Page 136 of Ecliptic

The world eater’s eyes widened in disbelief as the Sunshade continued to pump its wings, unaffected by his siphoning power.

I smiled. The stone had no life, so there was no essence to steal.

Another bird dove in a gust of wind, impaling demons with its spears, and as their hearts were punctured, or their limbs ripped apart, their remains rained down on their littermates.

Erovos turned his gaze to the charging desert elves, his jaw elongating. And with a gravitational inhale, he drained a whole line of gold-plated soldiers. Before their shriveled bodies could fall to the ground, Erovos hurled their energy at one of the great hawks. The stolen power hit the bird, and it screeched as its wing was blasted off its body. Unable to balance in the air, the great avian teetered and then fell to the ground. The Sunshade plummeted to the earth, crushing enemies as they fell.

The distraction was enough for Nepta to regain her balance. She raised her moon staff and slammed it to the ground, and with a rippled tremor, the earth cracked open. A horde of demons fell through the chasm, howling as they were lost to the earth.

The tides of war shifted. Instead of total obliteration, the playing field was evening out, but still, it was too close to call.

I couldn’t stay on the battlefield much longer. Now was my chance to get to Indrasyl and heal her before any more lives were lost. But Nepta had cracked open the ground, and I couldn’t ignore the call of rushing water deep within the earth.

Erovos left the tree unguarded as he battled three armies and the great hawks. It was just the diversion I needed. Rowen hadregrouped with Callum and a few other soldiers, their faces exhausted as they prepared for another wave of demons.

I called upon the water, just like Althea had done when she separated her soul flame from the giants. I dug deep into my inner well of power and called upon the water. Erovos may be a gravitational force, but so was I.

My body shined like the moon as I dragged the water out of the earth in a violent wave. It smashed into the Voro-Kai, drowning out their charging growls as they were swept away. Satisfaction rippled through me, even though it hardly made a dent in the never-ending swarm of demons.

Once I knew Rowen was safe and had a moment to catch his breath, I charged toward the Sylvan Mother Tree when suddenly, a claw wrapped around my ankle and wrenched me to the ground.

I whipped onto my back, ready to strike, but a flash of iridescent feathers shot past my vision.

A Voro-Kai, crawling with no legs, released its hold on me with a shriek and clutched its eye that oozed sludge. I didn’t have time to process what had given me the opportunity to stab the demon in the throat, its cries turning gargled.

Rowen darted between me and the charging beasts. “Go!” he yelled, his face covered in blood, dirt, and sweat. “I won’t let them touch you.”

“I love you,” I said as Rowen dug his feet into the ground and tightened his grip on his Ever-burn blades.

“You’ll come back to me?” Rowen asked, his face turning from the charging Voro-Kai to lock eyes with me.

“Yes,” I said, but it was a lie—a terrible lie. “Now, don’t die.”

Our chests heaved in unison as our gazes darted to each other’s mouths, and in a desperate fury, Rowen and I collided like crashing waves. I wrapped my arms around his neck as he pulled me in tight. Our lips and tongues tangled in a wild andreckless moment. We didn’t have the time, but we selfishly indulged in the obliterating kiss anyway.

I could taste Rowen’s blood, fear, and passion in his kiss.

Could he taste my goodbye?

He would never believe I’d lie to him, but I had, and with the ugliest lie possible—that I would return to his arms.

I could only hope that one day we would meet on the horizon line like Althea and Donis, the first soul flames.

Rowen tore his mouth from mine in a savage growl and plunged his star blade into the nearest demon.

“Go,” he urged again, facing the barrage of Voro-Kai.

I gazed upon my soul flame for the last time. His beauty was deadly as he kept the astral demons at bay, protecting and guarding me as he always had.

I tore my gaze away from my ferocious god and sprinted the final steps to Indrasyl—the tree that would be my tomb. It was a fact that haunted me in my waking, sleeping, and astral life.

I entered the tree’s ancient and dying form. Her twisted branches unfurled like the wings of a dragon, inviting me inside her towering trunk. The chains that once ensnared me still hung from her hollow cavity, locked and latched from when my wrists were in them last.

My spine spasmed as I saw the black dress Erovos had dressed me in crumbled on the ground.

This was where my body had been forged as an elve.

My knees went weak. Not many die in the same place they were reborn. But I had to keep it together. I couldn’t lose it now. Letting my emotions consume me would only waste precious time.

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