Chapter 17
Casimir gaped in horror as Andras yanked his hand free, clutching the daemon queen’s still-beating heart, his forearm dripping with black blood. Andras killed her. He killed the daemon queen…the daemon queen who Casimir had believed his entire life could not be killed. And he did it in seconds.
Ava slapped her hand over her mouth to stifle her gasp. Andras inspected the heart for a moment before tossing it into a stream of lava nearby with a hiss.
He looked at Deidamia’s lifeless body, her face still contorted in shock.
“What a waste,” he murmured to himself as he pushed her into the lava with his foot.
Deidamia was gone.
“We must get out of here,” Maeryn said.
Andras swiveled his head to the window where they hid, staring for a long while with narrowed eyes. Casimir held his breath and remained frozen. Surely he didn’t hear them. Maeryn had spoken so softly, Casimir had barely been able to make out her words.
After a pause, Andras sighed and strode away, passing in front of the window. Turning the corner, he disappeared. The group loosed a collective breath, when out of the corner of Casimir’s eye, he caught black shadows spearing for the room in which they were hiding.
“Get down!” he shouted.
He lunged and threw Ava on the ground, covering her body with his, a heartbeat before the window shattered. Booming followed, then rumbling. He could barely hear Ava’s scream above the noise as obsidian stones pelted him, the ceiling crashing upon them.
Sharp edges of debris dug into his back and he gritted his teeth against the pain. A heavy chunk hit his side, a rib breaking with a crack. He yelped, lowering himself even closer to Ava. Protect her. Protect her. Protect her. It was all he could think about in the rockslide.
Ava was still screaming and he could just make out Raine and Maeryn’s shouts above the noise. After a moment, the rumbling ceased, the room now silent save for bits of shifting debris.
The cave in was over.
But now they were trapped beneath the rubble. Casimir was pressed against Ava, barely able to hold himself a few inches over her, keeping the wreckage from her vital organs.
“Cas!” she screamed, panic and pain in her voice.
It was so dark under the wreckage he couldn’t see her. “I’m okay,” he said, coughing through the dust in the air. “Are you?”
“My leg,” she groaned. “There’s something wrong with my leg.”
“I’ll get us out of here, love.” He raised his voice. “Raine? Maeryn?”
“We’re alive!” Raine shouted. “But something’s definitely broken. Oh fuck!”
“Hold on,” Casimir said. “I think I can get us out. Just…give me a second. Cover your face with your hands.”
“What? Why? What are you doing?” Ava asked.
“I need to use my astral magic to manipulate the gravity but my hands must be free. Protect yourself in case a few pieces of debris fall before I catch it. ”
“Okay.” Her voice was rough. Her pain echoed through their bond, tugging on his soul.
Casimir took a deep breath, calling on his astral abilities.
Ignoring the nausea, he prepared to use the magic he loathed.
They would all die buried under this rubble if he didn’t act swiftly.
A soft glow arose from his skin and Ava’s eyes grew wide in the starlight.
He lowered himself onto his left elbow, the rocks shifting on top of him, then lifted his right arm and pushed through his fingertips.
Pieces of debris began to rise, but it wasn’t enough. He needed both hands to complete this.
“On three, I need you to roll to your left and cover your face. Can you do that with your leg?”
Ava nodded, her green eyes filled with tears.
“One,” he said through gritted teeth. “Two.” His right hand trembled. “Three.”
With a swift motion and a cry of pain, Ava rolled. He twisted his body, throwing both hands out and pushing all of his magic through his palms.
He caught the rocks midair with a bellow, before they buried the two of them further. Pushing with his magic, he created an opening large enough for them to escape.
“Crawl out over here. Quickly!”
Ava dragged herself out, whimpering between gasping breaths. He followed, emerging from the dark rubble before releasing the rocks and letting them fall again.
Ava leaned against a stable wall, away from the now decimated room, grimacing and panting. Beads of sweat dripped down her pallid complexion. Her hands trembled. “Don’t worry about me. Get them out.”
Casimir rose and manipulated the gravity where he had heard Raine’s voice, raising the rocks into the air. Maeryn climbed out first, pulling Raine behind her with a grunt. The rock crashed to the ground as he released his magic once more.
Raine stood, limping forward and leaning on Maeryn for support, his arm around her shoulders as she stabilized him with her own around his waist.
The two of them collapsed into a heap next to Ava.
“I think Andras left,” Casimir said. The room they’d been in was completely destroyed. Two walls and the window gone, along with most of the ceiling.
“I think my leg’s broken,” Ava moaned.
Casimir ignored his own pain as he knelt beside her. A piece of bone protruded from her shin, through her pants, and her leg was covered in blood.
“Of course it’s broken, little frog,” Raine said through his own pain. “That’s your fucking bone.”
“Can you two walk?” Casimir asked, as he stroked Ava’s tear-streaked face.
“I think my ankle’s broken,” Raine said.
“I’ll help you, captain,” Maeryn said.
Raine smirked. “See? I’m growing on you aren’t I?”
She gave him a flat look.
“Where else is everyone injured?”
“I believe I only have some bruises,” Maeryn said. “Thanks to your captain who threw himself over me.”
Casimir glanced at his friend. He was unable to take his eyes off Maeryn, watching her with concern.
“Raine? Anything other than your ankle?”
“A rib or two, I think. What about you?”
“A couple of broken ribs.”
“We need to talk about what just happened,” Raine said. “With Andras and Deidamia.”
