Chapter 37
Lesson Learned
LANIAS
Dying wasn’t easy.
Lanias knew this from the first time she’d nearly died. Her limbs heavy, her heart slowly coming to a standstill. At that time, she’d thought it was a fair enough ending for someone like her.
Now though, she felt it was the most unfair timing. She was drowning in the inky blankness as she sank. There were so many things she’d wanted to say to Alek. The words tasted bitter on her lips now.
She thought about what she had wanted for herself, why she didn’t search for him earlier.
Why weren’t they in love much sooner?
The answer to that was most likely. It wasn’t time yet.
She could never have become her true self if she’d met him earlier than was meant.
The ebb of time was a scary thing, the idea of Alek living on without her angered her. She wanted to fight death. She wanted to scream, but it was too late.
The wound Zaharis had dealt her was a bad one.
The old her would have never taken such a risk instead she would have left Alek to be the target. She was so stupid, but at the same time she didn’t regret it.
As she sank deeper into unconsciousness, the sound of her own thoughts began to fade and slowly grew dim. She attempted to lift her arm, but it was impossible. As the world fell away her eyes slowly closed. Even now she barely felt the tears that slipped down her cheeks.
She’d wanted to see her sister in a wedding dress. Kai would grow up never knowing the benefits of having a stylish aunt like her. The world would never appreciate a well put together outfit again.
“You’re going to give up that easily?”
Lanias’ eyes strained open.
The sunlight poured in; her mother stood before her once more. The sound of children playing filled the silence. Looking around she looked at her mother blankly.
“Is this heaven?”
Her mother laughed, still looking outside. “No, it’s not. Don’t you remember what your father said? You’re too attached to this mortal time.”
Lanias’ brow creased. “I’m sorry, I still don’t understand that remark.”
Her mother turned her gaze toward her. “You’re the last of the children of Methuselah. You call yourself a Witch, but what are you really?”
“I’m a half-breed?” Lanias answered, growing frustrated. “What else?”
“You’re more than any of those things,” Her mother said walking toward her. Her form slowly being wrapped up in light. Her features grew less distinguishable.
“You’re not tied down by rules of fate or laws of time, eternally blessed. A carrier of the key, blood of mine.” She stopped before Lanias and looked up at her. “Do you think death would not bow to you?”
“What?” Lanias felt her skin prickle as the light from her mother filled her. Her hands started to feel hot. She noticed the magic turned from black to orange before it glowed a deep purple. “What is this?”
Her mother smiled, her voice seeming to come from far away. “Gate magic wasn’t your father’s only gift.”
A hand landed on her shoulder; she half-turned and glanced up to meet the fond gaze of Eris. “Time has never been kind to humans, but as its master, I sought to fix your end.” He looked over head at her mother.
“She will guide you,” he said before disintegrating into nothing.
Her mother smiled as she too slowly started to disintegrate.
“My daughter, I will wait for the day we see each other once more. No need to rush.”
White light rushed up blocking her sight, as she felt the sensation of falling. Squeezing her eyes shut, she released a startled gasp while something slammed into her back. Her eyes popped open once more.
Thick black smoke covered the sky overhead. Confused, she brought her hand to her chest and felt the wound on her chest was closed.
Thinking about the others, she pushed up, only to feel horror engulf her as she viewed the scene below.
The Jackals were thrown here and there. Their bodies mangled and damaged. Deeply shaken, her gaze took in the destroyed sight.
Every person who’d been there to help was broken and skewered with a pipe. Her eyes stopped on two who lay below in particular.
Sabina laid a few feet from her, not moving an inch.
“Sabina.” She cried out, coming to her feet she ran toward her. Only to trip on some debris, she pushed herself up. Reaching her sister’s side, she grabbed her hand and pulled it to her chest. “Sabina, please. Please answer me!”
“Lanias.”
Hearing her name, she turned around to see Alek. His body was covered with blood and wounds. He stared at her in blank astonishment; he coughed his body falling to its knees. She looked at him in horror, as she counted the number of spikes sticking out of his body.
Her sister’s hands slid from hers as she stared at him. Rising to her feet she ran to him only to fall to her knees in front of him. Her trembling hands hovered over his body. “What happened?” she asked, trying to swallow back her tears.
He pressed a hand against her cheek, his tears blood red.
The hand that touched her was cold and shaking.
She caught it. “Alek, tell me what happened.”
His eyes searched her face hungrily.
“I killed them,” he finally admitted with tears falling from his eyes. “I lost control, and I—”
“No.” She shook her head. “You didn’t, you wouldn’t.”
“I did.” What else he was going to say was cut short when he coughed.
Blood splattered on her shirt; he fell forward into her arms.
“I’m sorry,” he breathed out. “I really, really miss our bed.” He whispered before his shuddering came to an end, and his eyes closed.
Lanias’ eyes widened as she sat frozen. For a long moment she didn’t even breathe.
“I will guide you.”
