Stoke - 22. Luminescence

Movement against my chest woke me up and I rubbed my eyes as Meep looked up at me. I smiled softly and he slowly sat up, dark hair sticking up in every direction. Arms snaked around my waist and I squeaked as I was rolled over to the other side of Talon. He tucked me possessively into him and cupped my face, leaning down to kiss me. He never reached me. Meep launched himself onto Talon’s back and his scrawny arms wrapped around Talon’s neck. Talon sighed and closed his eyes. He took a deep breath and very slowly rolled over, smashing Meep between his back and the mattress. Thin arms and legs flailed from underneath Talon, who lounged casually. He crossed his arms behind his head and leaned back, smiling at me. I shoved him over, laughing softly as I rescued the boy.

I laid down against Talon’s side and held Meep against me. Talon’s arm curled around me and his fingers rested on my hip, drawing small circles, “Tomorrow’s the day, right?”

I nodded. The days had gone quickly. The next official thing on Dimian’s agenda was Anders’ trial. If mine was any indication, I assumed it was a formality as well. Still, I was nervous. I had a bad feeling. Why? He was imprisoned and had been dosed with his own medicine. He had no Magik and was sedated with normal medicine as well. Lacking Magik and consciousness. It didn’t matter. Anders could be a threat with every precaution in place. He was too dangerous. I hoped everything went smoothly and he got exactly what he deserved. More charges had been filed with the judges and he would now be held accountable for both monarchs’ deaths. There was no way around it. My kindness had limits and Anders had blown past them. He deserved to die. I wanted him to. He didn’t deserve to walk the earth after the suffering he’d been directly responsible for. Suffering we would be making right for years.

I had no idea how far his influence had spread. I don’t know how much damage he’d done. I didn’t know how many people’s minds he’d destroyed in his quest for power. There was no way to tell how much of Lex’s madness was his own and which part was Anders. Without the general would things have been different? I had no doubt that the flare of obsession already existed in Mallex and Anders capitalized on it, but would Lex have pushed so hard? Would he have been so relentless and downright evil? I suppose it didn’t matter. Eon and I had managed to get his status changed. His discharge was now general instead of dishonorable and his family owed the country nothing. I still wasn’t sure if it was the right thing to do. Eon insisted that he didn’t deserve honorable, but he had been hesitant to help at all. Anders’ influence needed to be snuffed out. The Naindes didn’t deserve to literally pay for Mallex’s mistakes.

I sighed and halted my thoughts. I didn’t want to think about Lex. My dreams were becoming less frequent and I didn’t need them to start back up. Talon noticed my thoughts turning negative and he nipped at my skin to distract me. I snuggled back against him. We hadn’t been leaving the house much. Talon had gone to speak with Wren and Eon the day after the assembly, insisting he go alone. It hadn’t gone well. He’d come home and gone straight to his alchemy room. He’d slammed the door so hard it made Meep wander curiously into the main room from where he’d been reading with Anika. He refused to talk to me about it and so I had stopped asking. I focused instead on Meep and Anika. Anika would react to me now at least. She still wouldn’t speak, but I managed to get her to eat and she would take care of herself for the most part. Loren was teaching me how to “speak” to Meep and I had learned a lot, but now I was nervous that they’d be leaving soon. Hopefully, what Rah had told us in passing was true and Hanja was able to come up with something that could help if his healing didn’t. Talon and Meep still had an interesting relationship, but it seemed to have improved. We had gone a total of exactly one day without Meep assaulting Talon. He was not a fan of the man getting closer to me. I thought it was cute. Talon didn’t agree. He acted as though he didn’t want the boy around, but I’d caught him on more than one occasion watching Loren teach me. I’d even seen him practicing the hand movements.

“We should go to the market today. I think I promised to take you forever ago and we never made it.” He mumbled against my neck, lips pressing against my skin.

I ran my fingers through Meep’s hair and smiled as I felt the boy’s breathing slow, “Can we bring Meep and Anika?”

“If we have to.” He groaned, tugging me closer. Meep shifted and rolled over, looking up at us sleepily.

