Saviour of Souls

Destiny

Seth tightened his grip around my waist, pulling me closer, deepening the kiss, and I smiled against his lips, seeing through the plot, but eager to play along regardless, a shiver of desire running along my spine. When he tucked a stray strand of hair behind my ear, I breathlessly murmured, “This doesn’t get you out of training.”

“I think it does,” he replied slyly, and my grin widened. The wards outside had gone dark, promising safety, and I shoved him back onto the kitchen floor, the doors and windows around us locking with half a thought from me, my power rushing to do my bidding.

“We’re all alone, you know.”

He turned crimson, the colour spreading across his cheeks, and the lantern above us blew out, plunging us into darkness, only the moonlight piercing through the glass of the window, illuminating us.

“I know,” he said, and I watched him lick his lips nervously, which only increased when I ran a hand through his hair, wondering what was going through his head.

“Hm… What if I try something?” I offered, and Seth’s blush only deepened, until I reached back into my mind for the connection, and tugged on it, showing him the lust that ran through my body. His face shifted slightly, his eyes darkening, and I gasped when he suddenly stood, lifting me with him, and dropping me onto the bench. I had a split second to grin in delighted surprise before he kissed me again, his hands stopping to rest at the nape of my neck. Desire was already racing along my spine, but now, it caught fire like a match thrown into oil, and I pulled him closer, breathing unevenly, and noticing that he was doing the same.

Was this why Zeella pursued women like they were conquests to be won by the end of the night? Did he chase the feeling I could now feel building up in my veins, the lust and desire that hit me like a tonne of bricks across my body?

I could already see why he’d wanted me to keep away from these feelings, how overpowering they could become so quickly. Already, I had forgotten to keep track of the wards, and my powers, or listening for any sounds that shouldn’t be there. It was like my entire soul was honed into every movement my Connected made, every breath he took.

With every feeling I was now experiencing rushing through me, it would be very easy to fall in love, and to become vulnerable like that… I could not risk my life for love.

Love had destroyed my family.

And yet I couldn’t get the desire and lust out of my blood, especially not when Seth kept kissing me, his hands sliding down to rest lightly on my arms, and then my waist. I needed it to be devoured, drained, and the only way to get it out of my blood, my head, was to keep going. And keep going he did, because in a matter of minutes, he was tossing me onto his bed upstairs, locking the door, and crawling atop me.

*

I woke curled into his side, bleary-eyed and warm, my body curled around his perfectly. If I didn’t hate the Archangels so much, I might have admired them for the perfect fit my Connected and I made, even with our polar-opposite personalities. Shivers of lust and desire no longer hounded me, my body sated, and I smiled contently into the pillows, ignoring the streaks of golden sunlight that peeked around the curtains, attempting to interrupt my time with my Connected. Daylight could wait.

Except, his Fae companions wouldn’t wait, and if they came here to pick him up, they would sense me. It was already nearing mid-morning, I could tell from how sluggish my powers were, and I sat up slowly, wincing slightly. I was probably going to spend most of today in bed. I gathered up his clothes, dumping a handful of gold coins from his desk drawer into his satchel, the excuse he’d had for coming here in the first place, and dropped it all at the end of the bed, bending down to press a kiss to his temple, and whispering, “You might want to wake up now.”

“Why?” He grumbled sleepily, pulling the cushion over his head, and I tugged it away.

“Because if your Fae friends come to collect you, they might just behead me, and I quite enjoy being, you know, alive,” I sighed, feeling exactly the same way in regard to getting up, but the mention of his ‘Fae friends’ was enough, it seemed, to stir him from peaceful slumber, and into a mad rush to get dressed. They would be having dinner now.

He wrenched on his shoes, trying to smooth his hair back, and I stepped forward as he slung his satchel over his shoulder.

When I went to kiss his cheek, he seemed to flinch back from something, his eyes glued to the floor, and then flicking over my shoulder to the window, as if he was looking at something in the street, avoiding my glance.

“Are you okay?” I asked, feeling embarrassed, turning around to look at a blank wall, and his window with the curtain pulled over it, and his eyes shot back to my face, a blush appearing on his.

“Oh, yeah. I’m fine.”

I nodded, looking away, and he grabbed my elbow, spinning me and pulling me to him, his lips pressing against mine. I sank into his grasp, giving in, and he hastily said, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to pull away from you before. I’m just not used to you and me being together, especially like this, or even seeing you at all, moving to kiss me, and-”

“Shut up and do it again.”

Surprise lit up his face, but he pulled me closer again, tentatively kissing me, his arms resting on my hips. After a few moments, he said, “I should go now.”

I nodded, and he said, “Stay up here. Just in case they’re down there, waiting.”

He began walking for the bedroom door, and suddenly turned again, asking, “I’ll come by in a few nights time. Will you be okay here?”

