Chapter 11 #2
Cohn’s booming voice brings me out of my head.
I push Raelle behind me, and her exhausted body follows my direction.
A pack of wolves saunters out of the trees.
Cohn rushes to my side, creating a wall to protect Raelle.
Ashavee’s hackles raise, and a deep growl vibrates through her body.
Cohn draws his sword instead of using the fire mechanism built into his black body armor.
I hold my weapon in one hand and call forth my flames with the other.
The wolves snarl and snap, waiting for the perfect opening to drag one of us to the ground.
The flame dances in my palm, curling into a ball.
I glare at each of our opponents and size them up.
In a matter of seconds, I’ve calculated each of their demises.
I swing my sword as a distraction and hurl the fire at the wolf across from me.
Its gray coat blazes, and it falls to the ground, rolling to put out the flame.
Cohn charges forward. Each slice of his blade is sure, severing heads and hacking off limbs. Within seconds, his dead foes accumulate in a heap at his feet.
While a new fire ball forms in my hand, and I busy myself sinking my blade into another shifter. When a sphere is ready, I release it on two wolves. They shriek as their legs give out. The dead leaves blanketing the ground set on fire, covering everything around them in flames.
I yank Raelle into a thicket of trees, with Cohn swinging at the single wolf following us. Ashavee remains on our heels as the crashing waves grow louder. Their rolling call lures us forward.
Raelle stumbles, pulling me back. I grip her waist and lift her from the ground. Nothing will stop me from putting her on that boat. Nothing.
We hit sand, and it slows us down. Thankfully, our destination is in view.
As we move onto the shore, other soldiers break out of the tree line and bolt for their rowboats.
With no time to spare, I toss Raelle into the boat and the jaguar jumps in beside her.
Several soldiers and I wade into the water, pushing the small vessel beyond the waves.
When the waters calm, we hoist ourselves into the boat one at a time, take our place, and row.
Not wanting the salt water to get into her wounds, I keep my distance from Raelle.
She is tucked behind me against the stern, holding my jacket around her.
The leather overwhelms her frame, and her skin is ghostly pale against the black.
I offer her a weak smile hoping it will comfort her until I can hold her in my arms again.
The night swallows the beach the farther we get, but the same can’t be said for the birds' haunting presence in the sky. The winged Allaji soar in circles above the water, stalking us like prey. Several of my soldiers attempt to knock them down with their powers, but it’s hard with them flying so high.
An eagle swoops down and grabs a soldier from their boat. The other soaring Allaji do the same. One by one, the birds pluck people like grapes from a vine and drop them into the middle of the ocean.
“Fuck,” I hiss, standing. The boat rocks under my movement, and the men and women around me grip the sides, trying to steady it.
I call upon my gift, bouncing the fire from palm to palm, waiting for the birds to come closer.
My aim is impeccable and the distance I can throw a fireball is decent, but I don’t have the ability to accurately hit our enemies when they’re hidden within the clouds.
A raven nosedives for us, aiming for the soldiers at the front of the boat. I wrench my arm back and let go of the flame, pounding the bird in the chest. It screeches and shoots skyward again.
“Where the hell are the ship cannons?” I say.
No sooner do I ask and a blast sounds from meters away.
The six gun ports along the sides of the two ships light up with every blast. The cannon balls send a falcon into a barrel roll and a vulture explodes into thousands of feathers mid-flight.
Just as our chances of taking the upper hand increase, so does the number of predatory birds joining the flock.
They rotate, plucking us from the boats and soaring high above the water, scouting for their next move.
A hawk flies in our direction. It flips back, flapping its brown and white speckled wings, and extends its talons in front of its body.
As it descends, I catch a glimpse of its beady electric blue eyes.
I freeze as I come face to face with my uncle’s killer.
Zekel and I would meet again—I never doubted that—but I never imagined being so vulnerable when we did.
Raelle springs to her feet and shoves the stone she found in my jacket pocket into my hand. She holds her hand over mine, saying, “Relax and call their power to you. It will come.”
