Page 34 of Kingdoms of Tides and Twilight (A World of Sun and Shadow #2)

R enya grabbed her dagger, but before she could move, dark blue tendrils spread from Kalora, and the room went completely dark. Renya wanted to scream, but she felt Kalora grab her hand and drag her down the hall in the direction of the sublevels. While their guards took on the intruders, Kalora and Renya raced to catch up with Selenia and Julietta. Just as they rounded the final corner, they heard Selenia scream.

Renya halted, the sound piercing through her heart. Up ahead, a Shadow Realm soldier was brandishing a sword right towards Selenia.

“No!” Renya screamed and pulled deep inside her. Her magic burst out of her fingertips, the gold wisps hanging in the air but not doing anything. The soldier looked at Renya's failed magic and laughed, and charged at Selenia, his sword aimed for her chest. Selenia's eyes went wide, and Renya froze, unable to believe the scene before her.

Renya heard the impact of the sword, heard the steel break through flesh.

But it wasn't Selenia's.

Jurel stood there, sword through his chest, mouth open and eyes fading.

Kalora plunged her weapon into the side of the Shadow Realm soldier's stomach, and he fell to the ground.

Renya ran to Jurel as he fell. Selenia sank to the floor, in shock.

“Selenia, help me stop the bleeding,” she said, cutting the fabric of the skirt that partially covered her trousers with her dagger.

Selenia stared, unable to comprehend what she saw. Jurel lay flat on the ground, blood pooling behind his back.

“Selenia, did you hear me? Pull out the sword, and I'll apply pressure.”

But before Renya or Selenia could act, Kalora put her hand on Renya's shoulder. Kalora silently shook her head. Renya then realized the hopelessness of the situation. There was no healer nearby, and no modern medicine. He was losing blood much too fast.

Kalora helped Renya to her feet. “It's best to let them say goodbye,” she said softly.

Selenia finally seemed to understand the horrifying scene in front of her.

“Jurel!” she screamed. “No!” She crawled towards him, her hands running over Jurel's body as if she could fix him by touch alone.

Jurel reached up and stroked her cheek, weak and fading quickly. “I couldn't—couldn't leave. Not after—what happened.” He coughed, and blood trickled out of his mouth.

“No! Jurel! You can't leave me! I—I love you!”

He looked up at Selenia, his eyes glazing over and his skin losing its color. “It's…better this way. I can't…can't hurt you again. I…love you. I'm sorry for…being too scared to admit it.” He reached out one last time, and Selenia grabbed his hand, pulling it to her chest.

“No! Don't leave me!”

Renya heard another explosion, and saw the hall behind them crumble, rubble falling everywhere. She pulled Selenia up to her feet. “We have to go! Jurel would want you to live!”

Selenia could hardly walk. Kalora and Renya dragged her around another corner and down the staircase, Julietta sobbing in sympathy behind them.

By the time they reached the bottom level, Selenia was mumbling incoherently. She sank to her knees the second Renya and Kalora let go of her.

“Selenia,” Renya said, her eyes full of unshed tears. “I'm so sorry.” She pulled the girl against her chest and Selenia sat there, frozen.

“I think she's in shock,” Renya said to Kalora and Julietta. “Help me get her to a chair.”

The armory was almost empty now. Renya could hardly believe it was the same room she had been in barely twenty minutes ago. She wasn't sure if the men working fled or joined the fight. They left the fires burning, and Julietta found a chair and moved it next to one of the stone hearths. A sword was sitting in the flames, unfinished, the steel an intense orange. Renya watched it unseeingly, trying to make sense of what happened upstairs.

Kalora grabbed Selenia under the arms and got her into the chair. Selenia's eyes were wide open, and she looked ahead, a vacant expression on her face.

Julietta kneeled before her, wiping a cool cloth she found across her face and cleaning the blood off Selenia's hands. Renya looked at her appreciatively, never noticing Julietta's quiet compassion until now. Renya moved over the pail of water left behind, and Julietta soaked the cloth again, rinsing Jurel's blood away as she continued to care for Selenia.

Kalora spoke under her breath. “I don't think this battle is going to end well for us.”

Before Renya could answer her, a panic-filled voice filled her head.

What's wrong? I can feel your pain. What happened?

