Chapter 10 #2
My vision coats in inky night, the silence threatening captivity. Disorientation and panic settle into my marrow, like little bugs scurrying beneath my flesh. I pick and pick, trying to relieve the sensation, but it moves to my head, and I want to claw it out.
Images of nights in the hole I dug myself out of play right in front of my eyes. A stream of unfiltered pictures, showcasing the brutality of my stay.
“There was so much more left in store for you. Tell me, where are you?” Footsteps echo around me, coming from any and all directions. Blazing trails light up my arms, beaming me like a beacon to whatever monster lies in wait.
“The only thing you’re taking with you is my cold. Dead. Body.” My voice is menacing, and I let the betrayal fuel my rage, letting it fester. “Oh, come on, Callum. Don’t be shy, come out and play,” I taunt.
Deep laughter bubbles out of the stranger. “Callum? Please. You haven’t figured it out yet? Come on, Angel. I know you’re smarter than that.”
There it is. The oxygen leeches from my lungs at the use of the nickname. Every ounce of rage I’ve harbored up until this point explodes out of me, until the black pieces of my unconscious break off into a million shiny puzzle pieces, and I’m left standing in a room set ablaze.
Abruptly, my body flings upright, convulsing in a coughing attack. Fist pounding against my chest, my eyes water from the assault of the smoke. Atticus’s stare is concerning, and his mouth moves with unheard words and urgency, the ringing in my ears making it impossible to hear.
Panicked, my eyes wander around the crumbling house.
The ceiling starts to cave in, and the paint melts off the walls.
Shoving the shirt over my nose and mouth, I manipulate the flames to ensure a pathway to the front door.
Not wasting time, Atticus hauls me over his shoulder, and my body bounces as he rushes us through.
Bystanders come out of their homes and stare at the burning building. Red and orange lick the night sky, and I watch in mortification at what I’ve created.
Atticus sets me down on shaky legs, and I have to regain my composure before summoning them to my will. Listening to the cries of the blistering heat, I let my eyes close and focus on letting them in.
Wicked thoughts mix with the others, taunting me to let the town burn.
But I push them aside, needing to gain control.
All at once, I begin pulling the fire toward me, one ember at a time, until it’s coming to me in streams. My arms lay outstretched in front of me, welcoming the heat and power that runs rampant through my veins.
The well inside me overflows, threatening to consume me.
It’s too much. I can’t contain it, control it, hold it all in.
It’s consuming. Captivating.
Pain laces over my flesh, and blisters start to form, but I don’t stop. The fire is nearly out. I almost have it.
I drop to my knees in agony, the burning of my bones becoming too much. Atticus steps toward me and reaches his hand out like he’s going to touch me. “Don’t!” I yell.
The fire festers within me, and I need to let it out. Welts form over my body, and when the fire finally dies, I’m left heaving on the ground, holding all of it at bay.
Is this possible? How is my own magic harming me? Eating away at me? Belladonna never said anything about this. Nobody did. Was this the plan? Wait for me to burn myself to a crisp?
“Get everyone back,” I command through clenched teeth. I don’t know if he’s fast enough. I don’t know if I should let it burn me from the inside out. But my palms slap onto the ground, and I push it all deep into the core of the realm.
The grass instantly browns in the circle of doom I’ve created. I scream and scream as it leaves me, and only when I can finally breathe again do I look at the surrounding bodies.
Chest heaving, saliva sprays out between my clenched teeth. The blisters and wounds will heal, but I don’t know how I’ll heal the broken mess inside Atticus’s chest.
My eyes wander around the people huddled together, every pair of eyes stationed on me. With a blip of a thought, green smoke pours out of my palms, healing the scorched surface beneath my touch.
“Are you alright?” I didn’t hear Atticus approach, but his languid steps ease into my bubble, like you would for a rabid animal.
“Yes,” I clip, agitated with myself for the carnage I’ve caused. Just when the grass is back to its normal state of dried brown and patches of green, the other villagers begin piling back into their homes.
It starts slow. The leaves begin to rustle, and a slight chill starts to seep throughout the town.
Shingles on roofs shake, and the remaining people outside look up toward the onyx night to find the source.
I feel it, like the storm is settling right on top of me as wind cascades straight down on my sensitive skin.
“I told you I would find you,” Voraxis’s voice booms inside my skull. Turning my head toward the night sky, a flash of white appears. As the figure descends down onto the village, my eyes brim with unshed tears at the sight of him.
Screams of horror go off as Voraxis lands in a field just behind the remains of Atticus’s home.
I can’t believe he found me. After everything that’s happened, I didn’t know I would feel relief ever again.
But the organ in my chest feels like it’s going to burst as my little burnt marshmallow stares at me from across the way.
