Chapter 59 #2
Earth elementals descended the castle walls on thick, summoned vines, while air elementals leapt from the parapets, channeling wind to soften their landings.
Noemi unleashed a wave of flame on a knot of Tyrian soldiers.
She and Rhodes soared upward again, vanishing into the sky.
Some Tyrians collapsed instantly, consumed by fire.
Others ran, screaming, arms flailing, their bodies engulfed in flames until they finally fell.
Lakota and I raced toward the Hollow as they charged along the outskirts of Tyria’s lines. Drithan swooped low, talons tearing through Tyrian soldiers like blades. Behind us, flames roared—Yorro was close, unleashing fire on the advancing troops while Doryan channeled more fire along the ground.
The Hollow was only feet from colliding with Tyria’s front line.
I summoned every ounce of the air element within me and hurled it forward, blasting back the enemy’s vanguard in a single, sweeping strike. It gave the Hollow the advantage they needed to strike first and strike hard.
The battlefield below writhed like a living tapestry of chaos and valor, where dust and blood mingled with the four elements in tangled, uneven threads as the Hollow forces surged forward.
Hollow Summit’s groundborne forces rode into battle on horseback, mountain lions, or wolves—like Fallon and Arrow.
River darted through enemy lines with feral precision as Fallon carved a path through bodies, channeling her elements with ruthless efficiency.
Not far behind, Arrow Fitzroy rode his silver wolf, slipping through the chaos with a grace and power that felt almost otherworldly.
Nash fought valiantly beside Fallon, guarding her back as she guarded his. He wielded both sword and water with practiced precision as they carved their way through the chaos toward the western wall of the castle.
As Arrow and Fallon’s wolves dropped them at the base of the wall, the beasts didn’t hesitate—they lunged back into the fray, fangs bared. Nash leapt from his mount and joined them, striking with the same brutal force.
Lakota, Noemi, and Drithan circled once, then dove, driving us to dismount in the courtyard just as Arrow and Fallon made it safely inside Mageia’s walls.
I approached my sister as Arrow conferred with War Chief Kalluri. Fallon’s hazel eyes were wide with adrenaline as she took in the inside of Mageia’s walls. Blood streaked her skin and armor, and she wiped a smear from her face with the back of her hand.
The purple gems woven into her hair caught the light, and I asked, “Do you still have it?”
Fallon nodded, wiping her blade clean in the grass before sheathing it behind her back, alongside her bow. “Yes. Ready?”
“Now you are,” said the brooding voice I loved.
I turned to see Rhodes approaching—and just behind him, his brother.
“No. Now you are,” Shayde added.
The brothers exchanged a look, then each fisted a hand and pressed the backs of their forearms together in a silent, solid pact.
“Who is this?” Kalluri’s furious shout shattered the moment. He stormed toward us, jabbing a finger at Fallon.
Arrow immediately stepped between them like a wall. “None of your concern.”
Kalluri spat into the grass. “They look just like her, Fitzroy. It is my concern!”
In a blur, Lakota swept low across the courtyard, talons grazing dangerously close to Kalluri before he alighted on the castle wall. His trill echoed sharp and wild, every note steeped in fury.
Kalluri froze, staring up at my bonded dragon. I saw the realization strike him like a blow—the tremor in his hands gave him away. His gaze darted from Arrow, to me, to Fallon.
“Go.” Arrow’s command was meant for us, promising he would handle the fallout of Kalluri’s discovery—that we were his granddaughters.
The four of us sprinted into the castle, longswords in hand, heading straight for the Eternal Tomb. Tyria hadn’t breached Mageia’s walls yet—but they could, at any moment. We tore through crowded halls filled with soldiers, medics, and leadership. In the heat of battle, no one questioned us.
An explosion rocked the stone as we climbed a turret. We ducked as debris rained down, but one of the Wylder brothers raised a barrier of air above us, channeling the blast’s force away. Dust and rubble scattered harmlessly.
“They’ve breached the northern entry!” Lakota roared.
Another explosion thundered through the castle.
“Now, the main entrance!”
I locked eyes with the Wylder brothers—frantic, unspoken understanding passing between us. Their dragons must have relayed the update too.
