Endure (28 page)

Rayna looked at me, as did Tiki and Moke. I had just stepped into a spotlight I didn’t want to be in—again.

“They came to me last night while we were in your prison. They wanted us here for when Riley and his pure bloods invaded Earth. They knew if we were there when it happened, we’d never stop fighting. They needed me gone so that I’d complete the rite.”

“The Protector,” the Queen scoffed. “A fabrication of the gods’ imaginations. They’ve misplaced all their hopes into a hunter. That means we’re all doomed to suffer like the half-breeds of all the worlds should.”

“What do you know about the Protector?” I asked.

“I know the gods think you will protect them from Ithreal.”

“No, they blessed me as the Protector to stop all this.”

“This cannot be stopped, boy. You’ve no idea the power you are up against. If Ithreal’s essence is freed, even in part, the gods will parish. They will have to choose between releasing his chains and having the power to fight, or going to war with the god while they are weak. Their pride and oaths will hold them bound while he slaughters them.”

“How do you know all this?” Rayna asked.

“I don’t know…when his sons diseased my mind…these thoughts and memoires came with their power. They are not my own. Perhaps they did not expect me to last as long as I have.”

“You could stop this,” I said. “You could call off the Death Throne and fight with us.”

“Fight with the filth that killed my people?” the Queen laughed.

“You said yourself you were happy the hunters pushed back the demons in the Great War.”

The Queen glared and waved me away. “There is no calling off the Death Throne. Look at me, rotting and broken. Someone must rise to lead our people when my last breath is taken. And now that you are here, you are a part of it.”

“If the Death Throne must happen, it can happen without us. You can let us go, and let things go on as if we were never here. You said yourself Tiki cannot take the throne.”

“All prisoners are a part of the Death Throne, and all abominations are prisoners.”

“But Tiki earned his freedom. He is free to go.”

The Queen shook her head. “The people of Lavinos would never let him leave. He has returned and as such, must earn his freedom again. The Death Throne is our proudest tradition.”

“There has to be a way,” Rayna said.

“No!” the Queen growled, sitting up in her bed. She crawled forward on the sheets, inching her way closer to Rayna. Her robe fell open and she didn’t move to fix it. Her eyes were intense and focused, and what was left of her claws tore into the bed. “You abominations are a constant reminder of our losses, and will be forever a fuel for our hatred!”

“Mother,” Moke said. “Please come back and lie down.”

“Silence!” she screamed, her bones cracking as she crawled forward. The orange that had returned from her eyes was gone. The madness had won her over. “They will compete in the opening ceremony, they will pay for their ancestors’ actions, and they will die.”

“Grab her!” Moke said.

The Queen lunged, but Moke pinned her to the bed. “You, do it again!” Moke pointed at Rayna.

We each pinned her down and Rayna didn’t hesitate. Her magic filled the Queen, and even though I felt it seeping back into my veins, the Queen didn’t respond. Instead, she cackled, fighting against us and breaking free of my grip. “Your magic has played its part. That moment’s solace only let the poison soak deeper into my mind. You will all die! Just like me!” Her laughter was insidious and crept into my veins, sending chills to spiral down my arms.

“It’s not working,” Rayna said. The Queen broke free of my grip and slashed out in the air. Rayna dodged the claws and jumped onto her arm, holding it down. “Chase, do something!”

“We will be remembered for your death! There is nothing you can do, even without this madness there is not a drop of forgiveness in my heart for the fate you will face!” the Queen shrieked.

Those words were déjà vu. Elyas’s words flashed in my mind.
What may appear to be infuriating madness may only be a water drop away from resolution
.

“Water!” I shouted.

“In the other room, on the desk,” Moke said, struggling to hold down his mother’s arm.

“No, not water to drink, water magic—that’s the key!”

Vincent, Tiki and Rayna all spouted off questions, but I ignored them. I reached out my hand and placed it on the Queen’s back. Black fluid trickled over my fingers and I closed my eyes, calling forth the healing element. I could heal her. I could cleanse the Queen of the Brothers’ poison. I knew I had the power to. And if she wasn’t on her deathbed, there would be no Death Throne.

My blood moved as a cold liquid through my veins. It was icy and refreshing in the dry heat of the palace. The change in temperature formed tiny bumps over my skin and they raced down my arm to my fingertips. The Queen’s back arched and she screamed as the water slipped into her skin. Everybody around her jerked back, as if an invisible force shot into them. I didn’t try to guide the magic; I pushed it into her all at once. I envisioned stems of blackness filling her body and climbing into her mind—tiny dark hands that clawed at her from the inside out. The blue magic that spiraled through absorbed the darkness, washing it away and purging her soul.

The water splashed inside her, spreading its power throughout her body. The Queen screamed in madness, but it was cut off as I pushed the power deeper. She stopped struggling and the muscles in her back relaxed. Her back rose and fell with slow breaths and the orange color returned to her eyes.

He’s healing the enemy.

That fool will get us all killed!

I ignored the voices, swatting them away like I would an insect. The Queen squirmed over the tattered blankets, but I didn’t stop. The pus and blood that ran from the torn spikes in her shoulders stopped and the broken skin closed in around the bone. The white stumps that jutted from her flesh didn’t grow back, but the discolored skin around them returned to a warm tone.

The magic returned to me, no longer cycling through her body. I pulled it back and stepped away, sweat beading down my face. More voices screamed inside my mind, but with my invisible hand I shoved them away from my soul. They put up more resistance than before, but eventually they quieted and my mind became peaceful.

Everyone was hesitant to let the Queen go. I nodded as they looked to me for answers and they each stepped away, making sure they were out of range of her claws. The Queen remained still with the exception of her breaths. Her neck was cranked to the side and orange eyes were locked on me.

