Chapter 36 Coalescence and Consequence #2
“We don’t have enough time. They’re getting too close,” Daire growls. Dread sits heavy on my chest, yet I’m relieved he doesn’t insist that I leave. I don’t think I could, and it’s not only because of my pride.
The air smells metallic, burnt, though nothing smolders. Then I see it: a faint iridescent shimmer hovering inches off the ground.
Holden plants himself at the head of the break in the trail, his boots sinking into the damp ground. “We’re going to try and coalesce. All five of us,” he says. “If we can hit it at once, maybe it will burn the signature clean or…” he glances at me. “Conceal it.”
“We’ve only managed three,” Lochlan says, but he still takes position beside him.
“Tonight we need to do all five.”
A branch snaps in the distance. “Fuck,” Griffin grits, rolling his shoulders. “I should shift. It’s getting closer.”
“Not yet,” Holden argues.
“What if we cover it with shadows?” Daire asks, stepping forward.
Kai and Holden share a look before Kai lifts a hand. “Fuck if I know. We could try it. It might direct our elements or bind them.”
Holden nods before turning to Lochlan.
“Try it.”
Daire pulls me closer to where the others are arranging themselves, looking left and then right. “I need you to stay right here. If something breaks the perimeter, I’ll transport you to Mysthaven.”
“If it doesn’t work, I can help,” I insist.
“Take her to Sylaria,” Griffin says.
Daire’s golden eyes meet mine as he takes my hand. “I have so many things I want to say to you.”
“The gooland is pacing,” Lochlan warns.
Daire nods as he brushes his thumb gently over my knuckles before he steps back, joining their formation.
It’s freezing outside, but my muscles are too tense to shiver.
Darkness leaks out of Daire’s hands, just like it had that day in the woods, coating the trail.
“On my mark,” Holden says, scanning the glowing trail that’s going dark.
They take a collective breath, their shoulders squaring with determination.
“Now!”
Their elements surge—colliding viciously, tearing at each other before they push apart and sputter.
Kai curses, running a hand along the back of his neck.
“Again,” Lochlan demands, widening his stance.
The elements rise again, fire and water arcing upward in tandem, circling the stream of air that pushes the shadows farther down the trail.
The ground shakes and Daire’s fire unleashes, like an explosion, eclipsing the other elements.
“The shadows are taxing you,” Lochlan says.
Daire’s jaw is tight. “Again.”
Griffin’s water twines with Daire’s flame, the elements racing down the shadows.
“Steady,” Lochlan says.
The ground trembles.
“There. That’s three,” Holden says.
“Griffin, ease up,” Kai says, his muscles straining as he focuses on the stream of powers.
A high-pitched shriek has me struggling not to cower as I cover my ears. I read what a banshee’s cry symbolizes—an announcement that death is coming. A warning.
The Vestra’s powers surge, breaking the balance.
Daire looks ready to bolt toward me.
“A fucking banshee,” Lochlan mutters, running a hand down his face. “For fuck’s sake.”
“Again,” Holden says.
“We don’t have time,” Daire argues.
“You two are pushing too hard,” Holden says. “This is supposed to be fucking balance. All five. One more time.”
The air ignites with motion once again. Wind, fire, water, and ground collide in a volatile swirl that vibrates the earth.
Griffin’s water veers mid-arc, breaking from the others.
The pull is instant, undeniable. My muscles seize, my breath catches. I stagger forward before realizing I’m moving.
The nullite turns cold as I drop Holden’s coat to the ground. Then I feel it. My cindrel thrashing against the base of my ribs, fire and ice hammering like a trapped animal, desperate to be released.
Daire’s fire grows as I take another step.
I tug the nullite shirt off and everything inside of me stills as the world roars in my ears.
Their elements ricochet and fight.
“You need a Keystone,” I say, edging closer. I don’t say theirs. There are still too many unknowns, too many doubts.
“Get back,” Lochlan’s voice is a warning as his silver eyes burn into me.
“A Keystone is a Vestra’s balance,” I remind him, nearing the trail. “Nothing specifically says it has to be your Vestra’s Keystone.”
Daire’s fire veers toward me, licking over my arms, a caress that has me closing my eyes at the intense pleasure. Griffin’s water follows, spiraling around my wrists, both pulling me closer.
“Don’t you—” Lochlan’s warning is sharp, but too late, I’m already standing in front of them.
Daire’s flames grow—somehow gentle, almost familiar. Then Griffin’s water strikes, pushing straight through my chest.
My breath catches waiting for pain. For death.
Voices erupt. Shouting. Objections. Chaos.
Their elements flare wildly—a terrifying spectacle of power that reaches for me, consumes me.
Wind drives into my chest, the ground rumbles up through my bones, and light bursts behind my eyes.
Their energy is so potent that it makes my body sway as time loses meaning.
Seconds or hours or days pass as I sense their individual elements as easily as I do them—Griffin’s fierce protectiveness, Daire’s steady resolve, Holden’s focused precision, Kai’s adaptive strength, and Lochlan’s ancient power, all of them unyielding as they thread through my pulse.
The banshee shrieks again in the distance as the trail grows brighter between gaps in Daire’s shadows.
My body feels like a fever. Too hot and too cold.
The air contracts and then snaps.
The fever breaks as the swirl of powers condenses into a single stream of light surging through me.
I look over my shoulder to see the wraith’s trail glowing.
I don’t know what’s happening—how to hold this power—but as the trail grows so bright it hurts to look at, it begins to fracture.
In one blinding sweep, it combusts, leaving only darkness and the echo of my heartbeat.
No one speaks.
The only sound is the ragged chorus of our breathing.
A heaviness falls over me, but I refuse to give in to it. Refuse to close my eyes.
I feel their questions—how did this work? What does this mean?—they’re the same as mine, but no one voices them. Instead, Daire’s arms come around me, pulling me close as he strokes a hand down the back of my head. “Are you all right?”
I’m still trembling as I reach down and pinch myself, ensuring I’m still alive.
Pain burns through me, shocking me further.
Then Griffin’s pulling me from Daire, straight into his arms. He buries his nose in the crook of my neck. “I don’t know what the fuck just happened, but…” His words trail off.
“We should get back to Mysthaven. There are too many things in the forest tonight,” Kai says.
I nod, but the idea of moving feels like an impossible feat. My limbs are heavy with more than exhaustion, but it’s another thing I refuse to admit, along with the residue of their power clinging to my skin—to my soul—like embers that won’t die.
Griffin keeps an arm wrapped around my shoulders, Daire on my other side, close enough that his heat seeps into my side. I don’t try to shift away, because it feels good to be close to them both.