Only a half hour later, Meep was tugging at the collar of his charcoal grey jacket. He wore a white shirt underneath and black pants with black shoes. He kept looking over his outfit and down at his shoes, wonder in his eyes. Talon pulled a velvet, black, long-sleeved shirt over his head to complete his normal all black outfit. He slipped rings on and Meep watched him. Talon waved one back and forth. The boy’s eyes followed and Talon knelt, holding it out. Meep stepped forward and looked at me. Talon rolled his eyes and tossed the ring at him. He caught it clumsily. I stepped forward as Talon straightened, gripping the front of his shirt to pull him in for a kiss.

He blinked as I pulled away, “Mm, what was that for?”

“That was sweet.” I smiled and walked from the room to help Anika get ready.

“All I have to do is be nice to the kid? That’s all it takes? I will be so nice to him. You wait.” Talon rambled as he stumbled after me. I rolled my eyes and found Anika sitting calmly at the table. She wore a navy coat and shirt underneath with simple pants and shoes, her hands folded in her lap. I offered her my hand and linked my fingers with Meep’s.

I turned to Talon and smiled, “I think we’re ready!”

*

It was an odd feeling. We walked through the market and I think both Meep and I had the same reaction. Our eyes wide, we stared at everything as we passed. I had never seen most of the things for sale. Anika kept a hold of my hand and Talon shadowed us. My head was on a swivel and I spied a stand with jewelry, “Anika, look!”

I pulled her in the direction of the booth but paused and looked from Meep to Talon. Meep glanced up at Talon almost shyly. Talon looked back at me nervously, “Uh, I’ll watch this one.”

I smiled and guided Anika over to the table. She’d always loved expensive things and I hoped this may help her open up a little more. I glanced over the different colors and smiled at her, “Do you like any of them?”

“Why are you treating me this way?” She asked, frowning.

It took me a moment to process that she’d spoken to me at last. My eyes met hers, “What?”

“You’re being kind to me. Beyond kind. You’re nursing me back to health when I can’t think of anyone who should want me dead more than you. Why? I’ve been nothing but awful to you. You would have been justified in letting them abandon me. You owe me nothing. I don’t deserve any of this Kalian.” She looked confused and remorseful. She could not wrap her head around it. Fair. I couldn’t either.

“I don’t know. It’s who I am. I wanted to be angry. To treat you the way you treated me, but I can’t.” I shrugged and turned back to the table, running my fingers over a diamond pendant with a long chain. I watched her shaking fingers drift over mine and she linked her fingers with mine, “T-thank you.”

With that, she let go and looked over the jewelry. She seemed to try to talk more and I bought her a sapphire bracelet. When we finished, I searched through the crowd for the slightly grumpier half of our party. I found them in front of a strange food stand. It sold sticks of what looked like fried dough with a sugary syrup on them. They were served four speared on a small skewer. As I watched, Talon’s hands moved and Meep’s answered.

“I thought he hated that kid. When did he learn how to talk to him?” Anika mumbled, clasping her bracelet on her wrist. I shook my head, mouth hanging open a little as Talon handed the boy four of the skewers. The child absolutely did not need that much sugar, but there was no way I was going to complain. We crossed over to them and Talon held one out to Anika who accepted it with a quiet, “thanks.”

“You want one love?” It took me a second to answer as I watched Meep’s fingers curl around two of Talon’s. I was going to die here today. My heart couldn’t take this.

+Eon+

“Emotional.” Wren was draped over the table at the end of the bed. I lounged against the headboard. The grey tent had become our unofficial home and it was strange. Ours. It was ours. I shook the thought from my head as I watched him and replaced it with others. Having a bed that was decent sized was all I cared about. I wasn’t a complainer and having a bed at all whilst traveling was a luxury, but I wasn’t a small person. A single bed simply didn’t work. It was near impossible to get comfortable. I settled into the wealth of pillows and a random splotch of blood caught my eye. I sighed. I thought we’d managed to keep these ones clean.

“Yes Wren, I’m emotional. A silly, irrational human.” His head lifted from the table and he rolled onto his stomach, his feet lifting in the air.

“He apologized. Don’t you humans want that kind of thing?” Wren brought his legs all the way forward, soles of his feet pressing to the table beside his face. The way his body was curved so sharply looked painful, but then again, a lot of the positions Wren held himself in looked that way. He was like a strange cat.