“Yeah. I’ll be okay,” I said, suddenly exhausted. I just wanted to lay down, and catch up on the sleep I’d missed lately. Seth smiled, and left.

The further he walked away, the deeper that hollowness settled into my gut, my mind sinking, and I sat down on the bed, the room darkening around me, shadows invading my peripheral vision.

Lydiav was still with Silba, and Bal’gag could be anywhere. I needed to find him, I knew that, but why couldn’t I get up now?

I had felt fine earlier. Now, I felt like I could barely get up, my body aching, my mind numb.

Flopping back onto the covers, I stared at the ceiling, my breath rushing from my lungs. Seth was dating Selphien.

Somehow, I didn’t expect it.

I probably should have seen it coming. Seth was nice, Selphien was a Princess with a lovely personality- what better pairing could you get? But at the same time, there was no possible way, out of everybody I had met who could be a potential suitor, that Seth would be the one to date Selphien, but come back and sleep with me. Twice.

After a date with his Fae girlfriend.

Huh.

I expected behaviour like that from someone like Ray junior, not Seth.

Deciding I needed something to distract me, not to mention get something done in my day, I sat up, and dressed, picking up my still-sodden cloak from the floor, and wrapping it around my body, the fabric freezing against my skin, clinging to me like an inescapable ice-cube. With the lock broken, I couldn’t lock the door to the house, but I tied it shut with a bit of rope I found in the kitchen, and set out into the street, which was nearly free of water, bits of trash and debris floating in puddles that I stepped carefully around.

Bal’gag was a Demonic-being who didn’t rely heavily on comfort to survive. He didn’t need a bed, or a roof over his head, but in the recent weather, he would have found somewhere to stay. He wouldn’t need to eat often, but when he did need to eat, he would go somewhere nearby, and he would choose his place of hiding close to food, and an escape route.

The Town Square, and the warehouses seemed to be the most obvious options, with the Town Square having plenty of cafes and houses to rob, as well as several streets that would lead to the wall, the tunnels, or the gate to the city. The warehouses were expansive, and rarely checked, with supplies being stockpiled for the war, and heaps of areas to hide if everything went to shit. Deciding I would rather go toward the Town Square than anywhere near where I might run into a Fae, I began trudging toward it, taking backstreets in case I ran into Satalari or Nihila, or even a soldier.

Ordeallan would be pulling out of the war soon. It would make things easier for me in terms of winning, but at the same time, it would mean more soldiers would become Guards again, and start walking through the streets, cleaning up now that the rain was gone.

Seth would tell Tatiana of the fact that Leena was pulling out, which meant Leena would no longer be a threat, but still an ally. They would keep food and supplies stockpiled in the warehouses. I had used all of the explosives in bringing down the Sun Palace, but the warehouses were full of flammable items. If I set fire to it, they would be gone in a few hours, if nobody attended to them. I could do that after finding Bal’gag, my second declaration to my enemies. Seth would hate me for it, but it didn’t matter anyway. He was still going to be with Selphien.

Most of the houses and stores in the Town Square were closed or destroyed, and I turned away on instinct, walking toward my old apartment. Maybe I could raid some extra items from it. If I was lucky, I might pick up a trail for Bal’gag. With the rain, I wouldn’t get a scent, but a note with a hint would be enough.

As I neared the house, I began to notice dozens of strange symbols leading up to the broken door, like wards, but they didn’t glow when I walked up. Were they inactive?

Toeing one of them warily, I waited for the sting of a Demonic ward pushing me back, but nothing happened. I tapped another one, and again, nothing.

None of them were active.

Stepping into the apartment, I made sure not to touch anything, not wanting to leave a trail for the Fae to follow, and whispered, “Bal’gag?”

It was a long shot, and I didn’t expect anything from it, but on the floor above, something shifted across the floor, like someone had accidentally kicked a plank of wood. Pulling Inferos from my belt, I hissed, “Bal’gag, are you in here?”

The floor right above my head creaked, and I stepped away, watching as green blood, Fae blood, dripped through the floorboards. Next to it, silver. Willar-Webber blood.

I continued to step backwards in silence, until I stood in the small living room, the stairs no longer visible, and heard someone walking across the landing in heavy boots. They were too big and loud to be Bal’gag.

Next to them, from another room, I could hear a set of lighter steps that were actually near-silent, another Assassin, or a Northern Isles Night-Hunter, and the sound of drawers being wrenched from their positions in dressers.

Madorinne.

That would make the loud footsteps Layne’s.

“Maddy? Did you just say something?” He asked, his shadow stretching down the stairs as he lifted a lantern, and the lighter footsteps walked out to greet him, a second shadow merging with Layne’s, although his lightened under the light of the lantern.

