Free #2
Evander’s eyes widened at her last sentence. He hadn’t demanded this, but it was generous of her to include it. It hadn’t occurred to him that, once the spirits were free, they could easily swarm Evander and Cyrus and destroy them.
Echidna offered a faint smile. She was acting in good faith.
And he appreciated her efforts.
“The bargain is struck,” he murmured.
“The bargain is struck,” she echoed.
Heat exploded in his palm, scorching his skin and burning through his flesh. He hissed, cradling his hand as the agony sliced into him, coursing through his veins. Echidna groaned as well, no doubt experiencing a similar pain.
Evander crashed to his knees, the white-hot fire sizzling along his flesh and bones, melting him, devouring him from the inside out. Gods, it was unbearable. He was going to die…
Just as suddenly as it appeared, the pain vanished. He was gasping on all fours as he struggled to inhale and exhale. Sweat poured down his face. He could still feel an echo of the pain lingering along his skin. When he held up his hand, the cut from their bargain was gone.
Slowly, he rose to his feet, finding Echidna watching him expectantly. “Are you ready, death god?”
Evander nodded, then closed his eyes. He called upon that fleeting presence of Typhon’s ghost. In an instant, he felt his wings form behind him. His fingernails elongated into talons. The weight of his horns settled on his head.
Echidna’s eyes grew wide with wonder as she drew closer. “Magnificent,” she whispered, reaching a hand to touch him.
This time, Evander did not shrink away. He held still as Echidna ran her finger along the edge of his wing. He shuddered, and a rumbling sound vibrated through him.
Mine, Typhon murmured.
Evander stiffened. “Typhon?”
Echidna froze, but Evander quickly said, “No, keep going. He recognizes you.”
Something stirred within Evander—something he had thought was gone forever.
For the first time since he was in Elysium, he felt Typhon rise. Echidna’s fingers continued gentle sweeping motions over his wing, and a roar of yearning filled Evander’s chest.
Evander closed his eyes with a groan. The strength burning within him was both familiar and foreign all at once. He had forgotten how powerful Typhon’s presence was.
A shudder rippled over him, and he fell to his knees. Echidna gasped, but Evander shook his head, eyes closing against the intensity of Typhon’s emotions. “It’s all right,” Evander grunted. “It’s just… so much.”
So much pain.
So much longing.
So much grief.
Mine! Typhon bellowed.
The ground shook, and a resounding cry rattled the trees. Every single spirit went utterly and perfectly still, including Echidna. A stunned silence followed, broken only by Evander’s broken breaths.
Then, after several tense moments, Typhon whispered, Echidna.
The word echoed around the forest, and only then did Evander realize the name had burst from his own lips.
But it wasn’t his voice—it was Typhon’s.
Echidna uttered a sound that was a half laugh, half sob.
“Yes, my love. I am here.” She drew closer to Evander, running both her hands along his wings now.
The acute sensation of her gentle touch sent tremors rippling over Evander’s body.
Gods, the force of Typhon’s desire for her was overwhelming…
It almost made Evander see Echidna in such a way—her beautiful, shimmering eyes, the lust and longing brimming in her own gaze…
Evander shook his head with another anguished groan. What was wrong with him?
A sudden thought occurred to him, and he huffed a wheezing laugh. “Is this how it was… when you felt what I did for Mona?”
Typhon growled in answer. And Evander had to laugh again.
“I am sorry, old friend, for putting you through that,” Evander murmured. He had to close his eyes once more. If he looked at Echidna again, he worried that same maddening lust would overwhelm him.
It was disorienting. Unsettling. Jarring.
But he couldn’t blame Typhon. The lovers had been separated for a millennia.
“Be free,” Evander urged him. “Be with her again, my friend.”
Typhon hummed as Echidna continued to stroke him. Her fingers had moved to the small horns atop Evander’s head. Evander couldn’t stop the low moan from rumbling through him.
“Please,” Evander pleaded. “Please, Typhon. Go to her. Please.”
“Come to me, my love,” Echidna breathed, her soft voice gentle and coaxing.
Typhon seemed to thrash against the restraints of Evander’s body. Evander frowned, feeling helpless. Perhaps it was something he could do. If he was in control of his body right now… could he somehow unlock whatever door Typhon was trapped behind?
Could he let Typhon take over?
