Page 99 of In the Dark

He brushed Zelda to the side, stabbing his finger at the elevator button. Then a thought hit him.

The elevator doors opened and, with a quick word under his breath, the floor rose around Zelda. She had no chance to react before the cage formed around her, trapping her on the inside. Enough air to breathe but not enough to call on her element.

Orestes tried not to smile as he entered the elevator, his lips rounded in an O. Whistling.

**

The girls waited in the car, Astix inconsolable and Aisanna at a loss as to how to proceed. Morgan and Karsia left them to their grief. They’d pulled over to the side of the road. Needing a minute.

“We’ll leave soon. There’s something I want to do first and then we can be on the road,” Karsia told him.

“Come on, then. Take my hand.” Morgan held his palm out to her, delighted when she took it.

She shot him a tired smile. “Thanks.”

Together they trod a path in the snow, winding their way deeper into the woods.

“Where are we headed?” he asked.

“I’ll know when we get there.” Karsia shook her head. “They aren’t dead, you know. I would feel it.”

“I only hope we’ll be able to deal with what’s coming. This isn’t over.” Morgan gave her hand a squeeze. “And it will only get harder.”

Karsia stumbled over a hidden root but stayed upright because Morgan strode forward swiftly to catch her. She shot him an appreciative glance. “It will be a fight. Someone torched the house, took Leo and Elon.”

Despite the tragedy, she felt light, a weightlessness that had been lacking for a long time. Too long. She was whole again, with only minimal staining on her soul as a reminder of what she’d been through. She would work on the stain when the time came. Having Darkness inside of her had made her stronger; she’d fought a great power and won. With Morgan by her side, she would be able to accomplish anything.

“The man from before,” he said suddenly. “What did you call him?”

“Which man?”

“The Claddium big shot you wanted to destroy.”

“Oh, that’s Leo’s father, Orestes. Although I have a feeling he’s only part of the picture.”

“What makes you say that?”

“I can’t put my finger on it. I just know.” Karsia tugged Morgan to a stop. The woods around them hung heavy with snow. They stood in the middle of a clearing with trees ringing them with long snow-laden boughs.

Morgan shivered and drew Karsia close, wrapping his long arms around her frame. “Will you tell me what we’re doing? We need to get going.”

“There’s something I want to do, and I wanted you with me.” She leaned into him, rubbing her cheek against his chest. “Something to focus on instead of dwelling on this horror. The blackness of a world caught in a storm.”

He nuzzled the top of her head, happy to have her close. “I’m sure you have a few things in mind.”

“We can’t stay long. My sisters will need me, and I can’t leave them alone. We should go and check on my mother and father. Get our affairs in order.” Karsia took a step back. She motioned him away. “You may want to take a few steps in the opposite direction.”

“What are you planning?” Morgan jumped away when a faint golden glow began to emanate from her hands.

She smiled at him, the sight so lovely his breath caught in his chest. “I should have done this a long time ago.” She sighed, tilting her head as her magic came flowing back to her, cleansing her. There was no ugliness left there. She would be forever grateful she held no residual markers from her time with Darkness. She could fully embrace the light and go forward.

“Despite everything, we can be thankful for this. For this love we feel. Thankful for having the smallest opportunity to make something beautiful.”

The glow rose to encapsulate her arms, her shoulders. It flowed over her in ropes of gold to illuminate her body and melt the snow around her feet.

“Thankful for my sisters coming together. It was always meant to be the three of us standing firm.” She turned to him. “And thankful for you, Morgan. You found me when I couldn’t find myself.”

Keeping her eyes fixed on his, Karsia let her magic flow freely. From within the earth a seed took root. Helped along by her enchantment, a bud sprouted from the ground and burst through the soil. Morgan watched the great oak shoot its trunk toward the heavens in accelerated growth. Soon its trunk was silo-round.

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