Chapter 15 #3
Panicked, she wrapped her magic around the source of her agony as it dragged her further and further from any hope of aid.
If it was going to steal her life away, then she would do the same.
Rage and terror galvanized her, and she gripped the beast in turn.
It had thwarted her destiny, allowing that horrid Drakon to live.
It had stolen her last hope of seeing Fae again.
It had taken everything from her, even her revenge.
Unable to utter even a scream, she pictured her magic as a monstrosity, ripping the beast to shreds like wet tissue, gorging on its blood, ravenous and cruel and unrelenting.
Her magic left her in a tidal wave, as unstoppable as it was ferocious.
Finally, the beast stopped, collapsing. Her body was still trapped in its jaws, its teeth pinning her in a mouth that had not just decayed in an instant but turned entirely to bone. As her vision darkened, she saw Drakon’s dark shadow blotting the distant sky, too far for anyone to reach.
Tears raced down her cheeks as her breath came to her in short, agonizing gasps.
Triad, if I’ve failed entirely, please just let me die here. I can’t do this anymore. Please have mercy on me. Please.
Hyllus was with her a moment later, panic and horror twisting his features.
“Run,” Aurora gasped.
If she was to die here, then that left only one person who could stop Drakon. Hyllus swallowed hard, his eyes haunted. Leukos grabbed Hyllus’ shoulder and shoved him away.
“Go, you damn fool! You need to escape before His Majesty gets here! Find Drakon and kill him! This is what Justice gave you the power to do!”
“I’m sorry, Aurora. I’ll do what needs to be done. I vow it,” Hyllus said before taking off.
“Your Highness, I’ve ordered the soldiers to make way for His Majesty. Hold on just a little longer,” Leukos said, his hand gripping hers, his calluses rough against her palm.
She choked on her next breath, coughing up blood. Every breath was harder than the last, as if her lungs filled with water.
Merciful Triad, why couldn’t she simply die faster?
“Move, damn you! AURORA!” Theron shouted.
Ah, that was why. Perhaps this was her punishment for failing.
Theron’s magic washed over her, pain gone in an instant.
Then he knelt by her body, his golden eyes taking note of the beast’s skeletal jaws around her.
He was dressed as a king today, radiate crown and golden robes now askew and splattered with blood.
“Grip that and be ready to pull on my command,” Theron ordered Leukos.
Leukos positioned himself somewhere out of her vision.
“It’s alright now, I’ve got you,” Theron said to her.
Why did he always come for her? Even when she would have preferred death.
Even when she defied him. Just because Passion bound them with that hateful red thread?
Just because Fate had decreed it? She didn’t want his help.
Aurora wanted the sweet relief of death.
To be reunited with Fae in the Loom. She wanted these horrors to end.
“Pull!”
Aurora closed her eyes, felt the jostling of her body, and then Theron’s magic filling her.
Her breath returned to her, then sensation.
She felt cold. Exhausted. Defeated. She stared up at Theron without even the energy to spit on him.
If he’d acted when she’d pleaded with him to do so, Drakon would be dead.
Instead, he’d waited. His reluctance had doomed them all.
She could only pray Hyllus succeeded where she had failed.
“It seems my little fairy mouse knows how to bite back,” Theron chuckled as he cradled her in his arms. “The shadow cat never saw it coming. Fitting, I suppose. Perhaps this is a sign from the Triad.” He wiped the tears from her cheeks.
Then he stood, all softness erased from his features.
“Arrest the Viridians. Treat the wounded. I want them alive.”
“Stand down! Do not resist!” Leukos commanded. Then, turning to Theron as he was shackled, he asked, “Your Majesty, what will you do to Her Highness?”
“I will keep my wife from the poison of Viridis, that’s what I’ll do!
” he hissed, anger seething. “You convinced her it would be a grand idea to invade General Batea’s kennels, full of Aureum’s deadliest military chimeras, to hunt down my kingdom’s greatest weapon.
Clearly, you have as little regard for her life as you do your own.
And make no mistake, dog, you will pay for leading her astray. ”
“Her Highness’ wish was to see the beasts slaughtered. If her husband couldn’t do what was necessary, then it was up to those of us who serve her to do so,” Leukos challenged him.
“My wife’s mind is fragile after what your bitch queen put her through! You scum used that to twist her to your purposes!”
But the Viridian didn’t flinch. Instead, he locked eyes with Theron. Where did he get the courage?
“You saw the visions. You know what her magic is. You see what she’s capable of. Why do you still deny the truth, Your Majesty?” he asked, nodding to the bones at their feet.
Aurora almost laughed. Because her husband was so stubborn, he refused to even consider any alternative to the truth he’d determined for himself.
“I suggest you stop confusing my wife. Else I’ll cut out all your tongues and gift them to Flora. A suitable punishment for despicable liars, don’t you think?”
Leukos kept his silence as the Aurean soldiers dragged him off. Theron glared at the man until he was far off, then turned that piercing gaze on her. She tensed. But his anger quickly bled from him. His eyes were misty with unshed tears.
“I’m sorry, my little fairy. I’d forgotten how clever and mischievous you can be. From now on, I’ll be more careful with you, even if I must protect you from yourself. For now, just sleep.” His weak smile barely covered his hopelessness.
Good. He should join her in her misery. Fuck him and his self-righteous bullshit. He wouldn’t even let her reunite with Fae in the Loom and now he proposed to what—bind her in silk and gold until it strangled the very last flicker of her defiance?
But her anger was no match for him. And so she slept, dragged into the darkness by his magic.