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Chapter

Twenty-Nine

Liv

The first time I entered Stephen’s cottage was to ask for his help to repair my boots.

It was his friendly smile that enticed me to go back, and I made up some excuse to see him again.

The third time, he knew I ripped the hole in my shirt on purpose to have a reason to visit.

When my pants had a sudden tear, he invited me to stay.

Walking through that door, leaving the suffocating silence of the forest to the still serenity of his company, was like the heavens opening up for a lost, weary soul.

So when I suspected the Keepers were coming for me, I ran to that same door for help, but it was slammed in my face, and the protective bubble burst. I didn’t think I would have the heart to trust anyone ever again.

That day I cast aside my naivety and built that box in my chest to be a little stronger.

W e entered the forest, running as fast as we could toward the airship.

“If that ship has been taken, I swear to the gods I will kill someone,” Maev yelled ahead of me.

“We will get there. Don’t worry,” I panted. I was not made for running.

“They are on our trail.” Ollo was a few steps behind Maev. “The fear has abated, and now they’re primed for attack. If we can outrun them, we will be fine.”

Sweat clung to the twins’ black clothes, sticking to their slim builds. My Guardian clothing hugged me, making it much easier to run.

“I don’t know how we outrun legacies with wings,” Maev said.

“Well, you two have the Ikhor protecting you, don’t you?” I gave a harsh, laboured laugh.

“Now is not the time to be funny, Saviour,” came Ollo’s broken reply.

“Forget about the Guardians. We have to watch out for the big black thing in the sky.” The light that shone through the boughs showed no sign of the Aspis, but I knew it was close.

My shoulder burned where it had been severed, and my fingers still refused to close.

“The magic is drawing it in.” I swiped the damp hair from my face. “But using it once more may be the key to getting the Guardians off our trail. I don’t know what call to make.”

Another loud roar filled the forest, and needles fell from the trees, showering us as we bolted down the narrow path.

“You two keep running. Don’t stop. Get that airship moving.”

“What’re you going to do?” Maev turned to look at me, her eyes widening from what she saw, what I was hearing—a crashing and splintering of trees behind us.

The Aspis was plowing through the forest. A great boom cracked the earth each time a tree snapped in two. The crashing was growing closer.

“Stop using the magic,” Ollo yelled.

“What do you mean? We have to get out of here!”

“The magic attracts it and, at the same time, eats you alive. It’s the reason we are in this mess. Let go of it and run.”

“The beast won’t stop, Ollo!”

“If it doesn’t sense you, it won’t be able to follow.”

“He’s right, Livy. Hide the magic.” Maev had not stopped running, and they were getting farther ahead of me.

If I was far enough behind, using the magic wouldn’t matter—they would make it to safety.

Build your box. Build your box , I told myself. If there’s one thing you’ve done well in your life, it’s hiding what you really feel.

Rebeka’s lessons all those years would pay off.

Eyes down. Don’t react. Blend in. Don’t feel.

Either I had to hide the magic or use more, and there was no time to change my mind. It had been easy once before—turn it all off, become nothing inside. I hollowed myself out and stuffed everything into that small box. Using my resolve, I fortified the box.

I wasn’t worth much in this world—I was no warrior. But I was a survivor, and if the people of this world thought they could take me down, they could go fuck themselves.

“Okay, Liv. Ground yourself. Control the magic. Control your own thoughts,” I said to myself, but it wasn’t working. I was too distracted with trying to keep up with the twins, so I slowed, the twins disappearing into the sea of green ahead.

I had to stop the beast, or at least get it off our trail. If using the magic drew it near, stifling it may make the Aspis leave us alone.

“Ground yourself. Let the fear and anger go.”

I concentrated on my breathing, repeating the mantra in my head as the crashing of trees grew louder. “Ground yourself,” I said soothingly, and my heart slowed.

An itch on my ankle distracted me. I shook my head, focusing on my breathing, inhaling a fresh breath of air and calming my racing heart. Another itch pulled me from my thoughts, so I looked down and cursed when I found vines crawling up my legs. Roots sprouted from the ground and held me in place.

