56. Raea
Raea
I land on my toes with a giggle, shuffling along the thick branch that bisects the bridge twenty feet below me.
Had we not practiced with Alex on the course so much, I probably would have died…
or at least broken something. I don’t hesitate before leaping to another branch below until I can grab the rope and swing to the ground.
Ryker is right behind me, but I don’t plan on giving up that easily. Besides, Finn taught me some tricks when I spent the morning with him. He told me about which smaller magics belong solely to the Elven and which belong to the Fae and which ones we share.
I round the tree to my right, launching over a log and landing on silent feet.
The forest doesn't feel like a maze anymore.
Now it feels like an extension of my own nerves.
I know which branch will hold my weight and which shadow will swallow my form before I even look.
My magic sings beneath my skin, a humming vibration that answers the pulse of the living world around me.
Even though Ryker has lost sight of me, I know he can sense me through our Bond. It’s what keeps me running, teasing him, and confusing him as I run a silent path. The vibration beneath my skin rises as I brush past plants, watching florals bloom where my fingers wiggle over them.
All my life, I’ve felt connected to the forest, to the land.
I’ve felt the need to touch it, to play with it, and now I know why.
I’m not sure about how this smaller magic works, but it’s worth a shot.
I whisper, sending it away from me and envisioning where I want it to go.
I hear my words echo behind me and listen as Ryker’s footsteps pause, then turn like he’s confused.
I wait behind a tree, whispering again, this time sending it right behind him. He spins, ready to grab me, and I can’t help but stifle a giggle as I watch him grasp at air.
“Soraea, love,” Ryker calls, looking around.
“I know you’re close. I can hear your heart beating.
” He steps closer to the tree I’m hiding behind, and I shuffle around it, peering around the other side.
“You see,” he says, still spinning as he steps closer.
“I too learned about small magics from Carys and Riven.” He pauses with his back to me, searching.
I try to hold my breath, so he can’t hear my breathing, but not even that would help. My heart is beating erratically. I take a silent step back, ready to run for the next tree when he spins, wrapping me in his arms and taking me to the forest floor as I laugh, trying to get free.
“Did Finn tell you that for mated Fae, you leave a trail behind?” Ryker grins, his hands settling on my hips.
“Every time you touch a flower or whisper to the wind, you leave glowing ribbons of starlight in your wake.
To my eyes, you are a sun streak in the dark.
You weren't hiding, Princess. You were inviting me to find you.”
I stop fighting, breathless from wrestling him, and let my legs fall to either side of him. “He never mentioned that one.” I giggle.
Ryker smirks beneath me, settling his hands on my hips. “I believe you owe me that kiss, Princess.”
I lean down pressing a kiss to his muscled chest that’s heaving from exertion or excitement, I’m not sure.
Keeping my eyes on his, I press another further up, and another, making my way to the soft flesh of his neck where my lips hover.
“Thank you.” I suck the skin into my mouth, nearly moaning as the taste of his flesh fills my mouth.
I can feel his heart pounding beneath my palm as I push up, hovering over his lips. His sapphire eyes swirl, waiting to see what I’ll do next. It still shocks me that he’s mine.
It’s hard to believe that less than a year ago, I thought I hated him. His attitude, his cocky smirk—everything I thought he stood for.
I had misunderstood him.
And now… I can’t hate that it all led us here.
I can’t hate that now, when I see the cocky smirk on his face, it does something funny to my insides, and I know he’s so pleased with himself.
I can’t hate that he’s confident and strong and unwilling to waver.
He knows exactly who he is and what he wants, and he’s willing to wait or take charge to make sure he gets it.
And I definitely cannot hate that he has continually shrugged off all other women and the females from last night and treated them like they were mere pests.
He’s always made sure I’ve felt nothing but undying devotion and safety from him.
I’m not ignorant of the fact that there were women in his bed before me, but they had been nothing more than a one-night release.
All of it has only benefited me. I am the one who gets his full attention, his full adoration.
I am the one who gets to see the real him, fully unguarded. I’m the one who gets to have forever.
