Chapter 80
Landing on the steps of Barshaa palace, Rhyel didn't have much time to process Vassan's lineage to Sana or how he knew the dragon who claimed to be his friend before Dante ushered them inside taking them to the bathhouse where Inés prepared a pool filled with witch hazel and lavender and Troya lit bowls of sage around the room while Lyra shook and cried in the corner.
"I don't know how we didn't see this coming," Inés said, shaking her head as tears pooled in her eyes. "We weren't that blinded by the wedding that we couldn't see, were we?"
"No, you weren't," Rhyel said, waving a glowing hand over Sana replacing her tattered dress with a loose lavender nightgown before slipping into the milky, herb-infused waters. "We will find who did this, but right now all that matters is Sana's recovery. She and her phoenix are very weak."
"Whoever did this used a very intricate spell to block your visions from seeing what was coming," Vassan said, walking around the perimeter of the tiled cavern and sealing the windows and doors with an intricate weave of protection.
"I've only seen this happen once in my lifetime.
" He cut his violet eyes at Lyra sniffling in the corner.
"Are you sure you can trust your new daughter-in-law, Barshaas? "
"Yes." Troya seethed, helping Lyra up from the floor and holding her close. "She had nothing to do with this."
"Mm, but she does hold ill will toward my kin," Vassan said, growling and baring his fangs. "I can smell it all over her. Why is she here?"
"I want to know the same." A growl erupted from Rhyel as he held Sana close. "Why is she here?"
"Because she's my wife!" Troya said with his gray eyes sparking in anger as he pulled Lyra behind him.
"It's not her fault this happened and we're forgoing our wedding night to help in any way we can.
It wasn't right what happened tonight." He pointed a finger at Vassan.
"We don't even know who you are! For all we know you're the one who conjured the wraiths. "
Vassan's muscles bulged as his eyes darkened to indigo. "I would never," he said, snarling. "But your wife and the family she comes from certainly would."
"Lord Vassan, calm yourself," Dante said, holding up his arms and stepping between the elderly dragon and his son. "There's no need for us to fight amongst ourselves. Lyra isn't to blame for what happened tonight."
"No, I'm not, but Lord Vassan is right," Lyra said, stepping out from behind Troya and wiping the tears staining her cheeks.
"I never wanted anything to happen to Sana and I'm...I'm so very sorry for all of this, Lord Rhyel.
" She bowed her head. "I-I knew Aneera was planning to do something to Sana at our wedding because.
..she...she thinks she's a monster who killed our mother and she wants to take Sana's place as your betrothed. "
"Lyra..." Troya said, frowning as hurt filled his eyes. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"Because...I-I didn't think she'd do something like this. I didn't think she'd hurt Sana like that," Lyra said, wringing her hands. "Aneera isn't violent like this. She doesn't like getting her hands dirty."
"She certainly proved you wrong tonight, didn't she?" Vassan scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest. "But she wasn't working alone."
"No, she wasn't." Rhyel sighed, brushing the curls from Sana's face. "She wasn't the mastermind behind this attack."
"No," Vassan said, dragging a hand through his hair. "The amount of basilisk amulets and the number of wraiths that were conjured tonight could've only come from one place."
"House Issian," Inés said, pinching the bridge of her nose. "I know they're the obvious culprit, but something about this doesn't make sense. Lord Zehev and Lady Kieka looked just as shocked and terrified as everyone else when the wraiths tore through the ceremony."
"That means nothing." Vassan spat. "Just that the leaders of that insidious House are very good actors."
"Mm, you would know, Lord Vassan," Dante said, pressing a hand against his shoulder. "House Qadim was the first to fall when House Issian started the Great War all those centuries ago."
Vassan nodded. "Yes and I know just how deceitful they can be and why I will not leave another one of my kin to suffer their madness," he said, his gaze boring into Rhyel's. "I will not fail my family again and I know you won't fail your Erius again, Kaladin."
"No, I won't." Rhyel caressed Sana's cheek as he pressed a kiss against her head. "But if you don't mind I would like to make sure Sana is dreaming and recovering peacefully."
"Yes, of course," Vassan said. "I will keep guard with your wolves and wait for Sune's return."
"I'm sorry to ask this of you as it is still your wedding night, but Lyra, you need to tell us everything you know of Aneera's plans so we can begin to understand what went wrong tonight," Inés said, gesturing to the door.
