46. Esther #2
His eyes seem to radiate a purple hue, as if to amplify the threat.
The ground at my feet shifts, and a hand wraps around my ankle as I’m yanked down.
Before I know it, because I’m too focused on Regent and trying to communicate with him, I’m engulfed by the black liquid at my feet.
I was too absorbed in avoiding the onyx water that I did not expect something to be able to reach out from it.
The liquid feels too thick to move through, and when I look down, two black eyes peer up at me as a half-decayed woman with pointed teeth and a tail studies me with an oily gaze.
Drifting threads drag her down like chains as she smiles at me, pleased with the dinner that has come and a life-force to drain.
All of this temple and its mirage is hers to control. And I pity the demigod who once lived here beside the seashore, slaughtered, but whose soul is trapped to feed off others, looking as she does now.
Unfortunately for her, I am not in the mood for mercy as my water magic swarms around the fallen demigod, which reminds me much of the sirens. Perhaps she is even the first of their kind.
The last time I used it, I lost myself in the darkness and power-hungry toll it demanded. So much so that Regent knocked me unconscious to sever the link when I took control of the croons. But this time, I willingly choose to use everything at my disposal. Including beasts.
“Command.” It feels as if I’m choking on thick oil as I connect with her foul, mutated magic. She might be a demigod, but she is still a beast. And for whatever reason, Felia-blessed beasts are mine to control.
The surface of the water breaks as Blaze dives for me, dragging me up by the shoulders as I simultaneously bring forth the fallen demigod.
“Kill.” I break through the surface, drawing my soulless beast up with me alongside the control of the fallen demigod. I’m pulled to the broken cobbled path as my soulless beast explodes from the surface, water droplets breaking free as it wipes out an unsuspecting line of soldiers and beasts.
Blows go to my stomach as the greers defend themselves.
Shoving down the nauseating pain they inflict, I watch with satisfaction as soldiers are dragged down by their feet, into the black water by the demigod.
Even when they break beneath the surface, the water does not ripple or shift. A quiet, terrifying stillness to it.
“Sit, you stupid beast!” Dahlia snarls at Regent, who tugs at his chains, frothing from the mouth, more beast than man, his muscles bulging as he tries to break free.
She chants, flames exploding from her hands.
My soulless beast lunges for them, pushing Dahlia back from the circle as her valther screams, swooping for my water snake and scratching at its face.
The crippling force of pain crunches down on my mind, but I push through the pain, holding onto my manifested magic tightly to control my soulless beast. An exhaustion settles in my bones the tighter I cling.
The Ariagem bounces out of Dahlia’s hand, skidding along the floor. “Leave them to me,” I instruct Blaze. “Get the Ariagem and Regent out of those chains,” I say, coming to a stand as the remains of the Tahil clan and Dahlia’s soldiers charge one another.
The fallen demigod grabs for Lainteen, but he releases sharp wind blades, her shrill scream deafening as she slips back into the water, retreating.
“Ew,” Lainteen says. “That’s nasty!”
Blaze doesn’t question my order as he breaks into a run, and I try my hardest to focus on my soulless beast, barely able to keep my control as I simultaneously run enchantments.
My water turns into sharp weapons as I push both Dahlia and Lainteen back, but I sense that he is toying with me as he shoots into the air, wings beating.
“How dare you!” Dahlia shouts. Her valther swipes for my snake again, erupting a powerful blow against my chest. Nauseating tension builds in my stomach as my magic begins to bleed.
More. I need more.
“You took everything from me!” I yell over the wind, letting my magic take over inch by inch, imploring me to have enough to set Regent free.
Dahlia chants, and I’m wary of Lainteen, who hovers at my back.
My throat marking opens as Grimace tries to help, but I shove him back down, refusing to let him be part of this.
I reach for the fallen demigod. Calling her back from the water, her resistance harder now with a soulless beast under my control. “Kill,” I grit, commanding her to rise and defend my back against Lainteen.
Touching and commanding her feels slippery and vile.
As if tainting my own hands and heart that connects with it, however, I feel comfortable in its darkness.
I relish in the greed that will allow me to release all of this pent-up rage, appeasing a part of me that has always been so tightly locked away.
The demigod slithers to the surface reluctantly. It might be cursed to this land, but I am willing to use even the dead to get us out of here alive, even if it still trembles in front of Lainteen.
