Carved in Ashes, page 20
I’d forgotten how he lured people in with his charm.
I searched his face. Do I look like this man?
His dark hair and eyes mirrored my own, and I shared his olive skin tone.
My breathing grew quick and shallow.
He calmly addressed his inner circle. “Kill the others, but leave my daughter to me.”
So he does know I’m his daughter.
The inner circle engaged with Kai, Tyler, and the dragons.
My throat constricted.
Attacks volleyed in all directions.
Please survive.
I sent up a prayer for them, even as I focused on Alifar.
He spoke in an almost indulgent tone. “I wasn’t going to let anyone else have the satisfaction of teaching my wicked child a lesson.”
“I think I’ll strangle you with my bare hands.” He waved his fingers at me, an air of anticipation vibrating around him. “A punishment I’ll take pleasure in, after what your mother and her sister did to me.”
Blood drained from my face.
How did he find out about my mother and Syn?
“I can see that you’re shocked that I know so much.” He adjusted his seat on his horse, and I realized my mouth was open.
I closed it.
Poker face, Astrid.
I squared my shoulders. “You didn’t know when we met before.”
“Even the saving grace of all the realms takes time to find some truths.”
There’s that twisted phrase again.
My stomach tightened with a sickening feeling.
Tyler cried out, and I looked up. He’d been hit, but was still in the air. A battle raged around us. Kai was still in the air as well. Both of the guys were still fighting.
Foot soldiers had joined.
We were surrounded.
The dragons tore into troops and held off the majority of the inner circle.
My dragonborn was like a raging storm. No one could touch him, and he killed with brutal efficiency.
My eyes flicked back to Alifar. He had followed my gaze. His attention was now fixed on Kai.
My gut clenched.
There was nothing pleasant about Alifar’s sneer now. “I’ve been searching for that elusive animal.” He turned to his inner circle. “Do what you have to do,” he ground out through clenched teeth. “If that dragonborn escapes today, I will slaughter your children.”
No!
Whatever happened, I could not lose Kai.
I should never have let him come.
In an effort to draw Alifar’s attention, I called. “I wanted to give you a chance to be a real father, but you don’t seem very interested in a family reunion.”
He laughed once. “I’d say we can reunite in hell, but I’ll never get there.” His voice was full of bitterness. “I plan to keep this vessel of flesh alive indefinitely.” He spread his arms wide. “You may have thwarted my last sacrifice, but I already have my claws in the next one.” He seemed to regain his composure, and he settled into a charming smile. “You won’t be alive to stop me next time.”
He summoned his dark magic. “You never should have been born in the first place. An oversight on my part. I will have to ruin my women a little more thoroughly, in the future.”
Anger coursed through my body.
I had never expected him to be fatherly, but experiencing a parent’s complete rejection still stung.
My chest burned in fury.
This man is truly evil.
He’s hurt so many people. I can’t let him win.
I fired up my engine and raced towards his horse, causing it to rear. Alifar yelled at it and began beating its neck with a stick that he’d created with his dark creation magic.
I dropped my shield and sent a storm of hail and wind swirling around him and his mount.
He threw the same back at me.
It hurt like hell, but, unlike his horse, my motorcycle wasn’t afraid of the storm.
The man could not maintain control of the animal, and, in the face of the beating, his horse bucked him off. Alifar landed on the ground softly, courtesy of a little yellow magic. He was a master of his craft; I could see it in the way that he flicked his magic around with ease.
I raced my bike towards him. His yellow magic threw me to the ground.
I hurled fire at him.
He doused it with water.
I flung shards of ice.
His fire turned it to steam before it ever reached its target.
I sent rocks and dust flying at him with high-speed winds. He used his dark creation magic to throw a shield up. His creation magic was purple like mine, but, where mine was light and shimmery, his was almost black.
He created a giant, blackish, purple sword.
I created my own, iridescent, indigo sword.
He swung his sword at me, and I jumped back out of the way. Gripping my weapon with two hands, I tried to remember all the techniques Kai had taught me. With a wide stance, I angled my body to be a more narrow target.
Alifar swung back and forth.
I backed up several steps.
My back hit a tree. Before I could move, his sword gashed my side.
Pain surged through me. I cried out.
In the sky, I saw Kai falter—his eyes locked on me.
Taking advantage of Kai’s hesitation, the inner circle launched a volley of attacks. My dragonborn went down.
The surge of panic that erupted inside of me knew but one goal.
Save him!
My magic exploded all around us.
I pushed off of the tree, using green magic to raise me up to higher ground. I began hacking at my opponent with reckless abandon. He retreated a few steps.
I swung. He parried my attack.
With a clash that reverberated the air around us, our swords met.
In that instant, my sword flashed brighter.
Alifar’s dark sword cracked.
His face went pale—fear written in every feature.
With clenched teeth, I kept swinging, driving him back. Screaming. Hurling myself at him with all I had; which was a lot considering my newfound strength from mating Kai. He dropped his sword and used yellow magic to carry himself out of my reach.
“Fall back!” he ordered. “Retreat!”