"I won't be able to sleep or forgive myself unless I know how we can protect Sana. "
"Neither will I," Troya said, taking Lyra's hand and leading her to the door. "I want to understand why you couldn't confide in me, so I could've protected Sana like the brother she should've had."
"I know." Lyra sniffed. "I'm so sorry, Troya."
Rhyel caressed Sana's cheek and pressed a kiss to her head as everyone left the bathhouse, leaving him in the quiet silence of the gentle rippling water.
"I'm so sorry," he whispered against her head as he cocooned his wings around her.
"I won't let this happen again, Sana. I'll do better to protect you, I promise.
" He closed his eyes, letting sleep claim him and taking him to their dream on the cliff where he hoped she'd be waiting for him.
Bones crunched and snapped as a black winged beast feasted on the vibrant feathered limbs of the phoenix in its arms. Sana's heart pounded in her ears as she gazed upon a pile of half eaten skeletons in a cavernous cave lit up by plumes of green tinted fire on the jagged walls.
Phoenixes with wings of various shades of red, blue, purple and black were lined up before the beast that looked like a giant bat with webbed wings, sharp black claws and a cowl of black fur around its neck.
The faces of the phoenixes were gaunt and contorted into one of pain as if they knew what was coming for them. They could see their ending in the jaws of the basdringa, but they were powerless to stop it or fight against the inevitable.
Aneera's high pitched laugh echoed throughout the cavern as her hand snaked around Sana's neck. "You're next," she whispered in her ear as dread and fear slithered down Sana's spine. "Who knew a tiny drop of your blood would be enough to awaken these fabled creatures?"
The basdringa turned its head, its glowing milky white eyes bore into her as its mouth curled into a bloody, sharp toothed smile.
Dropping the feathered limb from its claws, ignoring the phoenixes before him, the beast moved across the cavern in a slow, predatory gait, sniffing the air with its short snout.
"A Zarathos Erius..." the basdringa purred as its eyes locked onto Sana's. "The most delicious of your kind."
"Go on, Sana," Aneera said, pushing her forward. "Die like I've always wanted so Rhyel can finally be mine." She snickered. "He won't miss you. No one will."
Tears rolled down Sana's as she looked at the bloodied pile of her kin beside her, the line of defeated, subdued phoenixes waiting to be devoured. She didn't want to end like this. She didn't want Aneera to take Rhyel from her. They chose each other and he... he would always be hers.
Yes, he will, but we have to fight.
Ember breathed, igniting a fire in Sana's veins.
Sweat beaded on her forehead as she gazed at the basdringa nearing her. She saw her death in its white opaque depths, but she didn't want to be devoured by this creature and fall like the rest of the phoenix covens.
We don't have to. We are an Erius, Sana. Our blood may awaken these hideous beasts, but we are powerful.
Ember growled.
And we can fight.
Could she?
She couldn't even fight Aneera when she had the chance.
How could she fight this creature who'd subdued phoenixes born with their power and abilities? What damage could she do? How could she save her kind when she couldn't even save herself?
Her breath hitched and she shuddered as the basdringa wrapped its claws around her neck, lifting her from the ground.
Drool and viscera rolled down the side of its mouth before it licked it up with its long bristled tongue and grinned.
"I have been waiting centuries for another Erius to feed my soul," it said, pressing its snout into her hair and taking a long sniff of her.
"Mm, your blood is so very pure. You will feed me for such a long, long time. "
I refuse to be food.
Ember seethed as fire ignited at Sana's fingertips and although she wasn't confident in her abilities or understood her power as an Erius—she was tired of being weak.
Tired of always needing to be saved. She might not be able to save her kind, but she could try.
She didn't have to keep feeling so inadequate.
I'm so sorry, Sana. I'll do better to protect you, I promise. I love you.
Sana's heart thumped and simmered at the sound of Rhyel's deep voice floating like a soft whisper through her mind.
Aneera was wrong.
Rhyel would miss her because he loved her and everyone she'd come to know and love in Darcanos would miss her too.
Because they loved her and they were the family she chose. She wasn't going to perish in whatever nightmare this was.
She refused to let this beast devour her.
She was more than this.
Yes, Sana. We are much, much more than this.
Ember trilled with pride.
Let's burn this heinous fucking beast and go home.
Sana grit her teeth as her body was enveloped in a bright blazing flame.
The basdringa howled, releasing her from its claws, cowering away from her fire.
She raised her arms, spouting targeted blasts of fire from her fingertips at the green flamed plumes on the walls, destroying the verdigris fumes and releasing the phoenixes from their poisoned delirium.
