78. Greyland
SEVENTY-EIGHT
GREYLAND
Peter shifted back into a bear, ripping into the soldiers who got too close to us, but without Arcane’s powers, we were slowly becoming overwhelmed. He had been using his air ability to push the soldiers back so we weren’t swarmed by them. But now that he was off with the mortal girl, we were slowly being surrounded. I could feel them closing in on us.
“Fuck,” I growled as Lilia just managed to dodge an axe being thrown at her. I stormed to her side, gripping her bicep, and pulled her toward me. “Stop running away from me.”
“Why? So you can use your powers on me again?” she snapped. Her chest heaved as she turned to face me, and her rage was undeniable.
“So I can keep you alive!”
Her hazel eyes narrowed. “You made me fight nothing. Everyone saw me—”
I was glaring down at her. “I don’t fucking care if you become the laughing stock in both kingdoms. It’s better than being dead. You can hate me for it all you want, but stop being so fucking stupid.”
I entered the minds of twenty or so Luxian soldiers, changing their perception to make it look like Lilia and I weren’t standing in the middle of the courtyard having a verbal sparring match. I knew it was dumb to waste my reserves on this, but I didn’t want to be interrupted, and I needed her to understand.
She stepped back, ripping her arm out of my grip. “Don’t use your powers on me, Greyland.”
I exhaled, twirling the blade in my hand before refocusing my attention on the fight around us. Lilia went right back into it, and I decided to keep using my illusion.
If she didn’t want me to use my powers on her, I’d use them on everyone around her. Even if it gave me the worst fucking headache of my life.
I could feel blood start to drip down my nose, but I didn’t stop. I kept moving my illusion, transferring it to everyone around her so that no one knew she was there as she moved across the courtyard. I was at her back, fighting whoever came at us too fast, whoever I couldn’t put my illusion on.
I was finding it easy to kill the soldiers. I honestly didn’t know where that left me. I knew Sie tried to protect me from this, from the guilt of taking a life, but I didn’t feel any. At least not right now. I was scared shitless for my brother that it made killing anyone who came remotely close to Lilia and me as easy as if I was giving them a handshake.
I wanted them all dead. They were the reason my life was complete shit. My parents and I were shipped off to this kingdom and these soldiers beat the living shit out of us for weeks. They ripped my fucking eye out and laughed—and my mother… she died from one of these pieces of shits.
So yeah, I went to town on them, and envisioning any of them doing the same thing to Lilia, made me happy to see them die.
Three Luxians charged Raeya next to us. Rainer and her—who I found out were cousins—were fighting side by side. We all naturally paired off in twos. Peter was with Vallie, but every so often, I saw his eyes drift toward his sister. To Lilia’s dread, I stayed with her. And Rainer never took his gaze off his cousin.
Rainer swiped off his boxing glove and spewed lightning into two of the soldiers who came after her, but the third sidestepped, just missing the brutal bolt of energy. My eyes drifted toward the two that were lying on their backs. Their faces were glazed over with foam spilling from their mouths. Their bodies were covered in thick jagged scars. The same scars covering my brother’s hands.
The guy’s power was sick, and I wished I had something more tangible to fight with. Only one of my abilities was helpful right now—my second power was useless for this kind of stuff—not that anyone even knew I had a second ability. Lilia was the only person I told, and she refuses to believe it…
The third soldier drove his weapon into Raeya’s chest before Vallie used her own sword to cut through his neck.
We all watched for a moment as the soldier’s head flopped and rolled onto the wet ground. It was as if time stilled for one prolonged second. One second before Raeya’s screams echoed through us.
She fell to her knees, clutching her chest as her shirt instantly reddened. Rainer threw his other boxing glove off, tossing them both on the ground.
“Rae, no—no, no, no,” he cursed as he sank down next to his cousin.
“Rainer…” she groaned, her small hand trembled as she cupped his cheek.
“You’re okay,” he crooned. “You’re going to be okay.”
But tears were pouring from his eyes while blood was pouring out of the girl’s mouth. There was so much of it she started choking on it. Her hand dropped from his cheek leaving a trail of red in its place.
I grabbed Lilia, pulling her into my chest as I pushed my illusion into everyone I could around us. They needed a fucking minute because the girl was not okay. Lilia tensed under me. I could tell she was about to protest before she realized what had happened.
I couldn’t watch over her while I used this much of my power. I felt Lilia still in my arms, and I knew without looking that her eyes drifted toward the girl on the ground.
“Kallon,” Raeya choked through coughing fits.
“Yes, wait for Kallon,” Rainer cried. “Hold out, Rae. Kallon is coming. Brock will heal you, and Kallon will be here, and everything will be alright. Just hold on.” The last word broke him as he cradled the girl closer in his arms, the sword still awkwardly piercing her chest.
But they weren’t coming. Kallon wasn’t going to make it in time.
I used my remaining reserves of power to enter Raeya’s mind. No one should die alone.
“Kal,” Raeya smiled through the blood. To everyone else, it looked like she was talking to herself, like she was seeing things, which I guess she technically was.
Rainer let out a sob.
I tried recalling every interaction I saw of Kallon and Raeya together. The little bit I did see, I knew she was obsessed with her.
“I’m here, Raeya,” I said as Kallon. “I love you. I’m right here.”
Raeya relaxed. Her eyes fluttered closed as she continued to smile. “I love you too, Kal. And yes, my answer is yes. It was always yes.”
I had no idea what she was talking about, but I had my illusion of Kallon tuck the girl’s curly hair behind her ears and continued to whisper, “You’re safe. It’s okay. Sleep.” I could feel my reserves depleting, could feel myself on the brink of passing out, but the Luxian deserved this. She deserved to die in the arms of the girl she loved .
Guilt was slowly working its way through me. Would she still be alive if Kallon didn’t leave to help Tezya? I altered Kallon’s perception. I made it look like the battle was dwindling down instead of worsening. Was she dying because I needed Sie saved more? If Sie could even be saved…
I didn’t stop my illusion. I let it run out, trying to find words to comfort the girl as she slowly bled out. I waited until her eyes rolled back, and she was limp in her cousin’s arms.
My vision swirled as my illusion died with the girl. Rainer was sobbing now, rocking her dead body back and forth, and screaming at the top of his lungs.