Page 41

Lost in the Dark

Death

I get to the Ni’fl Rocks, the floating fragmented mountains reach into the open sky. The jagged shards house collapsing ruins that were once great buildings. Trees grow into the crumbling facade, and vines are woven into the cracks. I fly higher, into Aesha’s domain as the sun’s rays cast dark shadows into the land below. The colors in the sky are turning darker as I fly through the mountain shards floating on the clouds. The sharp daggers face the ground, hovering in the mist. I soar over the great pieces, looking for the Goddess of the Sky. I climb over bridges connecting crumbling highlands. Massive ancient trees grow, their roots extending into the rock and popping out underneath and reaching into the open sunset air.

Hyka birds fly alongside me, the golden sun rays accentuating their long crimson feathers trailing behind them in the currents of the winds. Their route leads them to the sacred Wael Tree. The seeds are one of the only foods the birds eat. Their spiky outer shell reveals a juicy seed, sweeter than any fruit. There are not many of these trees left, and the few left only grow here in the Ni’fl Rocks. These upside-down cliffs hold many rare species. Without magic, many of the creatures had gone to sleep or died out. Without them, trees and plants have had a harder time spreading their seeds, leaving their population dwindling.

I feel an especially strong current of wind and follow it. It leads me to a Wael Tree, where a little Goddess plays with the Hyka birds. She swirls her wind currents, playing with the spiky nuts and letting the young birds chase them. She giggles and spins, her tan spotted feathers playing in the wind behind her. Her pale pixie hair frames her smiling face, but the smile drops once she spots me coming. The wind ceases, and the seeds fall to the stone ground, cluttering among the rocks. I land, bringing a dark, solemn shadow onto her mountain.

“This is not a good visit, is it?” Aesha’s high voice sings into the air. Her blue eyes pierce me as they narrow.

“No. It is not.” My voice thunders lowly as shadows leech from me uncontrollably. I am finding it increasingly harder to control the Darkness inside of me.

“Let us go inside,” she urges.

I follow her through the sky, passing mountains and building facades. We tumble under creaking bridges waving in the wind. I feel the shadows calling to me from inside the ancient buildings, asking to be released. H?l wants to destroy, it wants blood, it wants to find her. How can I say no when I want the same? I groan as it tears me inside to deny it. I focus on the wind caressing my face as we fly to Aesha’s house.

I pump my wings as I follow her up the tallest peak, her stone cottage sitting delicately on top. The cobblestone is worn as it makes the majority of her house, spiraling into a small tower. We land, and I peek out over her mountains. The sky is cloudless as I look over Elyssus, wondering where Acteem has her right now. Grace has been silent; he must have her unconscious. She would have reached out to me already.

“Ro?” Aesha’s voice rings over the dark sky.

I turn to her reluctantly and follow her inside. Her house is silent as my boots thunder inside. The wind is muted, hitting the stone walls outside. Aesha pulls out a wooden chair from behind her small oak table, gesturing for me to sit. An ancient crumbling skull sits in the middle of the hardwood filled with a dark liquid.

“I would like to stand,” I say quietly. I cannot sit right now. I am too anxious.

She frowns as she carefully walks to me with graceful, quiet footsteps. She has always been a stealthy fighter, never making a sound. Even her wings are muffled as she flies. Aesha looks up at me, her big doe eyes concerned as her delicate brows are furrowed. Many men have made the mistake of underestimating Aesha for her smaller stature, but she is bloodthirsty when she fights.

“Ro,” she says, concerned. “What has happened?”

“I have a mate,” I say quietly.

“Oh.” Her blonde eyebrows shoot up. “This sounds like a good thing, Ro.”

“Yes. It was very good until Acteem took her.” I am disconnected as I speak; voices in my head are screaming at me, too fucking loud. Shadows are whispering in my ears as my soul is shrouded in Darkness. I am losing it.

The graceful God gasps, her dainty hand flying to her mouth. She is silent as we look upon each other. I speak first, “Kai has Cael and Tai is going for Talon.”

Aesha grabs my hand, and my eyes shoot to the contact. It feels wrong. It is not Grace.

“I am with you, of course,” she whispers. “What is the plan?”

“We are all meeting at Talon’s hut to come up with a plan. We do not know where he is taking her. I need her back, Aesha. Do not join us unless you are prepared for this. I will not stop until she is in my arms again. I will kill Acteem and any others who have dared to touch her. This will be a war to an end, Aesha. I am reaping their souls,” I say darkly.

“I said I am with you,” she says firmly.

I stare at her, my body feeling like hot rubber. My shadows start reaching wildly as I feel her soul pumping in front of me. My head is not right, I wince as I feel a deep pain inside me. I grab my throbbing head as I stumble back.

“Ro? What’s wrong, what’s happening?” Aesha’s worried voice strikes through the air.

I cannot talk as I burst through her front door; I need air. I need col d . I take deep breaths as I start getting flashes in my mind. Canopied trees, long leaves, and flowers. It looks like Kayella Jungle. I stumble as my feet kick rocks over the edge of the cliff. It is Grace. She is in the jungle near Talon’s.

A quick image of a creature enters my mind: four pinchers, an armored body, and crushing mandibles. A Malmog . Fuck.

She is not moving.

“Run!” I scream through the bond.

She still is not moving. Why is she not moving?

“Grace, fucking run!” My head pounds as swirls of shadow start to encase me. I catch glimpses of her running through bushes. I feel her fear. I hear her scared voice.

“Ro, there are so many. I am not going to make it!”

No, no, no. She is giving up. Dark wisps lash out into the ground, cracking into the mountain and shaking the ancient boulder. I am helpless here as she is fighting for her life.

“Ro, I love you, I’m sorry!”

My soul seizes as I drop to the ground, my claws tearing into the rock. I am going to kill her for saying that to me right now.

“Do not fucking dare say that to me now. You fucking run, Grace, and tell me to my face.”

My screams roar into the sky, feeling her fear.

My shadows rock the earth underneath me, shaking us violently. I hear Aesha’s high-pitched shriek as I throw her around. H?l is going to bring down the mountain. I need to get out. Without thinking, I blast off the stone landing, pumping my wings and feeling the wind flow through my midnight feathers, taking the shadows with me. I feel them recede into my soul, following me like a twisted tail as I fly through the night sky. I cannot think of anything but her as Darkness eats away at me.

I need to get to her.