Renya could barely focus. The second Grayden reached out, she pictured Jurel as he laid there, the blood spilling out of his body.

She could feel the exact second Grayden saw the image in her mind. Pain, unlike anything she'd ever felt, surged through her. She dropped to her hands and knees, feeling Grayden's sorrow at the loss of his friend. The despair coursed through her body, and everything inside her tensed up as the tears streamed down her face.

“Renya?” Kalora asked, concerned. “What's going on?”

Renya could hardly speak, the emotional and physical pain too great. It washed over her, the grief seeming to open up every wound, every emotional injury she'd ever had in her life.

She sat there, huddled and rocking herself, trying to gain control of her feelings. When it finally subsided, she could no longer tell where her emotions started and where Grayden's ended.

In that moment, she knew. She knew if she didn't act, every single person she loved and cared about would be killed. Murdered and struck down, just like Jurel. Without thinking, she wiped Jurel's blood off her hands and on her trousers and stood up, making her way over to the staircase.

Kalora grabbed her arm. “Renya, you can't.”

“I have to. It's my destiny,” she said, pulling away. “I'm the light bringer. I'm the sacrifice.”

Kalora looked at her, and Renya could tell she wasn't sure if Renya was in her right mind. But things had never been clearer to Renya. This was what she was meant to do. She climbed up the stairs, careful not to look back behind her. She didn't want to lose her courage now that she made up her mind. Her body pushed her forward, and she found strength she didn't know she possessed as her feet hit each metal step, taking her higher and higher. She reached the hall and kept moving forward.

Renya ignored the voice in her head. The pleas, the begging, the bargaining, the screaming. She couldn't listen to him. Couldn't picture him there in the battle, realizing what she was about to do. The pain and betrayal he was feeling. Renya tuned it all out as she skirted around rubble and moved deftly to the entrance of the castle.

She stepped out into the courtyard, seeing the carnage at her feet. She was more sure than ever that this was the right move. A peace came over her, a realization that this was how it was always supposed to be. It felt foolish now, that she hadn't put it together. Of course she was the sacrifice that would restore the balance of magic. Through her death, power would flow again and Grayden would be able to defeat Cressida. She smiled, thinking of Julietta gaining back her magic. Would Phillippe get powers too? Would Selenia's magic become manageable? Perhaps Esmeralda would now find her fated mate. It would all be okay. She just needed to do this one, simple thing.

I love you, Renya. Always. Take care of Selenia.

Grayden's voice came through her mind loud and strong. She instantly panicked. What did he mean, take care of Selenia? What was he doing?

Renya looked up and spotted him, waving his hands at the top of the hill in front of her.

“No!” she screamed, racing towards him. But it was too late.

The large dragon landed on the hill next to him, red talons digging into the earth. Renya could just make out Cressida, wearing blood red armor and thigh high leather boots. She slid off the dragon, approaching Grayden. He pulled out his sword and lunged at her, but her magic was too fast. Her dagger was outstretched, her magic now binding Grayden, holding him still.

Renya ran as fast as she could, her legs barely touching the ground as she sped towards Grayden. A few Shadow Realm soldiers tried to stop her, but she lashed out with her magic, the golden tendrils knocking them over before they could touch her. She made her way up the hill, stumbling and screaming at the top of her lungs.

“It's not him you want. It's me!”

Cressida turned towards Renya, a vicious and victorious smile on her pale face.

Grayden's eyes reflected the horror he felt. Unable to move, he stood there, helpless and gagged by magic.

“Why, if it isn't our star-crossed lovers,” she cooed, her voice soft as silk and sickeningly sweet. “Have you come to trade your life for your mate's?”

“Yes. Let him go, and you can take my power. And then you can kill me. Just please, let him go.”

“I'm not sure that's a deal I want to take,” Cressida said, moving towards Grayden. She slid a long nail against his cheek, cutting his face with the sharp edge until it bled. “It's much more fun to hurt him and watch you suffer. Tell me, do you feel what he feels? Do you enjoy your little bond?” She sneered as she gripped her dagger and slid it in between the unprotected side of Grayden's armor, piercing his body deeply.

“No! Please stop!” Renya sobbed, unable to stand the sight of the knife in Grayden's flesh, the pain he felt making her ill as she experienced it through their bond. “I'll do anything.”