Like a well-oiled machine, the army obeyed immediately and without question.
Alifar mounted another rider’s horse, staring daggers at me before he turned and rode off, like the coward he was. The troops marched past, and even the dragonborn soldiers ignored me as they flew by.
The wound on my side was gushing. I tried to stem the flow with my hands as I searched frantically for my fallen mate.
I couldn’t breathe. Sweat beaded on my skin.
Sakashi swooped down. Tyler reached for me. “Get on!”
I ignored him. “I have to find Kai!”
I couldn’t breathe.
“Astrid, they took him.”
“No!” I whirled towards him. “No, he has to be here!”
I couldn’t breathe.
He can’t be gone.
Turning in circles, I held my head in my blood-soaked hands.
Tears blurred my vision, my body caving in on itself. I knew I was losing my shit, but I couldn’t rein it in.
I clutched at my chest. “I can’t breathe.”
Sobs engulfed me.
Twenty-Four
Gasping, I woke with a start.
Pain had settled into every part of my body.
I moved to sit up, but firm hands held me down.
“Oh, no you don’t.” It was Khandra’s voice.
I looked above my head. Her long, gray braid and weathered face met me.
“Where did you—?”
“Ryder asked me to come.” She rummaged around on a nearby tray. “The healers here are overworked, so Tyler came with a dragon to bring the kids and me here.”
Emotion rose in my chest at the fact she was here, even though she didn’t like me.
I wanted to tell her how sorry I was. “Khandra, I never—”
“Don’t fret about it.” She rolled a fabric bandage as she spoke. “Leave the past in the past.” Her hands stilled, and she really looked at me. “Facing the High Lord like that was very brave.”
I shook my head, suddenly woozy.
Had Kai really fallen from the sky into a horde of Alifar’s inner circle? Had I dreamed it?
“Where’s Kai?” I asked.
Tyler’s red hair peaked at me from around Khandra’s shoulder. “Hey, you’re awake!” He beamed at me. “We were worried.”
“I’ve never seen someone lose that much blood and survive,” Khandra said as she bustled away to another wounded rebel.
Maybe it’s my dragonborn enhanced strength?
“Sakashi helped me bring your bike back to the hangar,” Tyler said. “It’s a little worse for wear, but nothing I can’t fix.”
I grabbed Tyler’s arm. My skin was deathly pale, even in contrast to his. “Where is Kai?”
Tyler’s smile vanished, and he dropped his gaze. “Remember? Alifar’s men took Kai right before you collapsed.”
A pit formed in my stomach.
Not a dream.
A living nightmare.
I closed my eyes against the agony in my heart that far outweighed the pain in my body.
The lump in my throat threatened to choke me. I tipped my head back against the cot, my mind refusing to fully believe what I had witnessed.
I have to get him back.
I’m not leaving him in their hands.
I moved to sit up again. A sharp pain in my side stopped me.
Dizzy, I cried out and fell back against the pillow.
“Astrid, you’ve only been healing for a few days…”
“Days?” I choked on the word.
Tyler nodded. “The healers have depleted their magic over and over on your wounds–and the wounds of the other injured. They say it’s just going to take time.”
“I don’t have time.” I winced at the throbbing in my head.
Ryder appeared at the other side of my bed. “Glad to see you pulled through.”
“Ryder…” I swallowed down the nausea, praying Kai’s friend would take my side. “I have to save Kai. They’re going to kill him.”
“Lie still.” He put a hand on my shoulder. “With how much trouble Kai has caused the High Lord, I’m sure Alifar won’t kill him for a while.”
I gasped. “Is that the nice way of saying that he’s probably being tortured?”
Ryder winced. “I know it’s not a comfort, knowing that, but it buys us time.”
“Hey,” Tyler said, “if we can get him out alive, you can heal him.”
Shaking my head brought on more dizziness. “I can’t risk any of it.” I coughed. “I have to get him out.”
“Astrid, be smart.” Ryder’s tone was stern. “If you go in there like this, they’ll kill you and Kai.”
“If Kai is going to have any chance at rescue, you need to be strong,” Tyler said.
“And we need a good plan, with a solid team.” Ryder added.
“What team?” I said. “I am going to get my mate. I’m not bringing anyone else.”
Tyler shook his head. “I never thought I’d see the day that you wanted to do something all on your own.” The sarcasm in his voice was blatant.
“If I had gone to face Alifar on my own, Kai wouldn’t have been taken,” I shot back. My chin quivered. “I shouldn’t have let him come.”
Ryder snorted. “As if you could have stopped him.”
“Astrid,” Tyler said. “You have to let go of trying to control everything and trust other people. We’re stronger together.”
A tear rolled down my cheek and into my ear.
It’s all my fault.
“If I hadn’t distracted Kai, he wouldn’t have gotten captured,” I said. “I’m a liability to him.”
“It’s true,” Ryder said.
I hadn’t expected him to agree with me.
“When we love someone, they become our weakness.” Ryder nodded thoughtfully. “But they also become our strength—you make Kai stronger, too.”
“You can’t have love without risk,” Tyler added.