“It’s not enough. You almost died. Kalian almost died.” He unfolded himself after his spine cracked obscenely and got off the table. He kept his eyes on mine as he climbed on the bed and slowly crawled to me on all fours.

“Were you…scared for me?” His pink eyes tinted red slowly. I focused on the slight milkiness in his damaged one which sent my gaze to his thin scars.

“Yes. I thought you were going to die.” I grit my teeth as he crawled up my legs, claws digging into bare skin.

“You care about me.” Wren straddled my lap and I looked up at him, the back of my head still resting against the headboard. I’m not sure how he made it an accusation but he had a knack for things like that. His eyes were almost fully red and I grunted softly as his hand moved lightning quick. He gripped my face, pulling mine closer to his, “Say it.”

“When is the last time you ate?” I asked, gripping his wrist and forcibly removing it from my face. He was still healing. That was the only reason it was possible for me to overpower him without him letting me.

He growled and looked at his wrist in my grip, “I want to hear you say it.”

I smirked as his free hand gripped my hair, his lithe body pressing against mine as I asked, “Yeah? Ask nicely.”

His eyes flashed and he snarled. He snapped his teeth in my face and I sat up, taking him with me. I let us fall forward and pinned his hands above his head. It was unreal. Overpowering Wren was never possible before and I was going to miss it. I was also going to miss the frustrated little whimper that left his mouth as he struggled. He stopped when he registered that the sound had come from him. His now red eyes widened and I chuckled darkly, “Oh little monster, what’s it like to not have control for once?”

He stopped struggling then and looked up at me, “How’s it feel to be able to take it from me?”

Sparks flew down my spine and I shuddered as I leaned down, nipping his lower lip. His legs wrapped around my waist and he pulled my lower body down. Wren tugged at his hands and I released them. His palms rested on my cheeks, one claw tip lightly running over one of the scars on my face that matched his. He had an odd expression on his face and it looked like he was hundreds of miles away, “I don’t think I’ve ever had anyone care for me. I don’t think my own father did. I was a tool to him. I don’t remember my mother. Maybe she did. Why do you?”

I sighed softly as the red began to fade from his eyes. It happened occasionally. Wren would slip into reflective moods that left him grumpy or downright angry. It was only to cover up the hurt though. 500 years’ worth of it. A mask is what it was. Much like the one I wore for most of my life. I’d learned from a young age that I had to be perfect. The first-born son couldn’t afford to make any mistakes or show any emotion. Crying was weakness. Bouts of anger were childish and embarrassing for who I came from. Being happy was a waste of time that served no purpose. So, as I got older, I didn’t feel anything. I packaged every part of myself away and went through the motions. I did what my family wanted. I did what was expected of me. I enlisted. I played the perfect solider. I made my dad proud. I cut people down and ended lives for a kingdom and cause I never even believed in. Truthfully, I didn’t remember most of my late teens and early twenties. Nothing had happened. There wasn’t anything to remember. As I said, I went through the motions. I went where I was told by whoever was in charge. Be it my father or a nameless military officer.

Then Kalian failed to do anything right and I watched him repeatedly fall. It was like he wasn’t trying. He made us all look bad. He made us all look weak. He made me look weak. He threatened the perfect image I had carefully cultivated over the years. The more he messed up, the more pressure my father put on my shoulders. When Anika mocked him or downright tormented him, I let her. It was good for him. He had to learn. He needed to know who we were and what it meant to be a part of our family. None of it ever changed him though. He’d remained this happy, ditzy boy who failed at every turn. Then Talon had awoken his gift and with it I’d watched him grow as a person. Kalian was a warrior. He was kind, intelligent, resilient, and had more willpower than most people I’d met. He’d grown leaps and bounds and I had been forced to face a great many truths about myself.

My lips dragged over Wren’s neck as I spoke, “I’m not sure what happened, but when we left home, I started to change. Trying to be a good brother made me a better person at the same time. How falling in love with a 500 year old, white-haired, pink-eyed, spy, and assassin fits in I’m not sure. You’re insane. Your redeemable qualities are few. I never thought dismembering bodies would become a crucial part of my relationship. I also never thought I’d get more efficient and have a personal best time. A record for dismemberment. I sound demented.”

