Chapter 133
(Author POV)
Cassiane stood beneath the broken pedestal, clutching the Heartforge tightly against her chest with one hand while the crimson stone blazed between her fingers.
Her entire body suddenly arched, and a cry tore from her throat as though something inside her were being ripped apart.
Her knees buckled beneath her, and she collapsed onto the stone floor, yet even then, she refused to release the Heartforge.
Rhaevan reached her in an instant.
"Cassie!"
She didn't answer. Her fingers dug into the fabric over her heart, her knuckles turning white as another wave of agony tore through her.
Her breathing came in desperate, uneven gasps that caught painfully in her throat, while tears streamed down her face without her seeming to notice them.
Her eyes remained wide open, darting across the chamber as though she were following something Rhaevan could neither see nor understand.
"No..." The word trembled from her lips as she recoiled from the unseen threat, shrinking back in terror. "Please..."
Rhaevan caught her shoulders before she could collapse onto her side.
"Dove, I'm here. Please, look at me."
Her gaze briefly found his through the haze of pain, and for a fleeting moment, he saw the terror in her eyes before her attention shifted again toward something beyond him.
"I don't understand..." Her voice broke. "I don't know..."
Another wave of agony ripped through her, forcing a cry from her throat as she doubled over and clutched the Heartforge against her chest. Rhaevan immediately pulled her into his arms, holding her tightly as violent tremors ran through her body.
He had seen mages lose control of their magic and soldiers endure wounds that should have killed them, but he had never witnessed anything like this.
Her agony felt different. It seemed to reach beyond flesh and bone, sinking into something far deeper as unstable magic spilled from her body, cracking across the floor and climbing the walls before dissolving into the air.
Rhaevan pressed one hand against her back and began weaving a stabilizing spell. Azure runes formed beneath his palm, glowing brightly for a single heartbeat before crimson light surged through Cassiane and shattered them.
The backlash forced him to break the spell with a sharp breath.
He barely glanced at his hand before trying again.
This time, he poured more mana into the weave, strengthening the spell as much as he could, but the runes dissolved before they could fully form. The Heartforge pulsed in Cassiane's grasp, swallowing every trace of azure magic beneath its crimson light.
He had never failed to stabilize a mage. He had never encountered magic he couldn't reach, yet nothing he did could reach her.
Cassiane suddenly screamed.
Her body convulsed in his arms, and he tightened his hold around her, helplessly trying to keep her from hurting herself.
"It's all right," he whispered, even though he knew it wasn't.
He tried spell after spell, refusing to accept that there was nothing he could do. When none of them worked, he reached for the Heartforge, determined to tear it from her hand.
The moment his fingers touched the stone, an overwhelming force surged through his arm.
Pain exploded through him.
Every muscle in his body locked, and he was forced to wrench his hand away as the Heartforge refused to separate from Cassiane. He stared at his trembling fingers for only a moment before turning his attention back to her.
Her head fell against his shoulder as another tremor passed through her, and he could feel her heart racing beneath his hand, far too fast and far too hard. He rubbed her back gently, trying to steady her breathing while his mind raced through every spell he knew.
For one brief moment, her eyes found his.
She looked frightened and exhausted, her face wet with tears.
"Rhaevan..."
"I'm here."
He drew her closer and gently cupped her face, willing her to focus on him.
Her gaze remained on him for a second, and then the fear returned. Her body jerked violently, and she turned her face away as though trying to escape something only she could see.
Rhaevan's hand trembled against her cheek.
He couldn't stop this.
He couldn't take the pain away.
He couldn't even understand what was happening to her.
For the first time in years, the High Arcanist of the Magic Tower had no spell powerful enough to save the person in his arms.
Another cry escaped Cassiane, and Rhaevan finally stopped using magic. There was no point exhausting himself when every spell only failed against whatever was consuming her.
Instead, he slipped one arm beneath her knees and the other behind her back, lifting her carefully from the floor. He held her head against his chest, keeping her close while the Heartforge remained locked in her hand.
"I've got you," he whispered.
She didn't answer.
Rhaevan turned toward the entrance and stopped.
The entire passage had begun to glow red. Crimson light poured through the ancient stone, illuminating every rune carved into the walls as dormant enchantments awakened one after another.
He tightened his hold around Cassiane as the mountain groaned around them.
They were close.
They only had to get out.
The Heartforge pulsed.
A deafening explosion tore through the mountain.
The force struck the corridor like a physical blow, violently shaking the walls as cracks spread through the ancient stone and fragments rained down from above. Rhaevan instinctively turned his body, shielding Cassiane with his own as he pushed forward through the collapsing passage.
Dust filled the air, and enchantments raced erratically across the walls before bursting into crimson sparks. Cassiane rested her head against his shoulder, barely conscious and limp except for the occasional tremor that passed through her body, her fingers still locked around the Heartforge.
