Page 69 of Darkness Births the Stars #1
CHAPTER
Noctis
T his was sheer madness.
I knew it even before urging Nacin into the tempest. The wind tore at us with such ferocity that I had to clutch the reins tightly, steadying the stallion as he let out a frightened whinny.
The biting rain lashed against our faces, obscuring the road and soaking our clothes and hair within seconds.
Being outside in a Chaos storm like this, with no protection from the raging elements, was more than dangerous—it was bordering on suicide.
Yet abandoning the araks to their fate wasn’t an option. Not for me, and certainly not for Rada.
I slowed Nacin to a trot, trying to veer out of the way of the broken-off branches that hurled through the air like deadly arrows.
Rada held on to me for dear life, her arms vise-like around my middle.
The rain blurred my vision, blinding me.
Chaos sizzled in the air, heavy on my skin, its force stealing my breath.
A strike of lightning. Perilously close. Throwing our surroundings into stark relief, it unveiled a fallen tree in our path. In a futile attempt to prevent a collision, I pulled harshly on Nacin’s reins. The stallion reared up with a shrill neigh, and suddenly the world tilted.
Terror blazed through me as Rada’s grip broke and she was ripped away from me with a torn-off scream.
The impact with the road rattled my teeth, even with the dirt already turning to squelching mud.
It clung to my hands as I scrambled to my feet, but thankfully, I wasn’t injured.
Nacin galloped back the way we had come, likely retreating to the barn in his fright.
“Rada!” I strained to see through the downpour, searching the road behind me. Blessed lyr , where was she? My breath hitched painfully when I couldn’t find her.
“I’m here.”
Sweet relief flooded me in a dizzying wave as her voice called out. She stumbled out of the darkness and rain. I reached out instinctually to steady her. A flash of lightning revealed the paleness of her face, mud splattered over the entire right side of her body.
“Are you hurt?” I had to shout into her ear to be heard over the boom of thunder.
“No, only shaken up a little,” she yelled back. “But where’s Nacin?”
“At his speed, probably already back at the farm. We have to continue on foot.”
The elements seemed to conspire against us.
The biting wind drove rain into our faces, our boots sank into the mud, and thunder and lightning raged around us.
I hadn’t released Rada’s hand since our fall.
We clung to each other, her cold, damp skin my sole anchor to reality.
The way up into the hills had turned into an endless battle, only our stubborn will propelling us forward.
As we finally emerged from between the trees, we both stood still, frozen in place.
It was all gone. The idyllic, flower-adorned pastures where we had rested side by side just hours before were no more. Only a broken, devastated field of mud, splintered trees, and jagged stones remained.
A mudslide. My stomach cramped in a sickening swoop when I realized the araks were nowhere to be seen.
Then I spotted a group of enormous, huddled shapes at the gate, pressed together in fright. Thank the stars! Some of them had survived. I restrained Rada just in time as she cried out in relief and tried to rush toward them.
“We have to be careful,” I cautioned. “Make sure they don’t run us over in their panic.”
As good-natured as the beasts usually were, they were out of their minds with fear, moaning loudly, their large, curved horns slamming into each other and the fence. I hesitated, unsure how to proceed.
Alma saved us. As we approached the gate, the herd’s matriarch pushed forward, nuzzling her massive head against Rada’s outstretched hand through a gap in the wood.
Rada patted her, murmuring soothing words into the animal’s ear.
Remarkably, this calmed the entire herd; they remained jittery but were no longer in a state of panic.
After a brief glance at me, Rada swung the gate open.
The araks followed Alma outside in a line, their hooves sinking into the muddy road.
Desolation swept over Rada’s face as they passed her by one by one, and she was finally able to count them.
“There are three missing!” She strode toward the storm-ravaged field, apparently determined to ignore the danger.
“Rada, no.” Once more, I restrained her, gripping her wrist tightly. She was all wild desperation when I pulled her to me, her eyes wide, her wet hair plastered against her cheeks. I cradled her face in my hands, forcing her to look at me, to acknowledge the truth. “They are gone, Rada. ”
“No,” she protested, shaking her head frantically. “We must—”
“We must save those who remain… and ourselves.”
I half expected her to remain persistent, her body tense. But she suddenly relented, easing up against me and closing her eyes. She gave a single, decisive nod.