Wren stiffened and fingers gripped my hair. He yanked my head up hard enough to make me grunt in pain, “What did you say?”

I tried to pull my hair from his grip, but it only tightened. His eyes were wide, lips pressed in a thin line, “Uh, you’re insane?”

“Do not play with me you insufferable giant. You know exactly which part I am referring to.” Wren said quietly, his tone sinking into a dangerous octave. I wonder if that particular one intimidated others? Should I be scared? Was I defective?

“Mm, yes, you’re right. I do. My best personal time is a half an hour now.” The hands yanked my hair harder and I hissed. My scalp was burning and Wren growled low in his chest, face hovering closer to mine. In truth, I had never done this before. Any of it. Romantic relationships, physical affection, intimate conversations, and even mundane ones were foreign to me. Let alone confessing my feelings to another. Apparently, I had been waiting for a being that wasn’t human and had a penchant for blood and eating my species. The point was, I had lost a little of my nerve. Unusual for me. I wasn’t afraid of very much. But the words had slipped out. Now that he was pushing, I was a little insecure.

“Eon.” The use of my name threw me off. It was rare. I could count on one hand the number of times Wren had used it to address me directly. I liked the sound I decided. The grip in my hair released and Wren retreated to the edge of the bed. He balanced on his knees, legs spread out behind him and fingertips on the bed as he looked at me. His eyes were wide now, unsure. I sighed, draping an arm over my eyes as I slouched more. Sooner or later, it would come out again and we’d have a similar confrontation. Is that how it normally worked? Was confessing your feelings a confrontation that could end violently for other couples? Probably not…I dropped my arm and met his eyes. I was no coward. Best to get it all out there.

“I love you.” His eyes grew wider and he sat back more, his back against the foot board. He stared at the empty bed between us and then looked down at where his hands touched the soft surface.

“I don’t know what that feels like. I haven’t wanted to kill you since before Mallex died and if I went into a blood lust, I think I’d save you for last. Or I would try to. You taste good. I do wait every morning for you to wake up and it makes me angry that I can’t see your eyes for so long.” He mumbled softly, “Is that…love?”

I shrugged and held out my hand. He still had a bewildered look on his face, but he walked forward on his knees and took it. I lifted him into my lap and wrapped my arms around him. Soft Wren was very, very rare and I smiled as I pressed my lips to his forehead. He was mumbling softly to himself in a different language and looking down at his hands. I wonder if my parents would’ve adjusted their methods if they could have known the outcome. Kalian had shrugged off every horrible thing we’d done to him to surge into the beacon of a person he currently was. The mold they tried to beat me into hadn’t been strong enough either. While I was still finding myself after years of hiding that person away, I could never fall under their thumb again. Their expectations would never again hold me hostage.

~Hanja~

“Do you think they planned this? They constructed lists, researched how they could be the most difficult and selfish. I do not understand how people choose money over other people! Every time!” Tyren’s small apartment in his building had been destroyed so we were in one of the medical tents that was empty. I’d shoved two beds together to make a double with the thought that we would relax. Things had not gone as planned. The discussions had…not gone well. Tyren had been in a rage since we’d entered the tent. It was unusual for him. He hadn’t acted this way since we were much younger. I ducked as a medical tray sailed over my head. It crashed behind me and I began unbraiding my hair as my normally docile partner continued to scream and hurl objects.

“Hanja! I swear! I must be missing something! They let people suffer and die. They had to know. They had to. They let Anders do what he did! So many more people could’ve died and they show up here with their hands out! We should slaughter all of them. Wipe the slate clean and start over!” He was panting. My gaze moved over him as I exhaled. I stood and walked to him. He grabbed a small end table and I slipped my fingers around his wrists. He struggled and I tightened my grip. I held until he let it go. The table dropped back to the ground and large golden eyes turned up to me, filled with tears.

I wrapped his arms around my neck and ran my hands over his back as the crying started. This also hadn’t happened in a while. Tyren was emotional. He’d tear up, but it didn’t touch this. His body jerked against mine as he cried harder. I sighed and picked him up, arranging us on the bed as he forced himself to settle. He rested against the pillows and I ran my fingers through his dark curls as he stared off into space. His eyes were red and he scooted closer, curling into my chest.

