Page 9 of Vampire Solstice (Vampire Girl #5)
Chapter 9
The Battle
A s the beast’s claws rake across my side, pain explodes through me. My blood sprays against the cold, weathered stone of the Midnight Star statue, and for a moment, the world narrows to that single, crimson splash. The statue begins to glow faintly, a flicker of light in the darkness. My breath catches as I realize what it means.
“Ari!” Fen’s shout pulls me back, his sword flashing as he parries a blow from the beast. His movements are fluid and deadly, but the creature is relentless, its primal fury impossible to contain.
“It’s not the beast,” I whisper, the realization sinking in. My blood pulses with magic, and the statue’s glow responds. “It’s the statue. The tree. I have to…”
Fen doesn’t hear me over the beast’s roar, but it doesn’t matter. I press my hands to the stone, ignoring the searing pain in my side, and let my magic flow into it. The warmth beneath my palms intensifies, spreading through the statue like fire through dry tinder. The light grows stronger, illuminating the square in golden radiance.
“Ari, stop!” Fen’s voice is filled with panic as he fights to keep the beast at bay. “You’re draining yourself!”
“I have to,” I say, my voice trembling but resolute. “This is the only way.”
The glow envelops the statue, and I feel it pulling at me, demanding more. My magic pours out, faster and faster, until it feels like I’m being hollowed out. My vision blurs, my knees weaken, but I don’t let go.
Fen’s sword clashes against the beast’s claws, his frustration and fear evident in every movement. “Damn it, Ari, hold on!” he shouts, but he can’t leave the fight to help me. The beast is too strong, too close to breaking through.
I sag against the statue, my strength nearly gone, when a voice cuts through the chaos—sharp, angry, and ancient.
“You dare?”
A figure materializes before me, formed from the light of the statue itself. Her presence is commanding, her face both beautiful and wrathful. She radiates power, her eyes burning with a mixture of pain and fury. The Midnight Star who came before.
“You betray me,” she says, her voice resonating like thunder. “This village… they turned their backs on me, on our people, when we needed them most. They deserve their torment.”
Her words cut like shards of ice, but I force myself to stand, meeting her gaze despite the trembling of my body. “And what about the innocent lives?” I ask, my voice cracking. “The children born into this curse? The man you turned into that beast? Do they deserve this?”
She hesitates, her anger flickering. “They should have fought for me. For the fae. They chose their cowardice.”
“And you chose vengeance,” I counter, my voice gaining strength. “But vengeance doesn’t heal. It doesn’t undo what was done to you. Keeping them imprisoned like this… it’s cruelty. It’s unnecessary. Let them go. Let this curse end.”
The Midnight Star’s form shifts, her fury battling with something deeper, more fragile. “Why should I? Why should I forgive?”
“Because I will,” I say, stepping closer despite the strain. “I will forgive them, and I will fight for them. I’ve already given everything I have to save them. You can too. You were their champion once. Be that again.”
Her gaze softens, the weight of her anger finally giving way to sorrow. “You would sacrifice yourself… for them?”
“I would,” I whisper, my magic flickering like a candle in the wind. “Because they deserve a chance to make it right.”
For a moment, silence hangs between us. Then, she reaches out, her hand brushing against my forehead. A surge of power floods through me, overwhelming and radiant. “Then take my strength,” she says softly. “Finish this.”
The warmth becomes a blaze, filling every corner of me with light. My body feels weightless as I rise into the air, the glow emanating from me like the sun itself. My blood boils with power. My bones tremble, threatening to break under the flood of energy. The blizzard fades and snow melts, shadows retreat, and the curse begins to unravel. The beast lets out a final, mournful howl as the light engulfs it.
When the light fades, I collapse into Fen’s waiting arms, my breath ragged but steady. The square is silent, the villagers frozen in awe. The snow has melted, revealing the earth beneath. The oppressive weight that hung over the village is gone.
At the base of the statue lies a man, his chest rising and falling with shallow breaths. His features are sharp and regal, his hair dark and wild. Myra appears, having escaped or been set free from herprison, and runs toward him with tears streaming down her face.
“Please,” she sobs, falling to her knees beside him. “Please wake up. Please be alive.”
The man stirs, his eyes fluttering open. Myra lets out a choked cry, cradling his face in her hands. “You’re free,” she whispers. “You’re finally free.”
Fen tightens his grip on me, his voice low and filled with relief. “You did it, Ari.”
I lean into him, exhaustion threatening to pull me under. “We did it,” I murmur, my eyes drifting closed as the warmth of the sun—real and unbroken—spreads across the village for the first time in centuries.