“No?”

“I could have sworn I heard someone. A girl.”

Madorinne sighed, and pulled a sword from her belt, her shadow turning to the stairs. I pressed myself against the wall, pinning myself close to the fireplace, and hoped that the broken door above me would be enough to keep me from her sight.

She walked through the rooms slowly, searching thoroughly, and I held Inferos tighter, preparing myself.

When she entered the room, I threw the blade toward her. She caught it, swearing, and wrenched me from my hiding spot, a hiss rising in my throat. She was far taller than me, and older, at least twenty.

She pressed her sword to my throat, and called, “Layne!”

He rushed down, his face pale with worry, and I snarled, trying to drop into a defensive crouch, Madorinne keeping a firm grip on my wrist. I twisted my body in her grip, trying to get her to release me, and she dug her fingernails into my skin, saying, “If you keep thrashing around like that, you’ll break your own wrist!”

Layne was half-Demonic, I could smell it on him, but Madorinne wasn’t Demonic at all. His jaw dropped, and he breathed, “No way.”

Madorinne turned Inferos over in her blade, admiring it, and Layne said, “You’re Destiny, right?”

I growled, and Madorinne said, “Yes, this is Destiny Maladur. Only she would have a Legacy blade.”

A Legacy blade? Inferos wasn’t the original sword that had been made. Did Madorinne not know that?

“That’s not a Legacy blade,” I said, and Madorinne shook her head, correcting, “This is a Legacy blade. This is Inferos, the twin to this blade,” she pulled a dagger from her pocket, the hilt made from pure white wood, seven mirror-image symbols carved into it, the silver polished to perfection. She passed both daggers over to Layne, who hissed, baring sharp teeth, juggling Inferos.

“No, it’s a replica.”

“Nope. This is the real thing. You have a Legacy blade. That’s what Reni told us. Are you going to stop struggling now?”

“Not until I know you won’t kill me.”

“We won’t. Promise. We’ve been looking for you for ages.”

She released my arm, and I stood, staring down Layne, who looked at me quizzically. Whenever he looked in my direction, I felt the urge to hiss and drop into a crouch again. What was it about him that elicited such a territorial response from me?

“Teeth, Layne. Close your mouth,” Madorinne said, and as he did, I felt the edge lessen slightly, although it still remained somewhat. Maybe it wasn’t him, but the two daggers he held that I felt threatened by. I held out my hand for my blade, but Madorinne intercepted it before Layne could hand it over, saying, “We need your help.”

“Give me my dagger, and then we’ll talk,” I growled in return, and Madorinne nodded, allowing for Layne to give Inferos back to me. I took it, and tucked it back into my belt.

“First of all, why are you in my house?”

“You live here?” Madorinne looked around at the destruction, and I said, “I did. I live elsewhere now.”

“Okay. Well, we’re here because Layne said your last trail was here. What happened?” When I hesitated, she said, “From one Night-Hunter to another, Princess.”

Oh, what the Hell! What harm could it do? “Guards broke in to capture me and my Guardians. We scattered, and I haven’t seen them since. Nym is dead, I believe, Lydiav is ill, and Bal’gag is missing. I was looking for him when I bumped into you. My cousin and I were captured, and we were taken to the Palace. It’s a long story after that. My turn. Why are you looking for me?”

“As I said earlier, we need your help.”

“Putting aside the fact that you wouldn’t be able to afford my help, what do you need my help for?”

Layne and Madorinne exchanged a glance, and said, “We’re searching for the Legacy items. We’ve found the two blades, but we need the Sacreds. We know the Tree of Life is in Tarvenia, but we can’t access it because someone blew up the Palace, and when we went to the last known locations of the other two Sacreds, we couldn’t find them. I figured you were old enough to know where they might be.”

“You couldn’t find them because I have them.”

Both Night-Hunters fell silent, gaping at me, and I said, “They’re back at my Manor home. I took them a few months ago to open the Paradoxin Rift. I didn’t know they were called Legacy items.”

“Why?”

I shrugged, and Madorinne pinched the bridge of her nose, muttering, “I should have known. The Sacreds are Legacy items because they were crafted in the same time as the two blades. They were gifted at the exact same time to the four cities.”

“That’s all well and nice, but why do YOU want the Sacreds?” I questioned, and Madorinne said, “For the same reason as you. Sort of. We need to open the Rift to bring Earth back, but for a very, very different reason. Will you help us?”

“You’re aware that you need an Ancient and the blood of a Night-Hunter descendant?” Madorinne nodded, staring at me, waiting for something to click- Holy. Shit.

“You’re a Night-Hunter descendant. Wow. That’s pretty martyr-like of you, sacrificing yourself. But you don’t have an Ancient.”

“We do, actually. Satalari Paradoxin.”