“Thank you for handling Kalian’s trial.” I almost didn’t hear the muffled words against my chest, “I’m not sure that I could have handled that too, but you had to do it all.”

I shrugged and stroked my fingers down his nape, “I have an advantage.”

“You’re a genius?” He looked up at me again, his arms wrapping around my waist as I looked down at him.

“That is true, however, not what I meant. Kalian’s case was easy. It didn’t even need someone to present it. There’s no way he could’ve done it. As for everything else, I don’t give a shit about anyone else in this country. I don’t care how they structure it. It can crumble under its own greed and stupidity for all I care.” His cheek rested against my chest and I covered us with a blanket.

“I shouldn’t care. I know I shouldn’t. We have every reason to leave. To live somewhere else.” His cheek rubbed against me and I chuckled.

“Tyren, caring too much about everything is who you are. Which is good because I care about very little.” He again looked up at me and his hands wiggled around to rest on my chest. He pushed himself up and kissed me.

“You care about far more than you let on. You think you’ve got everyone fooled, but you’re a big sap Hanja.” He spoke against my lips and I slid my hands down to drag him closer by his backside.

“Lies and slander. How dare you.” He laughed and wiped at his face, snuggling up against me. I adjusted my hands higher and held him tight until I felt his breathing slow.

*Kalian*

The main hall or throne room was still arranged the same way, but with much less seating. We were in our finest clothes and it made me smile to see our entire group sat together. I was sandwiched between the Verlorens and I was having a hard time not glancing to Rah. Hanja was going to attempt to fix her eyes. The only problem was the man had been running around like a chicken with his head cut off. Her scaring was much less noticeable. It was far smoother. You could still see the outline of the injury and fine lines crossed her forehead and cheeks. What was exciting, though, was the fact that the veil covering her eyes had been lifted. Much like Wren’s eye was now fully clear, I could see her grey irises. They were lighter than Talon’s, a dark rim around the pupil and surrounding the outer rim. Hanja hadn’t managed to restore her vision which was disappointing, but he was confident. After the trial, I firmly believed there was nothing the man couldn’t do. He’d only been working on Rah a couple of days! If he could give her back her sight…I thought of Meep and tried to stomp down the foolish hope that threatened to overtake my reason.

“I am already bored. How long is this supposed to take?” Talon groaned, pushing his hair out of his eyes, “They need entertainment at these things. Or alcohol. Or both.”

“Talon, it’s a trial for treason. You’re not supposed to have a good time. Someone could be executed today.” He looked down at me and I frowned, “Alcohol leads people to make stupid decisions and they may lose control of the proceedings.”

“Might save them some money. Cut the trial short if someone gets impatient and decapitates the sick fuck.” Talon drew a finger across his throat and stuck his tongue out.

“Sometimes when you talk, I really wish you didn’t have the ability.” Rah sighed and I laughed as she actually rolled her eyes.

Talon looked at her and I fixed him with a look. He raised his eyebrows and hands, eyes wide with mock innocence. As if we both didn’t know he was about to start an argument. Amaris leaned forward on the other side of Rah, “Talon, not everyone enjoys the sound of your voice as much as you do. Shut it!”

“Wow, Ama, that was hurtful. Are you upset that even with money you still manage to look so cheap?” I smacked him hard and Amaris stood. She wore an emerald green, long-sleeved, low-cut dress that’s bodice was jeweled. The jewels carried down to the flowing skirt, arranged in a way that looked like glittering green raindrops. She wore matching heels and her toned tan leg was on display through a dangerously high slit.

Loren decked out in an even darker green ensemble, was now visible. He grinned at Talon, “I do enjoy your voice. It’s nice and deep. Too bad you use it to speak such outright lies. She is literally the most stunning creature in this room.”

Talon barked a laugh and Amaris looked like she was ready to tackle him, dress and all. Talon stood and motioned to me, “I’m sorry. I was sitting in front of him. You can reevaluate now. Your assessment was incorrect. Amaris isn’t unfortunate looking but…look at him.”

I pulled at Talon’s vest as I turned red. Our outfits were opposites. He wore mostly black with a white vest and I wore white with a black one. Potlyne had clipped my copper waves back with two pins Tyren had made as a surprise. One was a black moon and the other a golden sun.

