Chapter 18 #2
His wings unfurled as his body arched, his face lifting toward the sky.
A raw cry tore from his throat—a sound of pain and helplessness that seemed to rip through him.
His chest rose and fell in ragged breaths.
Then he folded inward, his wings drawing tight against his back as he hunched over his fallen servant.
Erlinen cried out from the tree line and rushed to Feron’s side, sobbing.
Mother released me and moved to the maid’s side, laying a hand on Erlinen’s shoulder. “We’ll take his body with us, and we will honor him.” She motioned to the trees, and several others moved forward to help retrieve Feron’s body.
“Did we lose anyone else?” Mother asked.
“No.” Bargoth lumbered up to us. “Everyone else got out.”
Mother searched the surrounding faces. “There was a couple who were taken by guards.”
“Once they saw Mirvarax going wild, their guards abandoned them, and they made it out,” Bargoth answered.
When Feron’s body was wrapped and moved, Vaelor rose, a haunted expression on his face.
“If you bonded with a body, would you be able to raise his spirit?” I asked, thinking of all of the bodied soldiers in Spiritu Malignos who raised the spirits of the mercenary army. Technically, that had to be within Vaelor’s powers.
Vaelor’s head fell forward. “I’d need a soul blade in order to raise the dead and Throk won’t issue those until after the Final Proving is over.”
That was right. I recalled Throk telling me about the obsidian blades used to raise the spirits from their dead bodies.
There were still five days until the Final Proving ended.
I’d learned from the book on Spiritu Malignos that a spirit had to be raised within two days after their body died or else not even the soul blades would work on them.
There was no way to save Feron.
But that didn’t mean Vaelor couldn't claim a body. “What about the guards?” I asked him.
He raised his head a little to look at me. “What about them?”
“You don’t want one of their bodies?”
His eyes darkened. “No.”
“And Mirvarax.”
“He’s dead.”
I hadn’t thought it possible, but seeing the dragon so wounded at the end, made me reconsider. “When he was at his weakest, you could have come out of him and finished him from the outside.”
He bared his teeth and snarled. “I’d rather dissipate into nothing than live in his ugly body for the rest of my existence.”
The body of someone who killed his friend.
“If you won’t take over the body of an enemy and you won’t take over the body of a friend.” I swallowed, hoping I wasn’t making him angrier at the assumption. “Then who will you take over?”
His eyes narrowed. “Get moving, Denara, your brother needs you.” He spun away and flew off into the trees.
He disappeared. I stood there as an icy breeze rushed past, as though it were digging into the hollowness of my chest and chilling my helpless fingers.
I observed Gerand, who hugged himself and shivered in the wind, appearing as lost as I felt. He did need me. I hurried over to him and wrapped him in a hug. “I’m so glad you are here and safe.”
“Are we safe?” The short grass of the valley whispered past our feet as he glanced about at all the demons. His gaze stopped on Bargoth, standing next to our mother.
“As safe as we can be in demon lands.”
“Our mother is here,” he remarked, as though he still struggled to comprehend it. Frankly, I was still processing it.
“She is, and she’ll have her own story to tell you when you are ready. But for now stick with me, and you‘ll be all right.”
He nodded. “I don’t… am I really free? I think this might be a dream.”
“You are free, Gerand, and I’ll do everything in my power to ensure you are never taken captive again.” The words were honest, though they tasted a bit sour. I’d promised to protect him before and failed. Why should he trust me?
“The ghost. Where did he go?” His gaze darted about, landing on the dragon, and a shudder ran through him. “He took over the dragon, didn’t he? I saw the orange glow in his eyes. He possessed it.” The knowledge that Vaelor had the ability to defeat a dragon shifter must make him feel vulnerable.
“He’s around.” I touched the finger resting against my chest. He couldn’t go far. “He won’t hurt us, I promise.”
“How can you be certain? You saw what he did.”
“You see this?”
“The dead finger?”
It was pretty grotesque. “Yes. This controls him. He can’t hurt us or anyone unless I say so. But to be honest, I doubt he’d harm us even without it.”
“Then why do you wear it?”
I bit my lip, the normal tremor of guilt followed by the inevitable fear ripping through me. “It’s complicated.” I took my brother’s hand and squeezed it. “But you’re safe, Gerand. Trust me. From now on you don’t need to worry.”
He gave a small nod. Mother called to us, and he looked at me uncertainly.
“Go see her if you wish,” I said.