“Nope. I’m not helping you.”

I turned to leave, my heart thundering in my chest, and Madorinne called out, “Wait! At least tell me why!” I swung around, and Layne’s face softened, reading something in my face and posture that I wasn’t aware of. Madorinne waited patiently, and I finally managed to force out over my shuddering, “I am never working with Satalari. Not now, not in ten-thousand-years, not even when this world dies. I, quite frankly, would rather be executed than work with her.”

I rubbed at the burn on my back, Madorinne catching the movement, and she softly asked, “What happened?”

“She tortured me. You don’t need to know anything else. If we’re going to work together, I need privacy, and I need you to get a different Ancient.”

“Very well. If you retrieve the Sacreds for us, what do you want in return?”

“Help me find my Guardian. His name is Bal’gag, and-”

“Done. Bring me the Sacreds in two nights, and I’ll bring you your Guardian.”

Two nights… Zeella and the other Lords would still be furious with me in two nights time. I would need longer, unless I managed to convince Alishan to bring them for me. I knew Zeella would never let them out of his sight.

Madorinne was offering me a pretty good deal- it was a way to complete my mission, and keep Seth, who was beginning to grow on me, alive. I could use the Paradoxin Rift to go back to Earth, Zeella could use it for ending Lilith’s curse, and Madorinne could use it for whatever she wanted. I didn’t care.

“I’ll do it, but I need longer. I did something that means I can’t go near the Manor for a while. Two weeks, and I’ll give you the Sacreds. I swear.”

“Will you Blood-Oath it?” Madorinne asked, and Layne hissed, “Maddy!”

“I need to know I have her word.”

“You have my word. No Blood-Oaths, though. The last one didn’t turn out well for me.”

She watched me, and then shrugged.

“Very well. In two days, meet me here again, and I’ll bring you your Guardian.”

“Two days? We agreed on two weeks.”

“Yes, but you can have your Guardian back in two days. Perhaps he can help you get the Sacreds. In the meantime, I’ll help keep the Fae warriors off your ass.”

“Deal.”

Behind them, I could still see the Fae and Willar-Webber blood pooling on the floor, and pointing to the mess, I asked, “Why did you kill them?”

Madorinne frowned, turning around, and said, “Kill what?”

“The Fae and the Willar-Webber. Their blood is behind you?”

Madorinne and Layne looked to each other and shook their heads in unison.

“There’s nothing there. Are you okay?”

I could see the blood, clear as Hell, behind them. It was there.

Unless I was having another strange, horrific flashback of some kind.

A shadow across the door confirmed it, Abel stepping over the threshold, and I began to feel lightheaded, Layne noticing my swaying first, and trying to catch me before I fell, my body aching, every wound Abel had inflicted on me in pain again. He couldn’t catch me, having not moved fast enough, and I fell forward onto my knees, my hand clapped over my mouth. Abel flickered and vanished, but the blood continued to pool on the floor, and around me, the walls began to ripple like they were made of water. I closed my eyes, swaying back and forth, beginning to feel ill.

I was going to be sick…

I had never been on a boat, didn’t know what it was like to be seasick, but I had read it in books, and Cain had described the feeling to me, long ago. Now, despite there being solid land beneath my feet, I could feel the rolling of waves around me, like I was sitting in a tiny vessel, being tossed around by them. I needed to get out of here, but I couldn’t stand, my legs made of jelly. I began to shake, trying to curl into a ball, shouting for Seth, and I felt him trying to comfort me, tugging on the connection.

‘Des? Breathe! You’re safe!’ Seth promised, feeling my panic through our connection, and Madorinne’s comforting hand on my shoulder made me lurch forward, hissing.

She stepped back calmly, placing her hand on Layne’s shoulder instead, perhaps preparing herself to throw him out of the way of danger, and I fought to calm myself before I lost my mind. As I breathed deeply, taking a deeper breath each time, I noticed that the blood disappeared more, and my head became lighter.

As I fell, I noticed a bracelet on Madorinne’s wrist, the same bracelet that had brushed against my skin, glistening with a liquid…

*

“Des? Are you waking up?” The voice came to me as I rolled over, and I groaned.

My head was pounding with pain, but it was nothing compared to the steady burn I could feel in my shoulder, the reek of Junenara floating through the room. I opened my eyes to see the warm mahogany walls of a bedroom, sage green sheets tucked around me, and a bookcase full of scrolls and books. The room was full of chests and travelling bags, and I could smell the salt of the ocean on many of them. Whoever owned this room, and these bags, did a lot of travelling by sea. Sitting on the end of the bed, one such book left open in his lap, a bookmark in his hand, was- “Bal’gag?”

“In the flesh- Hey!” He wrapped his arms around me in shock as I leapt into him, hugging him tightly, and laughing, I breathed, “You’re alive.”

