Chapter 18
Cal
I watched the woman I loved fall into the clouds.
“Follow her down!” I screamed at Obitus.
Petra. Safe , his thoughts rang through my head. How did he know? Kill. Intruder. He surged toward the unknown driva, following closely behind Adorex, and it was all I could do to hold on. The intruder was in pursuit of Gehenna, whose torso was slashed open and pouring blood at an alarming rate.
Adorex roared, my ears ringing as fire streamed from her throat and collided with the driva’s back.
The other driva’s head snapped in Adorex’s direction, and the two beasts flew full speed at each other.
They collided in a clash of teeth and talons, Adorex firmly gripping her opponent’s neck in her jaws.
The other driva managed to hook its talons into Adorex’s side, and she cried out in pain as her jaws released.
But the talon at the tip of her wing sliced through the intruder’s cheek in a lucky strike, and Adorex managed to slip free.
The moment she was clear, Obitus and I moved in, striking the intruder from the side and knocking it further away.
Gehenna lunged, her talon slicing through the enemy’s wing and leaving a sizable hole.
Not large enough to take it down, though.
That only made the other driva angrier, and it turned on Gehenna, a terrifying screech leaving its throat as fire burst forward.
I turned away on instinct, throwing my arm over my face in a futile attempt at shielding myself from the stifling heat that radiated from the stream of flames.
Gehenna bellowed as the flames collided with her chest, but Obitus was close behind, delivering a burst of fire of his own that reverberated through my bones.
The other driva’s eyes were set on me, and that’s when I noticed — they were not a brilliant icy blue, but depthless black.
And those black eyes were slits as it charged straight for Obitus, tilting up at the last second.
Its talons dragged along Obitus’ neck, a roar tearing from my own throat as I watched blood pour from the wound.
Obitus. Okay , he thought immediately, and I thanked Onera. Obitus. Kill.
The intruder banked hard, its path headed right for Gehenna, maw hanging open. The wound in Gehenna’s abdomen had slowed her down, and I closed my eyes, prepared for the worst.
Until Adorex intercepted the intruder and her jaws closed around the base of its throat. A deafening crunch sounded over the thunder and chaos and the driva went limp, falling from Adorex’s jaws and into the clouds.
I held tight as Obitus dove headfirst into the storm alongside Gehenna and Adorex.
My stomach rose into my throat as the wind tossed us around like paper kites.
Finally, finally we broke through, and I squinted through the rain, my view obscured by the heavy downpour.
We hovered over the ocean as I searched for Petra in the crashing waves.
The fallen driva floated on the surface of the water, its body pitching and rolling in the surf.
Obitus chirped, folding his wings and diving for the dead driva.
And there she was, a fucking miracle incarnate sitting atop a horse made of the ocean itself.
A kelpie . A disbelieving laugh rumbled from my chest, my hands clapping together as I saw Miles atop his own kelpie alongside her.
Tears and rain blurred my vision. She was okay. She was okay . And so was Miles.
The moment her eyes met mine, they roved over me before surveying Obitus, Gehenna, and Adorex.
Relief slackened her face as she realized we were all accounted for and, more or less, okay.
Petra’s eyes were on Adorex for a moment before she nodded and reached for her dagger, her movements clumsy as her kelpie rose and fell with the waves.
Petra ran her blade across her palm in that familiar way, and one by one, each of the drivas lowered themselves to hover just above the water’s surface so she could run her hand over their sides.
I breathed a sigh of relief as I watched the gash in Obitus’ neck close, and I felt the tension in his body unfurl.
With shaking hands, Petra shimmied from the kelpie to where Adorex’s leg was extended, then climbed up to resume her seat.
Miles and Gehenna followed suit. A wave crashed over the two kelpies, and just like that, they were swallowed by the sea.
Would I ever get used to seeing this? Seeing these legends come to life?
As the storm began to lighten, the rain turning from punishing sheets to a light sprinkle, we lifted off into the sky again.
Everyone was silent. I heard nothing from Obitus.
What was there to say? The truth hovered like a stranger in the shadows, its presence felt but acknowledged by no one.
We could see the problem out of the corner of our eyes, waiting expectantly until one of us worked up the nerve to address it.
Katia’s drivas were the only ones to exist. Or so we thought. That driva, that unknown, unfamiliar intruder… It wasn’t one of Katia’s. Somehow, it was Malosym’s .
And I couldn’t help but wonder if it knew where we were because of Miles.
◆ ◆ ◆
Here.
Obitus’ thoughts in my head pulled me from my own. The relief was palpable when the horizon revealed itself. The sun had broken through from behind the clouds after the thunderstorm had passed, and the closer we got to Nesan, the stronger its rays felt. I was sure my face and neck were reddened.
We let out a collective breath when the drivas finally landed on the shoreline.
Just a few miles up the beach was the bustling port city of Bienmari Point.
But here, on our little stretch of shoreline, it was wild, with vibrant green bushes and trees hanging out over the yellow sand.
It was quiet. Untouched. I wouldn’t be surprised if humans had never set foot on this expanse of beach.
I slid from my seat, unfastening my bag from Obitus’ side before my boots trudged through the sand to his snout. “Thank you,” I said quietly, placing a hand just above his flaring nostrils.
He snorted in response, pushing his snout further into my hand before backing away. Obitus. Sleep.
“I thought Adorex said drivas can fly for five days?” I jeered.
Can. Tired. Still.
“Go get some rest.” I chuckled, and as soon as Miles and Petra had removed the other packs, Gehenna and Adorex followed Obitus farther down the beach where the three of them promptly curled up and drifted off.
The moment as the drivas were settled, something clicked into place.
Petra must’ve felt it too, because we were running for each other, colliding in the middle.
I held her to me, my hand clutching the back of her head as sobs overtook her body.
I gritted my teeth, emotion clawing at my throat at the sound of her cries.
It didn’t take long for her to regain control of herself.
I wanted to tell her it was okay to shatter, that I’d be right there to pick up the pieces.
But I knew how her mind worked. I knew she’d pushed her fear and her trauma into a tiny little box and stored it away somewhere in her mind, the same thing she’d been doing her whole life.
Miles was standing expressionless, staring back out over the sea. With Petra’s hand folded in mine, we stood beside him, silent for a moment.
“What the fuck just happened?” Petra finally said, breaking the fragile quiet.
Miles turned to me then, the two of us tall enough that Petra didn’t even notice the silent conversation happening. I furrowed my brows, a silent question. With a tight jaw, he gave the slightest shake of his head.
He hadn’t known the driva was coming. He hadn’t fucking known. Crushing relief spread in my chest, because it meant we had time. Meant there was still hope for him. I was counting on it.
“Did you see its eyes?” I asked quietly, tearing my stare from my brother. Petra looked up at me in question. “Completely black.”
“How does Malosym have drivas?” Petra whispered, so quiet I almost couldn’t hear her over the gentle waves.
“Occulti can take any shape or form,” Miles answered, as if it was just that simple. And I supposed it was, in a sense.
“But how? Has he done that before? Have either of you heard of that, read it in a book?”
I looked to Miles, because if one of us had read something in a book, it would’ve been him. “I don’t know,” he finally answered, regret in his voice. “Maybe I read it…before.” Before he was struck down and lost his memory.
I cursed myself for not being as well-read as I could’ve been. There was a huge library at my disposal in the Eserenian castle. Why hadn’t I utilized it more ?
“Let’s get a fire going,” Petra said, her voice defeated as she turned away. “We all need some rest.”
We moved silently about the beach, the implications of the afternoon’s attack looming over us.