"No!" the basdringa roared, charging at her but the phoenixes released from their mental prisons wrapped the beast in chains of molten fire, pinning it to the floor.
The phoenixes looked up at Sana, waiting expectantly for her to deal the final blow to their captor and release them from its torment.
As if in a trance, Sana drew a fiery circle over the basdringa and a melodic tune fell from her lips in a language she didn't know or understand, but the power of her song drew a blood curdling scream from the beast.
Its body shook and inky blood spilled from its skin, smoke billowed up from its veins and its eyes rolled to the back of its head as if it were being burned and melted from the inside out.
"This...this isn't over." It gargled as it seeped into the jagged floor. "I...will...find you." It reached its melting arm out to her. "Sana Zarathos."
White blinding light enveloped the cavernous cave, erasing the scene before her of the phoenixes embracing each other with tears in their eyes as they mourned their fallen kin.
A mix of pride and unease wrapped around Sana's heart as she gasped, shooting up from the plush bed she was lying in before Rhyel enveloped her with his strong, sinewy arms.
"You're okay," he whispered, pressing a kiss against her head as his thick black wings cocooned around her in a comforting embrace. "I've got you. You're safe."
"R-Rhyel," she said, breathing in his musky pine scent as she wrapped her arms around him, needing to feel his strength and hear his gentle heartbeat.
"I...I don't want to be weak anymore," she murmured against his chest as tears pricked the corners of her eyes.
"I can't...I can't let the basdringas devour any more of my people.
" She cried as the nightmare and Aneera's baneful attack weighed down on her like a crushing bag of stones.
"I-I don't want...t-to be like this anymore. "
"You don't have to be," he whispered, massaging the back of her neck. "And you're not weak, Sana."
"I am," she said with her lip trembling. "I don't want you to save me all...all the time." She sobbed. "I-I want...I want to save myself."
"Okay, my love," he cooed, rubbing her back as he gently laid them against the pillows.
"If that's what you want, then I'll help you," he said, kissing her tear stained cheeks and the tenderness swirling in his crimson and gold eyes settled her tumultuous thoughts as he gently massaged the back of her head, making her eyes droop from exhaustion.
"Why don't we talk about it when you've gotten more rest? "
"O-okay," she said, holding him tighter as the thought of meeting that basdringa in her dreams again made her heart pound in panic. "B-but can we...can we dream together?"
"Of course we can," he said, kissing her softly. "Just reach for me in your mind and I'll find you."
She nodded, pressing her face into the crook of his neck as she closed her eyes, breathing him in. As she drifted back to sleep, she imagined Rhyel on their cliff in the brilliant sunshine with the colorful birds of prey diving and swooping above the vibrant greenery.
"There you are," Rhyel said, smiling with his sturdy black wings folded behind him, his long hair billowing in the gentle breeze, wrapping around his thick ridged horns and his sinewy arms open, waiting for her.
Sana ran to him and revelled in his arms enveloping her.
"I'm sorry I couldn't find you in your nightmare. "
She shook her head. "But I heard you," she whispered. "And I think...I needed to face that beast on my own."
Closing her eyes as Rhyel held her, nuzzling his face in her hair.
Although she needed this safe haven, to be wrapped in the arms of her dragon, she couldn't stay in her bubble of safety forever.
She may have defeated that basdringa in her nightmare, but some portion of that dream was disturbingly real and true.
That creature, wherever it may be, had her blood, it knew her name and it was coming to devour her.
It was the darkness that threatened the realm and the gleam in its eyes as it burned from the inside out, told her that it would do everything in its power to feast on her blood for as long as it liked.
And she needed to let go of the weak, scared and defeated woman she was in order to embrace who she truly was.
Sana Lightbourne was no more.
She was Sana Zarathos.
The Erius of her coven who had the gumption and the might to face and defend herself and the realm against the insidious darkness coming for them.
And she would do everything in her power to live up to her name.
A/N: I feel for Troya..
.he really loves Lyra, but I'm not sure he understood how much she didn't like Sana.
She's almost as bad as Aneera because she kept her mouth shut and maybe if she said something it could've changed things.
I do believe she feels remorse for it and I hope this changes how she feels about Sana so maybe she'll feel more inclined to help her. ...I don't know... what do you think?
I'm also glad that Sana is coming into her own and that nightmare has her thinking about who she is and who she wants to be. She isn't a Lightbourne, she never was and fuck yeah it's time for her to embrace her gifts and her power! I can't wait to see our girl go beast mode!