Page 68 of Rising Out of the Darkness (Divine Guardians Duology #1)

Elena

T he dark hood of my cloak flapped as I zephyred through the castle. My pulse thrummed, echoing inside my ears as I approached the bridge where Clara and Nayla were already waiting.

So much was at stake for all of us tonight, but so much could be lost if we didn’t take this risk. Helping people should always take priority, something those in power had forgotten.

“Do we have everything we need?” Nerves bubbled underneath the surface as I checked over my shoulder one last time.

Clara opened her cloak, showing her satchel full of healing supplies underneath.

“I know you’re still working on your zephyring, Clara, so I’ll take you with me,” Nayla said. “Will you be okay on your own, Light Phoenix?”

“Hopefully. I’ve been practicing every night.”

“Alright then, ladies, let’s be swift. Silent as mice and stick to the shadows. We all know what’s at stake if we’re caught.”

Wrapping her arm around Clara, she took off into the night, the gust of her wind swishing the side of my hood. Swallowing down the fear, I followed.

A few moments later, we were outside the city’s walls. The farming village was only about a mile away from the capital, so we walked together through the thick, muddy forest that bordered the city walls.

The village consisted of six stone dwellings, each with a thatched roof. Nayla lowered her hood, and, after assessing our surroundings, motioned for us to do the same.

We made our way over to the largest dwelling, and Nayla knocked in a specific pattern. Two slow and three fast taps.

The door creaked open, and a frail woman with red-rimmed eyes peered through. When she saw Nayla’s familiar face, the door swung wide and the woman pulled her inside. Clara and I followed, closing the door behind us.

“Thank all five gods,” the woman gasped. “I’ve been praying for a miracle. My b-babes…I fear they may not make it through the night.” Her hands covered the sob that broke free. She fell to her knees, showing us all the same sign of respect as they had inside the city.

Clara bent down and placed a hand under her arm to help her up. “Helena, we’re here to help. Sorry it took me so long. Please show me to your sweet babes.”

Helena swept her ash-blonde hair away from her face and guided us to her children’s room. A boy and a girl huddled together, brows sweating and curious black tendrils climbing up the side of their necks.

Their heavy lids opened, and what I saw in their eyes made my breath hitch. Bright golden circles encased the irises of their eyes. The only visual difference between Elysians and humans were those golden rings. Shifting my glance back towards Helena, I saw the same golden glow in her brown eyes.

They were all humans.

Noticing my shock, Helena spoke softly. “The king gives us his grace, my lady, for the food that we produce for the kingdom. However, if he found out we’ve been plagued by the darkness…”

I nodded in understanding, rubbing her back as I stepped around to the other side of the bed. Clara peeled away the tunics from their tiny bodies. The blackness had spread all the way down their chests, almost like rotted roots growing underneath their skin.

She popped the corks of two vials, giving one to me and the other to Nayla. “When I tell you two, open their mouths and pour the contents into their mouths. Then help me hold them down. This is going to be painful for them.”

Worry prickled against the side of my cheek, and I looked to see Helena frozen in terror. I placed my hand in hers and guided it towards her daughter’s leg. “They need you. Squeeze their legs and let them know you’re here with them.”

She nodded absentmindedly and placed her hands around her son’s and daughter’s ankles.

“Here we go.” Clara took a deep steadying breath. “Now!”

We dumped the vials into their parched mouths and held their shoulders down.

Their eyes flung wide open and moans of agony tore out of them as they began to flail on the bed. Clara placed her palms on their chests, and their bodies began to convulse violently.

“Come on, babes, fight for me, loves,” she whispered. Her eyes remained sealed shut, the strain on her body evident by the creases on her face.

After a few long, stressful moments the babes’ movements began to slow to a roll. Their moans turned to a faint murmur.

Awestruck, I watched the blackness fade away from their bodies until only a few small strands were left behind. Clara’s face went pale and she rushed over to the wash basin to release the contents of her stomach.

Helena began sobbing unintelligible words as she scooped her little ones up into her arms and rocked them back and forth.