Lowering myself slowly, my lips brush his. “Thank you, Ry, for being my overly protective, sometimes possessive, very handsome—” He grins. “—mate.”
He breathes out a laugh beneath me, causing my body to bounce where I’m still seated on his stomach. His hands leave my waist, brushing my hair from my face, the white strands contrasting against his olive skin.
His eyes search my face, studying me like he’s memorizing every pore and committing it to memory. He looks at me as if I painted the night sky myself. I don’t know what I did to deserve such love and devotion from him, but I’m so very grateful for it.
I lean down, pressing a slow kiss to his mouth. We hold for a minute, neither of us moving, before I open my mouth for a breath, only for him to take hold of the opportunity and slip his tongue in.
He pulls me closer as he tastes and plunders.
We get lost in each other, a rare moment for us to be alone outside.
Sometimes I forget that we are still so young.
It’s normal for us to grow up expecting the Lumos Bond after graduation, and for us, more specifically, to prepare for taking over the crown at some point.
Those responsibilities are heavy enough, but now, we have the whole weight of the galaxy. Trillions of lives in our hands.
Ryker’s canines scrape along my bottom lip, not painfully, not enough to draw blood, but enough to pull me back to the present. I pull away, shocked, thrown back into images of last night. The Fae males had joked about biting me, claiming me as they had called it.
Ryker, sensing my emotions, sits up, wrapping his arms around me.
“I wish I could take away the memories, but since I can’t…
” He brushes back my hair. “I’ll sit with you in them.
If you want to talk, we can talk. If you just want to sit in silence, then that is what we will do. You are not alone in this, okay?”
I nod, standing, then reach out for him to follow. He bats my hand away and jumps to his feet. We walk in silence as I navigate to the field. Ryker doesn’t question the path. He just walks beside me, allowing me to feel everything.
I hate being weak. I hate knowing that I let them take something from me. But I wasn’t born without the will to fight back. So let them try to break me. Every strike only sharpens the weapon I am becoming.
By the time we make it back to the training fields, Vaeric is waiting with Riven. I don’t bother with pleasantries. Instead, I pick up the sword Vaeric had crafted for me and close my eyes. When I open them, Vaeric already has his own sword lifted.
We return to the sanctuary a few hours later, covered in dirt and sweat, but I have a smile on my face.
Using my Elven senses along with some of my smaller magics changed the game.
Honestly, I can’t even fathom fighting a war without the use of magic anymore.
The idea that even our Hallo guns could make a difference is insane, but I do miss the feel of their cool steel in my hands.
If I’m being honest, I think I will always carry one when I return to Caelestis. It will still be useful against creatures and can cause serious injury. With the use of both, it would give us an advantage.
I can’t wait to return to training tomorrow. Vaeric and Riven agreed that I could start small with my starfire magic. I need to learn how to call upon it, to manage the amount of output, and how to dispel the buildup of energy.
I have a skip in my step when we leave our chambers, bathed and dressed for dinner with Clara. It’s long overdue, and with our friends still at the temple for another day to adjust—whatever that means—we have a whole night together.
Finn is also joining us. He’s been helping Clara learn about Fae and Elven lives and histories. I can’t be more grateful to know that she’s been well cared for in our absence. When we enter the dining room, we find them playing a board game, and whatever move she made has her in hysterics.
Her blonde hair is braided in the typical Elven fashion with beads and feathers. Has it really been that long since I’ve seen her? Guilt settles over me for only a moment before I brush it away.
Ryker’s emotions practically scream at me, and I can’t help but chuckle as I pat his arm. “She’s fine. She’s happy. Remember to ask questions instead of jumping to assumptions.” With that, I take a seat beside her.
She squeals, throwing her arms around me before checking for her brother over my shoulder. When she finds him, she begs him to sit on her other side. Reluctantly, my mate kneels at her side, glaring daggers at the male seated across from her.
His overprotective brother side is showing, and for some reason, he doesn’t trust Finn. He told me as much earlier, but I didn’t believe it until now.
Finn glances between us, then offers Clara a tight smile. “I think we should be done for tonight.”
