Page 19 of Vampire Solstice
“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.
Chapter 10
The Lovers
The morning after the battle dawns clear and warm, the first true sunlight this village has seen in centuries. It touches every corner of the square, banishing the lingering shadows and illuminating the faces of the villagers as they gather around the Mythos tree in the center of the village, now vibrant and alive, its branches reaching high into the sky. It feels like a different world.
Fen and I stand near the newly freed man—Kael. His skin still holds a pallor from years of the curse, but his eyes are bright as he gazes at Myra, who hasn’t left his side since last night. Her hand remains entwined with his, her touch a lifeline.
“Thank you,” Kael says, his voice rough but sincere as he looks at me. “For freeing me. For freeing all of us.”
Myra steps forward, her eyes glistening with tears. “I don’t know how to repay you.”
I reach into my cloak and pull out the journal Myra’s grandmother had hidden for so long. I press it into her hands, holding her gaze as I speak.
“Read it,” I say softly. “Your grandmother knew. She knew you loved Kael, and that he wasn’t evil. She didn’t bring us here to kill him; she brought us here to free him so you twocould be together. She wanted nothing more than for you to find happiness.”
Myra’s lips tremble as she clutches the journal to her chest. A sob escapes her, and she steps forward, wrapping her arms around me in a fierce hug. “Thank you,” she whispers. “Thank you for everything.”
I hug her back, my throat tight with emotion. When she pulls away, she looks between me and Fen, her expression resolute. “There’s something I want to show you,” she says.
She leads us to the Mythos tree, its bark glistening with a faint golden sheen. The air around it hums with magic, vibrant and alive. Myra places a hand on the tree’s trunk, her fingers glowing faintly as they make contact.
“Its power is restored,” she says. “My grandmother’s magic passed to me when the curse was broken. I can use the tree to send you back to your world.”