“Yeah. Do you have Lydiav?”

I looked up at him, and he said, “We did our best to get her out, but someone beat us to it. I was hoping it was you.”

“I didn’t get her, but I have her now. Someone else rescued her. She’s not in a good place right now, Bal’gag.” Just like that, we were back into the same routine we had always been in. It was like we had never parted from each other, because as soon as I said that, Bal’gag, in true Guardian form, replied, “Mentally or physically?”

“Physically. I think she might be dying. She was injected in the Ordeallan Palace with the depths of Hell knows what. I know Henara is one of them, but I’m not sure about the others. I’ll need your help to save her life.”

Bal’gag nodded, looking relieved despite the terrible news, and I asked, “How did you end up here? Where are we?”

“We’re in Madorinne’s Ordeallan home. It’s pretty nice, isn’t it?” He leaned back on the wooden bed board, looking around the room.

“She knocked me out,” I whined, and Bal’gag nodded.

“Yeah. Madorinne said you were freaking out over something. Are you okay now?”

I looked around the room for any obvious hallucinations, and said, “I’m good. So we’re in Madorinne’s house. Right. How did you get here? And how do you know her so well?”

“Maddy and I had an agreement. If they saved Lydiav from the Ordeallan Palace, I would help them find you. I’ve gotten to know all of the people who work with her while I’ve been here. It’s a bit of a long story, but we can talk about it later. Is that alright?”

“Of course. I’m glad you’re safe. I was worried you might have been killed.” The fact that Bal’gag had been willing to abandon what he saw as his duties as a Guardian to save Lydiav was touching, and no doubt a testimony to his feelings for the girls, but I needed his help again.

“Lydiav is with Silba. She’s trying to help cure her, but there’s something I need first. Two things, actually.”

“Yeah?”

“The first one is a cure from the war camp for Henara- It’s the only thing that can remove the disease from her body. The second thing are the Sacreds from the Manor. I won’t send you back there, since I might have… done something to royally piss Zeella and the other Lords off, but I need you to get a letter to Alishan. She can bring them to me.”

“I heard about your adventure. Blowing up the Tarvenia Sun Palace, with all of Agron’s soldiers inside. Very ballsy of you.”

I grinned, and Bal’gag said, “I would try and get a letter to Alishan, except I know a quicker way. Her and your siblings are here in Ordeallan. So is Athena.”

“Great. Where?”

“In one of the Manor homes down the street. We can go to her, but you’ll need to be prepared for a bit of a shock. I’ve been visiting them regularly to keep an eye on them, and something happened during one of those visits.”

“What?”

“Remember how Phoenix ages strangely?”

I nodded, and Bal’gag said, “She’s nine now. Nine, and very, very powerful. Des, I think she might be too powerful for the Dome, or even the Manor. If Zeella gets his hands on Phoenix, you’re dead, for sure.”

“She’s more powerful than me?” I gaped, and Bal’gag said, “It shifts. Her power isn’t like yours. She can see the future, but that isn’t all- Des, she can connect telepathically with other Seers. She keeps saying something about a ‘Tarragon’. She can see into the war camp through his eyes. And, she’s inherited a few Archangel abilities, too. Maybe it’s because her mother was a Fallen Angel, but she can see souls the same way you can see Demonic auras.”

“The Fae Prince? Is he a Seer? Wait, and souls? Can she take them?”

“I’m not exactly willing to find a volunteer to test on. But she needs to be hidden. I considered killing her, but I can’t bring myself to do it. She’s too gentle for the Dome, and too powerful for the Manor. Zeella will use her. She can’t stay as a Princess of Hell.”

“Okay. I’ll relocate her.”

It wouldn’t be the first time I would relocate a Demonic-being who was too powerful for the Manor, or not suited for their duties, or to hide them from someone else, but it was the first time I would ever relocate one of my own siblings, and to do it so thoroughly to hide her from the Lords of Hell… Doing so would only piss the Lords off more, but if it needed to be done, I could take those consequences. If Phoenix wasn’t going to be safe, or she would be used, then she needed to be removed from that danger.

“Thank you,” Bal’gag sounded so thankful that I almost felt bad. He had been juggling his Blood-Oath with Madorinne, trying to get Lydiav back, and the idea that without me, and my permission to relocate Phoenix, he might have to kill her.

“It’s no problem. Are you bound to remain with Madorinne?” That would make retrieving the Sacreds a lot harder, if Bal’gag couldn’t leave the house.

“No, I’m not bound to her. I can leave whenever, now that she’s found you. Our bargain is over.” He said it cheerfully enough, but he still sounded apprehensive. Did he not want to leave Madorinne?

“If you want to stay, Bal’gag, you’re more than welcome too.”

