to scatter the debris below. I wrap my arms tight around Caspian’s waist as we soar over the devastation below. The mighty creature carries us to the highest point of the city—not struggling in the fucking slightest—where other survivors have gathered on dry ground.

The others scream and fall back, some slamming into the dirt in their haste to move out of the way. I spot Gavriel as he steps to the side, soaked with a feral look on his face. Despicable that he found himself safety before doing everything he could to save Caspian.

The griffin descends, gliding gracefully toward safety, her landing so light it seems impossible for a creature her size. The moment she ceases movement, I slide off and help steady Caspian. The griffin watches us with those piercing eyes, and I move closer to her.

“Thank you,” I say softly, my words only for her. I dare to reach out, quite surprised when she allows me to brush my hand against her feathered neck. The softness is a strange contrast to the sheer strength she exudes. I wish we had more time. “Your egg is safe. I won’t let anything happen to it. ”

She makes a low clicking sound in her throat and bows her head before spreading her wings. With one last look at me, she takes to the sky and disappears into the clouds.

“We need to find you a healer,” I tell Caspian, supporting some of his weight as he sways. “And then we’re going back to the castle.” My voice hardens with resolve. “I’m done waiting. Your father dies today.”