Page 48 of A Blightress of Wrath
Isurveyed the damage, feelingPompeii’sgentle tap through theOverseer-Baronbond on my shoulder, assuring both of usBaronsthat he hadRennsafely in that room.Talonwas holding ontoIlyennatightly as they caught their breath.Liawas bent to the earth, inspecting the ashes that fell while the fewGrowersleft sifted their limbs into the earth, slowly returning life to the soil.
“Philius!”Icalled, catching up to him as he paced through the new growth.
“Iburned her!”Hebrought the stubs of his wrists to his head, ready to scream into the still smoldering forest.
Icaught his arms in mine, mumbling the spells of healing he needed to close the wounds. “Yousaved her from thatBlight.Itwas going to pull her under the surface.”
“Ididn’t mean to.Ididn’t?—.”
“Iknow,”Isoothed. “Shewill know, too, when she wakes.”
“TheBlightress,” he breathed, “she’s gone?”
“Yes.”
“Shejust left without more of a fight?” he asked, in a grim purse of his lips.
“Ithink—”Istarted, opening my mind to her, just to see if she lingered there. “Ithink she’s wounded.Shedidn’t suspect thatIcould destroy all of theBlightat once, andIcouldn’t have withoutRevich’shelp.WhentheBlightis destroyed, she feels it.Justlike whenIburned those syphoner trees.She?—”
“Whatare we waiting for, then?”Philiuswhipped around with the glint of hatred in his golden eyes. “Let’sgo now.Let’sgo to her heart and be rid of her.”
“I—”
“Youknow how to get there.You’vebeen before.Solet’s leave.Whileshe’s recovering.Shewon’t expect us.Wecan rid the land of her now.Wedon’t need to wait.”
Icouldn’t lie, the same line of thought had already crossed my mind, but seeingRennburned and the aftermath of destroying theBlight,Ihesitated in admitting toRevwhat the rage in my heart wanted to do next.
“It’snot up to us.Weall have to agree because all of us will be taking a risk.”
“I’lltalk to them.”
“No!”Igrabbed his vest as he lurched forward. “Letme.Yourtemper never won any arguments against anyone but theQueen.”Isighed heavily, checking his wrists one last time to see that his wounds were healed over.
RevichandLiawere deep into a conversation, soItook a moment to dampen the pockets of flame around us.They’dsprouted here and there around what was now a clearing in the midst of healing.TheGrowersleft were working hard, their spindly bodies bent to the ashes, pushing limbs into the ground and slowly sprouting buds of bushes and saplings of trees.Moiraleapt from each new circle of growth, spinning and twirling, her own fae magic encouraging the growth and blooms of red, yellow, and white which opened for her as she danced.
Philiusstayed close asIsmoothed my black vest and skirts and wiped at the black remnants ofBlight.
“I’mwith you,Soot.”Philiusmuttered so onlyIcould hear.
Igrunted a laugh, my lips pulling into a smile.Itwas the nickname he’d given me as a child.Insteadof calling meAsh, he’d call meSoot, just to get under my skin as brothers tend to do.
“Ihaven’t heard that in a long time,”Ireplied in a heavy sigh, hands on my hips, gripping them tightly and gazing up into the trees stained with black.
“Toolong.”Hecrossed his arms awkwardly, pausing slightly with how to tuck the stubs of his wrists underneath. “I’mhere as a reminder of where you came from.”
Ishivered and stared at my brother for a moment in a distant memory of us as children, running through the tall grasses of theHyrithianPlains.Hand-in-hand we’d taken on invisible foes and leapt greatest distances, and we’d done it together.
I’dnever hold his hand again.
Icocked my head, filling my lungs and looking down at my boots to recuperate my thoughts.
Theyall gathered silently.Withoutneeding to call them to me, my people circled in front of me.Eachstood in varying states of dishevelment and exhaustion, waiting to hear whatIhad to say.
Philiusstood to my left, followed byTalonandIlyenna, still holding onto each other.Ilyenna’ssilent tears streamed down her face as she cupped her growing belly.
Lianext, looking the most exhaustedI’dever seen her.Herblack hair, always swept back into a bun at the nape of her neck, had now fallen out completely, flowing down her shoulders in beautiful waves of onyx.Shelooked younger, tired, but ifIlooked hard enough,I’dguess she wasn’t a day over forty.
Myeyes followed the line, landing onRev.Iknew he gripped the rhyzolm in his hand even though he’d shoved them both into his pockets, standing there like a pillar of chiseled marble.Isaw through the ash and grime, right to the man who would need the most convincing to do this.
