13
Raiden
Fuck.
He almost felt whole again as he locked eyes with Kordelia. Raiden free-fell as swirling orbs of the ocean consumed him, as though his answer for existing had given him permission to breathe again. The air suddenly seemed much sweeter, the ground sturdier. All was right with the world again.
But it wasn’t. Kordelia was a gods-damned skeleton and .
. . what the fuck was she wearing? Rage consumed Raiden as his power impulsively shot through the room, snuffing out the candles.
Leto raced in, hidden by his power as he sliced through guard after guard’s knees, toppling them all to the floor.
He always did his best work in the dark.
But they weren’t the only ones who thrived in the dark.
Blake located Raiden within an instant and their weapons clashed, blade upon blade sparking in the shadows.
Aryn’s eyes glowed, their ethereal gold illuminating his surroundings as he speared for Kordelia.
Skylar followed, protecting his back as Aerion held the ground with Raiden, their backs pressed against each other.
Raiden’s chest twinged that it wasn’t him running to Kordelia’s aid.
But they all agreed it had to be Aryn. She needed that familiar face, and Raiden was all too happy to take on Barron’s mutt.
A roar vibrated from the end of the room, and something unnatural pressed against Raiden’s power, pulsating with deadly cold. A whimper followed and Blake faltered, whipping his gaze to the far side of the room.
“Kora!” Aryn yelled, and both Raiden and Blake rasped in response, their weapons lowering as Kordelia’s whimpers increased. Something was wrong. He needed to get to her.
“Get out of my way, mutt.” Raiden swung his sword and Blake danced back, sneering as he thrusted his weapon, the metal thick and sharp.
“She doesn’t want you, Windward.” Blake’s voice was thick, and his hands diseased, like decaying earth.
“She sure as fuck doesn’t want to be here.
” Raiden lunged, pushing Blake into a stream of moonlight.
The chaos of the room fell away as they fought within the light, lashes of wind whipping at Blake.
He snarled, his eyes glowing, and a second shadow split from his skin.
Raiden stumbled as two swords clashed against his own, becoming a flurry of green and black.
The mutt had skill. A kick flew to Blake’s stomach, and he bowed over, sucking in a breath. Raiden grabbed his hair, wrenching his head up. He wanted to look him in the eyes as he delivered his vengeance.
“She made . . . her choice,” Blake panted. “She’s staying with us. With me.”
Raiden’s eyes flared. No . . . she wouldn’t.
“Rai!” Aerion said. “Focus! Switch now!”
His brother’s warmth brushed his back, and Raiden rotated with Aerion, who leapt into the fray to push Blake away, disappearing into the dark. He was nimble and swift, capable of using his specialised weapon and power in unison to become a formidable force.
Raiden stumbled, clutching his head as a trail of voices filled it, a mixture of moans and cries, warbled in a way that resembled being underwater.
He darted past Blake and Aerion, weaving through the pandemonium of battle, pausing occasionally to assist Leto’s pirates in their fights.
Talmon guards continued filing in from unseen doors, replacing their fallen comrades effortlessly.
He had to reach Kordelia. But he could barely see, his rage hindering them. Blood splattered the floor and Raiden slid, falling on top of a rigid form that moaned in return, followed by a squelch.
“Help . . .” it wheezed. With a sigh, Raiden lifted their head from the table, balking as something sticky and sour coated his fingers. The male’s dark eyes pierced through the already black-as-night room.
He looked familiar, but Raiden couldn’t place him. Was he an enemy? He cast his stare over his wan form, grimacing at the oozing sores and bruised flesh. Definitely not an enemy.
“Help . . .” he coughed, as his eyes lolled in the back of his head.
Raiden cursed. This male was surely to die soon, and he couldn’t spare a minute from saving Kordelia. “I’m sorry,” he replied. “Thanos will collect you soon. May the fates bless you.”
The male shook his head. “Help . . . save her. I will be . . . fine.”
Someone lit the fireplace, and the full might of chaos erupted into the room.
A gasp escaped Raiden as he saw the full extent of this male’s plight.
He should already be dead. It was impossible for him to be alive.
His dark eyes were the only thing that still burned with a flame of life, leaking into his surrounding skin.
“I . . . can see.” His hoarse words scraped Raiden’s ears.
“The light returned,” he explained.
“No, no. I can see. Save her. I promise you, Raiden Windward. She . . . will right the wrongs.” The male quivered, as he attempted raising a hand. Those blackened veins wriggled, thrumming with one of the few things in this world Raiden innately knew.