Lowering her head, she placed a hand on Alek’s shoulder. She slowly laid his body on the ground and stood up.
Taking in everything around her, she ignored the tears that fell down her cheeks.
Lifting her hand, she pulled on every single last piece of her magic. She fought her natural urge to use black magic. A sensation of a hand covering hers caused her to open her eyes. And she found two figures shaped of light covering her hand.
One male and one female.
“We’re with you.”
“I’m going to fix this.”
Closing her eyes, Lanias took a deep breath. Her ears rang as a circle of light swirled around at her feet.
The force from the magic she gathered around her, ripped at her clothes tearing them away from her body as the spiraling light of magic cut into her skin. Holding back her instinctive need to flinch every time it did, she pulled more power with urgency from everything inside of her.
Lanias had to fix this.
Right the wrong of their parents, destiny and fate.
She wouldn’t accept a reality where her sister and Oye were dead. They deserved their happily ever after, Eliza deserved to have a family and home.
Eyes burning from her magic, Lanias ignored the way the flesh of her hands bubbled from the heart and clenched her teeth.
She and Alek …They deserved a chance to love each other.
Two hours before…
“Are you scared?” Zaharis asked, his tone amused. “No need to answer, I can smell it.”
Lanias stiffened, her eyes widening.
As if hit with a sudden déjà vu.
Pictures flashed past her mind’s eye.
Zaharis appeared to move in slow motion as he reached toward her. His large claw-like fingers covered her entire face. “Let me free you of that fear.”
In a flash of movement, she wasn’t sitting in the seat but standing in the center of the magic circle. Wreaths of electric purple light buzzed up her arm.
In her hands were his arms.
“I’ve been thinking we really shouldn’t drag this out.” With that, she dropped his severed arms to the ground, eyes glowing bright purple.
“Damn you,” Zaharis said with a high-pitched scream as he ran toward her.
“Enough,” Alek said, appearing between them, he moved skillfully in two steps. Zaharis’ upper body hit the ground while his lower half fell a few feet away.
“Lanias, are you okay—” He froze at the look of sorrow and pain in her eyes. He quickly went to her not afraid of the power rolling off her. “What’s wrong, are you injured?”
With a blink, the expression she’d worn disappeared, and she rubbed her eyes. “No, I-I just missed you.”
“You must have been scared.” Alek’s brow ceased. “Wait here. I’ll kill him now.”
“No, wait.” She stopped him. “I have a better plan.”
He looked back at her, with a look of suspicion. “You have a plan?”
“I do,” Lanias assured him. “Just watch.”
She put her right hand out with her palm facing up.
Snapping the fingers of her left hand, she caught the dagger that appeared and brought it against her palm cutting deep. She turned her cut palm right side up and squeezed. Her blood dripped into the magic circle.
“What are you doing?” Malcolm asked from where he stood outside of the magic circle.
“Opening a gate,” she explained as the magic circle beneath her feet turned white. The glow made it hard to see. “I’m going to summon all those damn True Ones and Surrems with this.”
The wall shook before it crumbled away revealing the night sky, Malcolm jumped quickly moving closer to them. The ground shortly followed, leaving only the circle and them. Lights of various colors appeared around them.
“You’re purple,” Malcolm pointed out as he stared at Lanias. Her entire body was encircled in a bright purple light.
She didn’t respond to him, instead she looked at the many human-shaped flames surrounding them. “This is your last chance, you will either enter the gate, or I’ll have my men hunt you all down. Tell those on your plane they aren’t welcome here, and I’m shutting the gate permanently.”
Lrik flew close only to stop, when the white light from the magic circle flared. He looked from the circle to Lanias. “Do you think we’ll just do as you say.”’
Slo came to his side. “The blood you carry is too dangerous.”
“You’ll leave and go back to your home or—” She turned her eyes on Zaharis who’d been lamely trying to crawl away.
He released a shocked scream when black vines wrapped around him, dragging him down.
His struggles were frantic until he disappeared from sight.
“—I’ll send you to a worse plane than this one. ”
Icarus and Lrik shared a look before retreating. “We concede.”
Lanias smirked. “I knew you would see it my way. Now, leave.”
The light flickered before they all shot toward the magic circle. Lanias gritted her teeth keeping the gate open, as the powerful souls disappeared to the other side.
The loud sound of a door slamming shut filled the negative space.
Lanias released a gasp and fell to her knees.
“Lanias.” Alek said her name in alarm, coming to her side.
She gave him a tired smile. “It’s finally over. Why didn’t I just do this the first go around.” She mumbled as her eyes closed and she leaned into him.
Alek looked down at her in confusion, he looked up in time to see they were back in the building. He looked at Malcolm only to see the same confusion there. “Well guess, that’s that.”
Malcolm shrugged, offering him a grin. “Much better than some final showdown.”
Alek picked her up and couldn’t help thinking that Lanias wasn’t made for plans. He carried her out of the building and headed to Jackal Headquarters to explain what happened to Tiller.