“No matter what they put him through, Kai would say that loving you was worth it.”
I turned my face away. “You don’t know that.”
“Actually, I do,” Ryder said. “Kai was telling me last night that you were the best thing that’s ever happened to him, and even if it all ends in ruin, it will have been worth it.”
A lump formed in my throat. “He said that?”
“I swear it’s true.”
I spent the next twelve hours in bed, trying to heal. When I slept, I was plagued with nightmares of Kai being tortured and slowly killed. When I was awake, I was tormented by the same nightmare.
At one point, I lay awake listening to several rebels nearby. I focused on their conversation, trying to distract myself from my pain.
They were speculating about how Alifar could have found them with such heavy cloaking wards in place. After so many years of successfully hiding here, it didn’t add up that he had known exactly where to bring his army.
Their questions made me wonder.
I kept replaying words that Alifar had said on the battlefield.
“Even the saving grace of all the realms takes time to find some truths.”
It was such an odd thing to say about someone. I just couldn’t chalk it up to coincidence.
And I couldn’t shake the feeling that it meant something horrible. Was Alifar somehow tricking my sister?
Is the Realm of Light goddess in league with the High Lord?
A sinking feeling welled in my gut.
If my fledgling theory was right, the High Lord was getting information from Lyric’s best friend.
Please let me be wrong.
That would mean…
My heart hammered in my chest.
It meant the leak was me.
I had told my sister everything.
I woke in the middle of the night from another nightmare. I was drenched in sweat. My injuries screamed at me.
I gritted my teeth against the pain.
“Astrid?” My head swiveled to find Lyric standing near my bedside.
I took in a sharp breath. “Lyric?”
Her form was translucent, like it had been when she’d first ascended and couldn’t yet manage a corporeal appearance.
She looked drained and sick. Worry lined her face.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“I came to check on you,” she whispered. “Dyami said there was a terrible battle here.”
“I bet she did.” I raised my eyebrows. “Well, you can report back that the High Lord wasn’t successful, and I’ll make a full recovery.”
She breathed a sigh. “I’m glad you’re okay.”
Her form flickered in and out.
“Lyric, why are you not solid?”
“I’m just feeling really weak today.”
“Is that normal?” I scowled. “What’s wrong? You look even more sick than you did the other day.”
“Says the girl in the sickbed.” Lyric shook her head. “It’s just been hard on Earth. But Dyami says—”
“To hell with what Dyami says,” I hissed, leaning up on my elbow. “Lyric, something isn’t right.”
She frowned. “There’s no reason to be rude.” She folded her arms. “I’m a goddess, and I have another goddess advising me. We know what we’re doing. This is going to have to play out. You have to trust me.”
“Lyric, did you tell Dyami about Mom and her twin sister?”
“Yeah, she was excited to learn why you have powers and about who your father is.” Lyric shrugged. “She wanted to know all the details.”
“Did you tell her where the rebel base is?”
“She’s my best friend.” Lyric’s form shimmered. “I tell her everything.”
Bile rose in my throat. “Lyric, I think Dyami is in league with Alifar.”
“What? No.” Lyric screwed up her expression. “Dyami hates him.”
“What if she’s lying to you?”
“Dyami is practically a saint.”
“Kai is gone, Lyric.” I struggled to keep my voice down. “And I think it’s because Dyami told Alifar exactly where to attack us.”
She shook her head. “There must be another explanation. Don’t you think I would be able to tell if my friend was lying to me?”
I tried to shrug but hissed at the pain in my side. “Being a goddess doesn’t make you invincible to human emotion.” I waved a hand at her. “You’re the same person you’ve always been. So maybe Dyami isn’t everything she claims to be.”
Lyric’s essence glitched again. “Don’t trash my best friend.” She put her hands on her hips. “I’ve learned a lot from her, and she’s helped me fix the problems in our realm when she didn’t have to; you have to trust me.”
“It’s not that I don’t trust you,” I said. “I don’t trust her.”
Lyric pressed her lips into a line. “So you just think I’m gullible and naïve. Thanks for that.” She gestured to me. “I just came to see if you were okay. I don’t need a lecture.”
“Lyric, wait.”
“I’m sorry if you don’t like it, but I’m standing in defense of Dyami on this.”
My mouth fell open.
“I’m glad you’re okay,” Lyric’s form faded a bit, “but I have to go.”
And with that, my little sister left.
I wanted to scream.
How could she not see what was so clear in my mind?
Overcome with frustration and sorrow, I cried myself to sleep.
In the days following, I worked on recovering. It was a painstakingly slow process. When I wasn’t in bed resting, I walked and channeled magic, but it was exhausting.
Still, every day, I got a little stronger.
Ryder and I strategized several scenarios for saving Kai. By the time the rebel survivors had cleaned the battlefield and gathered the dead, Ryder and I had a solid rescue plan.
On the day of the mass funeral, I was finally strong enough to walk without assistance, but channeling magic still sapped my energy.
The death toll had been horrific.
Yana and the other earth mages were all gone, as well as every fire mage the rebels had.
