72. Scotlind
SEVENTY-TWO
SCOTLIND
“You promised me you’d keep her away,” Tezya snapped at Sie as soon as he saw us.
He was covered in blood and a quick scan from head to toe showed me the “so-called scratch” I sensed from him earlier. A diagonal cut ran from his collarbone to hip with blood still pouring from it.
You need a healer, I immediately flooded Tezya’s mind. We need to get Brock.
“No. I promised I’d keep her safe, and I’m still doing that,” Sie shot back. “She was going to find you with or without me.”
I’m fine, Rumor, Tezya answered in my head, then turned to Sie. “You knew exactly what I meant.”
We didn’t have time to talk as more Luxian soldiers rushed us. Even with Brock and Rainer’s reinforcements fighting somewhere below us, the King had more and more men at his disposal.
An axe was about to split me in half before it disintegrated into ash along with the arm holding it. Wails of agony reached my ears as the Luxian soldier started burning alive in front of me. I looked up and saw Tezya staring before he turned back to his own fight.
Night had fallen by the time we got a semblance of a break, and we still hadn’t seen Athler or the King. The rest of the group met up with us at some point, and we barricaded ourselves in a room long enough for us to heal our wounds. Dovelyn had a shield around the room so we could take our masks off to eat something, and Kallon already had a portal at her disposal in case we got trapped inside or someone from the army found us.
Peter must have stolen croissants from the kitchen at some point, and Vallie was sitting on the floor next to him silently eating one. They were covered in blood, but I was so happy that, for the most part, it wasn’t their own.
Brock healed the large gash over Tezya’s chest and abdomen until it scabbed over and stopped bleeding, but he refused to let his friend heal him fully, claiming he didn’t want to waste all his reserves.
Tezya had pulled me into a hug the moment we locked the door. I was so relieved that we were all still alive—so relieved that Tezya was.
“Are you hurt?” he whispered into my hair.
I shook my head, refusing to move from his chest, though I was careful to only put pressure on the side that wasn’t injured. My translucent mask was pulled down around my neck, and although it was lightweight, it felt so nice to be able to breathe without it pressed against my mouth.
“You should have Brock look at you, just in case.”
“Tezya, I’m completely fine. I don’t even think I have a scratch to show for the day because anyone who got within a foot radius of me, you burned alive.”
He inhaled, but I knew he wasn’t satisfied with my answer, so I grabbed his hand and let him feel me. My body was aching and bruised in a few spots, and my arms felt like jello, but other than that, I was fine.
Once he realized I was completely uninjured, I pulled away from him enough to scan the room we were in. Everyone was exhausted, but that was expected. What I didn’t expect to see was Savannah curled up in a corner. Out of all of us she was probably the most excited to fight. I squinted to get a closer look and saw she was crying to herself.
Don’t, Tezya said into my mind, stopping me from going to her. She needs to be alone right now. She doesn’t do well when people bombard her right away.
What’s wrong with her? Is she hurt? She didn’t look injured, but she could’ve been hiding an injury beneath her clothes. I was amazed by how well she fought and half the time I found myself forgetting she was human. Even without a mask on, she managed to escape any vapor while still taking out a huge chunk of the army. She was skilled and it seemed to come naturally to her, so I didn’t think it was the bloodshed affecting her.
Her father was killed, Tezya said a moment later, and I gasped out loud, causing a few glances my way.
Dravenburg? How? What happened? I thought he wasn’t fighting? Questions were pouring out of me and into Tezya’s mind. The camp commander had a knack for war and strategies, and I couldn’t deny that he had helped us a lot, but I knew he was only planning on leading from the sidelines. He made it clear this was our war, and that he’d assist as much as possible without putting himself or his children in the direct line of fire. But I’d been so consumed in my own fight, I barely got to see how anyone else was fairing until now.
He wasn’t supposed to. Wells is still in Tennebris, but when Dravenburg found out Savannah snuck into one of the waves and was fighting, he came with the group on the monorail. She blames herself for his death.
I’m so sorry, I said, knowing Tezya respected Dravenburg and that he was close to all three humans .
Me too, he said as he pulled me back against his chest, and I lost myself to the feeling of him.
