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Deathlies… It worked. They were dying.

Scanning my hand, I watched as the boils, blisters, and splotches of dark colors began to fade. The sky grew quiet, the dragons beating their wings as they swiftly flew down.

Peering back at the void, it closed up, the ground healing, recreating and claiming it as a surface.

But Aurelia.

“Loker, now!” I demanded, my heart panting. My heart was in need of her. Sweat glazed my skin. I didn’t care if I was healed. I didn’t care about myself. I just needed her.

Loker’s hands lifted, a rush of air being heard from inside of the gaping void.

The grass became greener as it inched inward, closing the gap.

I couldn’t lose Aurelia again.

Not again.

His hands lifted higher, and her pink strands became visible as she lifted barely in time as the void closed; the grass that was once dead and oozing became healed and fine.

Loker used his abilities to gently lie her on the ground. Her hair tousled. Her skin healed.

“Aurelia!” I yelled, the pieces of my shattered heart scratching against my ribcage. “No! No!” I ran to her, holding her body in mine. I cradled her like I once had not too long again.

Not again.

My hands shook, my fingertips going numb as she was still in my arms. It was a stillness that I recognized all too well. One that was too familiar.

“Aurelia. Aurelia. Aurelia.” Her name rattled off the tip of my tongue, unable to stop, repeating in circles. “I care about you so much. Don’t leave me. Don’t let me break my promise,” I whispered, my eyes growing damp.

There was a strong flapping noise, and I glanced to my side seeing Belle come down. Her sinewy claws neared us, and her snout nudged toward Aurelia, as if telling me to check her breathing.

I did.

A sob escaped my throat as there was a soft pulse.

Chapter sixty-nine

AURELIA

Iopened my eyes and found myself no longer tumbling through a black gaping hole in some sort of portal toHaxnau1. The sun was sticking out through the clouds, the rays refreshing my skin. Dragons were flapping above me in the air. Their figures differentiated as they swirled through the sky, their wings and tails different from each other. Their colors slightly stood out, signaling theirmaxz2 and breed.

But there was no more fire, and I didn’t see any Deathlies, either.

Loker came into my vision, and then everyone else followed. “Lia, you good?” Angie asked, her arms crossed over her chest. But that’s not what caught my eye at first.

Their skins were clear. There were no more diseases or boils covering their arms and legs. I looked at my hands, and I couldn’t find anything, either. We did it. We ended the Deathlies.

I was being held in familiar arms. “My Queen,” Damian said, holding my face in his hands. His face was black with smoke, his eyes droopy and tired. “I thought I had lost you,” he whispered, sadness showing in the droop of his eyes. I lifted my freezing hand to his face, soaking in the warmth.

My heart fell. Something was wrong.

“Luella!” I cried out, attempting to sit up, but my elbows gave out. I forced through the pain and saw everyone else glancing over where I saw Luella last. “No, no, no,” I shouted. “No!” My body heaved. The sobs, like a race, ran through my body, unable to keep up with itself. Tears pricked my face, soaking them with sadness.

“I’m sorry,” Damian said soberly. I forced my legs to move and ran to her. I collapsed right by Luella’s body, my own drained with no energy. But I didn’t care.

Luella’s small body laid on the rock. Her golden eyes were closed. The sun reflected off her beautifully dark, unblemished skin. Golden blood was stained around her body, her back arched in an unforgiving way.

“No,” I whispered, unable to speak any louder. Clemmy, Loker, and Angie wiped tears away from their faces. Abner comforted Angie by wrapping his arm around her body. We all stood in disbelief. Our friend was dead.