Chapter 26
MARLAK
The pain’s so strong that I almost pass out, while Mirella screeches and lowers her body.
He’s flying. It’s Astra’s voice.
I know, I try to reply, but I’m not sure she can hear me.
You’ll need to kill him now. Now. I can’t come. Now.
I sense a shift in my body, try to condense some water, and a ball forms in my hand.
“My magic’s back!” I say, but everyone’s too busy tending to wounds to notice me.
Mirella screeches again. “You want to fly and face him?” I ask her.
She lowers her body even more, as if I needed help to climb on her.
“It’s going to be dangerous,” I say.
Her screech sounds annoyed, and I decide to trust her. I know I can’t count on my fire, but I can use air and water to defeat the Witch King at least temporarily.
I climb on her huge body, then she runs, breaking part of the door so we get out and take off.
Up in the air, I see Cherry Cake, his eyes red and menacing, not even looking like himself. Riding him, the Witch King.
I send a current of wind to destabilize them, hoping to make the old fae fall. Nothing happens. It’s as if my magic dissolved before reaching him. I send a blast of water, and the same thing happens. Mirella flies towards them, and I yell, “Stop!”
She doesn’t hear me, and keeps moving fast in their direction. The Witch King sends a sharp ice shard, and I break it at the last moment, then he sends another, and another. I try to shield them with air, but my air magic vanishes and some of the shards pierce through.
“We should land,” I say, horrified to realize that I can’t fight him.
Mirella screeches, as if she doesn’t want to give up. I don’t want to give up either, but sometimes there’s no choice. Trying to use magic that never reaches the Witch King is not going to get us anywhere.
To make matters worse, her wing’s bleeding. I throw a water spear on the Witch King, but it melts before reaching him.
He laughs. “So entertaining! Do you like my steed?”
“I love him,” I say, and it’s true.
But love can’t fix this.
ASTRA
I’m laughing and laughing, as I notice that I’m too strong for the fae trying to attack me. It’s none other than the legendary Fire Prince, and yet he can’t defeat me even though I’m so weakened.
The vision fades, and I realize the Witch King is absorbing Marlak’s magic.
He won’t be able to defeat him like that, unless…
I glance at the Shadow Ring. Suddenly, it makes sense.
That’s how they defeated him. It’s why it’s considered the most powerful object in existence—because it can neutralize anyone, even the most powerful fae of all time.
Marlak needs the Shadow Ring, but he doesn’t know it, so he won’t try to summon it. I need to send it to him. With eyes closed, I imagine it on Marlak’s finger, just like I’ve summoned Dawnshadow and the sundering dagger before, and see it in his hand.
The ring disappears, but I don’t know if it went where I wanted to, and if Marlak will know what to do with it.
Block his magic. Block his magic. Use the ring and block his magic.
Can Marlak hear me?
MARLAK
Ablast of magic hits my hand, and then I feel something different. The Shadow Ring appears on my palm, and it wouldn’t have come to me if it wasn’t mine again. I put it on my finger, hoping it will give me a fighting chance.
Focusing on the Witch King, I imagine that I’m blocking his magic. There’s no way to know if it worked yet, unless I try to hit him with magic again—but I need to do it right, before he escapes.
An image comes to my mind. Cherry Cake burning. I realize the unicorn’s sending me that image, but I can’t use my fire against him. I’m not even sure I can use my fire to burn the Witch King.
The old fae’s still laughing, unaware that anything has changed. I’ll have one shot, and I think I’ll try to freeze him like Ziven did.
The image of them burning comes to mind again, but the burning continues, and Cherry Cake survives. I understand then. Cherry Cake is impervious to fire—and he’s telling me to use it.
Fire.
Cold shivers run through my entire body. It’s not only the fear of the memories that the element can bring, but the fear of failing. And if I fail now, will I get another chance?
Can I let everyone down?
Then a thought comes to me: all I need is one strong—and long—blast. Only one blast. If I do it right, I can pass out right after, I can be assaulted with memories and drawn in my own horror.
All I need is one single blast, and whatever happens to me after that, it won’t matter.
But I’ll have only one chance, as I never know how I’ll react to my main element.
My body’s trembling, terrified of failing, terrified of having to relive all those memories again. Meanwhile, Mirella advances against the Witch King, who’s no longer laughing.
I focus on fire. Only fire, and I try to detach any memory or emotion from it. It’s just magic. My own fire that I can control.
The Witch King’s right beside me. I focus—and send a powerful blast of fire to the Witch King, with combustible air to feed it. Mirella circles the old villain, and I keep the flame alive.
