Soul Relenter (Soul Saga #3) (45 page)

“I owe you my life, Accacia. Now you’re the one who saved me.”

Accacia laughed. “I guess so. None of this would have happened without you, Aleco. We were meant to do this together.  We fulfilled
our destiny.”

“Horseshit—fulfilled our
destiny,” he said with a laugh. “We just got lucky.”

“I don’t think so. I think our paths were meant to cross.”

Aleco pulled away and stared at her. He had felt the same way a year ago, at a time when he knew they were meant to be together, but now she was no longer his. He had been wrong. He tucked her brown hair behind her ear and memorized her face, knowing this was the last time he would be close with her. “Perhaps.” He stared at her for a moment longer and Accacia rested her hand on his cheek, pressing her forehead against his. Aleco knew Zyle was watching but he didn’t care. Accacia didn’t seem to either.

“I lo
ve you, Aleco. I’m so glad you’re okay. I couldn’t live without you.” She kissed his cheek and he felt his heart throb in his chest.

He wanted to break his oath to Zyle and the Nature God and just kiss her, but he held back. The words she said radiated down his spine and reached his fingers
and toes. He didn’t understand how she could be with Zyle if she felt that way. He didn’t understand at all. “I can’t live without you,” he whispered.

She kissed his cheek again.

He stared at her for a moment before he rose to his feet. “I need to return to the battle and spread the word of Drake’s death. I suspect the revelation will end the fight.”

Zyle walked over and grabbed Accacia’s hand. “But the chamberlain said the battle had ended.
” The King of the Asquithians hid the anger he felt at their affection. He realized Accacia was just upset that Aleco had almost died. The closeness meant nothing more.

Aleco shook his head. “I think he was lying. He just needed something to say to slip you that dagger.” Alec
o turned away and walked toward the door, leaving the king and queen alone.

Zyle sighed as he looked at Accacia. He knew his following words were going to crush her. Even though she had just forgiven him, Zyle suspected she would take it
back. She was going to hate him, probably leave him. “Accacia, I need to tell you something.” He grabbed both of her hands and leaned his forehead against hers.

Accacia saw the dread in his eyes and she knew his words would break he
r heart. “Who is it?”

Zyle looked at her and understood her meaning. “Laura.”

Accacia fell to the floor and shook with the sobs that wrecked her body. She had lost the only family she had left. Zyle kneeled down and wrapped his queen in his arms, feeling powerless to help her. There was nothing he could say to ease her pain, nothing to make her smile. Zyle felt his soul cry in agony as his other half gave into the greatest despair she had ever experienced. “No,” she cried through her tears. She buried her face in his shoulder and gripped his arm, trying to pull him closer to her. Zyle wished he could take the pain away and carry it himself. He wished the spell didn’t only pertain to physical pain. Zyle rocked her back and forth and whispered words of love into her ear. “It’s going to be okay, Accacia.”

“Did she suffer?”

“No,” he said. “She had no idea it was coming.”

Accacia nodded. “That’s—good.”

Zyle picked her up in his arms and carried her from the room, wanting to spare her the sight of her aunt’s corpse in the corner. He knew she hadn’t seen Laura yet, and he didn’t want her to notice it now. He left the door open behind him and carried her to the bottom of the stairs, away from the violent devastation of the study. Zyle set her on the stairs and Accacia stopped crying.

“Are you ready to go home?” he asked.

Accacia nodded.

“I’m going to go to the battle field and round up our people. After everything is set in order
, we will return home. You can stay here,” he said as he held her hand. “I can take care of it.”

“I want to come with you.”

“Are you sure?” he asked. “Take a moment if you need it.”

“I don’t want a moment, Zyle. I feel numb—I need to do something.”

Zyle understood her meaning. “Then let’s gather our troops and head home.”

“Okay.”

Letumian Province

39

The wounded soldiers were carried to the medic tents and healed. The injured didn’t consist only of Asquithians and guildsmen, but the Letumian soldiers as well. Now that the war was over, Aleco knew there was no distinction between them. They were all the same. Aleco searched in the rubble and pulled out as many survivors as he could. He used his skills as a Nature Priest to ease the pain of the dying and heal those who were injured. The men stared at his countenance in surprise, mistaking him for the king, but Aleco set the record straight to all the citizens. Accacia insisted that he reveal his true identity to everyone, letting himself finally be free. She tore the hooded jacket from his body and tossed it into a nearby fire, and together they watched the material burn into ashes. She held his hand while they watched his former identity die. Aleco watched her gaze in the light of the fire, and she turned her sight on him. He didn’t look away and gripped her hand harder. Aleco recalled their evenings together in Asylinth Cottage and the way the fire would highlight her features in the bedroom. Her eyes lit up in flames as she looked into his eyes when he made love to her, and his heart squeezed at the memory. Aleco released her hand and walked away, needing to be away from her. Aleco took comfort in the knowledge that he wouldn’t feel this pain forever—it was going to be over soon.

Aleco thought he would be hap
pier at the outcome of the battle, but he felt just as empty as he had before—if not more so. His brother had finally been killed, forced into the void where he couldn’t hurt anyone any longer. Aleco avenged the death of his parents and his uncle but he felt no satisfaction in the realization. Everything felt exactly the same—nothing had changed. Aleco felt the hole in his chest where Accacia had been. He knew he would never be whole without her. The only pleasure he experienced was Accacia’s happiness. She was free, forever and always. Accacia wouldn’t have to suffer anymore.

He felt a hand enc
lose around his and he looked down to see Accacia looking at him. “Come with me,” she said.

“And where are we going?”

Accacia held her guild sword in her grasp. “Now that we have the Soul Relenter, it’s time to destroy the Soul Binders. I want you come with us.”

