Chapter 45
Chapter Forty-Five
~ Shade ~
Power rushes into my hands, crackling through me and obliterating King Malgur’s hold.
Pushing him out. I scream as the magic flows from me into the students, pressure building inside me like I’m being torn apart, piece by piece, and then rebuilt again.
My skin glows, my body strengthening, and when the pain fades and I open my eyes, more tattoos cover my skin.
For a startling moment, I realize I’m no longer connected to the students and hybrids, but they’re all blinking, clear-eyed, and looking just as bewildered as I am. Black whirls mark their skin, matching the extra tattoos I’ve received, and I gasp.
“We’re immortal,” I say to my mates. “But how?”
“You didn’t just hold back King Malgur’s influence, treasure,” Galen tells me. “You linked to the magic in this land, and you told it they were worthy. I guess the shadow realm listened. That wasn’t just your power, but the power of the land itself.”
I think of that ancient voice, and goosebumps race along my skin. I’d told the shadow realm that the students were worthy of being saved, and it had listened.
Surprise has me reeling, and I can barely keep back my tears as I see Leira and Kenzie. Leira no longer has her sword poised at my friend, and they’re crying as they embrace one another.
But all they have is seconds. Mere seconds for their reunion, and then all the students and hybrids peer at me.
Their voices whisper against my ear in unison, finishing the prophecy: For without you…there will be no times at all.
I choke down my sob and look at my mates. They’re just as shocked as I am, but they recover quicker.
Their shadows cut down the Xalgrith warriors separating us from the students.
“Graduates of Shadowbone Academy!” Thane roars, and the students straighten, standing taller. “With us! We stand together!”
The students shout a war cry, and a chorus of growls, hisses, and snarls come from the bonded animali as the students and animali work together to tear through the Xalgrith separating them. And then we all group together, facing the hordes of Xalgrith warriors that circle us.
King Malgur shouts at his army, and the Xalgrith attack with more force.
The sound of battle is loud in my ears, and with the added strength that came with their immortality, the students help to fight back.
I’m still not sure if we’ll survive this, when a chilling song sounds from the forest.
“A tasty morsel, we can see,
Delicious, not vicious, for us to eat,
We hope it screams, we hope it begs,
We will slowly devour it until we’re fed.”
Screams come from the Xalgrith as the warriors closest to the trees are sucked into the forest.
A shadow falls over us, and Emorie lands beside me, her wing slicing into an attacking Xalgrith warrior as her feathers burn with black fire.
Arizak, Bonfang, and Rinoc come from the forest, tearing a path through the Xalgrith to reach my mates, and they’re not alone.
There must be a least a hundred zenali that come from each side of the forest, melting from between the trees.
Foxrets. Nemins. Shekels. Naskens. And countless other creatures. They fight the Xalgrith without mercy.
“The zenali are fighting,” I say to Emorie, still hardly able to believe what I’m seeing.
“They fight for you, my bonded. And for themselves,” my phoenix answers, and another song drifts on the breeze. This one sung by the zenali.
“Come, oh mistress, bonded to four
For you we will fight, so there’s pain no more
Listen, oh mistress, hear our plea
For only you can set us free.”
“What is that?” I ask Emorie, not sure if I should be laughing or crying. “Did you guys make that up on the way?”
Her tinkling laughter sounds in my head. “That would be the prophecy the zenali have clung to for centuries, bonded.”
Tears blur my eyes as I smile. I’m still a little drained from helping to make everyone immortal, but Emorie and I pick off the few Xalgrith warriors who pass my mates and the other students.
“How did you get in here?” I ask.
“We found a weak spot in the barrier,” she replies.
There’s another earsplitting shattering noise, and the rest of the barrier around the academy comes down. There’s a rush of wind, and Blake and her mates land near me making the ground shake, seconds before the horns from the demon army blare loud and clear.
Blake’s golden eyes survey me, and she smiles. “Sorry. We came as soon as we could. Those fucking wolves…” She doesn’t elaborate any more than that, and she turns her attention to the scene around us.
“Don’t worry, darlin’. The cavalry is here,” Nate purrs before shifting into his massive jaguar form.
Alaric’s body shifts as he turns giant, reaching as high as the academy building, and Mason, Callan, and Dante all grin at me as they join the fray, fighting alongside my mates.