At once, several memories entrap me. My mother’s still screaming, and so is my sister. The smell of burned hair assaults my nose, taking over my senses. I close my eyes, but it’s worse, so I open them.
An infinitude of screams still echoes in my mind, and yet the only creature burning is the Witch King.
I reinforce the flame with the right air, my heart beating fast, my pulse wild while I want to escape that dreadful pit of pain.
And yet our foe is burning. I suppose I did it.
Mirella’s still encircling him as I reinforce the flame one more time, even if it tears me apart with shame and guilt and the memories that will never fade.
Then, instead of the Witch King, all I see is a cloud of dark smoke.
He’s gone. Gone!
My body’s trembling, and I want to cry and yell and cheer. I pat Mirella, who was extremely brave. Cherry Cake feels like Cherry Cake again, but I sense a wave of sadness, and an image comes to my mind.
He’s flying across the ocean, to a distant land, where he meets other unicorns, some of them dark like him, some lighter, but none of them with his cracks.
His sadness turns into joy, and I realize that he has friends and maybe even some family in the Nowhere Lands.
This vision is a goodbye. I wish I could hug him one last time, but he flies away.
Then everything around me spins. Mirella’s falling, spinning, hurt.
It takes all my effort to conjure some air to slow her down. In the garden, Nelsin and Ferer create a water bubble in the air, which helps us slow down some more, and yet we still land with a thud. I jump away from my sister and look at her.
No. No, no, no.
Too many ice spears hit her. There’s too much blood.
I understand now why she didn’t want to give up.
She knew she wouldn’t have another chance.
A scream rips from my throat. My sister’s dying.
After so many years searching for her, after finally finding her, I’m going to lose her again.
I rest my face on her and let the tears flow, my body convulsing in sobs.
A sea fae approaches me. “We can try to heal her if she shifts back.”
Mirella’s unconscious, and her eyes are closed.
“I don’t know if she can,” I say.
The sea fae points to her wounds. “You need to stop the bleeding.”
I rip my shirt, find an opening, and press against it. Renel, Tarlia, Nelsin, Ferer, and Lidiane also come and help, but there are so many wounds, so large...
“Mirella, can you hear me? You need to become a fae again. There’s no need to fly now.”
Her breathing is labored, and I can feel her life fading.
“Marlak!” Astra’s running in our direction, beside Ziven and Azur.
“What happened?” she asks.
I show her the Shadow Ring. “Thank you. I defeated him, but… my sister’s hurt.”
Ziven touches my sister’s face. “Mirella, can you shift? I won’t be able to kiss you with this huge beak.”
I roll my eyes, annoyed at the ridiculous joke, and yet my sister vanishes and reappears in her normal body, her head resting on Ziven’s lap.
“I… don’t have… one year,” she mutters.
Ziven cries. “Yes, you do.”
Meanwhile, a sea fae comes running. “Permission to take her to Our Highness?”
“Can you heal her?” I ask.
“Yes. It’s a promise,” the fae says.
I sigh. “Then take her.”
I watch as they carry her wounded body to the beach, then I pull Astra close and hug her.
“Is the Witch King gone?” she asks.
“I think so.”
“You used your fire.” Astra gives me a half smile.
“One blast, and it was horrible. I don’t think I… I’m sorry to say that I’m still afraid of fire.”
“It’s fine. We can eat cold food for the rest of our lives.”
I lean my forehead on hers. “The rest of our lives? It doesn’t sound bad, you know?” I’m trying to be playful, but my voice is strained with emotion, anguish, worry for my sister.
I think she notices my worry, as she says, “He promised they’ll heal her.”
“Let’s hope it’s true.”
“Marlak.” Renel’s beside me, worry clear on his features, as he stares me down, and I realize I’m all bloodied. “Are you wounded?”
“It’s Mirella’s blood. She…” I choke.
Astra steps away from me, and then I feel Renel’s arms on my shoulders. “They promised, Marlak. They’ll heal her.”
I lean on him and let my tears flow freely, and he wraps his arms around me. Of course he’s worried about her too. Worried for me as well. Of course he’s not a monster who tried to kill Mirella. Perhaps my mind was poisoned too. Despite Renel’s faults, in his own way, he tried to protect me.
Our arms touch, and then I’m somewhere else. A bedroom, and my little brother is dying. Zorwal shakes his head. “It’s too late.”
“Please!” My voice is hoarse. “I’ll do anything. Save him,” I beg. “Please, save him.”
Zorwal stares at me. “There will be some conditions.”
“Anything!”