Chapter 52
The morning sun cast a cold, unforgiving light over the field.
Blake had awoken first, leaving to inform the others about Edith. He came back with more healing supplies and took gentle care of me, though his mouth was drawn into a tight line. I dressed in battle leathers, Blake securing my weapons a second time—after I’d already done it.
I grabbed his wrists to stop him, pressing our charred Marks to one another. I could already see the Marks beginning to heal, reverting back to their original colors.
He finally paused.
“We should talk,” I whispered, not brave enough to look up at him just yet. “About the Soul Pairing.”
Blake’s voice was low, calm, but with that sharp edge of determination. “We don’t need to talk. We need to try again. What happened was—”
“What happened,” I interrupted, “was fate deciding for us.”
He stepped forward, closing the distance between us, his body looming in the soft light. He was still shirtless, only in his armored pants. His bare skin was marred with bruises and scratches from the magical backlash, the Marks a reminder of how volatile things had become.
His jaw clenched as he stood in front of me, eyes intense. I would never forget how dangerous it had been for the both of us, but especially for him.
“Fate is a wind, not something written in stone,” he said, his voice tight. “We can choose what we do with that wind. That was us pushing too hard, too fast. We can make the Soul Pairing work, Rubi. We just need time.”
I nodded my head, but the ache in my chest grew with every word. “Yes. And right now, time isn’t on our side.”
I could see he was going to argue again, so I pressed forward. “We can try again, but not until after. First, the Anchors. We were lucky to get the collar off.”
Blake’s eyes were passionate. “I’ve spent my whole life thinking about my duty and my responsibility to others, and you know what? You are the only thing I’ve ever really wanted, just for myself. The Soul Pair could protect you—”
“It could kill you, Blake,” I said, my frustration making me harsh. “It could hurt us both so badly we’d be no good in the fight to repair the Anchors. We aren’t playing this game with your magic and especially with your life. Not when so much else is at stake.”
He was silent then, his jaw clenched, before these words tore from his throat: “And what if I don’t care about anything else as much as I care about you?
Not even my duty.” His eyes burned into me before he turned and walked out of the tent, the vulnerability I had seen in him last night disappearing behind the walls he built so easily.
I followed a few minutes later into the morning light.
All four dominions’ teams stood in tense silence along with the tygers, the weight of what was coming pressing down like a storm about to break. No one spoke. No one moved.
We awaited a signal from the Diviner.
The air hummed, thick with magic, charged with anticipation. Some shifted on their feet, hands flexing over weapons, eyes sharp with barely contained nerves. Others stood still as statues, their expressions unreadable.
Flame strutted up slowly, her presence a silent comfort by my side. Next to her stood Kingsolver, steady and strong. For a moment, I envied their bond, the way she stood next to him with unwavering trust.
But then Blake took my hand in his, pressing our Marks together as he tilted his chin down toward me.
“Stay close to me.”
I squeezed his hand back in response. “Always.”
Una approached, making Blake tense, before she stretched out her hand with a blackened vial.
Blake took it before I could. “What is it?”
“It will provide some relief, and temporary strength to Rubi and her tygress,” Una answered, with a small smile at me.
Her eyes flickered down to her feet, now freed of manacles.
Was this a token of her gratitude toward all of us?
“It’s…it’s illegal in our fighting rings and magic competitions, but we keep it in case of emergencies. ”
I grabbed it from Blake’s hand, popping the lid and sniffing it for a moment, before downing half in one gulp, then offering it to Flame, who lapped at it. My Ambush Master raised an eyebrow but said nothing, only shaking his head and sending a pulse of worry down our bond.
Jace stepped forward. “We need a plan. What do we know about this demon?”
This demon? The demon that had Edith, I realized, with a quick glance at Blake.
“We’re going to save her?”
Blake nodded, his eyes locking with mine. “I spoke with the dominion leaders this morning about Edith. We agree that with your description of the pulsating light around her, she’s being kept at the Anchor.”
“To distract us, possibly,” Quinn added. He came close and put an arm around me, ignoring Blake. “Rubi…I’m so sorry.” I turned into him, hugging him.
“I know. You love her, too. I’m so glad you’re here.”
He pulled away and looked at me. “I’m going to do everything I can to get her back.” As I released him, he took a step back and looked at the group. “We all will.”
Auron stepped forward, surprising me. “We must be ready. Tell us what you know, Axefire.”
Everyone looked to Blake then. Because he’d been there, escaped this demon before. Malissa and Auron hadn’t been present when it attacked.
Blake’s expression darkened. “Normal blades can’t pierce its bone plating.
Even thundervein barely hurt it—but we each faced it alone.
If we’d coordinated during the Annihilation, we might have stood a chance.
” He exhaled sharply. “It’s not mindless.
Twisted, maybe, but not without some warped sense of morality.
Even as it stood over the Red Phoenix crown princess’s body, it was moaning that it had done something wrong. ”
Jace absorbed the information with a nod. “So, it’s not mindless destruction. It feels remorse. That means it can be reasoned with…or manipulated.”
Blake exhaled, shaking his head. “Maybe. But it still killed without hesitation. That remorse didn’t help us. Nothing seemed able to stop it.”