Evander recalled that moment from so long ago when he and Typhon had finally merged together. He had no longer seen the demon within him as an adversary or something to fight. He saw Typhon as an equal—another side of himself. A side he had fully accepted and embraced.
Evander didn’t realize he was gritting his teeth until he forced himself to relax. He let go. His form sagged as he released all the tension and stiffness in his body.
Be free. He said the words to himself and to Typhon.
Evander could be free.
Typhon could be free.
They could both be released from their chains and bindings. They could both finally soar.
A resonant cry tore from Evander’s mouth.
His back arched as his voice poured from him, echoing in the vast space and spiraling around him.
His arms were rigid, spread on either side of him.
Something heavy tugged at his chest, and his cry sharpened in pain.
His body jerked wildly as a massive energy violently ripped through his chest, tearing through muscle and flesh.
His bones shattered. His rib cage cracked.
His body was breaking, breaking, breaking…
Howling screams filled the woods, sounding more like a feral wolf than his own voice.
His vision blurred, then went black. He fell into nothingness as darkness swallowed him.
He was dead. He had to be. The pain of Typhon tearing through him was too much for his body to bear.
“Wake, prince of death,” said a soothing voice.
Evander inhaled a rattling gasp that felt like his first breath of air in days. He sucked in gulps full of it, swallowing greedily, his throat raw and cracked.
Echidna hovered over him, her eyes shining. Her long serpent’s tail curled behind her. Dozens of pearly forms lingered beside her, their eyes wide and fixed on something next to Evander.
With a jolt, Evander touched his chest, expecting to find it carved open, to find blood and intestines all over his body.
But there was nothing there. He was unharmed.
And yet… there was something different about him. Something empty and yet whole. Something settled and yet unfamiliar.
“Evander,” said a deep voice.
Evander tensed, his body rigid as he slowly turned to face the figure next to him.
Gods, it couldn’t be…
Towering over him, his wings stretched wide and his massive muscular arms at his sides, was Typhon. He was much taller than Evander, and he had long hair that fell down his back in dark waves. His forehead was elongated, and large tusks protruded from his mouth.
He was every bit the beast Evander envisioned. But… he was familiar. Evander knew him almost better than he knew himself.
A stunned laugh burst from Evander’s lips. Tears brimmed in his eyes, and he choked on a sob as he beheld Typhon for the first time.
He couldn’t believe it. Typhon was free. Typhon was here.
Evander stepped toward him—whether to clap him on the back or embrace him, he wasn’t sure—but then he stopped, his expression falling.
Typhon had the same shimmering silver form as Echidna and the rest of the spirits.
He was dead.
“You—You—” Evander’s voice broke, and he couldn’t speak around the lump in his throat.
Typhon’s mouth twitched in what appeared to be a smile. It was difficult to tell around his massive tusks. “I am well, brother. I am home.”
Gods, that deep, resonant voice was so easily recognizable. It felt like Evander was speaking to himself.
Echidna slithered forward, her arm sliding around Typhon’s waist and pulling him closer. He towered over her, but as he gazed down at her, the soft, tender glow on his face was unmistakable.
Evander’s chest swelled with something akin to relief. Yes, he could tell by the look of contentment and peace on Typhon’s face that he was truly home now.
“We owe you a debt, death prince,” Echidna said, tearing her gaze away from her lover to cast a grateful look at Evander. She inclined her head deeply, a sign of respect which Evander returned.
“A debt we intend to pay in full,” Typhon added.
Evander blinked, tears still leaking from his eyes. “Can you?” His voice was barely a breath. He didn’t dare hope, didn’t dare believe that Jupiter’s curse had truly been broken.
“Can’t you feel it?” Typhon asked. His left arm was wrapped around Echidna, but his right stretched outward, gesturing to the surrounding forest.
Evander’s brow furrowed as he looked around. The spirits were there, just as they had been before.
Then, he realized—the woods were silent and still. There were no whispers or murmurs. No haunted sounds flitting around the wood.
The spirits before him were no longer wayward. They had found their home. The path before them was finally clear, and they could know rest.
They stayed… for him.
To repay their debt.
Evander’s chest swelled, and he grinned at Typhon. Echidna burrowed closer to her lover, her eyes closed and a small smile on her face. Typhon laughed, the sound deep and vibrant as it carried through the forest.
“Lead the way, old friend,” Typhon said. “Today, we fight as brothers in arms. One last time.”