The descent from the hills was a never-ending nightmare.
Alma led the way, her instincts holding up even now.
Our close calls were so numerous that I lost count.
My heart raced each time a hoof skidded off the path, a curved horn nearly grazed me or Rada, or a lightning strike sent the herd into fresh turmoil.
It happened at the end. So close to the farm that I had fooled myself into believing the storm was waning, that we would all survive.
Lightning and thunder struck simultaneously, so violently that I instinctively ducked.
The deafening crash of a collapsing tree and the piercing screams of an animal in pain followed.
When I could see again, my ears still ringing, Chaos roared around us. The magic fueled the storm into a tempest that reached for me with ravenous hunger.
A mocking hiss slithered over my skin. “Master, Master, Master…”
I gasped. No, it couldn’t be. The Chiasma lacked the power to conjure such a storm, even with the help of the daggers.
Rada stumbled against me, grabbing hold of me in desperation. She thrust an object into my hand—something smooth that pulsed wildly in my grip. The Chaosdagger we had taken from Vultaron.
“Is the storm following the dagger?” she shouted.
“No,” I replied. But the dagger might be our only chance of salvation. “The storm is drawn to me,” I admitted. Somehow, my former servants had sent it after me. And if I did not find a way to tame it, its unrestrained power would devour us.
Bracing myself, I lifted the dagger. The magic roared in recognition, whirling around us in a gleaming stream of amethyst and emerald.
Rada’s gaze filled with apprehension, though her hold on me did not falter. “Noctis! Are you sure?”
Another lightning bolt struck alarmingly close, sending the araks into a renewed panic. “It’s the only way,” I murmured, uncertain if Rada could hear me.
The dagger in my hands flared like a fallen star as I reached for the magic surrounding us.
It came to me like an eager lover, caressing my skin, filling my very being.
I could feel it all—the raging force of the storm, destructive yet magnificent, waiting for me to reach out and harness it.
Unlike the day I had wielded the dagger against the Serai, when only the magic in its lyr -stone was mine to command, now the dagger was acting as a conduit, channeling the storm’s full might into me.
Everything else fell away. I no longer sensed the rain pelting me or the wind tearing at us. There was only the power coursing through my veins, the magic radiating off me in pulsing waves.
“You have to share it!”
A distant voice in my ear, fingers clawing at my arm. I ignored them. The last time, the magic had made me feel alive. Today, for a fleeting, exhilarating moment, it made me feel like a god again.
Then the pain hit. A searing sensation raged through me, as if my blood were on fire, boiling me alive. I desperately reached for the magic, attempting to control it, but it refused my command. Dread awakened inside me.
I had been wrong, terribly wrong. I was too weak to control this tempest.
“Let me in!” Rada flung herself into my arms. Her body against mine, her hand closing around the dagger, her mind touching my mind .
Every hair at my nape rose under her bright gaze, my heartbeat thundering painfully. I stood in the eye of the storm just before lightning struck.
And then, lightning did strike.
Her lips collided with mine.
The world burst into a kaleidoscope of iridescent colors. She tasted like rain and magic. Like everything I had lost and thought I’d never find again. She tasted like home.
Her lips pressed demandingly against mine, her tongue darting inside my mouth. I opened up to her without hesitation, surging against her at the sharp spike of desire, greedy for more of this feeling, more of her.
She took what I offered so completely that it overwhelmed my senses, exploring my mouth as though she sought to devour me, to take all of me until nothing remained. And Light, I would let her. I would let her have everything, even if it destroyed me.
The magic pulsed between us like a living thing, an unbreakable bond connecting us through pure, unfettered power.
“Together.” Rada’s voice echoed in my thoughts, as fierce and relentless as her kiss. “I know you can do it.”
A cascade of memories flooded my mind.
Rada sitting upon a golden throne, clad in a radiant white gown, a tiara made of starlight crowning her red locks. Her face stunning and flawless, but oh so cold.
Her throaty laughter ringing out as she ran across an endless stretch of soft sand, diving into the inviting turquoise waves, utterly naked, sending up thousands of sparkling droplets into the sunlight.
Tears streaming down her cheeks in a ceaseless flood, her expression forlorn as she reached for me, the flame of her hair hidden by her cloak’s shadow.