She whines, asking if they can play again tomorrow, to which he reminds her that he will be with me, training. Ryker sinks into the chair beside Clara, but he doesn't relax. The temperature in the room drops a fraction of a degree.
He stares at the Elven beads in Clara’s hair like they are shackles rather than gifts.
To Ryker, Finn has made himself a rival for Clara’s identity.
Every time she looks to the Elven Lord for approval, Ryker’s jaw ticks, his hand twitches on the table as if he’s fighting the urge to snatch her up and run.
When she asks Ryker how long until she can be Fae too, he nearly chokes.
“It wasn’t my idea,” Finn says, lifting his hands. “She wanted to ask you. I told her she should wait.”
Clara ignores them both, turning to me instead. “So can I?”
I look to Ryker, who somehow has managed to mask the anger and confusion as he smiles at Clara.
“I told you, little tidefish—soon. But you have to understand what it means.” His voice softens. “And what about Mother? She might be sad.”
I try not to laugh when she crosses her arms and offers him a sassy eyeroll.
“You already said I could. I want magic. Being human sucks!”
This time I do laugh, quickly covering it with a cough before chugging my water.
“Gods, help me.” Ryker sighs. “Okay, we can talk to Carys when we see her again.”
I don’t miss the faint twitch of Finn’s mouth before he takes another bite.
I’m tired when I finally crawl into bed that night, thankful that I’ve been too busy to think of last night and that the chill and shock hasn’t returned. Ryker lets me sleep in his shirt, and when he pulls me to his chest, it only takes moments to fall right into nothingness.
I’m sore from training my magic all day, but with a good meal and some sleep, I’ll be ready for tomorrow. Tomorrow we’re heading to Mori to look for survivors.
The past few months have been hard, clearing colonies and villages still in ruin from the war that raged in our absence. Where once glittering lights and rising towers filled the landscapes, now they’re nothing but broken glass and fields of blood—red and black alike.
The smoke is thick with the cloying scent of rot and decay as I look down upon another Azeban I’ve managed to burn a hole through. For good measure, I swing my blade, removing its disgusting head from its body. It makes a squelching sound before its head rolls to the side, oozing more black blood.
Around me, there are littered bodies of creatures I still don’t have names for. Creatures who are nothing more than darkness incarnate.
I’m ready to head back to Kyrr. The palace has become our home base for the time being.
It wasn’t a refuge center with access being so difficult.
Instead, the palaces in the other five kingdoms have been overrun by our people.
People who need a spot to rest their heads, even if it is on the floor of the hall.
Movement to my right catches my eye, and I hear the near-silent footsteps of a female lying in wait. From her scent alone carried in the wind, I know her. There is only one female who is both Fae and darkness. It clings to her like the scent of her blood.
I really wish she would talk, but no. She’s been evading me, always one step ahead, and right now, she thinks I don’t know she’s here.
I pretend to examine the Azeban closely, taking in its grotesque, serrated teeth perfect for ripping flesh, and its slimy, coated skin. It has been my sole mission to hunt these creatures down. There will be no creature hunting innocents in the night, using their blood to feed their strength.
She moves again, watching me, but I sense the air shift. With a sideways glance, I see the onyx mist streaming from her hands as she whispers silently to them. Her powers are strong and unique.
The onyx mist crawls up my shins, freezing the blood in my veins.
I scream, unleashing a torrent of white-hot starfire that tears through the gloom.
Across the field of glass, she stands. My mirror.
My shadow. She doesn't move, even as my fire breaks against her shield like waves on stone. The voices in my head become a deafening roar—Ryker’s frantic plea, the gods’ warnings, and my own heartbeat—until the world shatters into white light.
I scream when voices penetrate my mind, but I don’t dare let go. If I have to drain myself, I will.
“Stop, Soraea.”
“Wake up!”
“Let go, Light Bringer.”
“You cannot kill the darkness as you cannot kill the light.”
“Wake up, love, please!”
The voices blur into a jumbled mess, and still I continue to release my power into those shadows.