Avow (43 page)

He looked back at Gabriel’s bloody body and wanted to die.

With stinging eyes, he stood over
Gabriel
and swung his weapons in madness as his heart tore open.

***************

Scarlet stared in disbelief at Gabriel’s impaled body.

No.

No.

She ran for Gabriel, but Nate stopped her. Scarlet couldn’t hear or see or breathe as she watched Gabriel drop to his knees.

No. No.

A roar sounded into the room and Tristan—murder on his face—raced to Gabriel, standing over his fallen body. He was slicing and jabbing and killing and crying.
H
e was crying.

“Scarlet!” Nate screamed her name and her eyes dragged to his desperate face. “We have to save Heather! Are you listening? I need you to save Heather.”

Scarlet blinked and forced herself to keep from falling apart. She charged forward, choking on her anguish and determined to save Heather from this day of hell. This nightmare.

The Ashmen were holding Heather by the tree. She struggled against them, and Scarlet filled with fury. Heather did not deserve addiction or violence or death. She deserved life and love. She deserved to go to college and have a family and smell like cookies. She was the closest friend Scarlet had ever known, she was the reason Scarlet was brave, and she would
not
die.

Scarlet ran for the tree, chopping into any creature that stood in her way. When she reached Heather, she hacked up the Ashmen with malicious glee and set her friend free.

Scarlet moved Heather forward and placed her under the great canopy. “The Ashmen can’t get to you under the tree.”

Scarlet stared at the iridescent tree trunk and took a breath.

This was it. This was where her love outweighed her fear.

She
looked at Heather. “After this is done, the fruit will appear.”

“After what is done?”

“Once the fruit appears, you have to grab it and run. Do not let Raven get the Avalon fruit. Do you understand?”

Prepared to set her hand to the fatal tree, Scarlet looked over her shoulder one last time and her heart stopped when she saw Tristan.

Ashmen bore down on him mercilessly as he stood fighting above Gabriel’s body. He was sorely outnumbered and cut and broken everywhere as he fought in a rage. There were too many Ashmen, he would never survive.

Knowing Heather was safe, Scarlet ran to help Tristan.

As she neared, she couldn’t help but see the boy he was long ago. Laughing in the trees. Smiling in the sun. She saw his green eyes trusting her, believing in her without question, and loving her through time and death all things broken.

She saw hope and love and forever.

She saw everything they’d suffered for, fought for, lived for.

And it was all falling apart right before her eyes as his attackers beat down on him.

He couldn’t die.

She wouldn’t let him die.

She began to cut through the army of Ashmen surrounding him. She sliced and slashed and growled and cried. And when she finally reached the center of the onslaught, her blue eyes found a set of green eyes and she suddenly knew everything was going to be okay.

Life.

Death.

It was okay. Because they were together.

Without a word, they stood back to back and started to battle against the Ashmen closing in.

They were losing, they were dying.

But they were together.

The
cavern began to shake and the ground began to split open. The fighting stopped for a moment as the earth moved beneath their feet. Scarlet looked back at the Avalon to make sure Heather was safe, but froze at what she saw.

Nate had his palm pressed flat against the trunk of the
tree
, a look of surrender on his face as he stared at Scarlet.

“No!” She pushed out of the Ashmen—who had dispersed a bit with the earthquake—and ran to him, unable to breathe. “Nate!”

She reached him just as his body slid to the ground, his eyes
tired
and colorless, but he had no remorse on his face.

How did he--? Why would he—? No!

“Nate!” she screamed. “Wh—what are you doing?” Tears stung her eyes.

“I am giving you a chance to live.” His breathing was labored and she could see the life draining from his body—she could actually see it sweeping up through his arm and into the iridescent tree, glowing as it entered the trunk.

“No. No!” Her voice cracked as she tried to pry his hand away from the trunk. But the Avalon seemed to have a grip on him somehow and Scarlet’s desperate yanking was futile.

“Scarlet,” Nate said. “I have lived fully and loved deeply. I’m ready to die.”

“No!”

Tristan came up behind her with a horrified e
xpression. “Nate! What are you—”

Nate’s face lost all color and his chest trembled.

Tristan crouched beside him. “You can’t do this!”

“You need the water
.
” H
is voice was breathy.

Scarlet kept pulling at his hand and body, tears falling down her face. “No. No, Nate. You can’t die.”

“Yes,” he said with a small smile. “I finally can.” He started to gasp. “Heal Gabriel. You all deserve a happily ever after.”

Scarlet shook her head and wrapped her arms around him. “Don’t die. Please, don’t die.”

His body trembled in Scarlet’s arms and then went lax as the last tremor of life left his heart.

The tree began to rumble, then down lowered a small branch, leafless and bright green with a blue tip. At the tip of the branch grew a small blossom shaped like an apple. Glistening red with iridescent colors of blue and purple and green shining off its glossy reflection, the fruit hung directly above Heather.

Heather reached up to grasp it but was thrown to the ground by Raven. She snatched the fruit from the limb with her gnarled, aged hands and smiled down at Heather. Raven opened her mouth to take a bite and Scarlet left Nate’s body and charged at her.

She knocked Raven to the ground, the fruit rolling from her hand as Scarlet grappled to overpower the witch. A hot pain cut into
her
arm and she winced, releasing her hold on Raven.

Raven held a knife in her hand, wet with blood from where she’
d
reopened Scarlet’s stitches
and
lunged at Scarlet with darkness in her silver eyes.

The knife came at Scarlet’s chest, but Raven’s body jolted and the knife fell from her hand as an arrow pierced her heart.