“No, I’m bound as your Guardian.”

“If you don’t want to be, I can unbind you with no hard feelings. You can stay with them, if it makes you happy.”

He exhaled loudly, running a hand over his stubbled jaw, and with teary eyes, said, “I enjoy the way they interact with each other, and with me. I like the way we interact, too, but I guess I’m tired of it, all of the games and missions and life-threatening risks. I know Madorinne is a Night-Hunter, but it’s different. We’re different.”

I nodded, hiding my own tears, and Bal’gag, gulping, continued, “It was my dream to work with you, ever since I even considered becoming a Guardian, and for thirty-two-thousand-years, it’s been amazing. I got to do everything I ever wanted. I got the chance to protect what I thought was everything for the Manor, I got to know you, and I was given the opportunity to rise in the Manor in a way that, without you, I would never have been able to accomplish, but now, I think I need something different. I’ll always be here for you, and I’m always going to want to help you complete missions, or watch your back in enemy territory-”

“But you don’t want to go back to the Manor.”

“No. I don’t want to go back to the Manor,” he whispered, and I brushed aside my tears, watching him do the same, and I took his hand in mine. He lifted his head in shock, the both of us crying, and smiling sadly, I said, “I release you, Bal’gag, from my duties as a Guardian. You are hereby your own person, free to do what you wish.”

It wasn’t the official statement, but it didn’t matter. We had never done anything by the book, and my intention was clear; Bal’gag was free of any responsibility for me or my safety.

“You know what?” I choked, and Bal’gag shook his head, wiping his eyes. We weren’t a couple, and had no feelings for each other apart from loyalty and friendship, but it felt like we were breaking each other’s hearts.

“We shouldn’t go back. Any of us.”

“What do you mean?” He said, sounding alarmed, and I said, “We shouldn’t go back to the Manor. I’m tired of them. I don’t want to work for them, and I haven’t wanted to for a while.”

It had always been building up, that statement. I had buried it time and time again over the centuries, always putting it down to the fact that I was just irritable, or Zeella wasn’t being fair with me, but I had known.

It was why I had taken Seth with me to blow up the Sun Palace. It wasn’t because I needed his help- I easily could have done everything on my own, but I wanted to pull the middle finger at Zeella in a way that could not, under any circumstances, be recognised as anything else. I wanted him to pay for the Severing and the Blood Moon tournament he had ordered for me. Maybe I just needed someone to leave before me, to prove that it was even possible to escape the Manor, and the people within it. Now that Bal’gag was leaving, I could leave as well.

“You can remain with Madorinne, but I’m not going back either. Lydiav can make that choice for herself.”

“So you’re revoking your title?”

“I am.”

“Are you sure? You can’t go back on that decision,” He said, and I nodded. I was positive. Yes, it was a split-second decision, but it was true. I didn’t want to go back. I couldn’t go back in the Manor, because every time I step inside, I was going to see Abel breaking in and threatening my Connected. I was going to see Seth in my bed and Nym in my rooms.

I couldn’t go back, not without losing my mind.

“What would I call you?”

“My name. Just my name. No ‘Princess’ anymore.”

“I don’t know if I could get used to that,” he admitted, and I grinned. It wasn’t going to be that hard to relearn my new title, or lack of. No, the hardest part would be telling Cain. I wouldn’t ask him to choose between me or the Manor, and the life he had there, but he had to know I couldn’t come back. Ever.

Outside, it began raining again, and smiling, Bal’gag said, “I hope that’s not an omen.”

I was going to have to grab my funds out of the Manor before Zeella absorbed them into his own, not to mention some items from my room that Alishan would have to fetch for me.

“Alright, let’s meet the others, then.”

“What bargain did you make with them?”

“That I would give them the Sacreds. Madorinne and Layne can keep them, for all I care.”

Bal’gag’s eyes widened, and he said, “You’ll be at war with Zeella if you take the Sacreds. If you leave, he’ll be furious, but if you ruin his life mission as well, he’ll be murderous. He will come after you with the entire force of the Manor.”

“I already took out a part of it. I can keep taking them out. Eventually, they’ll give up.”

“Where would you live?”

“Somewhere here, I guess. Karmona, maybe. Not Ordeallan or Tarvenia. I would have to lose the Immortal War with Tatiana, too. I don’t have any soldiers to win with. I’ll have enough money to live very, very comfortably.”

Bal’gag smiled, and he stood as the door opened, bowing to Madorinne as she entered. Beside her, a man stooped over, hunched slightly, his arm in a cast.

“You’re awake. I’m sorry I had to knock you out, but you were becoming rather… unstable,” Madorinne said, and the man beside her introduced himself, stepping forward to shake my hand.

“My name is Haiden. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Princess.”

“Ah, about that… I’ve revoked my title with the Manor.”

