Chapter 33
The taste of death
Adalia wasn’t sure if the scream echoing in her ears was hers or an animal’s. On her knees, she tangled her fingers in Matthias’s hair, pulling him tighter to her. “Matthias, please . . . stay with me. Matthias! Don’t you dare die on me,” she sobbed, her voice catching in her throat.
The world around her became frozen—her heartbeat the only sound.
Noise from an arrow sailing past her drew Adalia’s head around as she watched it ascend and pierce its victim.
Jes’s body lurched forward onto the ground, the arrow lodged in her back.
Where it came from, Adalia did not know, but she was grateful all the same
Turning her focus back to Matthias, adrenaline overtook her as she pulled at the prince, dragging him so his head was cradled in her lap, his blue wings unmoving against his body. She broke out into fresh sobs and fondly touched his peaceful face, running her fingertips ever so softly over his eyelids.
As she gently stroked his cheek, tears dripped onto his face like tiny shards of broken glass.
“Come back to me,” she whispered.
She drew in a breath at the vibrant blue of his newly covered wings and gently touched the silken feathers. Deep down she’d known that every time he’d stepped through the Veil into Lucius that his wings would change colour, just slightly. At the time she thought she was crazy, but seeing them now, bright against the brown earth, it brought another anguished cry to her lips.
The earth rumbled beside her and before she could protest; she was enveloped in powerful arms that held her. They rocked her back and forth as her cries ebbed and flowed. Exhaustion bore down on her, and all Adalia wanted to do was to lie down beside Matthias and stay there forever.
“I’m so sorry, Ada . . . so sorry. I wish I had been here sooner,” Nikolas whispered close to her ear. He’d placed his bow on the ground beside them and held her body tightly against his own.
Hearing her brother’s tender words brought forth another wave of salty tears.
The trio huddled together on the ground. Adalia not letting go of her love, and Nikolas not letting go of his sister. Chaos swirled around them, but they remained untouched, as if an invisible dome of protection sealed them from the rest of the world.
Who knows how long they stayed this way?
“ENOUGH!” the king shouted with a deep rumbling authority. “Sinfonia, King of Darkness . . . stop this at once!”
Adalia looked up as the Light King’s voice echoed against the roar of battle. The King of Oscuro was on his knees in front of the king of Light, a blade against his throat—a picture of light against dark.
The entire battlefield ceased to move at the sound of the king’s voice. All became still and quiet.
“Nikolas, bring the prince to me.” The King of Lucius called across the dense atmosphere.
The chestnut-haired male with the blood red wings stirred beside her, and Adalia reluctantly allowed her brother to take Matthias’s lifeless form from her arms. Nikolas gently pulled Matthias and lifted him from the ground, one arm under the prince’s neck and the other under his knees. Bright-blue wings dragged across the field as they walked.
Stumbling along behind, Adalia wept silently. A body came to stand beside her and wrapped an arm around her waist. Shiloh squeezed her tight, and Adalia breathed a sigh of relief. True Death had not touched her.
Reaching the king, Adalia watched as Nikolas laid Matthias gently at his feet.
“See what you have done?” the King of Light said firmly as he looked at the cowering man before him. “Because of you . . . your son is dead.”
The King of Oscuro lifted the corner of his mouth in a snarl, no form of remorse shone from his eyes. Adalia’s heart broke all over again.
Lifting his empty, open hand towards Matthias as if reaching for him, the King of Light spoke gently. “Matthias, son of Sinfonia, get up.”
As the world became quiet, Adalia held her breath. Nothing but the wind whispered through the pillars of bodies surrounding her.
Was it too late? Would the king be able to bring him back?
Not a soul dared to breathe in the moments following the king’s command.
Seconds ticked by into what felt like hours. Nikolas and Shiloh stood on either side of her and held her hand. Closing her eyes, she travelled back to the moment she’d first laid her eyes on the prince. The moment she had found him in the woods for the first time. His constant, playful banter. The first time he’d kissed her . . . every memory they shared was as precious as the next.
The crowd murmured and her eyes flew open.
