Chapter 34
Chapter thirty-four
“Eva!” Gisela yelled, scrambling over to her side. “Eva, stay with me.”
Adrian stepped forward and knelt beside them, taking hold of Eva’s hand.
Gisela found Eva’s pulse beneath her fingers—faint, but there. “I can help her.”
Adrian shook his head. “An herbalist won’t be able to help with this. Not even one as good as you.”
“Why not?” Marina asked, nursing her shoulder.
“This is how it happened last time.” He exhaled deeply. “She needs rest.”
“Tempest?” Gisela said, trying to summon her.
“It won’t work,” Aerion said, his usual nonchalance replaced by gravity. “Tempest is deep within her, anchoring her here. It’s better this way.”
Gisela brushed a hand over her friend’s forehead. They couldn’t risk another attack.
Not like this.
“We need to protect the village,” Gisela said, her voice steady despite the fear bubbling beneath the surface.
Around them, the streets were littered with debris and claw marks carved deep into the walls of homes.
A faint haze still hung in the air, carrying the scent of damp stone and blood.
“Create a barrier around the perimeter.”
Adrian nodded, a thoughtful crease forming on his forehead. “I can use the wind to detect anything approaching. It’ll give us an early warning, maybe even slow them down.”
“Good,” Gisela rose to her feet. “I’ll add a layer of ice. It’ll freeze and weaken anything that gets too close. If they try to cross, they’ll be trapped.”
Marina glanced at Silas, who was staring at the ground in defeat. “My power is weakened and his . . .” She trailed off, her voice fading in resignation. “Why aren’t you guys affected by this?”
Gisela shrugged, but Adrian offered an explanation. “Maybe it’s a descendant thing?”
“Yeah? Then what about Thorne?” Marina asked, her attention shifting toward him.
Thorne clenched his fists, black flames sparking to life around his hands. He ignored Marina’s question. “I’ll set up a ring of fire.”
Marina drew in a slow breath. “My father and I will bring Eva back to my house.”
Silas, still silent and visibly shaken, lifted Eva and carried her down the pathway toward Marina’s home.
“Let’s go,” Thorne said, heading toward the village’s outskirts.
Adrian was the first to act, raising his hands to the sky. The wind answered his call with a powerful gust, swirling in a protective current that encircled the village.
Gisela stepped forward, ice crawling over the barricade in jagged ribs, cold enough to bite through bone.
Thorne summoned his flames, sealing it. They roared to life, coiling around the ice barrier like a serpent. The black fire hissed and crackled, emitting an eerie glow across the village.
The heat was intense, but the ice held firm, the two elements existing in a delicate balance.
The flames rose higher, the smoke curling into the sky, creating a thick veil of protection.
Gisela stood back, watching as their combined powers fused into a formidable barrier.
When the roar of the fire quieted, the sounds of the village rushed back in. Distant weeping drifted through the smoke.
Someone’s home had collapsed. Someone else called a name that would never answer.
“I hope this works. We’ve bought some time, at least,” Gisela said.
Thorne nodded, his focus still fixed on his flames. “It will.”
Adrian placed a hand on Gisela’s shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze.
Together, they turned back toward the village, where people cautiously peeked from their homes, surveying the damage done to their once peaceful land.
An older man stepped out of his house, the front door falling off its hinges, and approached them. “You’re Mystics,” he said as others gathered around him.
The battle had left no room for secrets, and a coil of dread settled in Gisela's chest. She had kept this secret since her mark first appeared, and it felt strange to admit it to a stranger.
“We are,” Gisela said.
“And we just kept this village breathing,” Thorne said roughly. “If any of you have a problem with that, you can fuck off.”
The man raised his hands in surprise, taken aback by Thorne’s aggression.
Gisela stiffened at his tone, shooting Thorne a disapproving glare. The man hadn’t approached them with hostility.
“I’m not here to turn you all in,” the man said. “I simply wanted to thank you. As the Village Lord of Aquamere.”
Adrian puffed his cheeks, shaking his head. “Such a hothead, aren’t you?” he said, walking toward the pathway to Marina’s home.
Thorne’s jaw tightened.
“There’s no need to thank us,” Gisela said.
“We don’t know what’s going on. It’s clear that Mystralos is falling apart. We’ve had no word from the King about the Stones,” he said, throwing his hands in the air. “Without you Mystics here tonight, we’d all be dead. So, thank you.”
Thorne’s anger deflated as he rubbed a hand over his face. “I apologize, sir. We’re a little on edge.”
The man nodded. “I understand, young man. Not everyone supports what’s been done to your kind. You’ve got more allies here than you think. War is coming, and the people are ready to fight back.”
Gisela went still at his words. She wasn’t used to hearing them without a sword waiting after.
Thorne gave a low bow, a subtle gesture of gratitude as they turned to leave.
