Page 56 of Eluvonia
My vision goes red. My claws dig into the wooden platform above, splintering it beneath my fingers. Declan’s hand clamps down on my shoulder, grounding me.
“Wait,” he whispers, his voice tense. “Just a little longer.”
The guard raises his hand again, but before it falls, Aeris lets out a scream—a sound so raw and fierce it seems to shake the very air around us.
From beneath her, vines explode outward, thick and writhing, tearing through the wooden floor like it’s paper. The force of the eruption blasts the hut apart, splintering walls and sending debris flying in every direction.
The shockwave slams into me like a battering ram, throwing me backward. I hit the ground hard, the breath knocked from my lungs. Declan crashes beside me, rolling to a stop before scrambling to his feet.
The scene before us is chaos. Vines lash through the air like living whips, their movements fast and vicious, cutting through wood and steel alike. The sound is deafening—like a hundred cracking bullwhips all at once. Smoke and dust churn in thick, choking clouds, stinging my eyes and clawing at my throat.
In the middle of the destruction sits Aeris, bound to a chairthat somehow remains upright amidst the wreckage. Her head hangs forward, strands of blood-matted hair obscuring her face. Crimson trails drip steadily from her chin, pooling on the fractured wooden floor beneath her. The sight makes my chest tighten, rage coiling like a living thing in my gut, roaring to be unleashed.
The guard groans, starting to stir, but I’m on him before they can fully rise. The world blurs as I grab him by the neck, my claws digging into his flesh. He thrashs weakly, gasping, but I don’t give him the chance to fight back. With a sharp twist of my wrist, his neck snaps, the sound satisfying in its finality. His body goes limp in my hands, and I waste no time tossing him over the railing.
His lifeless form vanishes into the darkness below. I turn back toward the wreckage, my eyes locking on Aeris. She’s still slumped forward, the vines snaking outward from her body as if she’s the heart of this living storm. Each vine is thick and covered in sharp thorns, their tips glistening with blood. They lash out blindly, tearing apart anything that dares get too close.
Declan moves beside me,“What the hell is happening to her?” he breathes, his voice barely audible over the chaos.
“I don’t know,” I growl, my claws flexing as I steel myself. “But I’m not leaving her like this.”
The vines whip through the air with unrelenting force, their movements wild and erratic. One lashes out, narrowly missing my face as I step forward. Another strikes my legs with a brutal snap, the impact nearly knocking me off balance. Pain ignites in my calves, but I grit my teeth and press on.
Dark shadows rise at my command, coiling around me like living armor. I send them forward, tendrils of darknesswrapping around the vines in an attempt to bind them. But it’s like trying to hold back a tidal wave. The vines rip through the shadows as if they’re nothing more than smoke, shredding them effortlessly.
One snaps across my arm, tearing through my sleeve and leaving a stinging welt. Another wraps around my ankle, yanking me off my feet and slamming me into the platform. I hiss in pain, claws digging into the wood as I push myself back up. My shadows surge again, cutting through the mass of greenery, but the vines recover faster than I can strike.
“Aeris!” I bellow, desperation thick in my voice. My chest tightens as I fight my way closer, every step a battle. A vine slashes at my side, and I slash back with half-shifted claws. The sharp edges of my talons tear through the plant matter, but the vines surge back with even greater fury, wrapping around my arms and legs, biting into my skin.
I’m bleeding now, every limb screaming in pain, but I don’t stop.
Finally, I reach her. She’s still bound to the chair, her head slumped forward, blood dripping from her face. The sight sends a jolt of anger and fear through me, but I swallow it down, my focus entirely on her. I shove past a vine aiming for my throat and place a trembling hand on her bruised cheek.
“Aeris,” I say, my voice low and firm despite the chaos around us. “It’s me. Kaida. You’re safe now. Come on, snap out of it.”
For a long, excruciating moment, there’s nothing. The vines continue their violent thrashing, lashing at the platform and the air, each movement threatening to tear everything apart. My shadows falter, struggling to keep up, and I brace myself for another surge of their wrath.
But then, something changes.
The vines hesitate, their movements faltering like a beast confused by a sudden stillness. The air shifts, the oppressive weight of her magic easing ever so slightly. I keep my hand on her cheek, leaning closer. “That’s it, Aeris. You’re stronger than this.”
The vines begin to withdraw, slowly at first, curling back toward her like wounded creatures. They retreat farther and farther until they’re nothing more than a tangled mass at her feet. The platform around us is in ruins—splintered wood, smoke, and destruction everywhere.
I let out a shaky breath, relief mixing with exhaustion as I look down at her. Her chest rises and falls unevenly, and her eyes remain closed, but the storm has passed.
I exhale shakily, relief flooding through me as I pull a blade from my belt and cut the ropes binding her to the chair. Her body slumps forward into my arms. I lower her carefully to the floor, cradling her as though she might shatter with the slightest touch.
The sound of shouting reaches us, the voices of more Fae closing in fast. My eyes dart to Declan, who’s already half-shifted, the ghost of his golden scales glinting faintly in the dim light. “We’re out of time,” I mutter, my voice a low growl.
He nods, his form rippling as he shifts fully into his Dragon, a magnificent beast with scales like molten gold. His tail lashes out, smashing through a nearby hut and scattering debris. I focus on Aeris, as I force myself to shift. My body contorts, bones snapping and reforming, my black scales bursting forth as my wings unfurl.
I grip Aeris carefully in my front claw, her unconscious form limp but safe. With a powerful leap, I take to the skies,bursting through the dense canopy and into the open air. Declan follows close behind, his wings beating furiously as he rises.
I glance back at him, my voice a deep rumble.You wanted to burn the bastards? Now’s your chance.
He unleashes a triumphant roar, flames erupting from his jaws and scorching the treetops in a brilliant cascade of fire. The blaze illuminates the night, casting dancing shadows over the fleeing figures of the Fae below. I know Declan—he won’t reduce the village to ash, just enough to send a message, to terrify them. He’d never intentionally harm the innocent. But as I glance down at Aeris, battered and unconscious in my grasp, I can’t summon the same restraint.
After what they’ve done to her, they deserve to watch everything burn.
