Page 37 of Mantle (IMMORTAL FLAME #3)

Before he could even raise his sword of Hellfire at him, Ryker drove the Wrath of Hades straight through his heart. Being a Celestial-forged weapon, and a special one at that, it actually pierced his skin, and Ryker plunged deep.

His green lighting sparked all around the blade, traveling all over it and the Bastion Gauntlet, breaking the link to Cornelius.

I looked to see that Cornelius wasn’t impacted even a little bit.

He’d done it.

But at a cost.

He’d killed Ketheron.

He’d taken down a threat, yeah. But Ketheron was an innocent.

Worse—he was a brutal victim. Of so much pain and abuse.

So fucking much.

There wasn’t relief as there should have been that a battle had been won, that the decimation and danger had ceased.

It was much more complicated than that.

It was close to grief.

I felt sick.

And looking at Ariana… she was absolutely stricken.

She stumbled forward, and Kai and I rushed after her, helping her along in her along, until we were just a couple of feet from Ketheron and Ryker.

The former was still, eyes wide, trying and failing to process what had just happened.

Ryker ripped the blade out and levitated it over to Cornelius who removed it from the vicinity rapidly with his magic.

Ketheron choked and slumped to his knees, the ground rumbling at the impact.

Valkrith fell from his grip.

In a blink, Kai’s magic enveloped it, and had it dematerializing, removing it from the battlefield and sending it somewhere safe. I saw concern light Cornelius’ eyes at Kai now being in possession of it.

I looked away as Ketheron slapped his palm over the wound, frowning, not understanding.

He sucked in a couple of stilted breaths, staring into space.

And then he drew his hand away.

I choked at what I saw beneath it.

Ariana gasped.

Kai cursed.

And Ryker staggered back.

The wound was gone.

No gushing blood.

No mark even.

And… he was still alive.

“What the—” Ryker started, but Ketheron shot back to his feet and lunged, wrapping his hand around Ryker’s throat and hauling him off the ground.

“Cornelius!” Kai bellowed. “Now!”

With a burst of teleportation, Cornelius was there beside Kai, while Lucian snagged Ryker and whisked him away, back behind the wall that Cassius was now holding up alone.

Just for a moment, because then Mia arrived in a blaze of magic and joined Cassius with holding up the wall.

She scanned the area, her hands shaking for a moment as she saw the state of Jaxon.

Thankfully, he was actually mobile again now and he and Vorzyr were being helped up by the few Guardians who were unharmed thus far.

Her eyes shot wide as she noted Ariana was right up close to Ketheron.

There wasn’t time for anything else as Cornelius grabbed Kai’s hand and allowed him to channel his power.

Kai jolted from the rush of the intense power that he really shouldn’t be channeling as a non-Celestial being. There were a lot of things that Kai shouldn’t do, but it was Kai. And he was prepared. Always prepared.

“Zheiren val’kara!” he thundered. “Nuriel thaz’en!”

Ketheron dropped Ryker as his arms were wrenched out either side of him.

He snarled and tried to fight against it, but it held steady.

“Kael’shara ven’torii! Zhurai ek’tol kai’neth!” he bellowed next, and Ketheron was forced to his knees.

He tried to fight and struggle, and I winced at the strain it caused Kai, and even Cornelius.

Ariana and I moved in.

Ketheron gnashed his teeth at her as she drew close.

But she didn’t even flinch.

Instead, she reached out and cupped his cheek.

The milky white of his eyes that Corvin had caused from what he’d done to him flickered in and out of being, the natural black beneath flaring intermittently.

“I’m here,” she told him, managing a soft and steady tone somehow in spite of everything.

In spite of witnessing Vorzyr, two of her dads, and countless Guardians being brutalized by him.

“You are not alone. Do you hear me?” She brought her other hand to cup his other cheek.

“You are not this . Not this destruction. And you are not lost.”

I started as a heavy sigh escaped him.

“Kindred…”

It was a weak uttering, and he was still caught between Corvin’s programming and Ariana trying to reach him.

It didn’t matter—that was my opening.

I came up behind him and grasped his shoulders while Kai and Cornelius held him immobile still, and Ariana kept his focus.

And then I pulled on my power and closed my eyes, reaching into his subconscious mind and locking onto it, drawing him into my own mind.

The more Ariana spoke to him, the more his initial resistance weakened.

Just enough for me to take him with me.

My magic seeped into him, rapidly enveloping him.

Ariana stepped back just as it completely covered him.

His eyes shone a vibrant-blue with the infiltration of my power.

Then he let out another sigh, before closing his eyes in sleep.

A deep sleep.

“I’ve got him,” I told them. “He’s immersed. Currently sleeping.”

A massive surge of collective relief rolled through me.

We’d done it.

But it wasn’t the war.

It was just the battle.

Pulling him into a dreamwalking state was just a part of it.

There was work to be done to fully liberate him.

To save him.

And, fuck, he deserved that.

Even as I took in the devastation, believing that didn’t falter.

Because this wasn’t him.

He hadn’t really done this.

He’d been used like a mindless weapon.

This was them.

Corvin Morvain and the Celestial Plane.

And they’d damn well fall.

That would be justice for us all.