I helped Clara back onto her feet as Nayla tilted a waterskin into her mouth. Once the color came back to her cheeks, we bid Helena goodbye, because there were still three more houses we had to visit tonight.

Helena rushed over to her small kitchen and gathered a bouquet of lavender. After embracing Clara in a long hug, and taking more vials of elixir for the children, she gave Clara the bouquet. “I know it’s not much, my lady.”

Clara placed her hand on Helena’s shoulder. “It is the most special gift I’ve ever received, and I will cherish your kindness forever.”

Tears welled in my eyes as we made our way out the door.

After four more houses, my eyes were swollen and Clara’s bouquet had gotten larger.

“Time to head back, ladies,” Nayla whispered, and we all placed our hoods back over our heads.

The mud sloshed between our boots as we walked. Clara’s shoulder bumped against mine, and she grasped my hand. “Thank you for convincing me to come tonight. I’ve never felt more alive or more useful in my entire life. Thank you, Lena.” Her voice trembled as she spoke.

Emotion swelled in my throat, blocking the words trying to escape, so I simply squeezed her palm in response.

Trying to change the subject so that we all didn’t have swollen eyes in the morning, Nayla began questioning me about my nightly routine in the castle. “Elena, you can’t keep sneaking out late at night to practice. It’s dangerous.”

“I know, I just needed some extra practice, and some time to think.”

She sighed heavily. “Alastor has become increasingly suspicious in the past few days. Yesterday, he nearly fired everyone who so much as glanced at him the wrong way. Something has him agitated, and the last time he was this troubled…well, you know what happened.”

Indeed. He put a deadly curse on Declan.

Clara murmured besides me, “You need to stay safe, Lena. Will you promise us?”

They both set their gazes on me, pausing for my answer while our feet sank into the mud.

“Yes, I promise.”

Smiles began to grow on their lips, until we heard the snap of a branch beside us.

Nayla’s hand shot up and she placed a finger over her mouth. More rustles erupted in the darkness, as well as an eerily dark laugh. My muscles tightened as I clutched my dagger.

One by one, black hooded figures in masks circled around us. Nightshades. Tremors shook my body, the memory of the last time I’d seen them flashing through my mind.

Gripping the dagger tighter, I fought against the encroaching fear threatening to freeze me in place just like before. I would not freeze. Whatever came our way, I would fight my fear. No more lives would be lost because of it.

Nayla caught my panicked gaze. “Let’s fight our way out of this, ladies.”

With a quick nod, the three of us unleashed pure fury.

Bent roots ripped from the ground, wrapped around two of the men and brought them crashing down. Nayla smiled wickedly as she chased them, eager to finish the job.

As I fought off more of them with gusts of wind from my Tempest abilities, I watched with wide eyes as Clara launched icicles towards the men circling her.

I’d never seen her use any other dynamis besides her Healing.

She was a fury, lashing shard after shard of ice into the flesh of the Nightshades.

A smirk grew across my cheeks, until it was slapped from my face from the man who had invaded my defenses. Disoriented, I blinked to regain focus as I covered the sting with my hand.

He grabbed my neck and slung me back into his broad chest. The Nightshade ripped the dagger from my hand. I used all my strength to thrash against him. His hold crushed my body, and I felt the cool sting of metal as it slid against my neck.

My hair tangled around my face. My hood had shifted when the fighting began. Hot breath brushed against the side of my neck as bile burned the back of my throat.

“Hello, angel.”

My entire body went numb. My knees buckled at the sound of the voice behind me. A voice that haunted my memory and my nightmares.

He’d called my mother by the same name mere moments before he’d slit her throat.

“No…” The quiver in my lips shook as much as the rest of my body. Just like that night all those years ago, the air evaded my lungs and I struggled to catch my breath.

Chaos swirled around us as my friends continued to fight off the Nightshades.

Cold lips brushed against the side of my ear and the iron blade dug deeper into my neck, nicking the flesh enough for blood to trickle down from the wound.

“The gods continue to bless us this evening,” he purred into my ear. “Three beautiful sirens crossed onto our path.”

His teeth bit into the shell of my ear, and I could be silent no longer. “Take your damn hands off me!”