Power.
“Theron!” A stick-thin male dashed from the thick of bodies.
His skin was pale, his black hair braided, paired with beady, black eyes.
A magnificent black bow hugged his spine, and as he sprinted across the room, he mowed down any Talmon-dressed guard in his way with it, firing arrows with such precision it’d make Aryn jealous.
“Ivar,” Theron moaned, reaching for him. “You wonderful bastard.”
Ivar—supposedly—reeked, his clothes stained with something Raiden didn’t want to know, and hidden under a servant’s shirt. He made no sound as he attempted to haul Theron to his feet, his thin form surprisingly strong.
“I hid,” he spoke bluntly, his voice cool and sharp. “Sewers. I’ve been looking for you.”
“Go,” Theron hacked a cough, gesturing to Raiden. “Go now.” Ivar nodded at him once, as he balanced Theron against his shoulder, whilst firing arrows at guards pouring into the room. They had each other, and Raiden spun on his heel, forcing himself to leave Theron’s side.
Everywhere he looked, death ensued. Endless bodies falling to the ground, their cries of death bouncing off the glass ceiling as their blood soaked into the stone walls. Fear snaked up his spine like tiny pins sinking into his flesh.
“Bastion!”
Erick fucking Cadell charged across the rear wall, raising a sword as Barron rotated within the thick of his web. Like a spider, his power had stretched around him, attaching to walls, floors and furniture, with Kordelia in the centre, tears staining her cheeks.
Aryn fought from the other side of the web, as Skylar battled soldiers to protect his back. Aryn grabbed hold of one of the spirals and Barron roared, his body arching as a golden river shot up it, causing that tendril to disintegrate within Aryn’s hands.
Holy Haizea, what’d just happened?
Kordelia’s gaze whipped in his direction.
As their eyes met, the threads of their void ignited, and his breath left his body as the sound, the smell, the gods-damned dread of the chamber faded away.
She was all there was. Energy brimmed beneath his skin, his veins pulsating with need as those captivating eyes consumed him.
“I’m here.”
“I didn’t know if you would ever come.” Her chin wobbled and he nearly fell to his knees. The urge to press his thumb to her chin, to stop the tears, to shield her from the darkness spreading overwhelmed him so much he released a flare of power, knocking several guards onto their backs.
“Nothing would ever stop me.” Raiden raised his short sword with a grin.
He briefly assessed the situation, as Aryn continued miraculously burning through tendril after tendril to reach Kordelia. His power dwarfed everyone’s in this room combined, and that fear in Raiden’s back threatened to burst through his heart.
Erick swung for Barron, entering a deadly dance and Kordelia cried out. Raiden nearly fell over with the sheer devastation of fear consuming him. Wait.
It was Kordelia’s fear. Leaking down their bond, saturating it with every ounce of horror that surrounded her. It choked him as Erick continued to fight Barron. Raiden groaned, realising he would have to save the person he hated most right now. But it was all for Kordelia. Everything always was.
“You need to create that dome in your mind again,” he ordered as he fought his way towards Erick. The dome had separated them before, keeping their emotions from drowning the other.
“I’m a bit pre-occupied right now,” she snarked. Blessed Haizea, that mouth.
“Your fear is consuming me. I can’t help him if you don’t control it.” Raiden shook as he advanced towards Erick. Barron was mighty, his power pushing Erick back, peppering his face with cuts that oozed a similar gunk to Theron’s.
Raiden’s legs quivered, unable to support his weight, and his palms sweated.
Gods damn it. After a minute of sheer anxiety smothering him until he couldn’t breathe, a wave of blissful relief washed over him.
His stare flicked over to Kordelia. Her face was adorably scrunched, her eyes closed as she focused on holding back her emotions from the bond.
Raiden leapt, blocking an attack from Barron as Erick collapsed against the wall, his body shaking with fatigue.
“Raiden Windward,” Barron sighed, as though he were a nuisance. “Just in time to see Kora choose to be with me, always.”
“That’s not what we agreed!” she screamed from behind, wrenching against his magic.
Raiden frowned, noticing blackened glasses of water, and dark tears staining her cheeks.
His power cried—quite literally. Screams echoed throughout the chamber, rebounding from above, causing vibrations to weigh down.
Pirates and guards fell to their knees, covering their ears, all except for mages.
“Semantics,” Barron cooed. He clearly didn’t hear the winds and Raiden saw red. With a yell, he lunged, fighting Barron with all his might, using phantom threads of his power like extra invisible hands to pummel him, pushing him away from Erick.