“I know where my father is,” Dovelyn said into the silence. I looked up at the princess. She’d kept her invisibility over herself while fighting, and I only knew she was by me when soldiers dropped dead for no reason.
Her eyes were fading back into her usual silver, and I could sense with my enhancement that her ability had just been used. She had another vision.
“Where?” Tezya asked, straightening his back.
“He’s hiding at the Goddess Temples. He’s hoping his men will take care of us.”
“He’s a coward for hiding behind the army,” Kallon interrupted, her thin brows furrowed beneath her bangs.
“A strategic coward,” Dove finished. “He knows his limits. He’s scared that without Scotlind and all the Advenians he used to keep chained, he doesn’t have as much power as he used to. He’s spiraling.”
“That’s perfect. If he’s weak, now is the time to attack,” Rainer chimed in.
“He isn’t weak, not in the slightest. He’s still been drinking from Advenians and stealing an ungoddessly amount of powers. It’s just not what he’s used to consuming. He also has vapor completely surrounding him.”
“I want to go,” I said immediately, not wanting to wait to hear Tezya’s excuse for why I shouldn’t.
“No.” Tezya moved across the room. “You aren’t an air user. If the King has vapor you shouldn’t—”
“I have a mask,” I cut him off as I pointed to it dangling around my neck. I knew what he was trying to do, and it wasn’t going to work.
“There’s more,” Dovelyn said, glancing down at Savannah. “I also saw Athler order the army to start murdering the humans surrounding the castle as a way to draw us out. ”
Savannah stood almost immediately. Aside from the redness around her eyes, I wouldn’t have known she’d just been crying or that her father had died. “Those humans are innocent. We need to stop it—”
“I know, Sav.”
“When?” Tezya asked. He started slowly pacing. “When does Athler make the orders?”
Dovelyn shook her head. “I don’t know but soon.”
Brock was watching Tezya pace. “You have any ideas on what to do?” he asked.
Tezya nodded. “Get every ground and air user you can and barricade the doors for as long as possible so the army can’t get out. Everyone needs to stay here and fight.” Tezya said the last part looking right at me. “Kallon, I need you to portal me to the Goddess Temples, then I want you portaling yourself back to Tennebris—”
“You can’t seriously think I’m going to leave you all and go…”
“Kal, I need you to portal back to Tennebris to bring Arcane here. Dovelyn and my brother have some of the strongest shields, and while Dove has been using her reserves all day, my brother hasn’t.”
I’m coming with you, Tezya, I said into his mind. I don’t care if you leave me behind, and I have to walk there myself, I’m not letting you face the King alone.
He, of course, ignored me. “And Scottie needs to stay here so she can enhance your shields once your reserves start diminishing.”
“Absolutely not. I’m going with you,” I half screamed.
Dovelyn’s silver eyes slid to mine. “I can handle the shields,” she said. “Especially if I have Arcane with me, but you shouldn’t go by yourself, Tezya. I’ll only agree to this if you aren’t alone.”
“The prophecy says I’m the only one who can defeat him so why would I risk bringing anyone else? Besides, we need everyone here to protect the humans.”
“I agree with Dove,” Kallon said, and to my relief, everyone else slowly began chiming in and nodding in agreement.
“Fine,” he half growled. “Someone can come with me, but Rumor stays here.”
Brock rose slowly and started making his way toward us. “Tezya, you’re like a brother to me, and you have to know I would never purposely go against your wishes, but I think Scotlind should go with you.” I couldn’t tell if Brock was only suggesting it to appease Dovelyn or if he meant what he was saying, but either way I wasn’t going to question it. “Arcane said that she has access to your powers. In the event things go wrong, she’s the only other person who can take on the King. This is about the safety of our entire people.”
Tezya was silent for a while, letting his friend’s words sink in, and I could feel the confliction radiating off of him. I knew it was the exact reason he didn’t want me coming. He was scared I was going to interfere, and he wasn’t wrong. All day I’d been holding my tongue and consciously blocking my thoughts from him.
“I’ll go with the two of you,” Brock added when Tezya still wasn’t answering. “I promise I’ll stay with her and heal her if she gets hurt.”