“I’ve tried. I can’t control it the way you can,” I say, not hiding the desperation I feel.
“I can’t control it at all anymore. The Statera—I’m no longer… It has to be you.”
She doesn’t let go of me as I close my eyes and lift my hands into the air.
My knuckles heat in a way they’ve never done before.
I inhale and imagine a string linking the Eporri to each gift around me.
When my skin burns, I push the fire out.
Glowing ropes of orange and red arch across the sky, chasing after Zekel.
My body quakes with the force, and Raelle holds me steady, pressing her body to mine.
“Burn them all,” she hisses in my ear.
I let go of the pure hatred I have for Zekel. It clogs my lungs and rattles my core. The burning ropes streaming from me whip in the opposite diction of where I point. They sputter out as if I have no gifts at all.
Panic washes over me. I shake my hands, trying to rein in the power again.
Zekel barrels forward and this time he doesn’t slow.
“Duck,” I yell, but Raelle is too slow.
Zekel grabs her by the shoulders, piercing her skin with his talons.
Her feet leave the boat. The cat and I leap forward.
I reach for Raelle’s ankle but only graze her foot before she’s out of reach.
Her friend has no better luck, clasping her skirt between her sharp teeth before the flimsy material rips.
Raelle struggles to break free, her screams filling the sky.
I lift my hands again, and a plume of flame bursts through my fingers, singeing Zekel’s left wing.
He squawks and tilts to the side, unable to stay steady in the air.
He lets Raelle go, and she plunges into the sea.
I drop the Eporri and jump in after her, not waiting to see if Zekel retreats.
Shouted orders erupt around me. Get the king out of the water! Do not let the birds near him! Row faster! I don’t care what they do as long as I reach her.
I dive beneath the surface, stroking and kicking through the dark waters. The gentle rocking of the waves disorients me, and I can’t so much as see my hand in front of my face. With no other choice, I return to the surface and suck in a lungful of air.
“Raelle,” I yell, hoping she will answer and set me off in the right direction. “Fuck. Answer me Raelle!”
Something jets out of the sea and, just as quickly, sinks beneath.
I swim toward it and dive under the water.
Holding my hands out in front of me, I sweep the space, only to find it void of anything solid.
Dread expands inside me like liquid lead, threatening to sink me to the ocean floor.
I should have found Raelle by now or at least caught sight of her.
With a deep breath, I dive again. My shadows push through the water, expanding from me like extra arms. I concentrate on any sign that she’s near, but my power finds nothing.
My lungs burn and multicolor spots dance in my vision.
I need more air, but I can’t bring myself to give up.
Just a couple more seconds. The urge to suck in water is overwhelming, and I glide my arms down, sending my body upward.
My fingers brush against something soft, and I stop.
I grip the unseen item and pull it to me.
Hair grazes my cheek, and my palm comes in contact with skin.
The need to laugh is strong, but I stifle it and kick with such force that it sends Raelle and me racing for the surface.
My mouth breaks free of the water, and I gulp down the air. Raelle remains lifeless in my arms, her lips blue and body cold. I hold her head as far as I can above the water, my body sinking underneath with the effort.
I kick with all my might, and as soon as I can breathe, I scream, “Help!”
A slender freckled arm reaches down and grasps Raelle, just as a stronger one yanks on the back of my tunic.
Ulric and Greer drag us into their boat.
I scurry over to my parah and tear my leather jacket open, revealing her unmoving chest. My mouth covers hers, and I blow two big breaths into her.
When nothing happens, I press my palm between her breasts and push down.
I repeat the process until she coughs and spits up water.
I fall to my ass, pulling her between my legs. Cradling her, we rock back and forth.
Safe.
We’re safe.
I’m no stranger to loss. It has plagued me for as long as I can remember.
I learned to roll with the devastation, to rise above it and become stronger.
But what I almost lost tonight, that would have been my breaking point.
To have Raelle in my arms, just to lose her again, I won’t let it happen.
Take away the crown, the titles, take away my kingdom, but nothing will separate me from her again.