Page 93 of Goddess of Light

“Over there!” General Suvari shouts, pointing toward the far side of the chamber.

I run as fast as I can, panic pressing against my chest. The soldiers part for me, their faces pale. I see the fissure in the ground, the edges scorched and crumbling.

And there is Tuonen inside of the crevice, his head barely above the fire, his arms hanging on to the edge for dear life, but slipping, slowly slipping.

“Tuonen!” I scream, running and diving onto the ground, sliding across the cave floor, arms outstretched for him.

My fingers just brush the tips of his.

I almost reach him.

I almost have him.

I almost…

Then he screams as he slips, disappearing into the fires below until his screams abruptly go out.

“No,” I whisper, staring at the dark void. My son. My boy.

“No!” I roar, scrambling so that I’m staring over the edge into flames that fan and then fade into nothingness.

Lovia reaches my side, her face pale and stricken. “He was fighting alongside me,” she says, her voice trembling. “He was here, I turned away…”

She breaks off, her composure shattering.

I stare into the abyss. The cavern feels impossibly silent. The victory, the relief—it all turns to ash in my mouth.

“Tuonen!” I shout, my voice raw. It echoes back to me, hollow and mocking.

Lovia places a trembling hand on my shoulder. “He…he might still be alive,” she says softly. “There might be a way to…”

Her words falter, but I seize on them, clinging to the faintest hope.

“He’s not gone,” I say, rising to my feet. “I’ll find him. I’ll go after him.”

“Tuoni,” Hanna begins, but I cut her off.

“Iwillfind him,” I say, my voice resolute. “This isn’t over.”

The others exchange uneasy glances, but no one argues. The weight of the moment presses down on all of us. We may have defeated Rangaista, but the cost was higher than I was ever willing to give.

My son.

My son!

As the cavern grows darker, I stare into the void, my resolve hardening. But the void stares back at me, silent and impenetrable. My heart pounds against my ribs, each beat a hammer of denial. Tuonen cannot be gone. My son cannot be lost. He is too strong, too clever. He has survived too much for it to end like this.

The silence mocks me. Even the echoes of my calls have faded, swallowed by the abyss. Hanna’s hand tightens on my shoulder, her touch warm and grounding, but I feel no comfort. Around us, the soldiers shift uneasily. They are afraid, not just for what we’ve lost, but for what comes next. Where am I leading them? How can I protect them if I can’t even protect my own son?

How does a God of Death grieve for his own blood?

Lovia stands frozen beside me, her eyes locked on the fissure, her chin trembling. “We’ll find him,” she says, her voice hollow but insistent. “There has to be a way.”

Before I can respond, the ground beneath us trembles. A deep, guttural noise rises from the fissure, a sound like stone grinding against bone. Soldiers step back, weapons raised, their nerves frayed to the breaking point. The cavern feels alive again, pulsing with a dark, ominous energy.

Then, with a violent burst, something erupts from the crack. Rocks and debris fly into the air, and everyone ducks for cover. A wave of acrid heat washes over us, and the cavern fills with achoking, sulfurous stench. I shield Lovia instinctively, my body reacting before my mind can process the moment.

When the dust settles, I see it. Not a monster or another attack, but a lifeless form.