“No, no, no. Not literally ground yourself!” The vines wrapped around my calves and up to my knees, thickening and rooting me in place. “Stupid magic. Listen to me. I don’t want you!” I swatted at my legs, trying to push the growing vines off.

A tree broke ahead of me, and splinters tore the fabric of my shirt as the forest was cast in shadow.

I screamed as the Aspis roared above.

The magic was in control—I had never been close to stuffing it away.

I lifted my hands, my last effort to defend myself, as the Aspis’s monstrous form broke through the trees and stopped before me. Cold like I had never felt left me, turning the world blue. Ice exploded all around, more than I had ever made.

The Aspis was frozen from its scaled head past its shoulders, which was no small feat, considering its head was now nearly the size of Ollo’s old airship. Steam billowed from its body where heat met cold, and I lowered shaking hands as the steam around the beast evaporated.

Through the ice, I felt it marking me for its next meal.

I shivered, my breath sending plumes of mist. Taking my chance, I conjured more vines, grounding myself, feeling them in the earth, and pulling them to the surface.

They crept around the Aspis’s body and pulled it to the ground with a loud thud.

It shifted uselessly, scraping against the needles on the ground, trapped under the thick layers of ice holding it in place.

“You bit my fucking arm off, you asshole!”

I used to be terrified of the consequences of disobeying the rules of home, like swearing and fighting, but now I was let loose and had magic . Fuck the rules.

“I’m done letting everyone push me around. That includes gods and stupid beasts they created.” I pulled more roots, loosening the ones tied around my ankles, wrapping as many as I could around the black scales.

There was no kindness, no knowing behind those eyes.

“Damn you.” I grunted as I strained to pull more magic. My bracelet glowed vibrantly as I struggled to stay grounded. “Damn you. Damn you. Damn you.”

Damn you for not being him.

The strain numbed me—my voice was shaking, my threats growing weaker. I let go of the vines, praying they held the Aspis long enough for the ship to fly away.

I stumbled as the Aspis writhed on the ground, pulling at the vines and fighting against the ice that held its head and upper body. “And fuck the gods for taking him . Making it so I can’t even kill you. You bastard dragon.”

Smoke that hadn’t been there before churned around it. Black tendrils snaked through the air, circling its scales. It resembled a Guardian’s tattoos—the giant beast with smoke and script. Something about the beast was changing?—

Talons sliced through the air, narrowly missing me.

The temperature dropped as I fell against a tree. “Where did that arm come from?” I squeaked.

Long, thin fingers, tipped with sharp-as-knives claws dug into the ground, shredding grass and dirt as the Aspis tried to escape. The smoke swirling around its body vanished, revealing a tail that lashed out with razor-sharp spikes on the tip, aiming for my head.

It missed, smashing into a tree, and pieces of bark flew past me. I put my hands up in defence and, once more, sent a wave of ice over the beast, locking the vines I had put in place.

A dizzy spell hit me as my vision blurred. The magic—I was using too much. But the Aspis was down and slowing. I had to keep trying.

I lifted my hands to conjure more vines, to pin its tail in place, but when I stood, the forest shifted, and I lost my balance.

Strong arms caught me before I hit the ground, and I didn’t need to look behind me to know it was Ollo holding me up.

My head was pressed against his hard chest, while one arm gripped my waist, holding me tight, and the other held my elbow, keeping me from falling sideways.

His jaw scraped against my temple. “Give it a bit more, Saviour. I will keep you up.” His voice was low. Confident. Brave when he shouldn’t be.

His body became a brace, warming me, holding me high, and I leaned into his strength to gather my own. “Why’d you come back? You can’t fight it.” My voice was so weak, but I pushed myself to use the magic.

“I’m not fighting. You are. Hurry up and restrain it. I’ll ensure you get safely to the ship.”

Ollo. My new friend. Maev was wrong about him—he was kind and thoughtful of others.

I conjured more ice, encasing the beast, halting its movements before I stopped. Panting, I took in the dark marbled sculpture twitching beneath my well-made cage.

Then I flipped it off.