“How very interesting, omni greer. I have not seen anyone control a fallen demigod. This changes much. However, not your fate.” Lainteen swoops in, wind barreling toward the fallen demigod, who screams, her cry pushing him by force.
He’s quick to realize she serves as an obstacle as I focus on Dahlia once again.
The sharp pains in my stomach only intensify as my soulless snake fights the valther.
A fireball bursts toward me as Dahlia unsheathes her randor blade, keeping her distance and remaining on the outer edges of the circle Regent is trapped in. Her gaze searching for Blaze in the darkness.
Two fine daggers shoot for Dahlia, but she’s quick to deflect them with her randor blade. She chants, sending fire toward the direction they came from, Blaze is quick and likely diving out of the way.
I draw closer to Regent, each step heavier than the last as my heart pounds hard, my blood fueled with adrenaline and hate. My focus divided, but only guided by one thing.
Him.
Always.
My chains pull tight, but I cling to the control I have over the soulless beast and fallen demigod to remain in my control. I look up to the valther; that’s more of a problem than I was hoping it would be. It took on Master Kain’s water dragon and won.
I need more.
I scrape at the bottom of my reservoir, desperate to continue placing one more foot in front of the other as my water droplets defend me against Dahlia’s flame, erupting into steam.
Esther, you need to stop. Regent’s words echo through the bond. He can’t even lift his head. Can’t even stand.
I will never stop.
My snake splits in two, another head forming as I give it more of myself and the valther swoops with large talons for its belly again. I fall to my knees and vomit, gripping my control so tightly I tremble as I look up to watch my soulless beast’s second head bite down on the valther.
Dahlia screams, her hands coming to her eyes as they bleed, her markings sizzling. My second snake head rips at the other wing of her beast. I feel the final crunch of its vitality and continue to drag myself toward the circle.
With her eyes bleeding, the scorch of her beast contract eats away at every inch it’s marked. Dahlia is resilient and continues to chant, fire shooting from her hands blindly as she brings her randor blade up in time to defend against Blaze, who suddenly appears from the shadows.
“You!” she screams.
“No!” I yell, trying to force my magic to reach him, but it becomes distorted, my grasp on enchantments hazy, falling through my fingers like sand. No longer mine to grasp or understand.
I’ve reached my limit.
Her randor blade plunges into his stomach. Dahlia stumbles back two steps, yanking her blade out of Blaze’s abdomen as she looks down blindly, her trembling hands going to her own stomach at Blaze’s blade that juts out.
Blaze stumbles forward, his icy blue gaze fixed on Regent as he bleeds from his stomach.
Don’t do this for me, Regent says.
If not you, then who?
My insides feel as if they’re being pulled by my invisible chains in separate directions. My magic folds in on itself as I hold on tightly to the little strength I have left.
My throat marking lights again, but I shove Grimace down. I will not lose him too.
I crawl to Regent and Blaze, each bloody hand against the temple ground.
Dahlia chants, her rising power fracturing around her with zaps of instability as she pushes against her own limits, while her own magic depletes from Blaze’s blade.
Pushing past her limits might have her consumed by her magic, but much like me, she seems to not care for the consequences. Or thinks she can overcome them.
I realize she’s summoning a soulless beast as I command my snake to charge her before she’s able. The flow of the water I use is unbalanced as it swishes back and forth, pulling at me, jarringly.
My hand wraps around the Ariagem lying on the floor as I meet Blaze in the inner circle. The moment I touch Regent, a relief rolls through me.
Tears stream down his cheeks. He’s powerless in his human form as his magic is stripped from him. My markings shift, burning beneath my tattered leathers the moment my hand reaches for his cheek.
Blaze weakly tries to pry apart one of the bolts that Regent’s chains are clamped with.
Panic ripples through me as my friend uses the last of his strength to attempt and free the other man I love.
I selfishly can’t tell him to stop trying either, depending on him, and hating myself for being unable to fix his own bleeding wound.
But despite his bleeding stomach, he does not stop.
His eyes fixed only on the order I’ve given—even if it leads him to death.
But Blaze doesn’t look in my direction, our objective is the same, knowing we only have seconds.
I stroke Regent’s cheek. What have they done to you?
Regent is unresponsive, but deep down, I can feel the kernel of magic he has left. His heart beating, and his mind fleeting.