Heavy silence settled over us. No one spoke. No one moved.
Then Lian broke the stillness, her voice low and grim. “Its fangs are extremely toxic. Even if it is only a scratch, we have never been able to save anyone touched by its poison. We’ve tried every known antidote.”
Auron’s fists tightened at his sides, flames flickering between his fingers like restless birds seeking flight.
“We will kill it. We finish what should have been done that day.” His voice was raw with fury. “I lost my sister, my family. Drought has overtaken the Red Phoenix. And now we are under attack. Our people are dying. We end this today.”
Vidor sneered. “It would be easier to just give the demons what they desire.” His eyes flickered to me. “We all know it wants the Azure woman. Her sacrifice could save millions.”
Auron’s fire flared. “There is no discussion here. We protect Rubi. We save the hostage. We end this. There is no guarantee that the Serpent Lord would halt the demon attacks even if he was given her. It has been decided. We repair the Anchors.”
Blake crossed his arms over his chest like a wall of iron. “The Silver Tyger Dominion agrees.”
Jace placed his hand on my shoulder, his silver cuff glinting in the light. “I would rather die than give Rubi to that creature.” His voice rang with sincerity.
A lump rose in my throat.
Malissa folded her arms but stayed silent.
“The Azures stand behind her.” Calla spoke, standing tall with her sky blue hair gleaming.
Behind her, Quinn said, “She is one of our own, even if she’s a tygress rider now. She’s our ribbon girl.” I looked gratefully at my loyal friend.
I took a deep breath, forcing down the storm of emotions threatening to consume me.
“More important than my life—or even Edith’s—is repairing the Anchors before the solstice in the twelfth month, starting with this one.
The Reds are battling the Serpent Lord’s demons as we speak, and they need our help.
This is for all the dominions. We need a plan.
” My voice didn’t waver. “And if the plan fails, I will trade my life gladly—for Edith’s, and for the Anchor. ”
Auron’s eyes burned. “There shall be no trading of lives.”
“We cannot trust a word that demon says,” Blake gritted out. I heard what he didn’t say. That he would not allow me to sacrifice my life.
The Diviner appeared, her mask as impassive as ever. “The time has come. To restore the balance. To mend the Anchor. And for you all, We bring gifts for the battle to come.”
A shimmer swept over the field like heat rising off stone. I blinked as the light passed through me, then looked down.
Every warrior was suddenly holding their weapon, only different.
Better. Stronger. Blake stared at the sword in his hand, the same familiar shape, but now forged entirely of precious storm-green thundervein.
Jace turned his wrist and his quiver flashed: His arrows gleamed with the same unmistakable glint, each one crackling faintly with contained energy.
Auron ran a finger along the shaft of one of his fire arrows.
The flames flickered as always, but now the arrowhead shimmered with the same mineral glow.
Even Quinn held up his hands in amazement.
The tips of his fingernails lengthened, then shimmered.
Calla swung a giant war hammer proudly. Vidor stared at his weapons, the blades now edged in dark shadowsteel.
Beside him, the other Onyx man summoned a whip of water, and the shards of ice swirling within it glistened with the same unnatural darkness, shadowsteel running through every jagged edge.
I looked down at myself and stopped breathing.
Gauntlets shimmered up to my elbows, sleek and seamless, fitted like they’d been made for me alone.
Thundervein. They pulsed faintly with a quiet, living energy.
I raised my hands, and the metal responded to my thoughts.
It melted downward, flowing into my palms and reshaping itself into two slender ribbon wands, smooth and perfectly balanced.
I recognized the intricate carvings. These were the same wands Blake had given me, only better.
As I flicked my wrists, the ribbons unfurled in the air.
I gasped.
The phoenix silk blazed to life, lighting with a golden fire that surged down the length of each ribbon. Flames rippled through the air in vibrant waves. And at the edges, thundervein shimmered, as sharp as a blade.
We were ready to fight.
Whether it would be demons or each other, that was the question.
Vidor looked at me again as we stepped toward the incline of the mountain peak.
No one is giving you up, Flame’s voice whispered. The silver woman in the sky said to restore the balance. We shall do that—but you do not have my permission to die.
My heart felt heavy and I leaned into her fur. I love you.
Flame’s chest purred.
I looked back up just as the crimson Diviner flickered back into nothing but light. Flame had said silver woman…
My brow furrowed. She probably appeared differently to everyone. A small trick of perception, a subtle manipulation—just like everything else in this twisted reality we were in.
The Silver Dominion—faster on our tygers—would be the lead and act as scouts, and the Azure Dominion would make up the rear vanguard. I waited to mount Flame. Stepping to Blake, I quietly offered, “Thank you, for all of this.”
The planning, sharing my vision of Edith with the others and getting them all to agree—he’d done all of it for me. To protect me when he felt like he couldn’t, though I knew he would try.
He wrapped a hand around my hip and pulled me closer, dropping a kiss to my temple before whispering, “You know I’d never let you go after Edith alone. And I won’t allow you to sacrifice yourself.”
“Then we do this together.”
“Always,” he agreed. He grinned as I mounted Flame, perching himself atop Kingsolver. “You’re not dead yet, Rubi.”