The Tears of Elios (34 page)

“Why all these questions?”

She stared at him as he wiped the last remnants of her tears from her face. He deserved the truth. “Because Elios told me I would die tomorrow.”

The color drained from his face, and she told him about her meeting with the goddess. “When she asked me what the one thing I regretted was, all I could think about was you and how I never told you that I loved you.”

Gregor pulled her close to him and wrapped his arms around her as if he was trying to shield her from her fate. His body trembled next to hers. “She's not my goddess,” he said with such ferocity that she knew he was shaking with rage and not fear. “And I will do all in my power to save you, even if I have to join you in death.” His voice softened as he added, “Remember, I can’t imagine living my life without you.”

He kissed her forehead and gave her a crooked smile. “Besides, if anyone knows how to defy a deity, it's you.”

CHAPTER 25

Kira snuggled closer to Galen. The early morning light barely illuminated his face, but she was glad he was sleeping as soundly as a baby. He’d been so worried the last few days, making sure everything was ready for the ritual. She clung tighter to him, and his arms reflexively wrapped around her.

Am I being selfish to want to stay in his arms?
She didn’t need one of her visions to tell her she might not see him after today.

Galen stirred underneath her and pressed his lips to her forehead before saying something incomprehensible to her. She lifted her head and smiled. “One of these days, you'll have to teach me Elvish so I can understand you when you're half asleep.”

“You’d probably learn quickly, just as you do with everything else.” He smiled back at her and tucked her hair behind her ear. “I said ‘good morning, my Ruheshi’.”

“And what does ‘Ruheshi’ mean?”

He looked at her in puzzlement. “I thought I told you this before.” He repeated the legend of Elios and the origins of the Ruheshi to her. “You are the other half of my soul.”

“Then please let me stay with you.”

Galen frowned and reached for his shirt.

“I can help with the ritual,” she continued, crawling after him with a blanket clutched to her chest. “I can help protect you and the other casters.”

“We've been over this before, Kira,” he replied as he pulled up his trousers. “My mind hasn't changed.”

“But I feel like something will go terribly wrong if I’m not there with you. My vision—”

“You said you had no idea what your last vision meant.” He looked at her, and his shoulders sagged. “I'm sorry, I didn't mean to snap at you.” He cupped her face in his hands. “I just want you to be safe. Please go through the gate, and I'll have one less thing to worry about.”

Her bottom lip quivered. “But what if I never see you again?”

Before he could reply, a scream reverberated through the camp. He jumped to investigate as she scrambled to pull her dress over her head. “The Elgean army is within arrow range,” he said from the tent flap.

Kira tapped her dress three times to shrink it and hurried to him. He stood in the opening, blocking her escape from the tent. When she peered around him, she saw why. Chaos spread through the camp faster than a brush fire.

“I need you to get the women and children of the camp to the gate.” He looked down at her. “We all have our parts to play in this. Yours is to protect the innocents.”

Ranealya ran up to them with a sinister grin on her face. Her eyes, blue like Galen's yesterday, now appeared reptilian and were the color of fresh blood. “Are you ready?” she asked, and Kira shivered.

No, I’m not ready for any of this
.

“Not quite,” Galen replied. “I'd appreciate it if you can buy us a little more time.”

“Gladly!” Within seconds, she morphed into a large red dragon, much like the one that killed Master Tyrrus in her vision, and flew in the direction of the Elgean army.

Kira felt invisible, but it allowed her a few more minutes with her husband.

Jaius appeared next. “I didn't know Ranealya could change into a dragon,” he said as he pushed past Galen. “I came to help you with the trunk.”

The acidic smell of smoke surrounded them, and another volley of flaming arrows sailed into the east side of the camp.

Galen stumbled over her, finally realizing she hadn’t left yet. “I can handle the trunk.” He shoved her towards his friend. “Make sure she gets to the gate and activates it.”

His eyes rested on her a brief moment, and in her mind, he whispered,
Please stay safe, my Ruheshi.