“Will you?” Cressida purred, holding the dagger in place at Grayden's side and fixating her violet eyes on Renya. “Would you vow to join me?”

What? Join her? Renya couldn't even comprehend what Cressida was asking. She assumed her power would be taken and she would be discarded immediately.

“Please, just take my power and kill me. Let him go.” The sobs continued and Renya dropped to her knees as the blood ran down Grayden's side and onto the dirt below him, pooling at his feet. His eyes were wide, and he was losing blood too quickly.

Cressida twisted the dagger and unbound Grayden at the same time. Free of the magical bindings, he cried out before he hit the ground, bleeding worse than before. Renya moved towards him, but Cressida's magic turned toward Renya and trapped her instead.

The Shadow Queen moved back towards Grayden as he struggled to get to his feet. She kicked his injured side, and he grunted and fell back to the ground. The wound continued to hemorrhage, and Renya could do nothing but watch as his life's essence spilled on the dirt.

Renya continued to sob hysterically. “Please…” she begged. The desperation surged through her, and she knew in that moment, she would do anything to save him.

Cressida sank to where Grayden lay. He was still struggling to get up, even though he could barely move. Renya could see him reaching for his dagger in his boot. Before he could grasp it, Cressida's magic reached out and froze him. She brought her own dagger to his neck, ready to finish him off.

“I'll do it!” Renya screamed, the horror of the moment almost making her faint. “I'll join you.”

Cressida looked at her and smiled cruelly and then licked her lips. “You'll need to promise in blood.”

“I'll do anything,” Renya said, unsure of what she was agreeing to, but determined to save Grayden.

Cressida once again released her hold on Grayden. He struggled to get up, his hand clutching his side. “Renya, I'm not...worth it. Please. You have to give me up—you know it, and I know it. This is...not how your story ends.”

She looked over at his handsome face, covered in dirt, blood and sweat. She could see the moisture in his eyes and knew this would hurt him almost as much as her death would have. But she couldn't let him die. She wouldn't let him die.

Cressida grabbed the dagger and sliced her hand before doing the same to Renya. At this point, Renya was so numb that she didn't even feel the pain from the cut. Cressida pressed their hands together, their blood mixing together. “Do you promise to join my cause and take up my fight?”

“Yes,” Renya said, trying not to look at Grayden while Cressida conducted the ritual. The second Renya said the words, she felt the anguish rip through Grayden. She tried to hear his thoughts, tried to push into his mind, but all she could sense was his pain, both emotional and physical.

Cressida smiled, her look sinister and dark. She grabbed Renya, pulling her towards the dragon.

“No! Please, just let me say goodbye!” She pulled free of Cressida and ran over to Grayden. Renya threw herself against his chest and kissed him passionately. Their tears mingled together, and she couldn't believe she had to be parted from him again. But she'd rather bear their separation than his death. Grayden clung to her, his mouth trying to kiss every part of her face, knowing it was the last time.

“I'll always be with you,” she whispered, the pain between the two so intense that it was almost incapacitating them both. “I'll always love you. Please, don't come for me. Stay safe.”

Before Grayden could respond, Cressida pulled her away. Renya kicked and screamed, shouting obscenities. She managed to break Cressida's hold for a split second, but the Shadow Queen just laughed and bound her with magic once again. She used her powers to manipulate Renya onto the back of the dragon. A harness, almost reminiscent of a saddle, was secured to the back of the huge beast. Cressida forced Renya down into the seat before tying her hands to the saddle. She moved to the front, and the dragon took to the sky.

Renya watched Grayden grow smaller and smaller before he disappeared and all she could see was the darkness of the night sky. As they soared higher, the cold air bit at her tear-stained cheeks. She closed her eyes, trying to reach out to Grayden through their bond one last time, but found only a hollow emptiness. Whether it was the distance or Cressida's magic, she couldn't tell.

The dragon banked sharply, and Renya's eyes snapped open. Below her, the Twilight Kingdom burned, orange flames licking at the night sky. The sight of destruction brought a fresh wave of guilt and sorrow. How many lives had been lost because of her? How many more would suffer under Cressida's rule?

“Beautiful, isn't it?” Cressida's voice carried over the wind, filled with cruel satisfaction. “This is just the beginning. With you by my side, we'll reshape this world into what it was always meant to be.”