King Malgur shouts, retreating back through the opening where the academy gate used to be, but more battle horns sound from beyond the academy walls, and these ones I don’t recognize.
There’s a rush of wind, and Theo lands near me. The archangel healer is accompanied by two other archangel commanders. Their armor gleams in the moonlight, and Theo rushes to me, fussing over me as he searches for wounds.
“I’m fine,” I tell the archangel. “It’s good to see you. Does this mean that the angels came?”
Blake tosses a blade that sinks into a Xalgrith warrior’s head. “Yep. Plus a good portion of the army from Norso.” I cock my head listening, suddenly realizing why I thought I could also hear sweet voices on the wind.
We work together, pushing the Xalgrith warriors back to the opening where the academy gate used to be.
Before he can escape, my mates restrain Professor Yevar with their shadows, and he struggles against their hold like a fly caught in a web.
“Want to do the honors, sunshine?” Raith asks me.
I shake my head. “I think there are a few others who deserve this more than I do.” I turn as Kenzie, Leira, and Jensen stalk toward the professor, followed by a few other students.
Raith grins. “Looks like some of your students are ready to teach you a lesson instead, hey Yevar?”
Professor Yevar’s eyes widen with fear, and he continues to struggle. “You think you’re on the right side of this war, but if Krosia has the oracle’s power, the end is still near. She will see all the realms burn.”
“Maybe,” Raith replies. “Either way, you won’t be here to see what happens.”
Professor Yevar glares at him, and he lifts his chin stubbornly as the students approach.
Knox and my other mates glare at the professor, and I know they want nothing more than to take care of Professor Yevar themselves, but Kenzie, Leira, and the others need this.
I look away as Professor Yevar screams, and when I turn back, he’s nothing more than a bloody mess on the ground, his head severed from his body.
Professor Yevar’s cobra animali soars above our heads and lets out an anguished hiss as it spots the slain professor, then it keeps flying, disappearing from view.
I hope it finds some sort of peace wherever it ends up.
We pass through the opening where the academy gate used to be, and I stop.
The air rushes from my lungs as I take in the scene before me.
Xalgrith and xalfrets litter the ground, along with casualties from our allies.
The demon army advances from the right, while the angels and water monsters from Norso advance from the left. We bring up the rear.
A large portion of the Xalgrith army has already retreated back through the fold, but the rest are still fighting. King Malgur is in the middle of the horde.
Blake cracks her neck, and Kenzie, Leira, and Satine move close to me.
Blake lifts her hand, sniffing at the blood on her arm before wrinkling her nose. “You could have warned me about the smell, you know. It’s like we’ve been in a monster orgy. Oh Lady Fate, this is why you’ve been calling them cum monsters, isn’t it?”
I laugh and she lets out a disgusted noise, though her lips quirk up.
“All right, bitches,” my bestie says with a dark smile from beside me. “This war isn’t going to end itself. Who’s with me?”
I grin at her. “We’re about to do a hero walk, aren’t we?”
She smiles, and going by the glint in her eyes, I’m guessing she remembers the last time I talked about her mates doing a hero walk.
“Hell yeah,” Jensen says, stepping up beside Kenzie. He flexes his muscles as he winks at me. “Good to see you, new girl.” He’s once again sporting a bright green mohawk and looking like himself again.
Reaching into my pocket, I pull out his academy ring and toss it to him. He catches it, sliding it onto one of his remaining fingers. He doesn’t need the ring anymore. Not now that he’s immortal, but it feels right giving it back to him.
I smile. “Good to see you, too, Jensen.”
We stride forward, and our mates have enough restraint to let us have a piece of the battle.
I change between forms, using my shifting abilities to alternate between fighting as one of the zenali, and fighting in my more human form.
Truthfully, battle isn’t for me, and every time I take the life of another warrior, I wince, but the Xalgrith are always trying to kill me when I get close, so that helps.
At one point, I pass Professor Lankin’s headless body and her slain animali.
I look away quickly. The professor might have betrayed us in the end, but it’s still hard seeing her like that.
The zenali fight with us, the creatures taking down the last xalfrets, and before long, we’re closer to the fold, and only a couple thousand Xalgrith warriors are still standing with King Malgur.