Jaius set the trunk down and took her by the hand. “I know a faster way to get there.” A blue light surrounded them, and she realized he was teleporting them to bypass the crowds that ran that way.

As soon as her body felt solid, she reached for the crystal and slipped it into its slot. She recited the familiar spell, and the arch filled with blue.

The first arrivals regarded it with suspicion, but a small child broke free of his mother and ran through the blue gate. A few minutes later, he reappeared, asking, “Mama, why aren’t you coming?”

Once they saw it was safe, there was no stopping them.

***

Jaius found Galen at the appointed place for the ritual, waiting for the other casters to arrive.

“Is she safe?” he asked.

Jaius nodded, and his friend’s face relaxed.

“Letting go of her his hardest thing I've ever had to do in my life.”

His heart twisted.
It wasn’t fair that they should be separated after knowing each other for so short a time
. He’d known Galen for centuries. Happiness had eluded his friend for so long, and now that it he’d found it, duty was tearing him away from it. But there was still something he could do. He grabbed Galen’s shoulder. “Go to her. I'll take your place in the ritual. She needs you more than any of us, and you need her.”

Galen froze and took several breaths as he considered the offer.
Good. Maybe he would agree to it, and both of them would have the bliss they deserved
. But then he shook his head. “No, Jaius. This is my idea. If we succeed, I'll be with her.”

“And if we fail? I don't know if there will be any consoling your widow.”

“You’ll have to try.” His gaze turned to the advancing Elgean Army, ending the conversation. “They're coming.”

Jaius’ stomach knotted. “I'll join Paleah.” He ran down the hill to where she stood glaring at Seron.

“So nice of you to join us, Jaius,” he said with a smirk. The High Elf polished a smudge off his armor so the sun flashed along the metal and blinded those around him. “I was just explaining to Paleah that I wanted no mercy from you common elves. You've always had a soft spot for humans.”

Paleah's hand tightened around her sword, and she stepped closer to him. “There is little softness in my heart.”

For all her bravado, though, she’d never seen a true battle. Not many in the camp had. Jaius wondered how calm she would remain in the heat of the moment.

“Why Galen thought a woman could lead an army is beyond me. Our women know their place.”

“At least I wasn't elected a general because of who my father is.”

Jaius heard the scratch of metal as both of them drew their swords. “Stop this nonsense,” he ordered as he stood between them and used his gift to try to calm them. Their anger waned in response to it. “We need to work together, remember? Anilayus is our enemy, not each other. Save your hatred for him.”

“Aye,” a burred voice added behind him. Arlisle approached them, followed by the rest of the Highmounters. Streaks of blue and gold paint decorated their arms and faces, giving them a primitive appearance. “Let's show the Elgeans the color of their own blood.”

The Highmounters drew their weapons, and a bone chilling yell echoed from their chests. The battle frenzy mounted, sending a shiver down his spine. They all waited on his order. Jaius held the gaze of the three other generals before drawing his own sword. “May the Goddess smile on us and grant us victory today.”

Then he ordered the charge.

***

Gregor arrived a few minutes later to help Kira usher the women and children through to the other side where they would be a safe distance away from the battle.

“You’d think they'd send us a little more help,” Gregor said.

Kira looked around and realized that Jaius had disappeared. She looked up river and saw the line waning. “We almost have everyone through.”

She shielded her eyes and looked to the east. The red dragon swooped down and delivered a round the flames on the army below. Ahead of her, a cloud of purple light swarmed around the enemy, announcing the arrival of Queen Mab. The clang of metal weapons dimmed. It seemed Ranealya and Mab were doing their parts.

She looked over to Gregor and wondered if he knew the dragon was his beloved.

Her thoughts turned to Galen, and her heart ached. He’d chosen a hill on the opposite side of the camp to cast the ritual, partially due to its distance from her. He told her last night he wanted to draw the army's attention towards him, not the women and children going through the gate. From where she stood, she could barely see the casters as they began their ritual. Blue and green lights moved from orb to orb, forming a circle.

Kira gasped.
The blue and green circle from my vision
. “Gregor, can you guard the gate?”