Aleco pulled away. “It’
s not my place,” he said. “That should be the responsibility of you and your king.”

“I want you there, Aleco—I need you. This never would have happened without you.” Accacia tugged on his arm and he let her pull him away. They marched to the forbidden room
, and Zyle pulled the key out of his pocket that he had picked from the king’s clothing earlier. He confiscated the Aqua Stone as well. Zyle opened the door and the three of them walked in. Aleco withdrew his guild sword and handed Zyle a blade. They all held their swords at their sides and looked at the piles of Soul Binders in the room. There were thousands of them, shining in the light of the torches. Aleco had sent the soldiers away and instructed the Asquithians to return to Orgoom Forest. Messengers had been sent to the other realms to notify them of the king’s death. Now this was all that was left. Aleco knew it would take them a long time to destroy them all. Aleco walked into the room and grabbed a Soul Binder at random. He placed the gem at Accacia’s feet and stepped away. “After you,” he said.

Accacia smiled at him and raised her sword. She aimed for the stone on the floor with both men standing on either side of her. Accacia felt the pain rush through her body as she sympathized with her imprisoned kin. They had been trapped for decades, knowing
they would never travel to the afterlife. Accacia felt the tears fall down her face, and Zyle felt his own drip down his cheek. He feared he would never free Cassandra from her eternal prison and he was overwhelmed that he succeeded. Accacia slammed down her sword and severed the Soul Binder directly in half. Tendrils of smoke floated upwards and twirled in the room. Accacia saw the outline of a man and a woman. She couldn’t make out their features but she knew they were familiar.

“Thank you,” a woman whispered. Accacia felt the tears fall. It was the voice of her mother. She had never heard it before, or at least she couldn’t remember,
but she knew in her heart it was true. She stared at the smoke as it dissipated into the room. Zyle reached for Accacia and steadied her. Together, they watched the smoke disappear entirely.

“They are very p
roud of you, Accacia,” Zyle said.

Accacia walked away from him and raised her sword again. She began to dance her blade around, cutting through the Soul Binders in the room. Aleco and Zyle joined her and
swung their blades into the stones, severing the metal of their capsules. Soon the room was filled with the collective smoke, and Accacia couldn’t see anything around her. She couldn’t even see the end of her nose. She felt the souls of her kin wash over and through her, whispering their gratitude to the Queen of the Asquithians. She felt their souls touch her own and filter past her body as they disappeared in the air. She knew they were traveling to the afterlife, finally claiming their immortality. Accacia finally released the pain she had been hoarding for all these years over the death of her parents. She knew they weren’t truly gone—Father Giloth never was.

Accacia sheathed her sword and stood in silence. The two men watched the smoke disappear from the room, leaving the dining hall as clear as it had been when they entered it. Zyle had felt Cassandra’s essence brush against him and he recognized her spirit. He knew she was happy for him even though she couldn’t sa
y it. Zyle wiped his tears away. He was happy his former life partner was free. Aleco clasped Accacia on the shoulder. “It’s time to go.”

Accacia nodded. “I am ready t
o return home.”

The three of them returned on the steeds they found in the pasture. It was the first time the three of them had traveled together alone, and Accacia was surprise it wasn’t awkward. Aleco and Zyle got along like close friends, and Accacia wondered what had caused their sudden camaraderie. Zyle clearly didn’t see Aleco as a threat any longer, and she wondered what had been exchanged between the two men. Accacia wondered if Aleco had stopped loving her and told Zyle this. Just the thought made her heart ache.

That night they camped in the middle of the plain with a roaring fire, no longer afraid of being seen by anyone. The weight of secrecy had been removed from their shoulders and Accacia loved the sensation. Aleco never hid his face
, and Accacia enjoyed seeing his beautiful visage from across the fire. His blue eyes were gray, just as they had been before they left. She wondered what was responsible for the permanent change.

Aleco met her gaze. “Tell us what happened.”

Accacia hadn’t had a chance to tell them about the stones or how she had gotten them. She still had them held against her chest under her clothes, protecting them with her life. When Zyle asked to see them, she refused to hand them over. He looked hurt by the rejection but he said nothing more. Accacia couldn’t risk anything happening to the elemental stones. She knew how powerful they were. “The Lorunien Tree wouldn’t let me leave the grounds of the forest until I came to its feet. When I got there, it tried to communicate with me but I couldn’t understand its message—that’s when Father Giloth appeared.”

Aleco stared at her. “What do you mean?”

“Father Giloth appeared at the base of tree. He was the one who told me where the stones were and what I needed to do. The Lorunien Tree revealed the Soul Relenter to me.”

“Why you?” he asked.

Accacia didn’t have the heart to tell him the truth, that she was the only one who was worthy. “He didn’t say.” She felt bad for lying but she didn’t punish herself for it. She wasn’t a Nature Priest, after all.

“What did he say?”

“A lot of things,” she said simply.

“Did he say why he hid the e
xistence of the prescient stone?”

“No,” she said. “Not directly. I suspect because the future isn’t absolute and it can change at any moment—it’s enough to drive anyone mad.”

“So he used it? That was why he sent you away? He knew you needed to leave for us to win the battle.”

“I don’t know,” she said honestly. “He didn’t answer me.”

“Have you used the other stones?” he asked.

“No,” she said. “And I won’t.”

“Why?”

“I was given the
m for one purpose: to destroy them. I was given the Soul Relenter to kill the king and save the souls of the Asquithians. Now that I have completed my task, I will destroy them.”

“Why?” Aleco asked. “With that
sort of elemental power you could ensure the safety of the Continent. There is no greater weapon in history—it should be used.”

Accacia shook her head. Father Giloth had been right. “No. They need to be destroyed. I will not change my mind—drop it.”