Page 72 of The Curse Between Us

It used both their bodies, both their voices. "Hello, Plenty," it said.

"You." Plenty’s voice went cold, like the unforgiving wind of Eskarven, the kind that could freeze a man to the bone. "I ought to raise another mountain and bury you here again."

“Ah, but you cannot,” Abyss replied, its voice carrying an unmistakable satisfaction. "Not without harming the humans who house me now. And you are fond of them, are you not?"

“There are others.” Zephyr could almost hear the dismissive gesture, though Plenty lacked any physical form to make such a movement. “They matter little. And once they are gone, their kingdoms will return to war with one another, this notion of peace a forgotten dream.”

Abruptly, Edric dropped Zephyr's hand, his own voice now joining the exchange. “No. They will not.”

Zephyr shook his head, eyes cast downward as he spoke with quiet conviction. “You cannot undo what has already begun. The world itself has been shaped by our union. Our people have seen what is possible, and they will continue to fight for a world united.” He glanced at Edric, who gave him an encouraging nod. “Already, the borders between our lands have blurred. New lands have risen to connect us, where your presence has been tempered.”

“And they are still good.” There was a soft plea in Edric's voice now, as though he too was trying to appeal to something buried deep within Plenty. "I love the heat of Rafria, the fierce sun and wild rains, and I have even come to love the cold of Eskarven. But the calmness of that meadow, the beauty of that forest... they cannot be denied. Please, you must see that."

“I cannot.” Frustration bled from Plenty's voice, as though it fought against an impossible weight pressing down on it. “I am made to love myself, to want more, always more.”

Reaching out, Zephyr took Edric’s hand once more, and with that simple gesture, Abyss spoke again. “And that is why you need me,” it said, voice laced with something almost seductive. “To temper your desires. To curb your insatiable hunger. Let me take you. Do you not grow tired of your endless yearning? I can offer you rest.”

There was a long pause before Plenty spoke again, the tone soft and reluctant. “I do,” it admitted. “But my need to survive... it is stronger still. I cannot accept defeat. It is not in my nature.”

Zephyr swallowed, forcing his own consciousness forward, despite the weight of the moment. Abyss, to his surprise, allowed it. "Then do not think of it as defeat," he said, his voice calm yet firm. He gave Edric a wry smile, the memories of a time not so distant coming to him with a mixture of clarity and resignation. "When I was captured by the Rafrians, they offered me the peace treaty at the price of marrying Edric and remaining in his kingdom for a time. It felt like a surrender, so I resisted at first."

He shook his head, a faint smile playing at his lips as he remembered the stubbornness, the pride that had almost torn them apart. "But it was what was best for me, and for my people. It was not defeat. It was only a new way forward."

Edric nodded slowly, his expression thoughtful. "Not all battles are fought with armies and weapons," he said, his eyes drifting downward to the blades lying scattered on the grass. "Not all are won with bloodshed. We thought we were preparing for war, but we are not. This is a battle of wills—against ourselves and against each other. Can you find it within yourselves to rise above the opposition, to find common ground?" He looked back at the blades again, shaking his head with a quiet resolve. "Can you set aside the past and look to the future?"

“I can,” Abyss answered, a surprising sense of finality in its words.

Zephyr blinked, stunned by the decisive tone, especially coming from Abyss.

“If it means I can escape my prison,” Abyss continued, voice softer now, tinged with the weight of something ancient, “I can accept almost anything. To feel power again, but without causing harm. Only to act as a natural check, as intended.”

"As you once did?" Plenty's voice came, this time almost wistful, as if recalling a time long forgotten. "Long, long ago?"

“Yes,” Abyss replied, almost wistfully. “When the world was whole, and we were as one.”

A warm breeze brushed against Zephyr’s face, the air thick with the weight of their exchange. The world around them seemed to hold its breath. Within him, Abyss sighed, a sound filled with longing. “Let me go,” it said, its voice barely a whisper. “Release me, and let me meet my counterpart.”

Zephyr glanced at Edric, seeing the flicker of something deeply emotional in his eyes. A silent understanding passed between them. “Yes,” Zephyr said, his voice steady despite the gravity of the moment.

They raised their joined hands to the sky, and with a deep, almost painful release, Zephyr opened his mind, relaxing the mental barriers that had kept Abyss contained. In a rush, dark tendrils of energy shot from their fingertips, swirling upward and merging with the sky.

Clouds gathered above them, white at first, but soon they darkened to shades of grey, thickening with the promise of change. Zephyr watched, awed, as the grass around them began to wilt, yet not completely die—an odd kind of life ebbing away, only to make way for something new. In the distance, thunder rumbled, a deep sound that vibrated through his very bones, and the first drop of rain splashed onto his upturned face.

It was then, as the sky seemed to open up above them, that Zephyr realized he was still holding Edric’s hand, but there was no pain. His breath caught in his throat as his fingers slid down Edric’s arm, tracing the soft curve of muscle beneath the skin. “Edric,” he said, his voice full of wonder, “is this—”

Edric turned to him, eyes wide, and for a moment, there was an electrifying silence between them. “If we did what we set out to do,” Edric said, stumbling over his words, barely able to contain his excitement, “if we brought together what was broken—”

“Then there is nothing left to divide us,” Zephyr whispered, as though finally understanding what they had accomplished. Reaching out, he cupped Edric’s face gently in his hand, feeling the rain as it continued to fall, droplets catching on Edric’s lashes and trickling down his freckled cheeks.

Edric leaned forward, and soft as a whisper, brushed his lips across Zephyr’s.

Nothing in his life had ever felt so right. It was as if time itself had stilled, and the entire world had paused just for this moment. The kiss was gentle, but there was a depth to it, a silent promise of all that they had fought for and won together. Zephyr poured himself into the kiss, abandoning any thought of the rain that had soaked through his clothes, drenching him from head to toe. His body seemed to ignore the chill of the water as his heart raced in his chest, beating in time with the realization that everything they had done had led to this. The world was no longer divided. They had united it—together. And this kiss was the reward. This was the culmination of everything.

A crack of thunder split the sky, loud and sharp, and Zephyr jumped back, startled by the sudden sound. The storm had intensified, dark clouds swirling above them as if reacting to the power of the moment. Edric smiled, the corners of his eyescrinkling up in a playful expression, as he leaned forward once more, pressing a light kiss to Zephyr's cheek.

“Frightened?” Edric asked, his voice soft and teasing.

Zephyr pushed impatiently at his chest, though the gesture was full of affection. "No. Look."

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