“Yes, but why?”

“Because I have to stop the circle from being broken.”

He looked at her with confusion from behind his glasses, but she ran upriver toward the camp before he could ask any more questions.

CHAPTER 26

The army surged forward as they ran to meet the enemy. Jaius built his momentum, and when his sword met the first Elgean soldier, it sliced through him with ease. He moved towards the next attacker.

He knew his goal. All the generals did. Hold off the Elgean Army to give the casters time to complete the ritual. Kill Anilayus, if possible. Retreat when the ritual started to work. Jaius focused on this instead of the bloody confusion that surrounded him and continued to cut his way through the enemy.

The crowd thinned, and he spied Anilayus. Three of the Azekborn surrounded him, their black swords glittering in the morning light. He hesitated as his heart pounded in terror.

A shadow blocked out the sun, and terror flashed on the faces of the Elgean soldiers in front of him. His hair whipped around his shoulders as the dragon swooped down, flames pouring from her mouth. He turned his head to shield his face from the heat.

Seron yanked Jaius away from the fire, sending them both to the ground. “I'm glad that dragon is on our side,” he muttered and pointed ahead.

Two of the Azekborn burned, but Anilayus vanished faster than the blink of an eye and reappeared a few feet away.

Jaius’ blood chilled.
Only demons moved like that
.

A muscle rippled along Seron’s jaw. “By the Goddess, he's aligned with Zelquis.” He offered his hand and helped him to his feet. “Let's go kill some drae and their master, shall we?” he asked in a tone that prevented the ice in Jaius’ veins from thawing.

“Come on, boys!” Paleah called as she withdrew her gore-covered sword from another victim.

Jaius and Seron exchanged glances and ran after her. The remaining Azekborn raised his sword and moved in front of the king. His eyes smoldered, and he parried Paleah's blow with the agility of the cat. She stumbled forward and cried out in pain as a stream of red lightning struck her body.

Anilayus grinned from behind the Azekborn as the demonic magic flowed from his fingers. He relented for a second to listen to her whimpers before launching another attack.

Rage filled him, and Jaius summoned all his powers. A bright green ball of magic exploded from his hand and slammed into Anilayus. The king doubled over, and Paleah fell silent.

Seron's armor gleamed as he rushed toward the Azekborn. As much as he loathed the son of Elisus, Jaius admired his skill with the sword. The clangs of their blades sang in an eerie melody as they fought in blurred speeds. Out of the three of them, Seron was the only one who could match the drae.

Paleah stirred to his left, and Jaius turned his attention to Anilayus, knowing it was up to him to distract the king. Another ball of green magic erupted from his hand, but this time Anilayus blocked it and retaliated with a bolt of red lightning. Jaius dodged it and snuck past the Azekborn with his sword drawn.

Anilayus ducked the first swing and then drew his own sword. He attacked with a cool calculation that Jaius had never seen in any human. It took his entire concentration to block the King’s thrusts and stay on his feet.

The shadow soared overhead again, and both paused to watch the dragon. If Ranealya doused them with her flames once again, he feared he wouldn’t be able to escape them this time. Instead she flew towards the hill where the ritual was being cast and shifted as soon as she landed.

The King’s eyes widened. “A shape-shifter!” His mouth curled into a sneer.

“Jaius!” Seron called, pulling him back into the battle.

“I'm done playing with you, elf.” Anilayus flung another bolt of red lightning.

Jaius screamed and fell to his knees. He felt as though the magic flayed his skin open.
By the Goddess, I never imagined pain like this
. Something sliced between his ribs, sucking the air from his lungs.

So this is how I’m going to meet my death
.

***

Ranealya dived down and doused the Elgean Army in flames again. Their screams delighted her. She circled the ranks and reinforced the burning barricade she constructed from their catapults.

It’s fun being a dragon
. She would have tried this form sooner if she had known she could’ve shifted into it.

After she discarded the remnants of the Azekborn on the terrified soldiers below, she circled the sky to attack Anilayus again, but a flurry of red caught her attention. She flew closer to investigate. Kira.