“Let’s get to the healers and then we will. It sounds like the battle is over. I’m sorry to ask you to do this, love, but can you portal us back to the healer’s tent in the camp?”
“Yes.”
Casimir helped her sit up with an arm around her waist. She dipped a finger in the blood on her leg, wincing as she drew symbols on the stone floor. “Dagger,” she said, holding out her hand.
“You can’t use that blood?”
She shook her head. “I can draw the symbols with anything, but the blood has to flow directly from me to activate it.”
“Strange,” he said, unsheathing a blade, then gently slicing her palm.
Ava pressed her hand on the symbols and closed her eyes. A swirling vortex appeared beside her, the blue glow lighting the space.
Casimir picked her up. “Let’s go,” he said to Raine and Maeryn before stepping into the abyss.
Moments later he emerged beside the main healer’s tent, already a flurry of activity. Raine and Maeryn stepped out behind him, the portal vanishing soon after.
Quinn rushed over the moment she spotted them. “What happened?”
“Gather the leaders,” Casimir said. “We all need to talk. Immediately.”
Quinn disappeared back into the chaos.
“Kai.” Casimir found the healer a few feet away. “Do you have someone who can cover for you? We must have a private meeting and need to be healed while we’re at it.”
“Yes. Go to that tent over there. It’s currently empty. I’ll meet you inside in a minute with my supplies.”
Casimir carried Ava to the tent, pulled back the flaps, and laid her on a bed of straw. This was to be their backup tent if their main healing quarters filled up and he hoped it was a good sign it was vacant. Perhaps not as many of his men were injured as he’d thought.
Maeryn helped Raine lay on a mat close by, lowering him with care.
Quinn returned a couple minutes later. “Well?”
“Wait until everyone’s here,” Casimir said.
“I’ve spread the word. They’re coming.”
Kai entered the tent. “Who is the worst off?”
“Ava,” everyone said in unison.
He took his place on the ground across from Casimir. When his eyes caught on her leg, he grimaced. “Ava…this is not going to be pleasant…”
“I know.”
“Listen to me,” Kai said. “Both of you. I’m going to have to manipulate your leg and push the bone back into place. And I must be quick before you begin to heal around it. There is no time for numbing balm.”
“Alright,” Ava whimpered.
Casimir stroked her face.
“And Cas,” Kai said, looking at him more seriously than he’d ever seen. “She is going to be in so much pain, it will tug at your bond. You must keep your emotions under control. Please do not attack me. I promise I’ll try to be quick.”
Kai ripped the fabric of Ava’s pants, revealing the sharp bone sticking out several inches.
“That looks horrific. At least those weren’t my pants you were wearing this time,” Raine said.
“Shut up,” Ava said through gritted teeth.
Kai poured on antiseptic, Ava hissing as it met her wound.
Casimir gripped her hand in his. “You’re going to be alright. You can do this.”
Kai took a deep breath. “Ready?”
“No…” Ava whined.
“Sorry. We’re doing this anyway. On three. One…two…”
But Kai didn’t wait for three. He moved her leg and began to work the bone back in.
Casimir turned away, keeping his eyes on Ava’s face.
She screamed through her tears, grasping his hand painfully tight.
A surge of ferocity coursed through him, and the pain in the bond intensified—like his heart was being pulled taut, yanking it from his chest.
Someone is hurting her, he thought, unable to control himself. Someone is hurting her and I have to stop them now.
The need to protect was agonizing, his hands trembling as he tried to ignore his instincts and instead focus on comforting her. She gasped and cried out again, sobbing. He growled as his eyes snapped to Kai, but Kai was too focused on the procedure to notice.
“Cas, stay calm,” Raine called out. The two friends glared at each other. “Listen to me. She’s safe. Kai is fixing her. She’s not in danger. You’re alright. Take a deep breath and get your shit together.”
Casimir nodded, returning his gaze to Ava. She whimpered as Kai moved the bone further and Casimir spoke to her, trying to distract her…and himself.
“Look at me,” he said. Her eyes moved to his as she panted.
“I’m—I’m going to pass out,” she stammered.
“I’m almost done,” Kai said.
Casimir leaned closer, putting his forehead to hers as he held her hand clutched against his chest, willing his voice to stay calm.
“Listen to my words, Mi’ra V?ssa. You can do anything.
Some day, this war will be over and you and I will live the rest of our lives in peace.
Free from pain and suffering. We’ll have our own house with a yard, and I’ll sit outside and whittle while you work in the garden.
Aro and Luna will be asleep under the tree, ignoring Titus as he taunts them.
And you’ll have to cook dinner because I’m no good in the kitchen.
” She huffed a small laugh that turned into a pained moan.
“But I’ll clean up afterward and then rub your feet by the fire while you read a book. Close your eyes and picture it, love.”
She closed her eyes, breathing through the pain.
“Just a few more seconds, Ava,” Kai said. “You’re doing great.”
She released another loud cry of pain and Casimir’s heart squeezed as Kai did one last manipulation.
Casimir whispered to her, stroking her hair, her face. “You’re amazing. I love you so much. Hang on.”
“Done,” Kai said. “The hard part’s over.” Ava opened her eyes, panting as she slowly relaxed. “How’s your pain, Ava?”
“Horrible,” she croaked.
“I can get you something for it now. Then I’ll finish healing the injury and move on to everyone else.”
Casimir continued to comfort her with soft words and caresses, wishing this damned war would hurry and end so he could make the future he’d spoken about come true.