Chapter 66 – Alexandros
Chapter
Sixty-Six
ALEXANDROS
T he cold evening air feels good, almost cleansing as I take a deep breath and let it flood my lungs. There has been so much pain. So much loss and destruction. But there has been relief as well. And, dare I say it, joy. We spent yesterday and the better part of today counting our losses, and although they were great, the victory was greater.
Lucian?
Just because you force-fed me your blood and saved me doesn’t mean you get to pop into my head whenever you want. The sarcasm eases my conscience a little. He did beg me to let him go, but there was more of him begging to stay. And I would rather him be alive and angry with me than dead. So I sliced my wrist and held it to his mouth, and he drank until his cut began to heal.
I believe force-fed is a tad hyperbolic. You suckled at my wrist like a newborn.
Fuck you, old man.
A smile spreads across my face. Are you okay? It is an incredibly complicated question, but he thankfully takes it at face value.
Yeah. I heard the elementai saved the whole world, and once I found out you were all okay, I figured I wasn’t needed.
There is no malice or pity in his tone, but it still saddens me to know he feels that way.
I spoke to Ophelia. Told her I was okay , he goes on, no doubt sensing my sentimentality.
I long to tell him he is both wanted and needed, but I do not wish to scare him off, so instead, I simply ask, Will I see you again, son?
I am met with an onslaught of his pain, along with a bit of the madness that seems to sit so close to the surface. But he must find some peace amongst his chaos—at least enough to answer me with sarcasm and wit. If I say no, you’re just gonna keep talking to me in my head, aren’t you?
Yes, I will never stop talking to you again. Never again will I allow you to slip so far away from me. I do not tell him that either, though. I am prepared to make you a deal. If you contact me once a month and you visit at least once a year, I will not invade your privacy. I will only reach out if there is something of grave import.
He is quiet for a few moments. I guess I can live with that.
Sensing he is nearing his limit of our conversation, I tell him the words I am most desperate to say. I love you, Lucian. You always have a home wherever I am.
More silence follows before he speaks again. See you around, old man.
My heart is full of gratitude. The road in front of us is long, especially for him, but we have nothing but time to heal the wounds between us. I can only hope that one day he learns to forgive himself. That matters to me more than whether he is ever able to forgive me.
For now, my body is tired and my mind is weary. My shoes sink into the wet grass as soon as I stop walking and take a moment to look to the sky.
Are you still here, old friend?
After Ophelia defeated the wraith, Anikêtos left to be with Elpis. Everything since has been fueled by such chaotic activity, and this feels like the first time I have had the opportunity to take a full breath. The first opportunity I have had to thank him.
His vast form blocks out the setting sun on the horizon. He comes in to land, and the swoop of his wings sends gusts of air furrowing through the trees.
He lands softly, unnaturally agile for a creature of his size. I am here.
I already sense the sorrow in the air. But not for long?
No.
You and Elpis are both leaving ? She would never agree to be part of this conversation. Elpis abhors goodbyes. It is not in a dragon’s nature to indulge such human traditions, for they view the passing of time so differently. But Elpis has always been an exception to that rule. She has always been the exception to so many rules.
We are.
A strange feeling of melancholy washes over me. It is not a sadness as such, but more of a mourning. A farewell to a past that has long since disappeared and which I have held onto for far too long.
How is the Dragon Healer?
Ah, my sweet Ophelia. A much more pleasant topic of conversation. She is as good as can be expected. Fully healed with the help of blood from all her mates. She appears to have sacrificed her powers though—at least her elementai ones.
Is she saddened by this?
I recall her lying in bed last night, surrounded by the four of us . No. I believe it is something of a relief to her.
And to me.
I glance out over the grounds of Montridge and the still-smoldering embers of the burned forest in the distance. But there is little more evidence of the battle that took place here less than forty-eight hours ago. She saved the world from falling into darkness, and they will never even know her name.
There are some who will always remember her name. I shall never forget the Dragon Healer.
That is true. All who know her will remember her always, for she is unforgettable in every way. And if I am being honest, I can say I would prefer that the world at large never learns who Ophelia Hart is.
And now we can look forward to a peace that will reign for the ages. His quote from the prophecy is not delivered with his typical disdain.
That is what they say.