Hanja, Tyren, Wren, Anika, and Eon sat in front of us. Hanja’s head had dropped forward so he could aggressively pinch the bridge of his nose. Tyren was looking back at us, uncomfortable frown on his face. Wren was facing forward, fiddling with something on his lap. I heard the shik, shik, shik and wrinkled my nose. Sharpening a knife at a trial. Yes, totally normal.

Eon turned, hand gripping the back of Wren’s chair, “Amaris, sit down. Now. Talon, shut your mouth. This isn’t a fun event. If I hear another word from your row, I will send the offender home in an urn with their respective partner.”

Amaris sat, crossing her arms and leaning against Loren. He kissed her temple, twisting a loose curl from her updo around his finger. Talon blinked and grinned, inclining his head at the challenge. Eon gripped the chair tighter and blue flames flared over the bottom of Talon’s vest. Talon jerked to his feet and smacked at them. Eon tipped his chin up with a small grin on his lips. Anika doused the small fire when he motioned to her. Talon stared at Eon and I stood. I smacked his chest hard and he stumbled back into the chair. He looked up at me with wide eyes and it was my turn to look at him challengingly. He pouted and brushed off his charred vest, adjusting how he was sitting and facing forward. I sat and Eon shook his head. He faced forward again as well. After only a few seconds, Talon poked me. He pointed and I followed his finger. Wren was staring at Eon, mouth hanging open slightly, cheeks flushed pink. As we watched, he closed his mouth and looked down at his lap, eyes wide. He hissed and jumped when Eon shifted his arm to wrap around Wren’s shoulders instead of rest on the chair. He bared his fangs and snapped at the side of Eon’s face. He didn’t even flinch.

“I think there’s something wrong with your brother.” Talon whispered and I shushed him even though I had to agree.

The trial took forever to start and Talon became more restless with every second that passed. He was like a giant, impatient child. In all fairness, as time dragged on and on, even I was starting to grow sick of waiting. As if they heard my mental complaining, the main judge from my trial started announcing every charge stacked up against Anders. It took him a while. He had to take a break to get a drink of water. Once he’d finished, even Talon stopped complaining. They brought Anders out and I was instantly on edge. He was far more alert than I thought he would be. He was walking of his own accord. This was all wrong. His eyes scanned the crowd and locked on mine. His expression remained unreadable, but I could feel the hatred radiating off him. He was seated at the table much like I had been and one of the judges stepped up behind the head one to whisper something to him.

“Am I understanding this correctly? You don’t wish to argue your case or have someone defend you?” The man at the podium asked.

“No. I heard what happened at the other trial. You have made your decision already. All of you. Simply rule and give me my sentence.” Anders replied. His voice was monotone and indifferent. It made me angry. He was too calm. I wanted him to be upset. I wanted him to be scared like I had been. I was innocent and I had nearly been sick sitting in the same position.

“Sentencing for this crime is simple. You committed treason. Multiple counts among hundreds of other charges. You will be executed by way of hanging.” The man decreed, turning to nod at his fellow judges.

Anders nodded once and turned to face me. He found me in the crowd right away and my stomach dropped. Again, I was sure he was too alert. He was supposed to be sedated. Why was he conscious? There’s no way he was medically altered. Did he have his power too? What was happening? A sick smile spread across his face as he spoke.

“I thought so. One thing. Little Lord Kalian? I don’t believe anyone explained my power thoroughly to you. Spread thin it’s much weaker. Focused, it’s so much…more.” I frowned and then the room seemed to cut itself into fourths, they shifted in different directions and I fell out of my chair. I didn’t remember severing our connection, but I hadn’t felt it since he’d been imprisoned. I assumed he’d lost his grip on me. I’d made a deadly mistake. He’d been lying in wait. I was so stupid. I should have made sure. I should have been positive. Something pulled at my Magik for me and it wrapped around me. It forced me to jump and I dropped to the hard ground. The room snapped back to normal, but my head was throbbing. I fought a wave of dizziness to stand. Hands gripped my shoulders, “I do appreciate your help. Now, take me away from here.”

The same force-Anders I guessed-pulled at my Magik a second time. I forced it away. Even if he only used it to jump, Anders having control over my power was the scariest thing I had ever been faced with.

