Page 42 of A Rising Hope

The flames were gone, and so was the darkness. The warm rays of sun illuminated the town left unscathed by the infernos.People froze in their steps, afraid to look around, afraid of feeling the aftershocks from the darkness. Their eyes were glued on me, unsure and still afraid.

My fire didn’t touch the living, not their homes, not their livestock.

But just as the darkness was gone, so prominent was my lingering power that new a fear flooded their minds.

For every person knew, the day had come where everyone who owed was going to pay their fair price.

I yanked both swords out of the ground. The heavy weight of the metal drained the little strength I had left. Liriya landed on my shoulder, her curious eyes scanning the crowd, waiting. The silence grew heavier, and the crowd circled around me.

I made a step to move, and the people stumbled, stepping away.

But it was that young mother with the child that rushed out of the crowd towards me, dropping to her knees as she proclaimed,

“All hail the Empress of Esnox!” She bowed to the ground. “Savior of the people and Protector of the weak.” She held her baby closer. This time it was me who stumbled a step back. But she didn’t move, keeping her head low as she loudly repeated, “All hail the Empress of Esnox, Savior of the people and Protector of the weak!”

I reached for her to raise her up, but in that moment, one by one, the rows of people followed her call. Their hungry and marred bodies dropped to their knees, bowing deeply as they too proclaimed,

“All hail the Empress of Esnox, the Just and Merciful Ruler, Savior of the people and Protector of the weak.”

29

ZORA

My hand trembled as I held on to the whip tighter, stomach churned with nausea. I twisted my feet into the ground, taking a firm stance, forcing my hand to still. Iron coated my tongue as I bit down on my lip harder. I had to do this.

My arm raised above my head, steadying the force that would rip the Ten’s bodies, bringing them back from their nightmares to reality.

“Wait.” Orest grabbed my wrist before I could unleash it on the last three remaining women that were still buried in their nightmares.

“I must do this.” I clenched my teeth. A moment, and I’d give in to their cries. A second more, and I’d let hesitation win.

“No,” he ordered, his hand not letting go of my wrist, as he held it tight, whip still frozen midair. “Something is happening.” He closed his eyes as if seeing beyond the thick brick walls and the impenetrable darkness of the godforsaken cellars.

I opened my mouth to object, but an ample, rolling wave of fire and heat shuddered through the air, incinerating all the darkness in its wake.

Orest opened his eyes, his piercing gaze meeting mine. His tall figure was no longer a blurred silhouette, the silver in his eyes was no longer just a memory. The whip dropped from my hands, but neither of us moved. We didn’t dare, lest this was another trick of our minds, a dream that we’d wake up from should we blink. But another second passed, another scant breath, and the darkness didn’t return.

My heart flooded with relief at seeing matching reprieve flash through his icy features as he murmured, “Finn . . . She is back.”

Those words liberated me from the impermeable asylum I had kept myself locked in over the last couple of weeks to survive. Finn’s magic purged the chokehold of despair within me, letting a flicker of hope spark once more. “She’s back,” Orest repeated, letting go of my wrist.

And I dropped to my knees and cried.

30

INSANARIA

My mighty thorns held the dead Destroyer General up by his limbs, no better than an old scarecrow stretched out on the field. Dark mahogany blood lazily slithered down the straw-like thread connecting my arm to his.

His blood burned. Each drop searing through me.

The pain blinded me. My own magic recoiled at his presence, at such foreign power within me. I clenched my fists, pausing to catch my breath, as agony pushed me to the verge of losing consciousness. A drop of cold sweat rolled down my neck. My shadows swirled around me, calming my racing heart as I attempted to stand up. My vision blurred, and I swayed. Thorny vines moved, catching me just in time before I fell, gently propping me on my throne. I closed my eyes, forcing myself to breathe through the shooting pain in my chest. My head leaned back on the chair.

I managed to take in only a few drops of his blood today. But tomorrow I’d try more. And the day after, I’d take even more until I siphoned him dry.

I would take every drop of his blood like the gods had taken everything from me. Again and again, until nothing but anempty shell would be left. It might not be easy right now, but I would make his magic obey mine. I’d break him just the same way the world had broken me. Day by day, little by little, I’d take it all. Eventually, his fire would be nothing but an echo within me. And then . . . Then, I’d ascend to the gods and take my rightful seat. I would wage war until they’d all bend their knees for me. Then I’d decide the fate of humanity. And of my own.

The darkness swirled at my fingers purring like a cat, nudging me gently, and I opened my eyes. The Destroyer’s body stayed limp, his blood staining the same spot on my floors where his lover’s blood had stained it only weeks prior.

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