“What have you done?” she whispered.

Everyone turned to me, waiting for a response.

“This is my magic. The magic of a hunter and the power of the Protector.”

The Queen studied my face. After a few minutes she placed both hands to either side and pushed herself up. She adjusted her robe, wrapping it tightly back against her form. Her forehead creased and she looked back to Moke. “It’s gone…the magic that poisons me is gone.”

“Are you certain?” Moke’s face showed his disbelief.

“Of course I’m sure!” she snapped, adjusting the crown on her head.

Moke’s eyebrows rose and he nodded. “So it has.”

“You did this!” The Queen jumped from the bed and stormed toward me. My elements arced, ready to defend, but she stopped a few steps away and stared in my eyes. “Why? Why would you do this?”

“I didn’t do this for you; I did this for us. We need to leave and we can’t do that if there is a Death Throne. If you’re not dying, there is no need for a fight. That means Tiki’s status remains and we are free to leave.”

“What makes you think I’ll let abominations such as yourself leave? You are my prisoners.”

I cleared my throat, not letting her intimidating gaze fluster me. “Because if you don’t, that magic that saved you will be the power that kills you and all of your sons in the Death Throne. That power will strip the throne from the Suriattas clan forever. You think your husband and eldest son were shamed being defeated by a single abomination? How do you think your family will be remembered when a hunter is responsible for taking their lives?”

Streaks of blue and red magic appeared in the air, spiraling around my arms; fire and water battling one another for the opportunity to attack. A red hue filled my eyes and the Queen stepped away. She didn’t break her gaze and a growl started deep in her throat. I stepped forward, closing the distance between us and whispered. “If you want to be remembered, join us. Fight for the lives you lost in Ithreal’s war.
He
forced you to fight.
He
killed your people until you conceded to his will. We are not your enemies. Together we can stop him from rising up again.”

“You can’t stop this, even with the power of the gods inside you.”

“I
will
stop this. I’m the only one who can. But I cannot do it alone.”

Our eyes were locked and I couldn’t tell how much time had passed. We were in a contest of wills and I wouldn’t back down. Magic flared around me, green and white streaks now mixing with the blue and red. Lightning arced between my fingers and magic pressed down on us with a gravitational force. The Queen’s breath became shallow and quick, before she finally turned away.

“Moke,” she said in a firm and commanding tone. “Guide these…things through the city and allow them safe passage.”

Moke nodded. “Yes, my Queen.”

“And Moke,” the Queen said, turning back to me. “Prepare everyone. We are no longer on the verge of the Death Throne, but there will be a battle. Revenge for our fallen will be had. We are going to war.”

Chapter 23

Word of the Queen’s health had spread across the city before we’d set foot onto the streets. There were no problems getting through the city with the Queen’s orders. There were whispers and stares, but no retaliation from the other demons. Moke led the way with his weapon drawn in case anyone got any ideas. When he saw there was no threat, he led us through the city on a cart, this time pulled by some legless cow-like creature. It dripped yellow fluid out of slits in its skin, leaving a slug-like trail behind.

To my relief, Rai found her way back to us, clinging to my shoulder and pecking at my face as we made our way toward the cliff. Vincent had remained oddly quiet since the events of the Queen’s room. In fact, he hadn’t spoken a word, and anytime I glanced at him, he turned away. I wanted to ask what had gotten into him, but this was the longest we’d gone without some kind of whining or snarky display. I intended to bask in all the tiny victories that hung around us today.

At the top of the cliff, Moke put his pendant in the door. The sand was sucked away layer by layer, and the door sighed as it opened. He guided us up the poorly lit stairwell and back into the desert. The wind was calm and the heat was intense compared to the dome, even if the sun had been swallowed by some of the angriest clouds I’d ever seen. Black pools rolled through the sky, bubbling within one another. Flashes of red lightning tore down in jagged arcs, blasting sand into the air.

Moke stood before us, smiling at the storm and then at his brother. “It was good to see you, Tiki. I should hope it not be a millennia before it happens again.”

Tiki nodded. “I’m not sure Mother would allow me to visit. I believe this will be the length of her kindness.”

“Perhaps you are right, but that does not mean I cannot visit you. If we survive this war, I shall make an oath to see you again.”

“I look forward to it.”

I expected a hug, but they shook hands and gave one another a nod. Moke thanked us for our help and said he’d be proud to be fight alongside us. I felt a glisten of hope, knowing we had such creatures on our side. Part of me still dreamed of being able to stop all this before it came to that, but deep down I knew that wasn’t possible. There was going to be a fight, and I would face off against Riley. That thought made me nervous and I pushed it away. Staying focused was all I had going for me. And right now all that mattered was Drakar.

Tiki prepped us and we all linked arms as his power built up around the group. Bit by bit the sand below fell away, and a black portal opened beneath us. Sheets of lightning filled the sky, and as the earth below us expanded and stretched, it gave way, sucking us into another world.

******

Although the pressure of the portal was intense, I stayed focused on Drakar. A wash of purple and red spiraled below, a sweet scent filling the air. It circled around us, reminding me of being in Serephina’s presence. It brought with it warmth and comfort, but all that serenity was stolen when the portal spit us out into the sky.

The air wrapped around me as I carried magic up from my soul. The earth came quick and we were headed straight for a patch of jagged boulders. I flexed the air element, trying to stretch its reach around the group. The magic spiraled and I pushed as hard as my focus would allow. The air shifted and our direction changed, slowing our fall. All our feet hit the dirt at once and the remaining force caused me to tumble over. A cloud of dust brushed up, making the air I craved taste dry and raw.