Sprinting to where he stands, uncaring of the pain that shoots through me with each step, I brush past Atticus and plow over anybody else that stands in my way.
“That foul beast!” someone yells.
“Everybody hide!” another sounds, and I make a mental note to blast anyone that decides to talk bad about my dragon.
Just before I’m in reach, Voraxis bows his head, letting it rest on the ground. I waste no time flinging my arms over his big, white snout and let the tears coat his scales.
“I can’t believe you’re here. I thought—” My admission is interrupted by a choked cough. “I thought I’d never see you again.”
“No matter where you go, I will always be with you.” Despite everything, a smile breaches my face, and I let out an honest chuckle. Giving him one last squeeze, I reluctantly let him go.
Immediately, smoke spews from his nostrils, and his eyes turn into slits. Confused, I look behind me to find Atticus pointing a sword in his direction. Voraxis lets out a growl of warning, and I spread my arms out, trying to maintain the peace.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa. Atticus, put that away,” I command.
“Kallie, step away.” It’s like I’m having déjà vu.
Taking a step toward him, Voraxis stomps a foot down, shaking the surrounding area. “This is Voraxis. He’s my bonded dragon,” I explain, and the look he gives me tells me he isn’t buying it.
“I can take care of this. Just say the word,” Voraxis promises.
Not taking my eyes off Atticus, I respond out loud, “I have this under control.” Voraxis sweeps his tail out, keeping it placed between Atticus and me, in a way of protectiveness.
“Seriously, put it down.”
Not taking his eyes off Voraxis, Atticus says, “Right. Dragons only bond with royals. So tell me, are you lying, or am I missing a piece to the puzzle?”
I feel the color leech from my face before regaining my composure. “Neither. Let me show you,” I insist.
Not waiting for a reply, I side-step over to Voraxis’s shoulder and rest my hand on him, like I’m consoling a toddler.
Let me on. He lowers his head in response, still keeping his eyes trained on Atticus.
I climb on like it’s second nature, struggling a bit from all the days in captivity.
All the muscle I had is long gone, instead leaving me with shaking limbs, but in time I get up.
Sitting atop him, I let the familiar feeling sink in, like I’ve found another missing piece to the puzzle. Without another thought, I screech with joy as he kicks off the ground. The song of his wings beating puts me at ease, and the wind brushes against my cheeks.
Looking down, I see the people file out of their homes, staring up in amazement at the show we’re putting on for them.
“Let’s give them something to look at,” I suggest wickedly. Voraxis starts blowing fireballs, and I let us gain speed before opening the middle, and we fly through. He lets out two more, and I keep them suspended in the sky, moving them about the night.
Snuffing them out, Voraxis lands back in the field, and behind Atticus, a crowd forms, all of their faces mixed with different emotions.
“No harm will come to him. If I find out that anyone tries anything, you will have me to answer to.” I let the shadows whip around me for a second before gaining back control and shutting them into their cage.
Voraxis insists that we leave tonight, but I refuse. The thought of simply leaving after the wreckage I caused doesn’t sit right.
“I’m not just going to leave, especially after I basically burnt his house down,” I tell him. His irritation is suffocating as he sends it down the bond. “How did you find me anyway?”
“The bond we share is like a calling card. However, it was quiet for the duration you were gone. I’ve been trying to reach you since the light came back, but you were closed off, and I was going crazy.
” The admission has guilt churning in my stomach, and I hate myself for putting him through that.
“I don’t know what you went through before I found you, but it was like there was a line connecting us, and I followed it, right to the point you were on the ground. ”
“I’m sorry.”
“You have nothing to be sorry for.” Leaning up against his side, I let my eyes roam over the night sky. Not a single star is shining, just an empty void.
When my head falls, I take in the remaining structure of Atticus’s home and think about all the memories that were just burned away. All his remaining memories with Serena.
“I have to fix this.”
“You don’t have to do anything.” Ignoring his blatant disregard for the situation, I stand up and tell him that I’ll be just inside.
My steps are hesitant. After Voraxis and I did our little stunt, Atticus stormed off—I would assume to clean up what he can.
The smell of smoke lingers throughout the house. My gaze bounces from the scorched floor to the burnt furniture then analyzes the soot plastered over the walls.
It isn’t as bad as I originally thought. The structure still stands; however, the wall separating the living room from the outside has a nice hole where the window used to be.
“Atticus, I’m so sorry.” The apology is sincere, but it doesn’t feel like enough. Of course it’s not enough—I torched his fucking house.
He lets out a long, languid sigh. “It was an accident.” My eyes trace over his features as they come back into view after his hand finishes swiping down his face. The silence surrounding us is loud, too much to bear as a ringing starts in my ears.
Moments pass before I muster up enough courage to say anything more. “I don’t know how to fix this.”
“You can’t.”