The uncertainty didn’t leave his face, but he headed over to her.
I grasped the finger at my chest and whispered. “You must stay. You can’t leave us, we need you.”
Upon return, we gave blood to the tree and made our promises before entering. As soon as we passed through the portal, I jumped when I saw a demon standing nearby.
“Don’t worry about him,” Bargoth said. “We usually have someone come check the boundary at the tree once a day.”
Almost immediately, once we came into the town, Mother announced a celebration for that evening.
A night when they would burn Feron’s body and then host a festival-style celebration to honor his life and the return of her children.
I’d only seen snatches of Vaelor when we traveled, but I always sensed his presence nearby, just out of sight.
When he heard about the body burning, he’d stiffened and gone off with Erlinen.
“Gerand seems to relate to Marbas,” I mentioned to Mother as she helped me get dressed for the party later that evening. Gerand had barely met the older demon boy who lived there, but had already gone off as if they were best friends.
Mother nodded. “He has found a fiend in Marbas.”
“Marbas is…”
“Bargoth’s son from another female before he met me.”
Mother pulled on the stays, and my dress tightened.
The stay crisscrossed in the front of the ebony sleeveless gown that flared out into several soft, elegant layers that brushed against my calf.
Mother tied the silk ribbons, creating a gentle bow under my breasts.
I looked in the mirror, taking in the finger hanging around my neck—ruining the graceful ensemble.
“Don’t you think that having a celebration on the same evening as a body burning is a bit morbid? ”
She shook her head as she moved to my hair, pulling it up into a stylish twist while leaving a few strands to frame my face. “To not celebrate the return of my children would be to disregard Feron’s sacrifice. We honor him and what he gave by celebrating the accomplishment he helped bring about.”
“I don’t know if Vaelor sees it that way.”
She grew quiet as she wove moonmire lilies into my hair. Their blossoms would unfold when the moonlight hit them. “You’ve grown very attached to this Vaelor.”
“He found Gerand. Without Vaelor’s assistance, we wouldn’t have discovered him.”
“And we shall always be in his debt for that.” She pressed her lips together. “Just be careful, my love. He is a spirit and will forever be more bound to Spiritu Malignos than he will to you.”
I flinched at her words, and for a moment I almost lashed out at her. I hated to admit it, but she was right. He was part of Spiritu Malignos, and after all he had done for me, I was keeping him here, wasting his time because I couldn’t seem to let him go.
“And what about you and Bargoth?” I asked.
“What about us?”
“Are you married?”
She hesitated for a long moment. “We were married by human tradition. Demon marriages are different. They bind themselves with magic in a ritual called a Bloodbond. Humans and demons, however, can't form Bloodbonds.”
I stood quietly, turning her words over. Vaelor had called his wife his Bloodbound. “So Bloodbonds are a strong bond between two demons?”
“They're powerful,” she said. “But there's one bond even stronger—the bond between fated mates.”
“Fated?”
“Two souls bound together by destiny. A connection forged before they've ever even met. It is extremely rare.”
His wife, his Bloodbound. My heart twisted painfully to think that Vaelor had lost such a powerful magical bond with someone he loved.
Mother finished my hair and lowered her hands, uncertainty clouding her face. She was beautiful in her own way. Her deep purple dress accentuated the sharp, commanding angles of her features.
She had endured so much, yet somehow found the strength to protect an entire town. She had built a haven and led it through impossible trials. In the end, it had become the refuge Gerand and I desperately needed.
“Denara, the past cannot be changed, but now that Gerand is with us…” Her fingers twisted together. The woman reflected in the mirror was no longer a confident leader, but someone afraid to hope. “I was wondering if you could find it in your heart?—”
I rose and wrapped my arms around her.
“I want to. I understand why you did everything and I’m getting there. I just—I need a little more time.”
Tears came to her eyes but she quickly wiped them away. “I understand. Take as much time as you need.”
“I’m sorry it's not what you wanted to hear.” It wasn't the reassurance I wanted to give.
But she shook her head. “Do not apologize, my love.” She gave me a soft smile. “Gods, you’re so grown and beautiful. Just having you and Gerand here makes me feel like I’m the luckiest woman alive.” She clasped my hand and pulled me to the door. “Come, it is time.”
We stepped outside. The townspeople had gathered around in their finest attire. Long dresses and sharp suits, both demon and human. And I finally let myself think what I hadn’t before.
This place was special. I’d seen none other like it in the demon kingdoms.