Page 140 of Fallen Heirs

It was the unthinkable.

“You could tear a hole through the veil itself!” Marlowe warned. “You will perish, Saryan! Stop! Stop this madness!”

“The madness is Orpheus dying here this night.”

“He wouldn’t want this,” I heard Tal utter, as he continued stroking Ore’s hair.

Saryan looked out at him.

Tal continued, “He’ll never forgive himself if you die for him. He’ll never be the same.”

Saryan’s resolute gaze wavered, his magic flickered. He looked to Marlowe.

“Please,” Marlowe beseeched him. “Please don’t do this. I’ll be here for you. I’ll help you through it. Iloveyou.”

I heard a shriek from Alena and looked to see that she was being pulled right into the vortex of the portal.

I eyed Vanessa. I couldn’t leave her to hold the barrier alone. If it fell we’d all die in seconds.

I went to call out to the others, but the words never left me, as a flash of indigo light lit up the area.

The next thing I knew, my dad was teleporting in.

His magic was back!

He grabbed Alena’s hand, his sheer power yanking her right back from the portal.

And then he guided her other hand, helping her direct the wrath of the celestial plane toward Lenora.

It worked and in moments the vortex locked onto the correct target.

Lenora was shrieking again then—this time in pain and not just unadulterated rage—as the magic she’d stolen began being pulled out of her. Visibly pulled out of her, streams of white power being drawn from her and being vacuumed into the portal.

With his free hand, my dad thrust his own stream at our barriers and I felt the weight of it diminish greatly as he added his might to it.

“No!” Lenora was screaming then, as she convulsed violently, the magic being drawn out at a rapid-fire speed now. She collapsed onto the ground, writhing uncontrollably and just screaming and screaming as the celestial magic was ripped from her.

And then the surge of magic attacking the barriers suffered the same fate, being siphoned into the portal, until it was finally safe for us to drop our magic.

“Now,” I heard my dad tell Alena. “It’s done.”

Alena spoke the incantation to close the portal and I watched the door shrink then disappear into the ozone.

A gurgling sounded and I looked to see Saryan using his free hand to strangle Lenora magically as she lay helpless on thegrass. He twisted his hand and snapped her neck, ending her miserable life in one brutal instant.

My dad noticed, took in what else he was trying to do, this regardingSpiritus,then broke from Alena and rushed over to him. “Stay your hand, old friend. Do not do this.”

“I can’t simply—”

Alena skidded to her knees beside Orpheus. “Drop your power, I know how to save him.”

Stunned, Saryan frowned in thought, then pulled back his power and touched down right beside Marlowe who wrapped his arms around him tightly.

We all gathered around as Alena pressed both hands over Ore’s heart, then squeezed her eyes closed as her golden glow started to emanate.

She grunted as it grew more vibrant, before turning completely white like her mother’s.

I watched in awe as it spread and enveloped her and Ore entirely.

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