Page 42 of Chorus of Ashes
She’d claimed him.
He wasn’t worthy of her, not in the slightest, not when he’d spent years trying to wreak havoc on the planet and gain vengeance against the Earth Fae. And for some reason she saw some redeeming quality in him? She was basically asking him to forgive the Earth Fae their wrongdoings.
And himself.
When Terra dodged an arrow from the Domnua, fury lit Rian. He had a choice to make. He could self-flagellate for his sins by refusing Terra’s love and leaning into his bitterness, or he could try something new.
Forgiveness. Gratitude, even.
A second chance lay at his feet. Did he pick it up and hold it close, or did he turn his back on his only chance at happiness?
Movement distracted him, and he looked to the cluster of trees by the fire where the oddly brilliant rays of the sun dappled the leaves and shone through to the Earth. The rays danced and shimmered, playing between the branches and shadows, and warmth slipped into him.
“Where the sun shines through the trees, blessing the ground with light, I will always be. Remember me, and I will come to you.”
His mother’s words rose in his mind, and he steeled himself as he watched her love twirl among the trees, gently reminding him of his promise to seek happiness no matter the hand that he was dealt. He’d forgotten that promise. Or at the very least, shoved it aside in order to seek revenge. But now, everything became very clear.
If he was a man of his word, then he needed to stand by his promise to his mother before anyone else. Happiness awaited him. If Terra was willing to take a chance on him, then he would spend his life living up to the man she thought she saw in him.
Decided, Rian turned, and, letting out a roar, he jumped in front of Terra and threw out a wall of ice to freeze the advancing line of Domnua. With a flick of his hand, he shattered the ice over them, laughing as their bodies exploded into tiny silvery fragments.
“Welcome back,” Callahan shouted, clamping a hand on his shoulder before racing into battle.
“Stay with these two,” Rian ordered Terra. When a smile bloomed on her face, his heart skipped a beat, and he grabbed her around the waist and brushed his lips across hers. Energy crackled between them, and a lightness shone inside him where he’d felt nothing but darkness for so long. As Terra’s love melted the walls that he’d locked his emotions behind, they all flooded him at once like some crazy kaleidoscope of feelings. He fed on it, taking that rush of emotions, and honed them into one purposeful goal. Find Domnu and take her down. “Let me take care of the Goddess. You take care of you. Understood?”
“Still ordering me around?” Terra laughed at him and patted him on the cheek. “You’ll learn eventually.”
Rian didn’t have time to argue as another wave of Dark Fae approached. Instead, he tapped a finger on her lips.
“Be safe.”
With that, Rian raced across the field, easily felling Domnua as he went, love fueling his mission to get to the Goddess and incapacitate her. He knew that he wouldn’t be able to destroy her, for that required far more power than he alone could wield, but at the very least he could stun her into retreat long enough to ferry Terra and the others back to safety. He caught sight of the Goddess Domnu slipping down the path toward the small beach and swerved, kicking out the knee of a Domnua who tried to stop him on the way.
The ocean was in a frenzy when he skidded to a halt at the beach, chest heaving, his eyes darting across the sand until they lighted upon where Goddess Domnu stood, a tight smile on her face.
“I should have known it was too good to be true.” Domnu shrugged one delicate shoulder, her hair writhing around her head. When the snakes saw him, they bared their fangs and hissed. “You Elemental Fae are too weak to be a match to a strong woman like me.”
“Did you really think that I’d be willing to join you? You lead one of the dumbest armies in all the realms and do nothing but bring hate and sadness wherever you go. What could possibly make you think that I would want to hook myself to your vision of the future?” Rian deliberately wanted to anger the Goddess. If he could keep her here, and not focused on the battle above, he was certain the others would have enough magick to handle the army of Dark Fae.
“Dumb? Now, now. It isn’t nice to call my pets names.” Domnu pursed her lips and made a small tsking sound. “Though, admittedly, they aren’t the best at thinking on their feet.”
“Or at all?” Rian countered. Keeping her talking, he walked across the small beach, his boots sinking into the soft sand. Behind the Goddess, the ocean turned a dark blue, similar to when a storm was about to roll in, and silver flashed below the surface. Rian perked up at the sight. The Water Fae had come, bringing with them their power, and together they might actually be able to hold the Goddess off from getting to Terra and her amulet. At the end of the day, losing Rian as a companion wasn’t going to bother Domnu all that much. But losing the amulet would. The longer he kept her distracted, the closer he hoped they would get to Terra making the right decision and transporting herself away with the amulet. He could go after her once she was safe and clear.
Maybe he should have told her that, Rian realized, as one of Domnu’s snakes spat venom at his feet as he neared. Behind Domnu, a Water Fae slipped its head quietly out of the choppy water, blinking its opalescent eyes at Rian, and made a come-hither motion with his hand. The message was clear. If Rian could back the Goddess closer to the water, then his water brethren would help.
The time for conversation was over. Before Domnu could continue speaking more, Rian pulled at his thread of magick and blasted a wave of icicles at her, using all of his pent-up rage and anger to attack her with icy spears. The Earth rumbled beneath his feet, responding to his attack and, to his surprise, the sand shifted beneath Domnu’s feet.
“If you think you can best me with your silly child’s play…” Domnu hissed at him, dancing backward and batting his ice daggers easily from the air. One made its way through, slicing off the head of a snake, and Domnu stopped in her tracks at the water’s edge, her eyes wide with shock. “You didnotjust hurt my hair.”
“Looks that way,” Rian said, pointing to where the snake’s head trembled in the sand at her feet. Domnu gaped at him in shock, so surprised was she that he had managed to actually hurt a bit of her, that she didn’t notice the sand giving way beneath her feet. Rian welcomed the power, calling upon his Earthen roots, and the sand opened up, sucking Domnu to her knees. She screamed, furious with him, and when the Water Fae threw a silvery net over her shoulders from behind, Rian backed up.
Her face looked like death.
Whirling, Rian ignored Domnu’s screams as she thrashed against the magickal net that the Water Fae had caught her in and raced for the cliffs where the battle still raged. His breath caught as he crested a hill in time to see Terra facing off with a circle of Domnua.
All of his friends were cornered.
They’d made a valiant effort, but still the Dark Fae poured forth, trampling over a meadow soaked with the silvery blood of their fallen compatriots, and Rian’s breath caught as Terra dodged a blow from a Domnua. The Dark Fae exploded in a silvery pop, and she let out a cheer of delight before her eyes went round with fear.