"Cassie," he murmured, forcing himself to move faster. "I'm getting you out of here."
Another crack split through the air.
They finally emerged from the ruins, and although his breathing had become laboured, Rhaevan didn't stop. He carried Cassiane farther away from the collapsing sanctuary before setting his feet firmly against the ground and beginning to form a teleportation spell.
The space before him twisted.
Then the spell collapsed.
Rhaevan's jaw tightened as he tried again, but the magical currents surrounding the Heartforge were too violently unstable to permit spatial magic.
No teleportation.
No shortcut.
Only the path ahead.
Cassiane stirred weakly in his arms, and a faint whimper escaped her. Her brows were drawn tightly together, and tears still slipped from the corners of her closed eyes.
"It'll be over soon," he whispered.
Her lips moved faintly.
"...don't... leave..."
Something constricted painfully in his chest.
"I won't."
He pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead before carrying her toward the forest.
He had taken only a few steps when he sensed another presence moving through the surrounding magic.
Dark magic.
Rhaevan's head snapped toward the trees just as several bursts of violet energy tore through the forest toward them.
The Veiled Thorn had followed them.
They had come for the Heartforge.
Rhaevan gathered the last of his mana and threw up a barrier. The first blast struck it with enough force to make the entire structure shudder, and the attacks that followed sent cracks spreading rapidly across its surface.
He gritted his teeth and poured more mana into it, desperately reinforcing the barrier, but the strain was already becoming too much.
The next impact shattered it completely.
The force caught him before he could recover, and Rhaevan twisted in midair, turning his body so that Cassiane would take as little of the impact as possible.
They hit the ground hard.
Pain tore through his chest, and blood immediately filled his mouth.
"Rhae..." Cassiane's voice was barely audible.
"I'm fine. Stay with me."
The approaching magic drew closer.
He couldn't fight them here. Cassiane was barely conscious, and his mana was almost gone.
Rhaevan forced himself to his feet, gathered what little strength remained within him, and pushed a massive concealment barrier outward through the trees, masking their presence from anyone searching the forest.
The effort left his vision swimming.
Still, he held the spell long enough to lift Cassiane again and carry her deeper into the forest, continuing until the trees grew dense enough to conceal them from immediate pursuit.
He lowered her carefully to the ground and remained crouched beside her.
Cassiane still clutched the Heartforge against her chest. Her face was pale, her breathing shallow, and another tremor passed through her fragile body.
Benedict's warning echoed through Rhaevan's mind.
If anything happens, bring her here immediately. Do not go anywhere else.
He had thought they would return together.
Now he wasn't even certain he had enough mana left to open a portal.
But he had to get her to Benedict.
Rhaevan closed his eyes and reached deeper within himself, drawing out the bare minimum of magic he had left. The Heartforge fought back immediately, twisting the surrounding mana into chaotic currents, but he forced his shaking hands to guide the magic into a stable formation.
A faint circle of blue light flickered before him.
He steadied his breathing, concentrated on Benedict's cottage, and slowly forced the portal open.
It took everything he had.
When the opening finally stabilized, Rhaevan released a shaky breath and reached for Cassiane. He slipped one arm around her waist and carefully guided her toward the portal.
She stirred.
Her fingers found the front of his coat and weakly curled into the fabric.
Rhaevan looked down at her.
For the first time, the fear he had been desperately forcing down showed clearly in his eyes.
He rested his forehead gently against hers.
"You'll be all right," he whispered. "As long as you're safe, I'll be fine."
Her eyes opened slightly, unfocused at first, but eventually settling on his face.
For one fleeting moment, she recognized him.
Then something tore through the air.
Violet light flashed between the trees.
The magic was far stronger this time.
They had found them.
There was no time left.
Rhaevan tightened his arm around Cassiane and pushed her through the portal. Her fingers slipped from his coat as her body passed through the blue light, and for one fleeting second, he saw her safe on the other side.
Then dark magic struck.
The explosion swallowed him whole.
Rhaevan was hurled across the forest floor, hitting the ground hard enough to knock the breath from his lungs. Blood filled his mouth as his vision blurred, but he forced his head up.
The portal was still there.
He searched for her.
Cassiane was gone.
She had made it through.
His fingers dug weakly into the earth as another tremor rolled through the mountain behind him. He kept his eyes fixed on the fading blue light, clinging to the sight of it as though looking away might somehow mean losing her all over again.
Then the portal flickered.
Once.
Twice.
And vanished.
Rhaevan's eyes remained fixed on the empty space where it had been.
"Be safe... dove," he whispered, swallowing against the blood in his throat. "I love you."
His strength finally gave way.
His eyes slowly closed, and the darkness took him.