Matthias was gasping for air. Pulling away from the comforting grip of her brother and Shiloh, Adalia dropped to the prince’s side and flung herself upon him, sobbing. The prince slowly and shakily lifted his hand and placed it on the back of her hair, stroking it with adoration. She lifted her head and smiled at him through tears.
“Hello, little dove,” he whispered.
“Hello, beast.”
Matthias smiled and then groaned as moved. Nikolas hurried to help the prince into a sitting position. Adalia’s eyes roamed over the prince’s figure. The wound in his chest was completely gone, the only reminder–blood stained fabric. How the king had brought him back to life was an absolute, unexplainable miracle, one that Adalia would ask him about at a later time.
“Help me up,” Matthias spoke quietly to Nikolas.
Adalias’s brother helped the prince to his feet and kept a solid arm around his waist for support.
The King of Light still held a blade to the King of Oscuros’ throat as he spoke. “Matthias, before now, you have never been given the opportunity to choose a kingdom to serve,” the king said kindly.
“No, I have not,” Matthias answered.
The King of Lucius reached out and placed a hand on the prince’s shoulder. “Today you will be given that opportunity. Which kingdom will you serve?”
Adalia held her breath as the crowd waited for the prince’s response.
Matthias looked between his father kneeling on the ground in front of the King of Lucius and Adalia before turning to face the King of Light once again.
The prince slowly got down on one knee, and then the other, with Nikolas supporting him as he spoke. “I kneel before you today . . . tomorrow . . . and forever. I choose Lucius. I will serve the Kingdom of Light.”
A bell sounded through the air, bright and clear like sunshine after rain, and even though only those in spirit form could hear it, it was welcomed all the same.
Matthias had chosen Lucius. The king was pleased.
The King of Oscuro hissed. “How dare you do this to me? . . I am your father.”
Standing to his feet once again, Matthias eyed the sad king. “You have never been a father to me. I have never known love from your hand . . . only pain. No longer will you take from me. No longer will I allow you in my life. No longer will your voice touch my ears. From this day forward, I never want to see you again. I also want you to know that . . . I forgive you. I can’t expect someone like you to know what love is.”
Adalia’s heart couldn’t take it anymore. It burst inside her chest with such love for the man beside her. How could someone so broken become so whole in such a short amount of time? Joy bubbled up from her soul and she cried once more, except this time they were happy tears.
Dropping the tip of his blade to the ground, the King of Light took a few steps back from the king of Oscuro. “Leave this place and never return. And take your people with you.”
The Dark King slowly stood to his feet, a scowl covering his face. “You haven’t seen the last of me.” He looked at his son with disgust. “I’ll be glad to be rid of you.”
Adalia winced at the king’s words as he spun on his heel, taking to the skies with battered and bruised Thorns in tow.
As the Dark King disappeared, a strange phenomenon started occurring on the battlefield. Thorns that had lost their lives turned into gold dust and evaporated into thin air. Adalia’s breath caught in her throat as she watched.
The King of Light walked amongst the lifeless Lightners sprawled across the ground. Each time he reached one, he would kneel over them and blow onto their face, giving them the breath of life once again. Lightners rose to their feet, following the king as he made his way through the green field.
She watched on with awe as he touched every single one. Adalia hadn’t let herself indulge in the idea that the rumours might be true, that the king of light held great power—enough to bring the dead back to life, and as Adalia viewed it with her own eyes, it sent a shiver down her spine. The sound of his mantle brushing against the ground brought comfort to Adalia, and she smiled.
Movement to her left brought her attention around.
“Welcome back to the land of the living,” Nikolas grinned at the prince as he held his hand out in a welcoming gesture.
“It’s good to be here.” Matthias smiled in response as his eyes flicked to Adalia.
The way he looked at her was all the invitation she needed. She reached for him and placed her arms around his neck, holding him as if she would never let go again. Matthias pulled her tightly against his chest and they stayed this way for a few moments before she leaned back from his embrace.
Looking into the grey-blue eyes of the man before her, Adalia whispered softly, “Take me home.”