CHAPTER 51
“The healers are protected by the God of Light. But when a healer dies, their magic absorbs into the spot of their death. If there is any magic left inside of them when their soul leaves the Realm.” - Book of Azure
A SEARING LIGHT EMANATES FROM Florian's hands as he hovers them over Koen’s body. His head tilts back, rain pouring down on us like a relentless downfall of sorrow. As if my family line of Deskyiaras are mourning with us.
I almost feel their pain, radiating from the sky. Their screams as if they are the loud thunder rolling through the sky.
“What are you doing?” I stammer, my voice cracking, as I notice Kaine collapsing to his knees in the distance, rubbing his trembling hands through his brown hair, begging Florian to cease his madness.
“What are you doing!” I scream again, desperate to reach him through his blindness, reminding me of what I saw in Koen’s eyes. I must stop him, yet terrified that my touch will burn him to ash, I continue to scream. “Florian!” My voice breaks in agony.
“Let me do this for you!” His eyes glisten with unshed tears, cascading down to his crimson stained, scaly armor.
I shake my head, my brows furrowing in. Fear is clogging my throat as I try to shutter a deep breath.
I won’t lose them both.
“You cannot bring him back!” I cry out, the knot in my throat threatening to choke me. “The Gods will never allow that!”
“I must try!” His gaze pierces into mine. “Without Koen, you are lost. You will die of heartbreak! Which means…”
He halts, drawing a deep, ragged breath. “If you die, and my brother is gone, I have nothing left to live for.”
“You are the King!” I plea out to him. “You have everything to live for! Everything to fight for! You can bring peace!”
“No. I am no King.” Blood-streaked strands of his hair cover his face as he glances down towards Koen. “We both know that only you can bring peace.”
The light begins to flicker across his arms and hands as he places them against Koen’s lifeless body. Tears drip down my cheeks as I plead, “Please stop! I can’t lose you both!”
I glance over my shoulder towards the others, Hyreo’s hands are behind his head in shock while Klyara’s hand grips Kaine’s shoulder.
“Someone stop him!” I cry out to them.
A beaming light parts from the clouds, white hues mixed with a golden shimmering substance falls from the sky and down towards us. The wind catches Florian’s hair, brushing it widely across his face as his veins beneath his skin erupt in a bright golden hue.
He grips Koen’s chest, breathing out a torturing cry in agony as he screams to the heavens.
“Please stop!” I hold Koen’s body tightly against my chest. My whole body aches with pain.
“You will die!” I shout once more, finally catching Florian’s attention.
His head shakes, brows caving deeply in as his eyes flicker the fire I once saw when the dragons chased us in the darkness. “I am already dead.”
I heave, breathing out a shaking breath as the light flashes brighter. The clouds break apart as streams of hues glisten down and up from Florian and Koen.
The descendants of the Gods, the light inside us is how we live. How we survive.
The light inside us is what gifts us the powers from them.
They way to communicate with the Gods.
Yet, here Florian is, doing everything in his power to give Koen his last bit of life when this has only been done once before… with me.
But the oracles helped.
And the oracles are not here.
This cursed the lands once.
What would happen again if this were to work?
Florian glances over his shoulder towards me, his hair dancing across his face. “Everything has always been for you.”
I clench Koen’s suit tightly. “Please don’t leave me too.”
Florian’s lips pull into a slight smile. “You will be okay. I must do this. For the both of you.”
“This won’t work!” Kaine shouts, hands flailing widely in the air. “Make him stop, Ren!”
My eyes flicker between the two of them, catching Florian’s gentle head shake. “Nothing can stop me from trying to do right by my brother. It’s the least I can do.”
Florian’s head lifts while the beaming white light brightens, casting a bright wave of light across the land of Darkness. The power of the energy blasts a strong gust of wind, knocking the others to the ground as I grip Koen’s body tighter.
“Please don’t take them both,” I beg the Gods.
“Please don’t take them both from me.”
My eyes clench tightly, praying that the light as bright as the heaven’s gates vanishes at last and finally, it begins to dim.
My breathing steadies, listening to the beats of my heart as the ringing sounds begin to finally fade away.
Through blurred vision I see Theon and Kaine rising, helping Klayra and Death up to their feet. Hyreo is dusting off his ash-filled suit, the gust of wind from the light by the Gods covering us all in the dirt of this land.
Dryden limps in, unsure how he is even alive still. But we will leave for the sea once…
No.
Florian lies beside Koen. His golden hair cascades along his face.
“Florian?” I whisper out, gripping his leg that is beside me and shaking him with all the strength I have. “Florian!” My throat rips a violent scream.
“What did he do…” I hear Kaine’s voice tremble.
My eyes flicker from the brothers' lifeless bodies to the chosen.
The knot inside my throat blocks the cry that wants to erupt within me.
“Help!” I cry out to them.
The pendant he would wear gracefully lays across the charred ground and my bottom lip trembles, reaching out for the pendant. He took it off. Why did he take it off? I grip it tightly, letting my screams reach the heavens. Let my screams reach Tileatha’s damn army.
A golden light falls around us once more, kicking up their hair as the hues of light shimmer around us like a tornado.
Klayra and Kaine pause right before the shield of light, their eyes widening as their fingers stretch wide to touch it but flinch in contact.
“Did I kill them!” My eyes met Klayra, watching her trembling hand cover her lips.
“He has to come back to me!” My voice cracks as I continue to shake Florian. “Damn it, Florian! What did you do!”
I never got to tell him the truth of who he was.
I was too afraid to tell him.
And now I wish I could.
I will save his mother for him. I will die trying to find her.
The tears flood out of my eyes, falling off my chin and soaking down my chest. I let out the scream that is bottling inside me, allowing myself to cry out to the Gods and ask them why. Why did they take them both from me?
My chin lifts, staring at the golden light from the clouds as a soft rumble dances in the sky with soft flashes of light.
“You destroyed the lands, child. The Realms cursed by your foolish behavior. Your love for this man blinded who you were meant to be. You protecting the shifters are holding you back.” The elders' voice whispers in the wind as the light rain cascades across my face.
“Only the Gods will know which one of the brothers will be strong enough to return to you. Both of them laid down their life to protect you. But the Gods intended for you to die.”
“What do you want from me! I thought I was meant to help everyone!” My eyes flutter widely, the rain blocking my view of the light that cascades back to the clouds. “I want them back! I’ll do anything, please! What do the Gods want!”
“To stop loving him.”
“How am I supposed to stop loving him!” I scream to the Gods. My face flushes a crimson red while the veins pulse violently against my temples.
“I suppose you can’t.” A deep growl vibrates in the pit of someone's throat. “Unless you are dead.”
I hesitantly turn my head. My breath hitches in my throat while my eyes widen to catch the hues of lava mixing with the once-emerald tones that used to make my heart melt.
“Koen?” I stutter, rising to my feet as I hear Theon and Kaine shouting for me to run.
Koen’s lip curls into a wicked grin. “I thought you weren’t afraid of the darkness… little Spark?”
SCORCHED
A BALLAD OF FIRE