Chapter 45 For Ali
For Ali
Rionan’s feet slammed onto the stone of the rampart floor with a thud. He ground his teeth when he saw Rannirr crouched twenty feet before him, like a viper waiting to strike. Rionan curled his top lip, exposing his canines as he stepped forward.
“Where is she?” he growled out, the air humming with a ferocious static.
“Ah, your human pet?” Rannirr smirked, cocking his head at Rionan. He had not dropped his shield, which held, despite the barrage of power Rionan had sent out into the world. “I think you know what happened to her.”
Rionan snarled, taking another step towards Rannirr, who looked on with his mocking smile.
“You really only have yourself to blame, Rionan,” Rannirr continued. “Sending a human onto a Xanthian battlefield? I could hardly be to blame when she decided to send herself backwards, right into that Well of yours. A pity. I can imagine she was highly entertaining.”
Rionan’s breath came in heavy pants as a bead of sweat slid down his forehead.
She could not be gone.
She would not be gone.
“But she is gone, isn’t she?” Rannirr laughed, as if reading Rionan’s mind. “You felt it, didn’t you? After all, you were bonded. Tell me, Rionan – how badly did it hurt you when her very being was ripped to pieces?”
Rionan roared at Rannirr, launching himself at the Eastern Lord, as Rannirr dropped his shield.
He sent an explosion of power towards Rionan.
The force of it smacked Rionan in the chest, hurling him backwards through the air. Rionan landed like a cat on his feet, blasting Rannirr with his own power in return.
Rannirr hissed, putting his shield in place with a wave of his hand, deflecting Rionan’s blow, and sent smoky tendrils of red energy shooting out for Rionan’s wrists.
They grabbed him, stretching his arms outwards.
Rionan strained against them, his eyes fixed on Rannirr, who was stalking in Rionan’s direction. His face was full of disgust.
“You have drawn this out for far too long, Rionan. Let us end this here.”
Rionan tilted his chin down, looking at Rannirr with hate in his eyes.
He waited, his heaving breaths coming steadily.
He waited until Rannirr was three steps away.
Two steps away.
One step away.
As Rannirr reached a hand toward him, Rionan sent his own glowing binds shooting outwards, shining with a glorious light as they wrapped around Rannirr’s wrists, his legs, his body.
Rannirr struggled against them, as his arms were forced to his sides, a look of shock on his face.
Rionan broke free of the power which had gripped his arms, his skin glowing brighter now, the power of all of Xanthia flowing through his veins.
His eyes were steely with hatred as he took in the sight of his enemy, so delirious with his own sense of power that he had not considered whether Rionan’s newfound strength might be enough to stop him.
He would waste no further breath on this man.
“For Ali,” he muttered as he slammed his palm into Rannirr.
Rionan flooded Rannirr’s body with his power, and the Eastern Lord screamed up at the sky.
Dawn was beginning to break now, the stars fading in the sky as the sun prepared to peak over the horizon.
Rionan pushed more and more power into Rannirr, as his body was engulfed by the same radiant flame that had overcome their other enemies.
Rannirr’s screams ebbed away into nothing, until all Rionan could hear was his own ragged breathing, and the sobs he had not realised escaped from him.
When he lowered his hand, no sign of Rannirr remained.