Chapter 37
The battle came to an abrupt end as Adriel’s head fell to the ground, his persuasion over his brothers and sisters severed, along with his spinal cord.
The field went still as the Celestials dropped their weapons mid-swing, eyes blinking back years of hazy memories.
The rebellion herded the last remaining Xian-Dao warriors into a group, relieving them of their arms, as the rest of the Celestials came to terms with everything that had transpired.
“Here,” Jai said, handing Soren the broken pieces of the Oculus. They hummed in her hands, and as she placed them side-by side, their edges melded together, reforming the artifact.
Enara and Jai had helped her and Rook to their feet, Adriel’s head staring off into the distance from where it seeped blood on the ground.
“Should we unmake him?” Soren asked, tilting her head to where Adriel’s body lay.
Rook prodded Adriel’s head with his boot before responding, “Every soul deserves redemption.” His voice low. “Even one as black as his.”
“Are you sure?” Soren asked. “After all he has done to you? To us?”
He sighed, releasing a breath through his teeth. Then he straightened his posture, the pain fading as his body pieced itself back together, and finally confirmed, “I’m sure.”
“So, what are you going to do with it?” Jai asked, looking down at the artifact.
“Well, this holds the power of all creation,” Soren responded. “So, really, we could do anything with it.”
“Could we bring him back?” Jai asked. They all knew whom he was referring to.
Soren resisted the urge to cry. Her eyes burned with the effort.
Enara held her breath. She knew what the answer was before Soren even spoke, but she let herself hope, anyway.
“The Oculus is not meant to be used as a means to change what has already happened. Adriel pushed the limits of its powers and look what became of him.”
“Shouldn’t we at least try?” Jai asked. “Consequences be damned?”
Soren’s chest ached, and Rook gave her the slightest nod.
“I mean, we cou?—”
“No!” Enara said, cutting her off sharply and holding up her hand to silence all of them. “We all knew the risks, Baz included.” She paused for a moment to collect herself. “Let him be at peace. In time, we will find ours.” A single tear drew a tiny river down her cheek and fell to the ashen ground before she bowed her head.
“Can you guys give us a minute?” Soren asked softly.
“As you wish, little bird,” Rook replied, ushering Jai toward where Adaryn stood. The headstrong woman brandished a kitchen knife and was covered in soot and blood. Soren could see the relief in Jai’s eyes that his lover was ok.
She laced her hand with Enara’s and squeezed her fingers tightly as they hovered over Baztien’s body. Soren said nothing, for there was nothing one could say when they had lost a loved one. No words could soothe the blinding pain when a life had been taken too soon.
Enara released her hand and fell to her knees, and Soren joined her, ignoring the pain it sent shooting up her thigh. Now that the battle was done, she finally allowed herself to look at him, and it broke her.
He was so still. It looked as if all the warmth and kindness had seeped out of him and into the ash. His eyelids were closed, and his normally olive complexion was unsettlingly pale. She reached for his hand, which was cold and stiff against hers. It reminded her of stone, as if his insides had turned to clay and hardened in the early morning sun. A statue resurrected in the middle of a war field.
“We won,” she choked out as emotions flooded through her. The heartache was relentless, and her body shook as she grieved over him. “I’m so sorry, Baz.”
Enara was stoic, her hand pressed to Baztien’s chest as though she could will his heart to start beating again.
They sat in silence for a few moments longer before Enara helped Soren to her feet and they rejoined the boys.
Luscinia had regained consciousness, Abraxos’s arm wrapped tightly around her waist. Soren’s horse was nuzzling her hand, and they could hear Luscinia cooing at him softly as they approached.
“Ditching me for a new rider already?” Soren admonished as she walked up.
The horse chuffed as Luscinia responded in a wistful voice, “Not to worry, Soren; Obie is connected to you through blood. So, like it or not, you’re stuck with him.”
“Obie?” Soren asked, quirking a brow.
“Your mother named him after the Obsidian Sea that surrounds these lands,” Luscinia answered, giving Obie a gentle pat on his rump.
“Obie,” Soren said, testing the name.
The horse whinnied loudly, standing a little taller.
The reaction spurred a laugh from the crowd, the animal’s innocence bringing a sliver of positivity to a harrowing day.
“I guess that means you’re coming home with me.”
* * *
Rook ledObie to join the few horses that had survived back to the corral, returning just in time to hear Jai address the group of Bao-Ren warriors who had managed to stay alive.
“You will return to your province, never to set foot beyond your borders. We have shown you mercy on this day, but do not expect us to continue to do so if we find you in our lands again. Leave with your lives and relay the same to your leader. Let this be a lesson to you all—those who seek infinite power will ultimately drown in it.”
The Celestials waited, weapons at the ready, to see what they would do. Soren was secretly hoping they would attempt an attack so she had a reason to cut them down. They had labeled Baz a traitor to his people, and the thought burrowed into her soul, sparking her anger into an inferno.
