54. Chapter Fifty-Four #2
He appeared in the air a second later. He looked to me, then to the ensuing chaos below. He didn’t need to be told what to do. In the next instant, he disappeared and I saw him appear in the city below.
The Glaev was getting closer, already touching the buildings on the outskirts and turning them to ash in seconds.
I pumped my wings to fly down even faster.
When I reached the city, I flared them out to soften my landing as my boots rumbled against the ground.
I glanced around as people were scattering away from the Glaev and toward the elemental bridges.
Kya was still in the air, coming down as fast as she safely could. She at least knew that if she pushed herself too hard, she wouldn’t be helpful.
“Touch the dragon! He will travel you to safety!” I roared over the sounds of panic.
I leapt into motion, grabbing those in closest proximity to the Glaev and too far from bridges and flying them safely past the edges of the Glaev so they could be escorted by the warriors.
Theron Traveled as many people as he could, disappearing and reappearing alone, over and over.
Bridges fell when the Glaev touched their edges, and warriors re-manipulated bridges farther away until it was too wide to build across.
Some of the stronger wielders were able to manipulate their element in a way that allowed them to launch people over the Glaev and be caught by someone else.
Until they couldn’t even do that anymore.
I kept my eye on Kya as much as I could, as she flew the smaller children across and handed them off before going back again. I saw Odarum appear. He was Traveling as many people as he could as well.
Buildings came crashing down all around the city before being completely consumed. The Glaev crept closer to the center. There were still too many people to get out in time.
Just before one of the buildings on the far end of the street was being decimated, a male rushed out holding a sick-looking female in his arms and a young child in hers. My eyes widened, and then I was airborne in the next blink, flying to them as fast as I could.
“Theron. Theron! Get to them!” I bellowed.
I flew harder and harder, as fast as I possibly could. The Glaev was faster than the male and I wasn’t going to reach them in time. But I pushed and pushed. My wings screamed with the force. It wasn’t enough.
“Ryker!” I barely heard Kya through the bond.
The male glanced behind him just as the Glaev was on his heels.
He saw me rushing for him. He kissed the female on the head before he launched her through the air away from him—just as the Glaev touched him and his body turned to ash.
The female rolled to the ground, protecting the child in her arms. She looked back and began screaming for the male that was no longer there.
The child was crying. I was so close. But even as the female began weakly running away with the child in her arms, I wasn’t close enough.
I was nearly touching her outreached hand when she and the child were consumed.
“Fuck!” My roar echoed across the decimated landscape as I flew back to get more people.
“Ryker,” Kya called for me.
I found her and landed next to her in the middle of the city.
“He’s here,” Kya said with an eerie calm.
Her eyes were set in a hard stare with a composition that I knew to be that of a Roav. Her bow was drawn with an arrow with black tipped feathers.
My heart dropped for a moment before she backed up against me, comforted by her proximity and touch. I instinctively splayed my wings out in a primal threat to protect my mate. My eyes darted around, looking for the dark wielder.
I reached out to Mavris and Hakoa, speaking in their minds to ask where they were and hoping that they were able to get the people to safety. They both responded, thank the Gods, and said they were ushering people within the city.
Theron and Odarum appeared next to us silently. The air was still and stale, so unnatural, like the calm before the storm. I fought every instinct in my body against taking Kya away from here and to safety the moment I saw the figure emerging from behind one of the buildings.
He was nearly as tall as me, with dark pants and a hooded cloak over broad shoulders.
His eyes were a deep blue that shone with malicious intent in the setting sun.
He strode closer, and I felt Kya’s body tense and straighten.
He stopped within a building’s length and looked between us before staring down at Kya and revealing white teeth in a cruel grin.
My hand came around Kya’s waist and pulled her against me.
Mavris and Hakoa ran up from behind us, standing between me and Theron and handing me a sword.
“Ryker, listen to his mind. What is he thinking?” Kya asked.
I reached for his mind. His thoughts were erratic, so unlike the calm demeanor he displayed on the outside. But before I could make sense of anything, he put up a wall around his mind, shielding him from my grasp. His cobalt eyes cut to mine .
