Page 135 of Echoes of War

Alexiares’ shattered body brought me to a sudden stop. Blood seeped from behind his head, from his ears, streams of red trickled from his mouth. Those beautiful brown eyes welled with tears, staring at Elie, a final request shimmering. Slowly, hereleased his hand from Elie’s, his breaths becoming shallower.Go.He seemed to say.Be safe and go.

I drifted over, creating a ring of fire around us all for protection. Falling to my knees between them, I brought both of their hands into my lap. “Can you help him?”

The medic peered at me hesitantly. “I would need assistance. Even if I was fully charged up on my magic, I’m not powerful enough on my own.”

“Okay, so move him!” Elie spat, glaring at him like it was the obvious answer.

It was a fair point, one I was about to bring up myself. His empty stare settled on me, a small burst of energy flushing his face.

He pointed his finger out along the length of Alexiares’ body. “If I move him, he’ll die. His body is broken, resonance rupture. He needs to heal a great deal before we move him or he’ll have significant damage to his vital organs. Right now, his position on the ground is the only thing holding it all together. We move him now and there is no coming back from that.”

“He’ll die either way, do something,” I growled. The soldier beside him winced, jumping back slightly then pushing back forward at the heat of my flames. “Go find help, go find other healers.”

“With all due respect, ma’am, that’ll be taking resources away from other soldiers … ones who have a better diagnosis,” the soldier whispered with apprehension.

I inhaled sharply, ready for the pushback. “You will need far fewerextra resourcesif you get help over here as fast as you can. I won’t fail you. Now go, that was an order.”

They cast a brief glance at each other, inevitably trying to decide whether this would be an order they’d ignore. The medic nodded, accepting his new assignment, nudging the soldier to do the same. I could only hope they would come back, but it wouldn’t matter much, I guess. If they didn’t, there was a chance I woulddie right here with him, then they’d never have to answer to their refusal to follow orders.

“Elie, go with them,” I ordered, “now.”

“He saved our lives, Amaia. I won’t leave him here to die alone. I won’t,” she protested.

I scooted closer, my lips kissing her hand still tightly woven around Alexiares’. “Look at me right now, look me in my eyes, and tell me you think I’d let him die.” Her light brown eyes narrowed, studying me for a hint of a lie. She shook her head. “Go with them then, let someone check you over, then get to your spot and stay there until I come get you. I’m glad you’re safe, Els. I want to keep it that way.”

She pushed the medic back with her freehand. He let up, no longer having a reason to hold her back. Her grip on Alexiares’ hand loosened. Elie grabbed my hand, dragging it to replace hers.

I gave it a squeeze, holding it up for her to see as I took in the image of the girl I knew would move mountains one day. Broken cobblestone rattled at their departure as I lowered the flames circling us briefly. They disappeared around the corner of the courtyard and I could only hope the medic would keep his word.

Alexiares mumbled something, the blood in his mouth distorting his words. It spattered onto my clothes, the cough pushed from his lungs sounded painful. No sense of pain presented itself in his face, only the slight panic of a death he had no longer asked for.

We were overrun, soldiers everywhere. They began pillaging, throwing open the doors of the rooms around us in The Pit, angry when they found no one. Anything they could get their hands on was tossed. Furniture, paperwork, items of clothing, littered the world around us. I raised the flame up higher around us but it would not protect us from anything shot or thrown our way, only mask our exact location.

His light brown eyes came back into focus, locked in on mine. Cupping the sides of his face, I lifted his head offering him a gentle kiss. “I’m sorry,” I cried.

It wasn’t fair. He’d given so much, and now I would have to ask him for more. Covert Province was only steps away from finding the locked door of the bunker. The shield was still up, and the door would hold through nuclear war, but in this world, there was no telling what some Scholar or Tinkerer was able to conjure up. For all we knew, Seth had fucked us in every capacity the second he’d run home to daddy.

I presssed my lips to his, over and over again, scared that the next time I kissed them they’d be cold. “You are not allowed to die on me. Do you hear me, Alexiares? If you die on me, I will kill you. Help is on the way, but until they get here, I need you to fight.”

He blinked hard, confirmation to my silent request. Guilt swept over me having not been strong enough to say the words but thankful for him taking that weight from me. This wouldn’t kill him, I wouldn’t let it. He squeezed my hand, a tear dripping down my cheek.

Lowering the flames, I kept my eyes on him. “My heart beats for you and only you,” I wept, brushing my thumb over the back of his hand. “Do you hear me, you asshole? Hang on to that, because if you die on me, part of me dies too.”

I wouldn’t say the words I felt right now. I needed to get them out, but what if, what if those words leaving my lips were truly a death sentence?No, you can’t think that way. Say it.My lips parted, the words on the tip of my tongue. An ethereal blue hue of flames materialized around us. It wasn’t my doing.

Alexiares’ power pushed inside my veins, ecstasy briefly passing through me at the orgasmic feel of his power merging with mine. It was weak, yet determination marked his eyes, urging me to do the heavylifting.

I rolled off my knees, wanting to be able to defend myself in other ways if needed. Keeping our hands connected, I rested his hand on my lap, reserving a small ember of my power to keep his heart going. As long as he had magic, he had a fighting chance.

One breath in. One breath out. Focus. You can do this.

Dropping my walls completely, I let him in without resistance, our gifts making us one. A wave of intense heat and swirling mist emanated from us. The invading army who had been declaring victory were now met with the full force of our Steamfire. Their protective gear turned into a scorching prison, the temperature in the air around them rising rapidly. I closed my eyes, intent on not losing focus. Sheer will and desire to not fucking roast my troops alive the only thing protecting them from undergoing the same fate.

Covert’s soldiers’ screams echoed around the walls, making my lesson to Moore explicitly clear. We would not go easy. If he wanted war, I’d bring him Hell. Water met fire with incredible precision. Under my command, steam blasts erupted, sending the soldiers flying. Outwardly, they merely appeared burned, but on the inside, they were soup.

There was no kindness in this death. I sent the dark mist further out, latching onto a new body every time our magic was freed up by the loss of life. The world around me no longer resembled my home, I had no idea where my family was, and Alexiares’ grip loosened with each second passed.

Sobbing, a final pulse of power surged through the air. It was a gruesome sight, but in this battle for my home, for protecting the ones I loved, there was no room for sympathy. The Compound still standing was a beacon of hope, one I would defend at all costs.

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