Page 9 of Return of the Darkness
“You know damn well this is not the end, boy,” Caligh spat, slowly stepping to one side. He glanced at his approaching copper soldiers, seeming to realise he had lost all control. Elisara frowned. The sword and fragment within her had not whispered about reclaiming the copper soldiers, only Osiris and Arik. So why had they needed Caligh’s name to break his control? Regardless, Caligh could not stay and win this battle alone. Everybody had heard his name. “You cannot tell them everything. You know what will happen.”
“I am fully aware, but I can do everything in my power to give them what I can.” Osiris stepped forward. “Now, I think we’re overdue a little family torture.”
“No!” Elisara snarled, stepping forward. Osiris turned his head to Elisara, a gentle smile on his face. “He ismine,” she growled, but before Osiris could turn back, Caligh lunged for the chain on the floor. In one quick pull, he yanked Tajana across the sand towardshim, and shadows swarmed them both. Elisara ran forward, but it was too late. The ball of darkness faded into nothing, just like Kazaar had. Elisara was left with nothing but the emptiness of her heart and the knowledge she had failed to avenge her love.
Chapter Five
Larelle
The echoing scream across the desert took Larelle back to Riyas’s death, where she, too, had endlessly screamed. Larelle’s eyes watered as Elisara mirrored a pain she remembered too well. Nobody moved. Stood to attention, Elisara’s army of souls remained in a barrier around the rulers. Murmurs began among the copper soldiers behind them, who glanced at one another as if awakening from a haze. Some of Elisara’s soldiers fidgeted too, shifting from one shadowed foot to the other. Nobody quite knew what was expected of them now. Osiris and Arik pulled back from their embrace. Osiris moved to approach Elisara, who paced the sands. Her shadowed protector stepped forward, stopping him.
Tendrils of darkness bled from her skin and floated in the air, with her hair soon following suit, static and alive. Silver volts flickered within the strands, a sign of the lightning in her lineage. When she gripped the sides of her head and screamed again, the lightning trickled down her arms, blending with her shadows. “I was supposed to avenge him!” she shouted, glancing at Osiris. She continued pacing, her eyes flickering between unending black and Vala’s bright blue. The darkness twisted in all directions, unclear and indecisive, unsure what their master wanted of them. “I was supposed to kill him and be done. I want nothing to do with Sitara’s cause. I wanted to kill him and be DONE!” Elisara screamed again as tears flooded her cheeks. Osiris stepped forward again and pursed his lips, his jaw clenching. He glanced down for a moment and took a deep breath.
“Elisara, I understand how difficult it is when your power emerges. Allow me to help you.” When he stepped forward, Elisara retreated. Her protector crossed his arms and widened his stance. The shadow and Osiris were nearly identical in height, but Osiris held more command as he rolled back his shoulders. Larelle tilted her head. Why had this soul attached itself to Elisara so quickly? “If you stand any chance at all at saving us, we need to help you control it.” Elisara ignored him. Dark tendrils drifted from her skin and floated around her face. Her wide eyes shifted to deep black. “Shit,” he mumbled.
“What do you mean ‘shit’?” Nyzaia strode across the sand, with Farid following, his wings still splayed. Osiris flinched at his approach.
“The darkness has consumed her eyes. She’s slipping from her consciousness. If she doesn’t get a hold of her power soon, it will begin to control her actions until she comes round again.” Nyzaia stepped towards Elisara, and her protector allowed it.
“Elisara, listen. Listen to me,” Nyzaia murmured, but Elisara did not turn. She frantically watched her shadow army. “You need to come back to us so we can figure out what to do next.” When Nyzaia stepped forward again, a tendril of darkness reached for her at speed.
“Nyzaia!” Farid shouted. He drew everyone’s attention, including the soldiers. One day, he would be capable of commanding armies, Larelle thought. Before the shadow reached his queen, Farid intervened with a flourish of his hand. A blue flame sliced through the tendril, forcing Elisara to recoil. Her army grew restless, and those behind Farid and Nyzaia stepped closer. Larelle glanced at Alvan, whose concerned expression matched her own. Behind him, some of Elisara’s soldiers began to retreat and melt into the background. Larelle knew grief. Nothing would help Elisara right now. She was consumed by her emotions, not her power.
“Star!” Caellum called. Elisara turned her head this time, intently watching the king with the black orbs of her eyes. Dark tendrilsreached for Caellum, who tensed but did not move position. He allowed the shadows to climb his arms and caress his cheek. With a slow but seemingly steady hand, the king intertwined his fingers with the darkness, as if it were an extension of Elisara’s own hand. Silence fell across the desert. Larelle could almost hear Sadira’s intake of breath as the shadows continued inspecting him. Elisara’s powers, or some part of her consciousness, seemed to recognise his past importance in her life. “Let me help you,” he called.