“They’re going to corner us,” Shayde said, voice grim.
“Not if we split up,” I replied. “You two—take the turret path. Rhodes and I will detour and circle around. Stay linked through the marekem. We’ll meet at the Tomb.”
Before I could turn, Fallon’s arms wrapped around my neck. She pulled back, hands gripping my shoulders, hazel eyes locking onto mine. There was a tremor in her hold.
“Don’t stand us up,” she said, barely above the chaos.
I wrapped my hands around her wrists and dipped my chin, steadying my expression. “I wouldn’t dare.”
Then she was off, taking the steps two at a time. Shayde gave Rhodes a quick nod before following her. Rhodes and I spun the other way, racing down to the next level as the castle shook around us.
We leapt onto the lower level. The halls here were quieter—less crowded—which gave us the advantage we needed.
As we rounded a corner, Rhodes reached for the tapestry-covered entry we’d learned about from Davis.
He shoved it open and stepped aside, letting me pass through first. Once it was sealed behind us, we pressed forward into the narrow, hidden tunnels within Mageia.
Snarls echoed through the stone—mountain lions.
The Hollow’s forces were inside now, and the battle had reached us.
We were nearly at the closest exit leading to the Eternal Tomb when I heard the voice that shattered everything I thought I knew.
Our boots skidded across the stone floor as we stopped.
It boomed through the stone, magically projected.
“Scarlet Thorne. You can avoid all of this destruction by giving yourself up to me. All these deaths are because of you, my dear niece.”
I didn’t know my heart could break any more than it already had. But hearing her voice again proved how wrong I was. The Grim owned the deepest parts of me—my lowest moments, my darkest fears—in a way no one else ever could.
Not even Michael Thorne.
Not even Arrow Fitzroy.
They hurt me, yes. But they never had a safe place in my heart. When they broke it, they only cracked the surface. The Grim… she broke something much deeper.
She had held my loyalty. My love. My safety. I thought I could run into her arms when I was afraid—but they were the same arms now threatening to strangle me. I thought I could trust her soul—but she’d only ever waited for me to reveal too much.
“Bring yourself to the only private place you know. Alone. No more blood needs to be spilled.”
Rhodes shook his head. “There’s no way in elemental hell you’re going to her alone.”
My mind raced. I turned toward the Tomb, then back again. I reached for Fallon through the marekem. “Did you two hear her?”
“Hear who?” Fallon asked.
Of course. Her words were only for us. She knew Rhodes wouldn’t let me go alone.
“The time is ticking. I have another friend of yours to incentivize you.”
My stomach twisted.
The Grim knew exactly how to force my hand.
Rhodes’s warm hands cupped my cheeks, lifting my gaze to meet his. A storm raged behind his gray-blue eyes—fierce, wild, and on the edge of breaking. I thought I’d seen his pain before, when he held me in the pouring rain atop the mountain peak. But now… now I didn’t just see it.
I felt it.
His voice was low, steady, and devastating. “I will not leave you to face her alone. Do you understand me? I let you walk away from me once—but I will never, in all the elements, let you do that again. Where you go, I go. Remember?”
I inhaled a shaky breath and pulled his lips to mine, grounding us both in a slow, steady kiss. When we broke apart, our foreheads rested together, breaths mingling.
“Where you go, I go,” I whispered. “But I have to go to her alone. She took Laney… and she’s not taking anyone else from me. I won’t let her.”
Rhodes pulled back slightly. Understanding flickered across his face—but I could see him fighting it, jaw tight with restraint.
Gently, I slipped his hands from my cheeks and held them against my chest, fingers laced tight.
“We’ll be apart for only a moment,” I said, swept up in the storm behind his eyes. “But when we break this curse, we’ll have eternity.”
Rhodes brought my hands to his lips, pressing slow, reverent kisses along my knuckles.
“Only a moment. That’s all the world gets,” he said, his voice low and raw. “We’ll be waiting for you.” He began stepping backward, eyes never leaving mine, still holding my hands. “Come back to me, my thorn.”
Then he let go.
His hands dropped to his sides as he turned and ran, and with every step he took away from me, it felt like my heart was being dragged behind him.