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CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

There. Glittering in the distance… I could see it.

It was both tangible and elusive. It smelled of ocaberries and spices.

Of both me and Fletcher. The two entities twisted around each other in perfect harmony.

My aquas mixing with his lilacs. And they pulsed in unison as the feeling entangled me in an enthralling joy.

This was me. This was him. This was us .

Our magic was one. And it was mine to keep. Just like Fletcher had always said .

There was an undercurrent that towed me closer to its gentle shimmer and a soft tinkling sound vibrated from it, filling my soul with joy and laughter.

Its delicate chimes held the memories of us when we were young, of me in the tower, of our reunion and our hardships.

And I wouldn’t have had it any other way.

A whimsical wonder soothed this tranquil limbo in ways I wanted to sleep in forever.

Because our magic was protecting me from the inside out.

And now, we could be… together… forever.

This was where I wanted to stay. This was where I was needed.

To watch over this magic. But more importantly, to decide if it was to be donated to an Elizian without magic if I wanted to.

Love enveloped me. I was no longer in need of magic because I was beyond. As I marveled at it, I smiled, knowing I did not want this perfect union between Fletcher and me to dissipate into nothing. Knowing very well there was one person who would keep it safe.

In the midst of my first inhale, an eeriness inched toward me. A menacing tone grated out, swathing my magic. Sapphire and violet veins spidered into my perfect heaven and infected it with its sinister curse .

Stars and colors exploded, and a battle ensued. Lighter hues and darker poisons clashed together, creating a chaotic spectacle. My magic receded, shrunk, shriveled in the collision of ominous black storm clouds.

No!

My split magic. It was attacking me. Waves of light blues and violets swelled with an expansive rush of power in response to the split.

Vines spread from its core and surrounded the darkened clouds, constricting it in place so it could no longer grow.

So it could tame the malicious infection that lived inside me.

And it was in that moment where my split magic shrunk that I saw something remarkable.

Through its swirling black storm clouds, purple electricity spread, resembling the magic that had coated the Cidris cages.

Even more, it shimmered ever so slightly in the shade of Fletcher’s magic. Lilac.

The idea connected, sparking a thought. It took hold with a mixture of curiosity and confusion. Is the split magic somehow… a version of Fletcher’s magic ?

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

The sound of crisp sheets rubbing together as I turned roused me awake. I opened my eyes to the sterile white walls of a hospital room, florescent lights above blinding me. Machines beeped as I slowly regained my bearings. The weight of my body felt heavy, as though it was made of stone.

Rosaanne’s face came over me, not more than ten inches from my nose. Her freckles scrunched with her smile, pure yellow eyes glaring at me intensely. “Ripley!” she squealed as they narrowed to small slits .

I sat up in alert, abs tightening in odd places and pain screaming up my torso. “Where’s Fletcher?” I croaked in haste. Tears burned my eyes that he wasn’t here already.

Rosaanne put up her hands. “He’s okay, he’s okay,” she repeated quickly.

“He’s okay?” I asked again as breath escaped my lungs.

“He’s fine,” she whispered with a smile. “He’s alive.”

I swallowed with an arid throat. “What happened?” My eyes roamed the small bed I was in that matched empty ones in the row traveling to the left and right of me. There were some Elizians in the far corners sleeping. The vaulted ceiling and bare, white walls made every noise echo. “Where am I?”

She placed a hand on my arm and leaned over my bed, helping me lay back down. “You’re in the Elizy infirmary. You took half of the wound, and you and Fletcher are going to be just fine.”

I fell back to the pillow, my abs in severe pain, but my mind in tranquil relief.

I gave a hollow grin and took a deep breath. “Everyone’s okay?”

“Everyone is okay, Princess. ”

I exhaled loudly, scrubbing my hand over my face. “How long was I out?”

Rosaanne sat back, crossing one leg over the other. “About four and a half hours.”

“What about the facility?”

“The Cidris Facility has collapsed and is inoperable. Mirin went to check an hour ago. We didn’t get the drabes though.

” A sadness befell her expression before she quickly readjusted it after a small sigh.

“But the Elizians are home. Moms, dads, and babies. Hopefully all the Cidris are dead now. Or at least they don’t have a place to continue to take our blood. ”

“Where is everyone now?”

Rosaanne sat back in her seat, crossed her legs and linked her fingers over her knee.

“Mirin is tending to the Elizians we saved. Aldris is tending to Fletcher, and I am watching over you. The king and queen came to visit you a few times. They are bouncing back and forth from being here with you and those we rescued.”

