Page 81 of Dawn Unearthed

I looked up at the necromancer, her blond hair floating in the wind, blood pouring out of her eyes, nose, and mouth. Still, she kept moving, kept chanting. Another dagger came forward and sliced me across the stomach, another embedded in my shoulder, but I stood steady.

I could not fall. I would not falter. Rome and Ariel, and the other shifters were taking care of the rest of the revenants because Faith was still alive, and her necromancer power was still too strong.

And then I heard a shout and pushed forward with my magic. Something broke inside me. I fell to my knees, my hands dropping in front of me as I let go of both Laurel and Rowen. Rowen fell beside me, cupping her head as she screamed. Ash stood there, staggering back as his whole body shook. Blood soaked my clothes, and my wounds felt as if I’d been stabbed over and over again.

Faith burned, her body turning to ash, smoking as she stared at us and screamed. She shouted, she screeched, and then the revenants fell where they stood, the magic around us popping like a balloon.

Faith’s screams suddenly cut off, and then there was nothing.

I looked to my left and called Laurel’s name. She stood, her sword suddenly falling from her hand as her whole body burned. Not just fire magic but fire itself. She stood in embers, a living flame as her magic consumed her. I knew this had been too much. Rowen rose and staggered beside me, reaching out, tears falling from her eyes. Ash was beside her, his gaze dark as he looked at his sister. I knew he was likely trying to think of a spell to stop what was happening to her, but I didn’t think there was anything we could do.

She was burning, dying, and we couldn’t do anything. I coughed, blood spurting from my mouth, and knew that whatever had snapped inside of me had cut something deep. I could feel my life draining from my body. And then Rome was there, holding me close as I watched Laurel.

I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t stop the bleeding. We had stopped Faith. But had it been enough?

Jaxton jumped and threw himself on top of Laurel, the only one of us able to move. I heard the hiss of his skin as flames burned flesh, and they both fell to the ground. Laurel curled up in his arms, and their magic together doused the flames.

I looked up at Rome and tried to speak, but blood poured from my mouth.

Rome held me close and roared.

I looked down at the jagged dagger still in my flesh and knew that I had been impaled not by magic but by metal. The final throw Faith had leveled wasn’t ice but steel.

I didn’t know if this was goodbye. I attempted to speak in case it was, tried to do something.

Somehow, we had won. Somehow, we had defeated Faith. And yet, as I tried to speak, I knew death was coming. And I didn’t know if we had lost everything else, as well.

Chapter Twenty-Four

Rome

The wolves howled, and the hawks screeched overhead as I lowered my head and mourned. We had lost seventeen pack members as a result of Alden’s betrayal. However, we had lost more than numbers. I had lost two of my triplets. I had lost my family. And I had lost something inside myself that I wasn’t sure I would ever get back.

Sage put her hand on my back, and I looked down at her, aware that I’d almost lost her, as well. She had nearly bled out in my arms. It had only been Rowen’s quick thinking and our pack’s healer that saved her. Laurel was still healing as far as I knew, but she was stiff, and I could smell the burnt flesh on her body. Nobody spoke of it. There was nothing to say. Nothing we could do.

We had all lost enough at the betrayal of our pack and our town. Now, we needed to face what came next.

Faith was gone, but someone had given her the power she wielded.

This Oriel, whoever he was, needed to be stopped.

“I think your parents are coming,” Sage said after a moment once the song of our people had ended, and the pyres burned.

There would be nothing left for a necromancer to take. We would never allow that. Rowen and Sage and Ash and possibly Laurel would do a spell to keep the spirits of those we had lost away from the necromancers. We had to hope it would be enough. Penelope had been buried, as was done for witches of her family line. Her bones would be safe, and her spirit had been sent to wherever witch souls went in the afterlife.

It was odd to think that our lives included keeping our afterlives safe, but there it was. We were mourning everything we had lost, and I still wasn’t sure we had considered what would never come.

“Rome,” Sage whispered again.

I shook my head. “I’m sorry, I see them.”

My parents walked towards me and stood on the opposite side of the circle from me. This was traditionally how two alphas met. He was my father, my Alpha, and I felt like I had failed him. I lowered my head as he came closer, something I had not done in years. I didn’t need to lower my gaze when it came to him. The other alphas of the country understood that I had the power to challenge him, but I wouldn’t. This was my father. And I trusted him.

“Rome,” he said softly as he rested his hand on the back of my neck. “Don’t bow to me. Look at me, son. You are an alpha, too. You are strong. And your people need you.”

“As does your mate,” my mother added, her voice steady. She was tall, her shoulders broad. She was a bear sow, one who had raised triplets who would become three of the country’s most powerful bears. She ruled at my father’s side and kept our people safe. My mother was not weak. And right then, I wanted her to hold me and tell me that everything would be okay. However, I was not a young child anymore. I couldn’t think that way.

“I’m glad to meet you,” Sage said after a moment. “I’m just sorry it’s under these circumstances.”

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