“I’m also going,” Sie said. “Since Kallon is leaving, I’m your next best thing. Peter told me the Temples are on the opposite side of the island.”
Dovelyn glared openly at Peter who just smiled through eating his croissant. The fact that he was able to get the entire layout of Lux and managed to relay the information to Sie while he was my maid was beyond me, and it pissed Dovelyn off beyond belief. I honestly had no idea how he didn’t get caught sooner.
“You’ll need someone there if things go south. I can teleport anyone away who’s in danger,” Sie added, and I knew he meant me, but if Sie being there was the only way Tezya would agree to me coming, I wasn’t about to say anything. There was no way I’d let Sie teleport me back to the castle, but neither of them had to know that.
Tezya’s jaw clenched as moments passed.
Please, I added into his mind.
“Fine,” he gritted out, then turned to glare at Sie. “The moment I say so, you teleport her and Brock back.”
“Done.”
Tezya flexed out his hand before he made his way toward me. My mouth parted at the confidence in his gait, the way his hair was slick with sweat, pushing the long strands off his forehead. Even covered in blood and grime, he was breathtaking. I hadn’t been able to look at him for more than a few seconds while fighting today, and since we got into this room, I’d been trying to limit talking to him because I was too scared he’d read my thoughts.
“Rumor,” he said gently once he reached me. I could feel everyone’s eyes on us, but I looked up and focused on him. “Can we talk— alone ?”
I scanned the room, and yup, everyone was watching. “Um… where?”
He grabbed my hand and started leading me toward the bathroom. Dovelyn’s abilities swirled around me as my enhancement picked up on it. She was casting a privacy shield over us.
Before the door fully closed, Tezya pulled me into an embrace, picking me up by my hips and slammed my back against the wall. His tongue was inside my mouth in seconds, and I willingly opened, letting him consume me. My fingers fisted his hair as I pulled him closer to my face, breathing him in. I couldn’t get enough.
At some point, I started to taste salt and knew it was from my tears. I wanted this moment to last. I wanted to be kissing him with all the time in the world, instead of a rushed fleeting moment. We could both feel the weight of what was about to happen.
Tezya pulled back enough to look at me, his hands resting on either side of my cheeks, but he didn’t put me down.
“Rumor…”
“Don’t,” I stopped him. “I don’t want to hear it.”
“Rumor, please. I need to—”
“No.” I twisted out of his grasp, and he obliged, setting my feet back down on the floor. I turned away from him, making my way toward the door, but he grabbed my wrist.
“Rumor—”
I pushed back against his shoulder. I couldn’t hear it. I didn’t want him to say his goodbyes. If he was going to do that, it meant he didn’t think he would make it.
His grip on me tightened, not enough to hurt, but enough to keep me there. Tears were pooling in my eyes at an alarming rate. This couldn’t be it. This couldn’t be my last moments with him.
I don’t plan for it to be, he said gently, reading my thoughts. Fuck, Rumor, I want forever with you, and I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure that happens. Do you hear me? When I didn’t answer, he let go of my wrist, only to cup my cheeks again, then said out loud. “Rumor, I need you to believe me. I don’t plan on dying today. But please,” his voice faltered, “please, let me say this.”
I met his gaze. His perfect crystal blue eyes with specks of silver were already searching my face. I inhaled a sob, but nodded.
“I love you, Scotlind. I love you with all my being, and no matter what happens today nothing can change that. I will always love you, and I will always come back to you. I hope it’s in this life. I fucking pray to the Goddesses that it is, but if it’s not, I will find you in the next, and the one after that, and every fucking life we might get because I love you.”
I was sobbing now. I couldn’t muster a response out loud. I love you too, Tezya.
“I need you to promise me you won’t interfere. Promise me you’ll let me do this.”
I shook my head. I couldn’t. I couldn’t promise that.
He sighed before leaning down to kiss my forehead, then whispered so softly I thought I imagined it. “Then forgive me.”
He left me standing alone in the bathroom, crying uncontrollably, praying to Pylemo and all twelve lesser Goddesses that Tezya wouldn’t die today.
“Sie,” he called once he entered the main room, and I immediately felt Dovelyn’s powers fading as her shield vanished. “I need your compulsion.”