Then another arrow. And another.

Tristan stood behind Scarlet with his bow drawn and anger in his eyes.

“You cannot kill me,” Raven wheezed at him. “I have fountain water in my body.”

“Even better.” Tristan shot her again.

With Raven unable to move, Scarlet snatched up the fruit and gave it to Heather. The ground
shook
and the cracks in the chamber floor grew wider, but there was still no water.

Scarlet, Heather and Tristan turned from the tree and saw Raven’s army of Ashmen surrounding them on all sides. Waiting.

They were trapped.

Suddenly, the ground exploded with water pushing up through the cracks and flying up to the ceiling.

The Fountain of Youth.

The water began to fall down like a great rain, drenching everything in the chamber—including
the
waiting Ashmen, instantly turning them to ash and washing away their existence.

The cavern shook with more
fervor
and the water began to flood the room.

With their opponents defeated in one fell swoop, Scarlet looked at Tristan. “Gabriel!”

He was already headed to Gabriel’s body. Lifting his brother onto his back, Tristan threw a canteen at Scarlet. “We need to get out of here.”

Scarlet quickly filled the canteen and grabbed Heather by the hand, yanking her from under the tree.
Raven
was lapping at a puddle of fountain water beside her like a dog, arrows still lodged in her chest.

The Avalon began to creak and groan behind them, its massive branches swaying and twisting through the falling water. More water swelled up from the cracks and soon the cavern floor was a pool of blue.

“Run!” Tristan yelled, and they stomped through the rising water, splashing as fast as they could across the chamber to the tunnels. The water rose higher and began twisting with the tree. Faster and faster the water spun, until the cavern slowly morphed into a giant whirlpool.

The glowing blue walls began to dim, growing darker as pieces of the cave began to crumble from above. Tunnel after tunnel, the cave began to collapse, their exit options quickly diminishing. The whirlpool picked up behind them, spinning the air. Scarlet’s feet wouldn’t move fast enough.

They ran for the only remaining open tunnel as water sprayed up behind them and wind whipped at their faces. They reached the tunnel and a sound louder than thunder boomed throughout the cavern. Turning, Scarlet watched as the cave ceiling broke apart and fell into the whirlpool below. Raven, still lapping at the water like the addict she was, was swept up in the wild waters and sucked down into the narrow darkness of the whirlpool.

A hand snatched Scarlet’s wrist and yanked her deeper into the tunnel.

“Run, Scar!” Tristan carried Gabriel’s body as they raced ahead. The glowing blue walls grew darker as they ran, as if the cave itself was dying, and pieces of the floor broke underneath their feet.

Water spit into the tunnel, backsplash from the collapsing cave, and chased after them as they ran. The cave grew darker and darker until the pulsing blue was almost completely gone.

The angry water began to rise and push at their ankles, a giant wave building up behind them. Just when Scarlet was sure they’d drown in the massive torrent, she spotted a bright light ahead.

As they neared the light, Scarlet saw it was a narrow opening leading out to the forest. They clambered over crumbling rocks, wicked licks of water and broken earth to reach the light, then climbed out of the cave one by one, bursting into the Avalon forest.

They’d just started running through the trees when a loud groaning came from the caves behind them.

Scarlet could hear the roar of water as the wave that had chased them down the tunnel crashed into the hole they’d just climbed out of. Looking over her shoulder, she watched the great caves explode. Like a glorious geyser, water sprayed up from the hole and shot high into the sky.

Tristan hurriedly set Gabriel’s body on the forest floor. Scarlet handed him the canteen and, with shaking hands, he carefully tipped the spout to Gabriel’s mouth. “Come on, Gabe.” He said quietly.

No response.

Heather was crying as she bit her nails beside Scarlet.

Tristan tried again, lifting Gabriel’s head to ensure the water would go down. “Come on. Come on.”

Droplets of blue pattered on their heads as they waited with anxious hearts.

Gabriel coughed and his wounds began to heal.

Obvious relief ran through Tristan as he rubbed a hand down his face and guided the water back to Gabriel’s mouth.

Gabriel took a deep gulp and sat up. “Wha—what happened?”

Tristan grasped his shoulder then slapped his arm around Gabriel in a hug. “
Doesn’t matter. You’re
alive.”

Now that they were out of the cave, Tristan’s emotions were swarming back into Scarlet.

Relief. Loyalty. Joy. Love.

Heather reached for the canteen and started to bring it to her mouth—

Scarlet snatched it away. “What are you doing?”

“I don’t know,” she said as she chewed on her lip. “I just really, really want some. And I can’t control my hands and I feel super crazy right now.”

Scarlet nodded to the fruit in her hand. “Eat that and you’ll feel better.”

Heather took a bite, juice spilling down her chin as she began to devour the Avalon fruit with her eyes closed. “Ah. This is delicious.”

Scarlet handed the canteen to Tristan.

He inhaled deeply and took a drink.

Instantly, Scarlet’s body began to feel different. As the water undid all the immortality inside his heart, the immortal blood inside her heart vanished as well, cleaning away the curse that had stained them for centuries. Her body became more and more mortal until she no longer had Tristan in her veins.

His battle wounds began to heal as he pulled the canteen
from
his lips and looked at her. “Did it work?”

She smiled and nodded her head. “We’re cured.”

CHAPTER 43

Scarlet, Tristan, Gabriel and Heather stood in the park at the center of all the Kissing Festival madness. Happy music played from the gazebo and paper stars were strung up everywhere for people to kiss beneath.