As if reading her mind, Rook whispered into her ear, “Let them go. Returning to Xian-Dao in defeat is worse than death for these people. Bao-Ren will have them executed either way.”
With Soren’s thirst for bloodshed quenched, she pressed her lips together and watched as, one-by-one, the warriors slipped through the gate, never to be seen again.
* * *
By the following morning,the rest of the fallen had been buried, the Celestials assisting in digging a grave for every warrior, from Estelar to Patrivah.
Jai, Erick, and King Elias had decided to label the burned fields sacred ground and a symbol of their newfound alliance. The provinces would keep their borders, but they would govern together. A democracy to lead all of Entheas. Each province would have a leader at the table, and decisions would be made by the people’s vote. They would still have to speak to Shakti, the leader of Dhamtra, to confirm that they wanted to be part of the new world order, but they had high hopes. Dhamtra had always been a peaceful country, and Soren had no doubt Shakti would join them.
The next steps would involve rescue efforts for the people of the Esinian Isles, as well as cutting down crime in Thorncrest, but those things would have to wait until they could heal the wounded and form travel groups.
Jai clasped arms with Abraxos, and Soren gave Luscinia a tight hug before they slipped through the portal, heading back to Anistera. Luscinia promised to visit each month.
It was hard to say goodbye, but Soren didn’t want to risk putting any more strain on Luscinia’s form after she had healed Rook. She wished there was a way to use the Oculus to allow them more time together, but she would not use its powers improperly for selfish reasons.
“Goodbye, sweet Soren,” Luscinia called, stepping through the gate.
After all the Celestials had returned to Anistera, those closest to Baz gathered around the pyre Jai had built. They took turns saying their goodbyes, each person sprinkling a handful of rose petals over his body.
Soren approached and let the petals fall across his still form, circling around to place her hands on his feet and pressing them to her head. If anyone deserved the conveyance of respect, it was Baztien.
Soren could hear Jai whisper, “I’ll see you again soon, brother,” before he grabbed a handful of flower petals.
Enara went last, leaning in close to whisper into Baztien’s ear. Soren knew that wherever he was, he would hear her words and cherish them until they could meet again. However, she could not hear what was said and preferred it that way. Those words were meant for Baz, and Baz alone.
Enara placed one last kiss upon his forehead before joining Soren a safe distance away, taking her hand and repeating the word’s Soren had said to her those few months ago on the hilltop.
“I’m ready.”
Jai lit the pyre, releasing Baztien’s soul to the after to wait for her.
* * *
Three daysafter the burials had been completed, everyone packed up to say their goodbyes. After spending nearly every day together and going through so much, they struggled to part.
“Come to visit Adaryn and I as soon as you’re able,” Jai said, hugging Enara and then Soren.
“We will,” Soren responded.
“You better!” Adaryn commented, pulling both girls in for a big hug. “I need someone to help me make sure this guy doesn’t get too big for his crown.”
“Well, anytime you need him knocked down a peg, send for us,” Rook replied.
It warmed Soren’s heart to see him being more open with people, even if it was a select few.
They waved goodbye as Adaryn and Jai boarded the ship to Patrivah. Callan and Saoirse had left that morning, Ori and Ikei alongside them.
Soren watched as Everett said a heartfelt goodbye to Erick, planting a passionate kiss on Stelonbriar’s leader in front of the entire congregation. An action that would have caused an uproar in recent times was finally seen as all it really was—an expression of love. For love came in all shapes, sizes, colors, and orientations. After seeing the world burn, they could all use a little more of it, regardless of what form it came in.
The love of a mother for her child, a husband for his wife, and even an owner for his pet. Love made their world of ash and flame burst with new life. The seeds were planted in the hopes that the future would bloom into something beautiful, something new to fight for.
When the boat pulled away from the dock and the rest of the gathered citizens had taken their leave, Soren, Rook, and Enara tightened their packs and mounted their steeds.
“Ready to go home?” Soren asked Rook as the horses found the trail leading back to Vreburn.
Home.Rook thought about what that word meant. He had spent most of his life in Thorncrest Manor and had thought he and Soren would return there after all was said and done, but as they headed East instead of North, his heart knew they had chosen the right path.
He thought of Soren’s house in the woods. The sense of calm that the boards and nails imbued. The warmth that seemed to emanate from the very bones of the place. That was when he realized there was nowhere else he would rather be. Thorncrest represented everything he was, whereas Vreburn was everything he wanted to be.
He no longer wanted to be a shut-in, unwilling to open himself up to the world for fear of rejection. He had spent his entire life in cold, dark places and wanted to run directly into the sun, into the warmth that was Soren’s heart, and stay there until they were old and gray, reading side-by-side until the final embers of the hearth burned out. And when their bodies finally gave out, they would join each other in the after, finding peace among the stars.
Soren cleared her throat, and he realized he had yet to respond to her question.
“Yeah,” he replied, “let’s go home.”