His fingers dug into my shoulders and I heard shouts. Talon vaulted over an entire row of chairs and their inhabitants. Anders watched my group of friends with panic in his eyes and his foreign power forced harder inside me. My senses gripped at energy. It was so strange. The bliss I always experienced when using my gift was absent. I fought off my own Magik, holding it away from his grasping hands. A scream tore from me as it built up inside. Anders was getting more agitated as he ran out of time.

His fingers pressed to my forehead and my head jerked back as I felt light erupt from my fingers. A beam slammed into Talon and I watched him stumble. He gripped a chair, holding his stomach. His fingers were coated with blood. People were screaming and running as he wrung light from me. Others were getting hit. I had to stop this or I’d kill everyone in this room. He’d planned this all along. Ever since he’d lost. Every person who’d been responsible for his downfall was in the room. Practically gift wrapped.

“We only need to drive them back a little more and then we can leave.” Anders cooed mockingly. I heard a screech and looked in time to see Wren on his hands and knees, holding his face. Blood dripped between his fingers and splattered the marble under him. Eon picked him up and dodged, grimacing. He had blood coating his left pantleg, but it somehow wasn’t slowing him down.

“N-no.” I managed to shake my head only fractionally.

“No? N-no? You don’t have a choice!” His dull nails scraped the skin on my forehead as he sought more control. I let out another scream as every face that had ever meant something to me flashed through my head. I landed on Talon and Meep. I took hold of what was mine. It was mine. I didn’t care what tricks Anders had. I didn’t care how strong he was. I was stronger and he had once again gone too far. He would never be given the opportunity again. His mouth dropped open as I cut everything off at once. I wanted to vomit as energy pounded through every vein, ricocheted against every organ and bone. Suffering would have to wait. Priorities.

I looked up at him, taking hold of his wrists, “You did it. You took control of my power. But Anders,“ I leaned forward. His eyes were wide with fear and disbelief, “you couldn’t keep it. All this work. All these lives lost and sacrificed. Your own mother and for what? You still lost. Twice. I beat you twice. You had more than a decade and I ruined your plan in two years. What’s it like to be such a failure? An embarrassment?”

He tried to flex his control again and I brutally forced him from my mind, “Did you know you were convicted just now of 143 crimes?”

“Let me go!” He screamed and struggled.

I held tighter. My head fell to the side as I felt my face crack into a smile. The guilty part of my conscience stepped to the back and remained silent. I saw my own slightly crazed expression in his eyes. I drew him closer, “143 pieces for 143 crimes. I hope you suffer in the after life and every plane of existence that exists after that.”

His eyes widened as I shoved him away from me. I threw my arms out and light flared between my fingers. I jerked them in, holding them to my chest. There was the tiniest resistance but I flicked my wrists through it, moving them in the way Athel had taught me months ago. Anders had leapt to his feet but now he stood eerily still. I brought my hands wide again and as horizontal red lines appeared over his exposed skin, I looked away. The lines were clean through and his body fell to the ground, spreading out into individual slices. It was probably the most disgusting thing I had ever seen and I turned my back.

I looked around the room. There was a lot of blood and a lot of injuries. Talon was face down, blood seeping out under him. Part of me was waiting for the panic, but I was relieved that it stayed away. A calm settled over me and my own Magik seemed to be guiding me. Maybe not the Magik itself. I remember the unseen hands and voice when I had died. The force that had, on more than one occasion, gently steered me in the right direction. Perhaps it was whatever creature I’d inherited my gift from? Either way, it guided my hands. They swept up and light billowed out and spread over the room like a warm blanket. It pulsed out and spread from wall to wall. It reassured me when my fear started to rise when nothing happened at first.

Then Talon’s bloody hand smacked down on the floor by his face. He pushed himself up slowly. He looked really, really annoyed for a few seconds. Leave it to Talon to be inconvenienced by death. Annoyance turned into open wonder as he took in the room and figured out what was happening.

People were starting to rise and those with injuries started making their way to me. I saw wounds heal in real time and soon enough, I sensed that there was nothing left to fix. The world spun and my legs gave out, my vision failing me.

I was so tired.

I needed a break.

That’s all.