“Before you go,” the man said. “If it helps any, the King’s guard showed up here. They were looking for a Mystic named Thorne. They threatened to punish anyone aiding him.”
Gisela’s muscles stiffened. “What did you say?”
“Well, I don’t know anyone named Thorne, so I said I didn’t know where he was.”
“Do not confirm it’s you. It will put them at risk,” Gisela said into Thorne’s mind.
“Thanks for the warning, sir,” Thorne said.
They left the Village Lord behind, the barrier’s glow wavering at their backs.
Thorne didn’t speak as they headed toward the beach.
Gisela almost reached for the bond, but it was so new. His emotions bled too easily into hers to touch without consequence.
“What’s going on with you?” Gisela asked.
He didn’t look at her. His jaw was flexed, tight and silent.
“Hey,” she pressed, stopping before they reached the steps leading down to the beach. “You’ve been snapping at everyone. They’re trying to help us, and you’re just—”
Thorne whipped around so abruptly she startled. “I’m just what? A hotheaded asshole?” His voice came out like scraped steel, catching Gisela off guard.
“Thorne, that’s not what I meant. Adrian was only—”
“I know,” Thorne bit out. Then winced, dragging a hand through his hair.
“When we got to shore, we could see the beasts pouring through the village. I knew you’d show up at the tree and I wouldn’t be there.
I had to fight, had to keep everyone alive.
I was godsdamned terrified you’d—” He stopped himself, inhaling hard.
Gisela frowned. “I can handle myself. You don’t need to protect me from everything.”
He scoffed, heat radiating off him as his temper flared.
He ran his hands down his face before locking eyes with her.
“Of course I do! For fuck’s sake, Gisela, you’re my entire life now.
You’re a part of me.” Pain reflected in his eyes, and silence stretched between them.
“You blocked me out in Seraphina’s office yesterday. I felt it.”
She stiffened. “I didn’t block you out.”
“You did,” he said quietly. “And fine. Maybe it’s better that way. Get the corruption out of your head.”
“What? No.” Her expression softened enough for him to misinterpret it.
“Don’t look at me like that. Like you pity me.”
“I don’t pity you,” she said, voice firm. “I know you’re tormented. I can feel it. But you can’t treat people this way. People who are trying to help.”
Thorne inhaled slowly through his nose. He turned away from her.
When he finally looked back, his expression hardened.
“You know what, Gisela? Since I’m such a problem, why don’t you stay away from me tonight?
Or hell, turn me in, since apparently there’s a bounty on my head. Make yourself some coin.”
His words stung like a slap to the face.
She shot him a long, pained look before breaking eye contact. “How could you even say that?” she whispered. “This isn’t you.”
Something in his face cracked—not anger, but despair. “Maybe it is. Maybe it’s who I’ve always been.”
Gisela shook her head. “You told me not to pity you but look at you, Thorne. You’re pitying yourself.” She shoved her bag into his hands. “Give the hylja to Marina for her shoulder and put it on your damn chest.” She backed away, shaking her head.
Thorne threw his head back to the night sky. “Gisela, wait.”
She turned and quickened her pace. As she approached Marina’s house, she veered off down the shore, past Terranox’s sleeping figure in the sand.
Thorne’s brows knitted as Gisela retreated. The depth of his mistake and the harshness of his words hit him like a physical blow.
Ignitus’s voice struck Thorne’s mind. “You need to control yourself, Thorne. You’re pushing away the one person who would do anything for you.”
“I know,” Thorne muttered. “I’m a fucking idiot.” He ran a hand through his hair.
“You’re angry at your power.”
Thorne’s spine straightened. “It fed the damn thing.”
“Your fire was absorbed. That, I am sure,” Ignitus said. “And that frightened you.”
Thorne swallowed hard. “I was making it stronger . . . of course there was fear. Fear of what I could be capable of.”
Ignitus’s voice remained steady. “Do not let your fear of failure sabotage you. Control your emotions.” Heat traveled through Thorne’s veins. “Gisela is not your father. She thinks the world of you.”
Thorne let out a long sigh. The ache in his chest was a wound that had never truly healed, reopening with every breath he took. His father’s influence still clung to him. Cruelty, bitterness, anger—the poisoned gifts of Cillian Alderose left scars too deep to ignore.
He longed to sever the chains of his father’s hold, to uncover the person he was meant to be—someone free from that legacy. Yet the fire inside him, relentless and unquenchable, remained tethered to his core, waiting for the right moment to erupt.
For now, Thorne forced himself to focus. Gisela needed him, and he had to face the consequences of his actions and words.
Sorting through his emotions would have to wait.
Ignitus’s voice broke through his train of thought. “Not to mention, pushing Gisela away puts distance between me and Eira. I shouldn’t have to suffer because of your outbursts.”
Thorne scoffed but understood as he walked down the steps to Marina’s home.
“Gisela . . .” he said, trying to reach her through their mental bond. But all he heard was the violent crashing of waves against the shore.