Chapter 24
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Phillip's vision sharpened as he blinked out of Ariel’s spell.
The hazy fog of her siren call lifted like a heavy weight from his mind as Aurora's blond locks floated to the ground with red tints at their edges.
He didn't feel the slightest hint of irritation at Mal.
Didn't feel an ounce of sorrow for Rory.
She'd been warned. What made him see past the red of Aurora's blood were the bruises on Mal.
They were from his own hands. Guilt hit him. The sensation wrenched his heart in ways he hadn’t known it could twist.
“Mal…”
She held up a hand, cutting him off with a shake of her head. Her head wasn't the only thing shaking. A deep, unsettling rumble rolled through the walls, like a low growl from the very bones of the castle.
It was Ariel. The sea fairy's piercing wails filled the air. The awful sounds shook the stone foundations around them. Outside the tall windows, water rose unnaturally high. Waves thrashed like enraged beasts as they crashed toward the castle walls.
“We have to get everyone out.” Phillip pulled Mal to him.
With a final glance toward the throne room, where Ariel and Aurora were on the floor like broken statues amidst the chaos they had unleashed, Phillip turned away. Together, he and Mal raced down the corridors, their hands intertwined, calling out to the soldiers, servants, and forest folk alike.
Footsteps thundered. Voices cried out. The distant roar of waves crashed through the lower levels of the castle.
"If we raise the gates, we'll flood the village and castle," said one of the guards who helped a servant to her feet.
"It's the only way to not kill everyone," said Phillip. "We go to the forests."
"The Forest Folk will kill us," insisted the guard.
"They will not," said Mal. "That is if your heart is open."
The guard looked at her with a screwed-up expression, as though he didn't understand her words. Mal lifted a brow at Phillip. He wanted to tell her that she didn't sell the philosophy correctly. But they had more pressing matters to attend to—namely the imminent flood.
Mal called out orders to the forest folk, leading them toward safer paths. Phillip shouted commands to his people, ensuring they stayed clear of the rising water.
They moved as a team, shifting to support those around them. Mal helped an elderly man who’d fallen behind. She lifted him up with a gentleness he knew only a few ever saw from her. He felt his heart tighten, his chest swelling with an aching pride and a fierce, protective love.
Finally, they reached the forests. The last group of people breached the sacred tree circle in the cloak of the night. Just as the final stragglers stumbled to safety, a monstrous wave crashed against the stone walls of the keep, sending a tremor through the ground.
Phillip watched his home—his legacy—being swallowed by the relentless tide.
The water surged through the windows, flooding the great halls and snuffing out the torches that had once cast such proud light across the castle grounds.
The golden tapestries, the portraits of his ancestors, the legacy of his family—it was all disappearing, one wave at a time.
“It’s… it’s gone.”
Mal’s hand tightened in his, pulling him back from the despair that threatened to swallow him too. He turned, meeting her gaze. Her eyes were dark, fierce, yet filled with a steady reassurance that he didn’t have to face this alone.
“You still have your people," she said.
"He has your people too," said Doran.
Around him, the dryads and sprites and other fae all gave their acquiescence.
Mal turned so that all could see and hear her. "We've all suffered loss here on this day. Loss of family, loss of land. But we will rebuild. Together.”
Phillip turned, giving the castle, his legacy, his back. He pulled his longtime love and future wife into his arms and looked out at the folk and people looking back at the two of them for guidance. He took a slow, steadying breath.
The cool night air filled his lungs. He allowed himself to let go of the past, of the expectations and burdens he’d carried for so long. The castle was gone, yes. But the people, his people and hers, were still here, standing beside him.
Phillip felt a wave of gratitude for Mal, for the strength she lent him in his weakest moments. For the love she showed him, both in private and out in the open. He loved his people, but he lived for this woman.