Everyone was okay, and the thought echoed in my chest with a sense of grief.

Scenes from Fletcher limping out of the facility’s entrance to Graff pointing a gun flashed through my mind. Then the lava coating his body as he screamed. Everyone was safe, except him. “I killed Graff.”

She nodded, and her eyes lit up. “But, you saved Fletcher.” Her hand came on my cheek, wiping away a tear spilling down.

It was true. I’d save Fletcher over any other person in a heartbeat.

“Now is not a time to be hard on yourself.” Rosaanne rested a hand on my thigh briefly before turning to the monitors beside my bed and checking my vitals. “Now is a time to celebrate that we’ve won the war. Now is time to rest and recuperate.”

We did win the war. The Cidris were gone. Our barrier was no longer needed. Fletcher was free and so was I. A soft grin emerged over my face as it began to settle in. My future. My bright future had finally arrived. This was the beginning of the rest of my life.

Fletcher and I could finally be together. We could get married and live in Ellion City. Or even explore the world. No more running, no more pain. I could finally put all my focus into the one person who had done the same for me.

I wanted to send Fletcher a thought—a few actually—but to risk my split magic taking over while I was still healing didn’t seem like the best option. I needed to tell him how excited I was for us. I needed him to know I was here and ready for our life together.

“I want to talk to Fletcher.”

“Last I checked, he was sleeping.”

I nodded, relief sweeping me into a glorious hug. “That’s good. He needs it.” I had nothing but time to tell him.

“And so do you.” Her golden eyes flashed to me with a glint of a sparkle streaking through them. “I’m sure you two will see each other soon enough.” She stood from her chair and said, “I’m going to go get the nurse for you, okay?”

I snuggled farther into the covers and let my eyes follow her as she rounded to the end of my bed. “Thank you for helping us.”

Rosaanne halted her steps, leaned over, and patted my leg. “My pleasure, Princess.”

As I watched her walk to the end of the room, the idea of freedom and a wonderful future slurped me up and enveloped me with exponential grace. This happiness was where I wanted to stay forever. I’d never felt such joy in my life.

There were so many opportunities for me. Decisions I could make for myself. I could build a life . A life for me. What would that even look like? To not live for Mother? To not live in fear of people using me for my blood? To not live for the king and queen?

I was practically giddy and let loose a small giggle, readying to close my eyes and relish in my glee. My echoing blissful heaven. A life with Fletcher Darkly.

As I breathed in my first deep inhale that welcomed me into the beginning of my life, movement pieced together at my bedside and the king’s deep brown eyes looked crazed and unsettled.

He donned a simple black hoodie, a gray t-shirt, and some loose pants.

After a noticeable gulp, he said in a rasp, “Are you okay?”

I gave a lazy grin, placing a gentle hand on my wound. “Yes.”

His hand clamped down on my arm as he said, “Good. Come with me.”

A deluge of geometric patterns flooded his system in a single, forceful torrent with precision and symmetry. Every fiber of my being was consumed by the relentless tide of his magic.

I was whisked away to the barrier. The feel of my body coming back together burned my wound and caused a headache to ripple through my mind.

My vision blurred, and for a moment, all I saw on the other side of the barrier were figures dressed in black.

And as I stabilized, one in particular caught my eye.

Fletcher.

On his knees.

Hands bound behind his back, blood dampening the white bandages around his bare torso and shoulder.

More blood streamed down his forehead, eyes half closed.

Behind him was a Cidris, hand clutching the back of Fletcher’s hair and yanking it back so that his neck was exposed. A sharp blade made its way to his throat, on the side where the scar I had given him traveled.

My body lit at the horror, skin pulsing aqua and eyes widening with fright. Fletcher looked scared, and exhausted, and in a lot of pain by the way his eyes screwed shut when the Cidris pulled on his hair even harder.

My line of vision latched on to the enemy, and when they did, I was struck by something extremely unsettling.

Though the man’s eyes were more hooded and his face more angular, I couldn’t deny the resemblance to Fletcher.

The height, the build, the messy dark hair, the cinnamon eyes, the way his chin pointed.

Even his movements reminded me of Fletcher.

When the sound of clicking rattled through the air, I switched my attention to the four other Cidris gathered in a semicircle, guns drawn and aimed at Fletcher.

“You have thirty seconds to turn off these barriers and let us in before we slit his throat and behead him in front of you,” the Cidris with cinnamon eyes demanded. “Your choice, princess.”