Another battle horn sounds, and the shadow army appears to the right of the fold, stepping from shadows like they’d been standing there the whole time. They move alongside the warriors from the other realms, carving through the remaining Xalgrith with the originals leading the way.
“Fuckin’ predictable,” Raith mutters in my mind as the shadow army takes control of the battle, not letting any more of the Xalgrith retreat back into the portal. Queen Krosia doesn’t even use her power. She simply watches from afar.
And then only King Malgur is left.
He swipes his sword from side to side, jabbing out frantically, and we move closer, walking through the ranks of soldiers.
Theo and the other archangel commanders join us, along with the commanders from Norso, and the demon commanders.
Sebastian looks Satine over, relief filling his eyes when he sees she’s unharmed.
Oh, I am definitely hooking those two up when this is over.
My mates surround me, and Raith curls his hand possessively around my waist.
Now that the battle is over, Queen Krosia moves closer, floating on a cloud of shadows as her magic whips out. My face stings like I’m burned by it, even though her power wasn’t directed at me.
King Malgur gurgles as her shadows wrap around his neck, and his face goes red.
“To think this war is finally coming to an end,” she muses, her eyes so dark there’s no longer any white.
“Look how pathetic you are.” I expect her to launch into some gleeful victory speech, but she doesn’t.
Her shadows sever his neck, and the king’s head falls, his eyes wide and bulging as his head lands with a sickening thud, followed shortly after by his body.
Cheers erupt around us as everyone applauds. Well, everyone does except for the shadow army, and an uneasy feeling coils in my gut.
“You should close the fold,” I say to my mates. “Sever the connection between our worlds for good.”
“She’s right,” Blake agrees. “The Xalgrith king might be dead, but it won’t be long before another takes his place.”
With a nod, my mates start toward the glowing gateway.
Knox tries to pull me with him, but I hang back.
“No, don’t forget the prophecy. When the time comes to close the fold, four must stand against the bitter cold.
Only one can make you break, beware the bond of your beloved mate.
I’ll stay here until you’re done. The last thing we need is things going wrong when you’re so close to finally closing the fold.
Besides, the war is over. We’re safe now.
” But as I add that last part, the uneasy feeling I have grows.
None of the originals have said anything this entire time, but I’m surprised that when my mates stride toward the fold, Xera moves closer to me.
Almost…protectively? I shake the thought away.
No, if anything, she’s probably wanting to be nice and close when Queen Krosia orders my execution.
Not that I’m worried about that now that the war is over and Blake is standing on my other side.
I’m not a threat to this war anymore. Especially not after my mates close the fold.
White light beams down on my mates as they approach the gateway, shadows dancing around their bodies. The closer they get to the fold my heart starts racing, though I’m not sure why. Something touches my cheek, but when I wipe my face there’s nothing there.
Queen Krosia simply watches my mates silently like everyone else does.
“It’s an illusion,” Xera’s voice is a quiet whisper against my ears. I go to turn my head to look at her, but she hisses, “Keep your eyes on your mates.”
And now I’m officially freaked out, my uneasiness turning to full-blown fear. Blake, her mates, Kenzie, and the others are all watching the fold intently, so I’m guessing Xera is only talking to me.
“What’s an illusion?” I say to Xera. “The fold?” Fear for my mates makes me feel sick, and I’m about to warn them when Xera replies.
“No, not that,” she whispers so softly I almost don’t hear her. “I was so wrong to trust her…”
Xera isn’t making any sense. Something else brushes against my face like butterfly wings, but again, there’s nothing there when I wipe my forehead. “I don’t know what you mean.”
“The oracle,” Xera tells me. “There was a moment when Queen Krosia…Look it doesn’t matter, but the oracle asked me to pass a message on to you.”
“What’s the illusion, Xera?” I say, panic rising in my throat as my mates stand together, shadows licking around them as they face the gateway.
Xera subtly looks at Queen Krosia before averting her gaze. “The oracle said they remember everything, and that the only thing that can save us now is the past.”
I try to swallow, but the lump in my throat won’t go away. “You’re still not making any sense.” Something brushes against my arm this time, and I rub at my skin, frustrated to find there’s nothing there again.
“What’s the illusion, Xera!” I snap at the original, turning to her because this isn’t the time for damn riddles, and I’m really starting to freak out.
Xera’s dark eyes are round and fearful, and her next whisper is a cold warning against my ears. “The land.”