The rumble of his laughter soured the dinner in my stomach. He spun my body in his grip until I was facing his solid chest. One of his meaty palms secured my wrists behind my back, the other slid my dagger inside his belt.

Bastard.

Fiery magic burned and sizzled against my skin, my dynamis filled with just as much fury as me. I’d yet to use my light dynamis—the fear of losing control was too great.

Nayla and Clara were surrounded by three cloaked men. Desperation sank creases of worry into their faces, and I could tell they were reaching the point of burnout.

The man before me tugged my chin, shifting my view back to him.

“My men will be very happy tonight.” A sly grin formed on his lips.

“Especially since we have such a prestigious woman in our grasp, Light Phoenix .” Leaning down until we were face to face, he whispered, “I wonder if you’ll be just as feisty with me between your luscious thighs?

” His deathly grip tightened, locking me in place.

“You know what I think, angel? I think I’ll have you screaming my name for all to hear. ”

“Fuck you!” I seethed.

“Oh, don’t worry, darling, I plan to.”

Searing bolts of dynamis zipped throughout my body. I shut my eyes and thought about Declan, when he’d first taught me to control my power.

“Remember, our dynamis bends to our will. If you don’t want it to hurt someone it’ll listen…You are in control. You are its captain, it just awaits your command.”

“Gods, I hope you’re right, Dec,” I whispered.

“What did you?—”

Before he could finish, bright light flashed between us. The smell of burning flesh overwhelmed my senses.

“SHIT!” he snarled, tossing me backwards.

“This is mine!” I reclaimed my dagger, then kicked his knee and watched in glee as he collapsed onto the muddy forest floor.

Using my moment of freedom, I ran and launched my light dynamis towards the other Nightshades. They howled in pain, shifting their attacks towards me. Dodging their flames, I made my way towards Nayla and Clara.

Side by side, we continued to hold them back.

“I can’t hold much longer,” Clara panted, her face pale and slick with sweat.

Gathering my remaining dynamis, I prepared myself for one final launch. “Stand behind me,” I whispered.

“Lena, no!” Nayla growled.

“Just let me try. It may be our only way out of here.”

The tension in my voice made her pause, then she took a deep breath and stepped behind me. Clara followed and I called my humming dynamis.

Love once again became my overpowering emotion. There was a deep, unwavering love for the women behind me and the strength and determination that I’d witnessed from them tonight. No one was going to stop us. We were walking away.

Raising my hands towards the hooded figures, I watched with delight as their eyes filled with terror. I launched a fiery blast of light dynamis and Tempest wind.

White-hot flames blew forward, encompassing the men in a fiery inferno. Their screams filled the air as they ran back into the forest, shedding their cloaks as they tried to stop the flames from searing more flesh.

“How’s that for feisty?” I seethed through clenched teeth.

Exhaustion buckled my knees, but Nayla held me upright. “Let’s get back to the castle. I feel like I have enough to carry us all back.”

We took our time, stopping in the shadows every so often to catch our breaths. Clara still had some dynamis left in her well and used it during our breaks to heal us. It wasn’t enough to heal fully, but it was enough to give us the strength we needed to make it back towards the castle.

For safety, Nayla zephyred us all the way back to my room. They’d both stay here until they were fully recovered, then head back to their rooms in the early hours of the morning.

“Nayla, do you think anyone will discover what we did tonight?” I mumbled, fidgeting with my blankets.

“I’ll do everything in my power to bury any evidence of it being us. The villagers won’t give us away. My only fear is, if it leads back to them, I wouldn’t put it past Alaric and Alastor to torture the answers out of them.”

Clara’s head fell into her hands as her shoulders shook.

I rose from my seat and knelt beside her on the plush rug. As I rubbed her back in soothing circles, Nayla shifted on the couch to do the same.

“You saved lives today, Clara. It was a risk worth taking. One I would take every single day.”

She nodded in her hands, but muffled cries rumbled through her fingertips. “What if I saved them, only to sentence them to death?”

The ache in my heart broke wide and I pulled her into my arms. Nayla wrapped her arms around us.

“Clara, I promise to do everything in my power to keep them safe.”