Page 110 of Feathers and Thorns

“Well, this holds the power of all creation,” Soren responded. “So, really, we could do anything with it.”

“Could we bring him back?” Jai asked. They all knew whom he was referring to.

Soren resisted the urge to cry. Her eyes burned with the effort.

Enara held her breath. She knew what the answer was before Soren even spoke, but she let herself hope, anyway.

“The Oculus is not meant to be used as a means to change what has already happened. Adriel pushed the limits of its powers and look what became of him.”

“Shouldn’t we at least try?” Jai asked. “Consequences be damned?”

Soren’s chest ached, and Rook gave her the slightest nod.

“I mean, we cou?—”

“No!” Enara said, cutting her off sharply and holding up her hand to silence all of them. “We all knew the risks, Baz included.” She paused for a moment to collect herself. “Let him be at peace. In time, we will find ours.” A single tear drew a tiny river down her cheek and fell to the ashen ground before she bowed her head.

“Can you guys give us a minute?” Soren asked softly.

“As you wish, little bird,” Rook replied, ushering Jai toward where Adaryn stood. The headstrong woman brandished a kitchen knife and was covered in soot and blood. Soren could see the relief in Jai’s eyes that his lover was ok.

She laced her hand with Enara’s and squeezed her fingers tightly as they hovered over Baztien’s body. Soren said nothing, for there was nothing one could say when they had lost a loved one. No words could soothe the blinding pain when a life had been taken too soon.

Enara released her hand and fell to her knees, and Soren joined her, ignoring the pain it sent shooting up her thigh. Now that the battle was done, she finally allowed herself to look at him, and it broke her.

He was so still. It looked as if all the warmth and kindness had seeped out of him and into the ash. His eyelids were closed, and his normally olive complexion was unsettlingly pale. She reached for his hand, which was cold and stiff against hers. It reminded her of stone, as if his insides had turned to clay and hardened in the early morning sun. A statue resurrected in the middle of a war field.

“We won,” she choked out as emotions flooded through her. The heartache was relentless, and her body shook as she grieved over him. “I’m so sorry, Baz.”

Enara was stoic, her hand pressed to Baztien’s chest as though she could will his heart to start beating again.

They sat in silence for a few moments longer before Enara helped Soren to her feet and they rejoined the boys.

Luscinia had regained consciousness, Abraxos’s arm wrapped tightly around her waist. Soren’s horse was nuzzling her hand, and they could hear Luscinia cooing at him softly as they approached.

“Ditching me for a new rider already?” Soren admonished as she walked up.

The horse chuffed as Luscinia responded in a wistful voice, “Not to worry, Soren; Obie is connected to you through blood. So, like it or not, you’re stuck with him.”

“Obie?” Soren asked, quirking a brow.

“Your mother named him after the Obsidian Sea that surrounds these lands,” Luscinia answered, giving Obie a gentle pat on his rump.

“Obie,” Soren said, testing the name.

The horse whinnied loudly, standing a little taller.

The reaction spurred a laugh from the crowd, the animal’s innocence bringing a sliver of positivity to a harrowing day.

“I guess that means you’re coming home with me.”

* * *

Rook led Obie to join the few horses that had survived back to the corral, returning just in time to hear Jai address the group of Bao-Ren warriors who had managed to stay alive.

“You will return to your province, never to set foot beyond your borders. We have shown you mercy on this day, but do not expect us to continue to do so if we find you in our lands again. Leave with your lives and relay the same to your leader. Let this be a lesson to you all—those who seek infinite power will ultimately drown in it.”

The Celestials waited, weapons at the ready, to see what they would do. Soren was secretly hoping they would attempt an attack so she had a reason to cut them down. They had labeled Baz a traitor to his people, and the thought burrowed into her soul, sparking her anger into an inferno.

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