Page 70 of Dark Master's Redemption

Ready to do as I tell them.

And fight with us—all the way.

28

HEAL

We stand breathless as we hear Quinn’s speech in the night. The fighting at my parent’s house only just ended with that fantastic blaze of light from the Music; Lucca’s and my connection to Quinn has been blasted open as the entire Dark Haven feels Quinn again, too.

Despite being riddled with nasty cuts and curses, Devi has tears in her eyes from Quinn’s passionate, heartfelt speech ringing through us. Curio heaves an incredible laugh as we feel all the returned Revenants pledge to Quinn; hope fills us, not just because we won our own battle tonight, but also because Quinn has now done what he set out to do with his insanely brilliant plan.

He’s gained us allies inside the Hotel at last, as a cheer fills the night. It’s still a far cry from winning the showdown at the Red Letter Hotel Florence that we know is coming now; but it’s an incredible feeling to share so much joy as Dark Fae slap each other on the backs and embrace.

Curio and Devi smash into each other for a heady kiss as Lucca rakes me in close. Lucca and I kiss also, and it’s a towering joy that blazes inside us as we share in so much love, celebrating all around.

Just like we so recently blazed with the Music—and that Ascendant Sigil, borne of our truest hearts—we sear with triumph as we finally get a win, blessing all our hearts as we come together.

There is much to be done now, however, as Luliana and Arturos quickly make the rounds with my parents, assessing physical and magical injuries and sorting out who needs immediate attention versus those who can wait. It’s battlefield trauma medicine, as the Sirens quickly get to work on those who are in the most critical condition, so they can be moved to the house. My mother shakes her head at a few who are too far gone.

Letting them breathe their last with friends around them, as we heal those who can make it.

I’ve never been in a battle like this before; shock settles into me now as the thrill of our success is replaced by the heartbreak of seeing how many didn’t survive. A full third of the Vampire-Giants have been killed, finding their true death; their towering bodies lay like enormous heaps of meat around the property now, as their brethren start a solemn chant for their dead in the night.

At least three dozen of Quinn’s Dark Fae have been killed, as well, though far more bodies of the Council’s Vampires litter the night. It’s a grisly scene, riddled with blood and curses burned right into the ground, the trees, even the house, though that plus a line of scorched cypress trees protected the rest of the yard and my mother’s herb fields.

But everything at the front of the house has been lost; vines are shriveled in their pots, wrought-iron hangs blistered and askew from being hammered by magic. More than a few trees have burned up at the edge of the forest from the battle that was so hot and fast with both Vampire and Fae magic.

The gravel drive is an abattoir; my father moves around now, lighting flickering Fae-fires in his hands and setting them to our enemy dead, charring them to ashes. Several Dark Fae in better shape join him.

Small fires burning our enemies to ash, all through the night.

“Ariana? Would you like to come inside and clean up?” Lucca asks me, even as he rubs his shoulder, which I can see was badly singed by some cursed drive of magic that hit him during the fight. I’m unscathed, but I have blood all over my clothing—though whether it’s our enemies or our friends’ blood, I do not know. Alleno has a limp from a badly ripped-up leg as he comes to us, supported by Lucca’s owl, Altenni. Her tawny feathers bloodstained and her beak covered in gore, she gives a happy chirrup as she nuzzles Lucca.

Getting streaks of blood in his bright golden hair, and chunkier things.

“I want to help the injured, and the dead,” I say firmly, my own comfort able to wait until everyone is taken care of. “But I’ve never healed with my magic. How is it done?” I ask, looking at Lucca, then Alleno.

“Raising your Fae fire to burn the dead is easier. Here, I’ll show you,” Alleno says now as he wraps a piece of torn cloth around his leg, staunching it from bleeding too much as he demonstrates. As he spirals deep within, I feel him concentrate his Light deep inside his core and his hands. As he focuses all that Light like a prism inside his body, I feel that energy spark into flame within him.

And fire blossoms from his hands.

I try it, but find the process isn’t so easy for me. Because I’m still relatively new at using my power for specific aims, the prism-focusing trick doesn’t work for me, even though I give it my best. Lucca rubs my shoulders as Alleno smiles wryly at me.

“Looks like it’s not your thing,” Alleno says as he nods for Lucca and me to head inside. “Go get cleaned up. You both have a lot to talk about… and a lot to plan with Quinn, now that he’s been returned to us.”

“Us?” I ask, because even though Alleno is Dark Fae, he’s not bonded to Quinn via the Dark Haven’s Kiss.

“I’m just as bonded to Lucca and you all as anyone Kissed to Quinn.” Alleno chuckles as he lifts an eyebrow at me. “Or did you think a Darkwatch protector’s oaths to their charge are just petty things?”

“I’m sure they’re not.” I smile at him, glad Alleno is with us to the end.

“We’ll take care of things here.” Devi comes up to us now, giving me a little shove to head inside, though she’s covered in blood and gore from top to bottom, countless small wounds upon her as she nods at me. “You fought well, little Dark Fae. Impressive, considering you’ve never been in a real battle before. Now: go rest. Quinn needs you at your best when we invade the Dark Haven of Florence tomorrow. The hour is already late… and all are tired.”

It’s Devi’s pushy Italianate ways that get me to give in. Though I want to stay and help, she and Alleno are right; I don’t have the skills to aid with the post-battle cleanup or healing, and just hanging around here all night is only going to make me more tired.

A deep fatigue falls over me now as Lucca escorts me inside. As if I had no idea how much energy I was expending during that battle, or perhaps did with that last blast of Music and the Ascendant Sigil it wrote in the night, I feel like I could drop into a bed or a bath now; I don’t care which.

As Lucca helps me up the stairs, I feel like my feet are lead. My body is a dead weight as he helps me into the central bedroom of our guest suite now.

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