“Your little tricks won’t work on me.” Daegel’s strange, accented voice carried through the air. “My request is simple. Give me the Diamond and I will leave your people in peace.” He held out his gloved hand to her, holding my stare.
My grip on her tightened to the point of bruising. I would give my life before I ever let him so much as touch her.
The dark wielder looked at Kya. “Come. There’s no need for more death today,” he spoke softly to her.
My body vibrated with fury, and my shadows began to snake out around me, reaching for the threat against my mate. Kya squeezed my arm in reassurance, but I was already seeing red. I would rip his fucking head from his shoulders.
“Easy, my shadow. No one will take me from you.” Her voice was a calm whisper in my mind.
“No? Perhaps you need a little incentive, then.” Daegel smirked.
He said something in a language that I didn’t understand, yet sounded familiar. He reached out like he was holding something above the ground and clenched his hand into a fist.
Bound and gagged and clearly beaten, Nikan was pulled from some kind of dark blue smoke from the ground.
Kya lowered her bow and I felt pure terror from her. She made to go to him, but I held her tightly. I entered Nikans mind. As much as I hated doing it without someone’s consent, certain times were necessary.
“Nikan. It’s Ryker. Stay calm. We’ll get you out of this. What happened?”
“Ryker! Don’t let him get to Kya! Leave me! Tell Kya that I—”
Nikan was gone, taken through the smoke in the ground.
“Wait! Bring him back!” Kya demanded.
Daegel chuckled. “I will return him once I have you. So what will it be? ”
Theron and Odarum stepped forward, blocking us from Daegel.
Flames licked Theron’s nostrils and mouth, seeping between his teeth, and Odarum spread his wings with his ears pinned back.
I could still see Daegel in the space between them.
His smile fell to a disgusted sneer, his eyes darting between the two Spirit Guardians before locking with Kya’s.
“If you will not come willingly, then I will take you by force,” he roared.
Before I could blink, he moved and Theron’s fire blasted forth, creating a river of red flames following him as he went for Odarum. Kya pushed off me and aimed her bow at Daegel, with an arrow dripping with black liquid. My skin shifted to scales.
That same blue flaming smoke met Theron’s fire, fighting it back with greater force, and it threw Theron back.
He made to move for Odarum then, and Mavris stepped in front of us holding his hand out at the dark wielder.
Daegel stopped and looked to my brother whose face paled, glancing at his hand with a furrowed brow.
“My blood runs black. You have no power over me,” he thundered.
Mavris had to jump out of the way of his flaming smoke, as did we. Kya dove in the opposite direction of me, Odarum constantly keeping his body between the dark wielder and my mate. The Glaev grew closer.
How were we supposed to fight against this, against him?
“Stop this!” she pleaded, her voice filled with desperation.
I was airborne within the next heartbeat, afraid that she would try to surrender to him. I had to get her out of there. I felt her terror before I landed next to her and looked at the dark wielder.
Odarum was fighting against him with a glowing light, tinged jade, erupting from him with the beat of his wings. I had never seen anything like it, but it was effective. Daegel was struck by the light, and he bent over with a grunt from the impact.
I took advantage of his vulnerable state, and blasted out my fire as well as my shadows.
He blocked them with his blue smoke, equally matching the power of my elements.
I wielded more and more. Between darting away from Odarum’s magic and countering my abilities, and dodging Kya’s arrows. Daegel was becoming less controlled.
“No, I’m not leaving you!” she shouted at Odarum, tears streamed down her face.
Kya raised her bow and pulled back the string, the feather of the arrow brushing against her cheek.
Before she had the chance to shoot, inky darkness exploded violently from Daegel’s hand, aiming straight for my mate’s Spirit guardian.
Odarum reared up with his wings flared out, blocking it with his body to protect Kya.
With a howling roar, Odarum fell.
The world seemed to darken. The force of the dark magic pushed him over his hooves and tail. With the tips of his wings aimed for the heavens, his lifeless body struck the ground.