“As of when?” Madorinne blinked, and I said, “Now. I’m just Destiny now.”

“Then it’s a pleasure to meet you, Destiny. Again, I’m sorry my Connected had to knock you out, but it was necessary. I hope you’ll forgive her.”

Haiden was rather short, nearly shorter than Madorinne, and not as well-honed with weaponry. Short brown hair, brown eyes and tanned skin showed that he came from the Northern Isles, but his face shape spoke of a birth in the Twisted Isles. Even the way he held himself, removing the stoop of pain, was the posture of a Twisted Isles child.

The Lords had attacked the Isles once, in an effort to capture more servants for the Manor, and the Twisted Isles Massacre had been one of the main areas hit. It was then that Mira’s family had been killed, and this stranger likely had suffered a similar fate, if the scars on his wrists and ankles were anything to go by.

“I’ll forgive her. I have a very forgiving heart,” I said playfully, and to my surprise, Haiden’s eyes lit up with amusement as he pulled a folded sheet of paper from his pocket, reading it.

“Really? Reports say otherwise,” he replied, and I shrugged, “You do what you have to do as an Assassin. Don’t we, Madorinne?”

“You know what she is?” Haiden blanched, and I nodded.

“I knew there were Northern Isles Night-Hunters in Ordeallan the second you stepped foot into the city. I have a mirage around it.”

“We noticed. There’s a distinct lack of Demons here.”

“That’s changing tonight,” I said, turning to look out the window, only to see a watery sunshine staring back, “Or today, I suppose. I promised someone important that I would bring the mirage down.”

Bal’gag’s jaw dropped, and I nodded, turning Inferos over in my hands, fiddling with the blade. Already, I could see what he was thinking.

“Yes, I promised Seth to remove the mirage. We had a rather convincing bargain with each other at the time. But now, I’m considering a very different sort of bargain with all of you. You want the Sacreds to open the Rift. Why?”

Haiden and Madorinne looked to each other, and I saw the look that passed over their faces- the look that Connected’s had when they spoke to each other.

“What harm could telling her do?” Madorinne murmured after a while, and Haiden gave her a look, along with what I could only imagine was a silent, but prominent, list of reasons.

“We want to open the Rift because there’s something very important that we need from it. It’s called the Paradoxin Cord.”

“I’ve heard of it. Why do you need it, though? That’s some pretty powerful Demonic magic.”

“The Sea of Fire is dying.”

“Good riddance. That thing was horrific,” I said, not seeing the reason why they would want to save such a hellish area. I’d never crossed it, but the books I’d read on it had been enough. More than enough, actually. I never wanted to experience the place for real.

“No, you don’t understand,” Bal’gag said quietly to me, and I had to stop myself from demanding he tell me what, exactly, I didn’t understand. The Sea of Fire, to my knowledge, was useless. It was just a shit tonne of water that was used to separate the mainland from The Borderlands. It was nothing more than that.

“The Sea of Fire is what holds this Dimension together. It isn’t just a bit of water with some creepy creatures in it, it’s where all the Fae lines meet.”

“Fae lines? As in, the thing humans called Ley Lines? Those things? What of them?”

“Without them, this world dies. To put it simply, the Ley Lines are what keep magic and life pumping through the Dimension, they’re our connection to the Archangels, and to Hell. If they die, they unleash all sorts of rather horrific things- diseases, curses, invasions from creatures we haven’t even heard of, there’s a lot that goes wrong when Ley Lines collapse. Not to mention the fact that the influx of magic and power would kill anyone with even a semblance of similar magic, or in your case powers, to the Ley Lines. There’s also the fact that the Paradoxin Rift converges there. If the Ley Lines die, the Rift will devour this world.”

Well… That was… pleasant news.

Madorinne and Haiden nodded, confirming everything Bal’gag had just told me, and I took a moment to wrap my head around everything, before looking back to my old Guardian. Putting aside the fact that he had clearly been on some interesting adventures without me, I still didn’t understand where the Paradoxin Cord came into play for this.

“So the Cord will help… how?”

“The powers the cord wield are strong enough to strengthen the bond between the Fae lines, and ensure the Sea of Fire doesn’t die out. It will, essentially, light it back up.”

“Fine, you can have your cord.”

“Destiny, there’s one problem,” Bal’gag cut in, and I sighed, “What is it?”

“The cord is the only object that breaks Lilith’s curse. Zeella will be fighting for it.”

“Why don’t you both share it then?”

“The cord can only be used once. We’ll have to race Zeella to it once we open the Rift, and then keep him away while we use it.”

“Alright,” I said, smirking. I had already formulated a rather brilliant, if not hazardous, plan. It would either work, and Madorinne could have her cord and save the Dimension, or it could go terribly, we would all be executed by Zeella, and they would take over a dying world.