Anikêtos stretches his neck and scans the horizon. Already, I feel a shift in the cradle. Magic will rise again, and this time, without the shadows of the Skotádi.
That reminder of Giorgios has me swaying on my feet as guilt and sadness barrel into me. How did I not know, Anikêtos? All those years, he hid his true self from me.
The darkness has always been adept at disguising itself within the light. And there is nothing darker than wraith magic.
My heart aches for the brother I lost—not the man he was, but the one I believed him to be. Despite his assertion that I was the cause of his evil, he sowed the seeds of his own destruction when he made a deal with Salem, long before he met Elena. Perhaps Elena’s love would have turned him from the darkness, and that question will always give me pause, but it is one which can never be answered.
I feel Ophelia’s presence before I see her, and she chases away the negative emotions slinking through my veins. That is her true power. She may have lost her light, but she is still able to spread it wherever she goes.
“I know you’re not big on dinner, but Malachi and Osiris made a huge meal and everyone is sitting down to eat in a few. I thought it would be nice if we could all eat together.”
Yes, let us sit down to a civilized meal after we almost burned the entire campus to the ground two days ago.
She jabs me in the ribs. “Hey, I heard that.”
I wince. Although she has lost her other powers, the ones she inherited from me and the boys remain intact, and it is a struggle to keep her out of my head at all lately. Perhaps I simply do not try hard enough. “My apologies, little one, but it does seem a little…” I pause, searching for the words.
Redundant? Indulgent? Ani offers.
“Ani!” Ophelia admonishes. But then her face breaks into a huge smile, and she blinks at me. “I can still hear him too.”
Despite the circumstances, I cannot help but smile back. We both lost dear friends, and there is no avoiding the truth of that, but there is still happiness to be found if one only looks for it. “Yes you can. And he has a point, agápi mou.”
I wrap an arm around her shoulders, and she snakes one of hers around my waist. “After everything that happened, isn’t all of that even more reason to enjoy life, to bask in the company of friends while we have them?”
I draw in a breath and rest my chin on top of her head. She also has a point.
“I’m sorry you can’t join us, Ani,” she says.
Ani snorts. He considers such human pastimes as eating dinner together so far beneath him, I am surprised he does not take flight in a dramatic huff at the mere suggestion. But then I feel a sudden change in him. Not exactly sadness, but longing, perhaps. Elpis and I will be leaving before twilight, Ophelia.
Her lip trembles. Returning to the netherworld?
It would be too great a risk to breach the veil again when it is only so recently sealed. We will venture somewhere south. Somewhere less densely populated than here.
She stares up at him, her blue eyes shining with unshed tears. I am sorry you can’t return to your kind, Ani.
It is what it is, Chosen One. He bends his head low and nudges her shoulder, and I am warmed by the affection he shows for her. Elpis and I will have each other, and that is all we have ever needed.
She wipes a tear from her eye, and I press a kiss on the top of her head. I’m going to miss you, but we’ll still see you, right?
Perhaps is his only reply. Elusive as ever.
I am filled with nostalgia for times of old when he and Elpis would have remained by my side. But the world is a different one now. There is only one thing I can ask of him. Do not stray too far, old friend.
Of course not, Dragon Whisperer. He dips his head in my direction, then again, deeper, for Ophelia—the most profound sign of respect from a dragon. With a final shake of his scales, he takes flight, his vast wings stretching out and blocking what little remains of the sunlight, leaving Ophelia and me in his shadow.
“It still astounds me that people can’t see him,” she says.
“Can you imagine the ensuing chaos if they could?” I cup her chin and give her a gentle kiss before turning in the direction of our house. “So, tell me what culinary delights Malachi and Osiris have cooked up for supper this evening, then.”
“Well, Osiris said to tell you he’s reserved you his juiciest Kobe filet and that he will merely introduce it to the heat of a skillet before serving.”
I growl my appreciation. A good, very rare steak is one of the few human foods I enjoy.
“He also said he won’t bother with any of the trimmings because they’d be wasted on your caveman palate.” She holds her hand to her mouth and giggles, and the sound is music to my ears. My beautiful, gentle elementai. No longer the Chosen One or the world’s redemption—simply my chosen one and the redeemer of my soul.