Page 180
Story: Duskbound
"By the Void," Vexa breathed. "Look at them, Aether."
"They're responding to both sides of her," he said softly, moving closer to examine the blades. "Incredible."
"Just like their wielder." Vexa's smile was fierce with pride, but I caught the glimmer of mist in her eyes. "No more borrowed weapons. These are yours, made for exactly who you are."
"Try throwing them," she added quickly, blinking away the emotion.
I hesitated only a moment before I turned, launching both daggers at a dead tree thirty paces away. They struck true, burying themselves deep in the trunk with a satisfying thud.
Then I felt it. A pull. Like invisible threads connecting us.
With a single thought, the daggers ripped free, spinning through the air like deadly stars before slamming home into my waiting hands. The sensation was electric—like finding limbs I never knew were missing.
Fucking. Incredible.
"Nowthat," Vexa grinned, "was worth all those sleepless nights in the forge."
"I don't know how to thank you," I managed, my own vision blurring. I tried to remember the last time someone had given me something so meaningful. If I hadeverbeen given something so meaningful.
"Just put them to good use." She clasped my shoulder, her grip tight with emotion. "And try not to get yourself killed before I can forge you a matching set of throwing knives." She paused, then pulled me into a fierce hug. "You're one of us now," she whispered.
With a final wink at Aether, she turned and headed back toward the fortress, leaving us alone in the field. I watched her go, the daggers warm against my palms, feeling for the first time like I truly belonged somewhere.
"So…" I turned to Aether, still mesmerized by how the crystals pulsed with dual energy. "You were in on this?"
That dimple appeared as he smiled. "Vexa spent every night in the forge while you were healing. I searched the archives for anything that could help." His golden eyes held mine. "We wanted you to have something worthy of what you are."
"And what exactly am I?" The words came out softer than intended.
"The Blade of the Realm, of course." He moved closer, his fingers trailing over one of the arcanite shards. "It's what we call our leader, our Queen." He shook his head, something like wonder crossing his features.
"You make me sound much more impressive than I am."
"Do I?" His expression turned serious. "You survived Valkan's torture. Saved my life. Discovered the truth about siphons and arcanite. You connected us to a growing resistance in Sídhe. And now..." His eyes swept across the field where tiny blades of grasspushed through dead earth. "Now you're bringing life back to a realm that so many had given up on."
Heat flooded my face. "I didn't do any of that alone."
"No," he agreed. "But you gave us something we'd lost. Something even I had forgotten was possible."
"What's that?"
"Hope." He smiled down at me as he took my hand and pulled me through the dead field, our boots crunching against brittle grass.
"There's still so much work to do," I admitted.
"Valkan's troops are the immediate threat," Aether finally said, his voice low. "We expect his brother to claim his title soon."
"I know." I watched the wind breathe across the gray earth, stirring dust into the air. "And we need to give our allies in Sídhe time to plant their seeds. To grow their numbers."
"You trust Laryk to follow through?"
The question held no judgment, just quiet concern. I considered it carefully before answering.
"I trust that he'll help us," I said slowly. "Even if his reasons aren't entirely pure."
"Two wars," Aether said quietly. "One brewing in the South, another in a realm a world away. Both with the power to destroy everything."
The weight of it settled over me. Months ago, I would have crumbled under such pressure, would have run from any whisper of responsibility. But as I looked across this dead field toward the fortress that had once been my prison, I realized how much had changed.
"They're responding to both sides of her," he said softly, moving closer to examine the blades. "Incredible."
"Just like their wielder." Vexa's smile was fierce with pride, but I caught the glimmer of mist in her eyes. "No more borrowed weapons. These are yours, made for exactly who you are."
"Try throwing them," she added quickly, blinking away the emotion.
I hesitated only a moment before I turned, launching both daggers at a dead tree thirty paces away. They struck true, burying themselves deep in the trunk with a satisfying thud.
Then I felt it. A pull. Like invisible threads connecting us.
With a single thought, the daggers ripped free, spinning through the air like deadly stars before slamming home into my waiting hands. The sensation was electric—like finding limbs I never knew were missing.
Fucking. Incredible.
"Nowthat," Vexa grinned, "was worth all those sleepless nights in the forge."
"I don't know how to thank you," I managed, my own vision blurring. I tried to remember the last time someone had given me something so meaningful. If I hadeverbeen given something so meaningful.
"Just put them to good use." She clasped my shoulder, her grip tight with emotion. "And try not to get yourself killed before I can forge you a matching set of throwing knives." She paused, then pulled me into a fierce hug. "You're one of us now," she whispered.
With a final wink at Aether, she turned and headed back toward the fortress, leaving us alone in the field. I watched her go, the daggers warm against my palms, feeling for the first time like I truly belonged somewhere.