It was a risk that was necessary.

“Removing the mirage will create enough of a distraction that Alishan will be able to sneak around Zeella’s Guardians, and retrieve the Sacreds for me. Bal’gag, I’ll need you to go with her and retrieve whatever money you can from my rather extensive bank, and bring it back with her. You are both to protect the Sacreds at all costs, because remember, we aren’t the only people looking for them. Tatiana is, and so is Zeella. While that’s happening, the war camp will be distracted by the influx of Demons they’ll have to protect themselves from, and I’ll be able to break in and grab one of Jason’s cures for Henara for Lydiav. When that’s done, we’ll meet in Silba’s lair- It’s protected from anyone the Witch doesn’t want inside. While we’re doing that, Madorinne and Haiden will have to go to Tarvenia to retrieve the third and final Sacred.”

“Great. Then we’ll open the Rift. But who’s going in?”

“We all will,” I said. I had business of my own to complete there. Zeella’s mission, yes, had been important, and one of the reasons I had complied with him was to make him proud, but I had always had my own reasons for finding the Sacreds. I could resurrect my mother on Earth, and I could bring her home.

“I won’t,” Madorinne said, and Haiden squeezed her hand. Night-Hunter blood was needed to open the Rift, enough blood to kill a person. Nihila would still help me, when I called for her, so at least I wouldn’t have to deal with Satalari. A sacrifice would be needed from Madorinne.

Unless…

“What if I proposed an idea?” I cut in, seeing that Haiden and Madorinne were arguing in their minds again, and they both turned to me. Haiden looked upset, Madorinne determined, and I knew that had I not proposed my idea, Madorinne would have won out in the end. She would have sacrificed herself, but what if she didn’t need too? You only needed enough blood to kill a person, but if two Night-Hunter descendants gave half of their blood, they could both survive, provided they were strong enough.

I relayed this to Bal’gag, whose eyes widened, and Madorinne said, “Will Seth agree, though?”

“To save you, he would. Not to help me, though. You’ll have to approach him on your own, I’m afraid. If I approach him, he’ll suspect I’m up to something.”

“You need Angelic magic, too.”

“Angelic magic?”

“Angelic magic. You have an Ancient, but you don’t have an Angel. The Scales are the ones that take the power sacrifice from both the Ancient and the Angel, and Scales are reliant on balance.”

“We could use Angel,” Bal’gag offered, and I shook my head. The baby was too little for such an offering, and we didn’t even know if she had powers, yet, or what they would manifest as. We would need a Fallen Angel, or even an Archangel. But where would we find one willing to go ahead with opening the Rift? Angels were strictly against tampering with worlds, unless it was them doing so.

“What about Phoenix, then?”

“It would subdue her powers for some time. At least a month, maybe two.”

“Considering I need to hide her, that might be useful. We’ll ask Phoenix if she wants to go ahead with it. Madorinne, when you and Haiden and your brother go to Tarvenia, I need you to be captured by the Fae. Play off that you’re distraught that the world is ending, and that you need to open the Rift in order to save it. If they question you about me, or any of my family, tell them about the Twisted Isles Massacre. Be hateful toward anyone with the last name Maladur. You need to convince them that Seth can help you, and that it will be safe, which shouldn’t be too hard, considering it’s the truth.”

Madorinne nodded, and Haiden said, “This sounds dangerous.”

“Of course it is. We’re facing enemies from at least two different sides, and the Sea of Fire. But at least it’ll be interesting,” I smiled, and Layne, having only just joined the conversation, groaned, “I’m tired of interesting. I hope you’re not planning something.”

“Indeed we are.”

Madorinne filled him in on our grand plan, including what he needed to do to secure the final Sacred, and Layne fell into his chair, groaning about just wanting to relax. When Madorinne assured that once they did this, they could go home, he seemed to perk up, and agreed to his part in the plan.

“When do we start?” Madorinne asked me, and I shrugged.

“Now, I suppose. Bal’gag, go to Alishan and tell her of the plan. In the meantime, I’ll go bring the mirage down. Once that happens, we need to move quickly. It’ll take the Fae a couple hours to reassemble themselves, but a couple hours goes quickly when you’re relying entirely on time.”

Bal’gag stood, saluting me, and I heard him rushing down the stairs, and out the front door. Madorinne, Haiden and Layne looked to each other, and then nodded.

“We’ll go to Tarvenia with Silba. We’re acquainted,” Madorinne offered as explanation, and then the three of them also left, Haiden handing me the key to the house, and making me swear up and down that I wouldn’t rob them.

I did, and with a smile lingering on my face from my makeshift promise, I left for the Ordeallan Palace to bring the mirage down. As I walked, I took a risk, and told Seth of our plan…