“Let us all help you,” said another voice from behind the dark army. Vlad pushed his way through the shadows, that willingly parted for him. Vala’s new commander was covered in bruises, and blood splattered his armour. A faint sway hindered his steps, showing how much he had expended throughout the battle. “Let us take you back to Azuria. Back home.”
“I have no home without him.” Elisara’s voice was raspy, and a jolt of pain and understanding shot through Larelle.
“I know, Eli, but we need you to focus. We need to understand everything that has happened, so we can protect the kingdom if Caligh returns,” Caellum said. Elisara’s power pulled away from him then and returned to her before another scream escaped her lips. She resumed her pacing. The others began muttering amongst themselves, discussing what to do with Vala’s broken queen, and how to move forward without knowing the full truth. They focused on themselves—the kingdom.
Releasing Alvan’s hand, Larelle strode across the sands, kicking up dust in her relentless path towards Elisara. Alvan called Larelle’s name when the tendrils of darkness paused, detecting her approach.
“Larelle,” Osiris growled when she passed him. He attempted to reach for her wrist, but she dodged it and barged past the shadowed protector with a glare. He made no move to stop her and instead stepped aside. Ignoring the encroaching darkness, Larelle stepped in front of Elisara and gripped her face, forcing their eyes to meet. Larelle did not balk at the darkness reflected in her gaze; shefocused only on Elisara’s streaming tears and rattled breaths.
“I understand,” Larelle murmured, and Elisara squirmed, her power growing restless as it swarmed around the two queens. Larelle’s skin prickled at the dropping temperature; the darkness was like cold silk as it swept over the two queens. “Elisara,” Larelle said more firmly, maintaining her grip on her face. “Iunderstand,” she said again, stressing the words. “It’s not okay. None of this is.” Elisara stilled. Shadows fell around the pair, cocooning them in a smoky sphere of darkness. Larelle heard Alvan’s shouts from outside, and Osiris and Nyzaia’s cursing when they could not see or reach the two queens. She tuned it all out, focusing only on Elisara.
“You do not need to do anything.” Elisara’s breathing slowed while she listened to Larelle. “You do not need to focus or help us with a plan. You do not need to come back to us—not yet.” Larelle’s hands drifted from Elisara’s face to her shoulders with a light squeeze. “It hurts, I know. It will hurt for a long time. You will never forget him, and nor should you. We donotneed you right now, do you understand me?” Elisara’s eyes shifted to a faint blue before fading to their usual brown.
“I cannot do anything. I cannot be anything for anyone,” Elisara sobbed, and Larelle pulled her closer, holding her as she did. Tears soaked the shoulder of Larelle’s blouse, but she did not dry them or attempt to draw her tears. Larelle tried not to wince at the sharp wail in her ear as she stroked Elisara’s hair. “I cannot do this, Larelle.” Pulling back, Larelle met Elisara’s eyes with a soft knowing smile.
“Go,” Larelle whispered, cupping her cheek. “You need only yourself right now. Go Elisara.” Larelle scanned Elisara’s face before squeezing her shoulder. Nodding slowly, Elisara’s eyes switched to black, and the shadows cocooning the pair retreated from Larelle and gathered around their queen until she and the shadows faded into nothing. On the sand, Larelle remained silent, staring at the place Elisara had just been. She prepared for thefallout of her command. The Ashun Desert was brighter now; the army of shadows departed with her, leaving only a scatter of copper soldiers on the sands. As a sign of surrender, they raised their hands while Novisia’s soldiers detained them.
“Where did she go?” Nyzaia demanded. Larelle took a deep breath and looked at the sky before sighing. “She’s fragile; she needs to be around people,” Nyzaia continued.
Larelle spun to face a line of the rulers and their confidants. Osiris narrowed his eyes on Larelle from where he stood beside Arik, his arms crossed. When Alvan stepped towards her, Larelle shook her head. She saw the look in his eye, the silent understanding of why she had been the one to reach Elisara. They had not spoken of Riyas since they had kissed, but she felt it now, an unspoken weight between them.
“None of you understand,” Larelle said, lifting her chin.
“None of us understand?” Nyzaia sneered, stepping forward. “We have all lost people.” She paused to swallow. “I lost Kazaar too.”
Larelle’s eye softened as she said, “But he was not the love of your life.” Alvan flinched, and Larelle mentally chastised herself for how that could be interpreted, that Riyas still held that title—the love of her life. Larelle avoided Alvan’s eye and cleared her throat. “You all expected something of her. She needed time.”
“Where did she go?” Caellum asked, holding Sadira’s hand. He appeared more relaxed than the others, his shoulders and jaw not as tight. He understood.
“I don’t know,” Larelle replied. “I imagine somewhere that reminds her of him.”
“So, what are we supposed to do now?” Nyzaia asked, impatiently shifting from foot to foot. “How can we do anything when the one person with all the answers is gone?”