"So…" I turned to Aether, still mesmerized by how the crystals pulsed with dual energy. "You were in on this?"
That dimple appeared as he smiled. "Vexa spent every night in the forge while you were healing. I searched the archives for anything that could help." His golden eyes held mine. "We wanted you to have something worthy of what you are."
"And what exactly am I?" The words came out softer than intended.
"The Blade of the Realm, of course." He moved closer, his fingers trailing over one of the arcanite shards. "It's what we call our leader, our Queen." He shook his head, something like wonder crossing his features.
"You make me sound much more impressive than I am."
"Do I?" His expression turned serious. "You survived Valkan's torture. Saved my life. Discovered the truth about siphons and arcanite. You connected us to a growing resistance in Sídhe. And now..." His eyes swept across the field where tiny blades of grasspushed through dead earth. "Now you're bringing life back to a realm that so many had given up on."
Heat flooded my face. "I didn't do any of that alone."
"No," he agreed. "But you gave us something we'd lost. Something even I had forgotten was possible."
"What's that?"
"Hope." He smiled down at me as he took my hand and pulled me through the dead field, our boots crunching against brittle grass.
"There's still so much work to do," I admitted.
"Valkan's troops are the immediate threat," Aether finally said, his voice low. "We expect his brother to claim his title soon."
"I know." I watched the wind breathe across the gray earth, stirring dust into the air. "And we need to give our allies in Sídhe time to plant their seeds. To grow their numbers."
"You trust Laryk to follow through?"
The question held no judgment, just quiet concern. I considered it carefully before answering.
"I trust that he'll help us," I said slowly. "Even if his reasons aren't entirely pure."
"Two wars," Aether said quietly. "One brewing in the South, another in a realm a world away. Both with the power to destroy everything."
The weight of it settled over me. Months ago, I would have crumbled under such pressure, would have run from any whisper of responsibility. But as I looked across this dead field toward the fortress that had once been my prison, I realized how much had changed.
Table of Contents
- Page 1
- Page 2
- Page 3
- Page 4
- Page 5
- Page 6
- Page 7
- Page 8
- Page 9
- Page 10
- Page 11
- Page 12
- Page 13
- Page 14
- Page 15
- Page 16
- Page 17
- Page 18
- Page 19
- Page 20
- Page 21
- Page 22
- Page 23
- Page 24
- Page 25
- Page 26
- Page 27
- Page 28
- Page 29
- Page 30
- Page 31
- Page 32
- Page 33
- Page 34
- Page 35
- Page 36
- Page 37
- Page 38
- Page 39
- Page 40
- Page 41
- Page 42
- Page 43
- Page 44
- Page 45
- Page 46
- Page 47
- Page 48
- Page 49
- Page 50
- Page 51
- Page 52
- Page 53
- Page 54
- Page 55
- Page 56
- Page 57
- Page 58
- Page 59
- Page 60
- Page 61
- Page 62
- Page 63
- Page 64
- Page 65
- Page 66
- Page 67
- Page 68
- Page 69
- Page 70
- Page 71
- Page 72
- Page 73
- Page 74
- Page 75
- Page 76
- Page 77
- Page 78
- Page 79
- Page 80
- Page 81
- Page 82
- Page 83
- Page 84
- Page 85
- Page 86
- Page 87
- Page 88
- Page 89
- Page 90
- Page 91
- Page 92
- Page 93
- Page 94
- Page 95
- Page 96
- Page 97
- Page 98
- Page 99
- Page 100
- Page 101
- Page 102
- Page 103
- Page 104
- Page 105
- Page 106
- Page 107
- Page 108
- Page 109
- Page 110
- Page 111
- Page 112
- Page 113
- Page 114
- Page 115
- Page 116
- Page 117
- Page 118
- Page 119
- Page 120
- Page 121
- Page 122
- Page 123
- Page 124
- Page 125
- Page 126
- Page 127
- Page 128
- Page 129
- Page 130
- Page 131
- Page 132
- Page 133
- Page 134
- Page 135
- Page 136
- Page 137
- Page 138
- Page 139
- Page 140
- Page 141
- Page 142
- Page 143
- Page 144
- Page 145
- Page 146
- Page 147
- Page 148
- Page 149
- Page 150
- Page 151
- Page 152
- Page 153
- Page 154
- Page 155
- Page 156
- Page 157
- Page 158
- Page 159
- Page 160
- Page 161
- Page 162
- Page 163
- Page 164
- Page 165
- Page 166
- Page 167
- Page 168
- Page 169
- Page 170
- Page 171
- Page 172
- Page 173
- Page 174
- Page 175
- Page 176
- Page 177
- Page 178
- Page 179
- Page 180
- Page 181
- Page 182
- Page 183
- Page 184
- Page 185
- Page 186
- Page 187