Page 68 of One Last Promise
“Alora!Enough!”Darce threw a strong gust of shadow at me, making me stumble back.I tripped over a rock and fell to the floor.“I do not wish to fight you!”
“You’re a Noxlin, I’m a Dylin.It’s what we do!”I screamed, pulling more power to the surface.
“Can you really forget the last four hundred years so easily?”Standing up, I dusted myself off, willing my powers back into my hands.“You seem to be wielding your power much better.Perhaps I should have told you sooner if it was going to help them manifest.”
“You care more about mypowersthan me!”
“You know that’s not true.”Holding his hands out, he tried to sooth me.“All I’ve ever wanted to do ishelpyou, Starshine.”
“Help yourself you mean!”Light flooded down my arms, pooling at my fingertips.I’d never felt so much power.
“Stop!You’ll burn out.You’re not in control of those powers yet,” Darce cautioned, surrounding me in shadow.Aiming my hands up into the air, I directed my light at his shadows, disbursing the dark mist in seconds.I wasn’t going to allow him to cage me.“That was pretty impressive,” he said with awe.“You’ll need more power than that to destroy me, though.”
“Oh, I’ll work on that, don’t worry,” I snarled, hurtling another wave of light power at him.Darce easily knocked it away.
“Alora, please....”
“I’mnotinterested!”I roared, launching more of my power in his direction.“Whatever was between us is over!I’m only thankful that I didn’t give myself fully to you.I would have regretted it for my entire existence.”
“Is that how you truly feel?”His eyes were the darkest I had ever seen.They were completely desolate.
“YES!”I spat, throwing as much power as I could towards him.To my surprise, it caught him off guard, smacking into his chest.He barely moved; it did little damage.
“That’s a good thing.Hold onto that hatred.”I frowned at him when Darce gave me a longing look.“Don’t come looking for me.It will get you killed.”
“Iwillsee you on the battlefield one day.”
“That would be an interesting concept, but it would be an easy win for you.I wouldn’t be able to harm a single hair on that head of yours.”
“You would deny my revenge?”I seethed, pulling the energy from the above, feeling it radiate into my hands.
“You know I can’t deny you anything.Youwillget your revenge when the time is right.You’re not the only one the wisp has spoken to.”What?
“It spoke toyou?What did it say?”
“Goodbye, Starshine,” Darce muttered, waving his left hand.Within seconds, shadows surrounded me and I fell into Noor’s arms.
“Alora!Thank Holy Ether!Are you okay?Did that Noxlin hurt you?”Loki and Enyo suddenly appeared from a mist of shadow, too.They came charging at me.My entire body was trembling as I sobbed uncontrollably in Noor’s arms.“I was worried he wasn’t going to send you back.”
“Enough, Noor!”Xavier’s voice was demanding as he pulled me from her grip.Loki and Enyo snarled at him.“Call your mutts off, Alora, or I’ll have Soleil finish them!”I gave them a hand signal so they backed off.“You have got some serious explaining to do before I take you to Zohar.Do you have any ideawhothat Noxlin is?”
“He killed my mother.”Noor gasped behind me.“Was that what you were referring to earlier?Did you recognize him?”
He looked surprised but quickly rebuffed.“Did he tell you anything else?”
“What more did I need to know?”I seethed.“He’s the one I’m destined to kill!”
Xavier studied my face before picking me up into his arms and throwing me onto Soleil.He turned his attention to Noor.“You can find your own way back with Loki and Enyo.Alora and I have things to discuss.”She didn’t even get a chance to respond before his light leaper rode off.
****
WE RODE TO A QUIETclearing on the outskirts of Dallethas.Soleil grazed on the lush green grass while Xavier and I moved nearer to the clear blue river that trickled through the land, reflecting our two suns’ rays of light.
“Was he the Noxlin you met on the pilgrimage?”Xavier asked, running his hands through his short blond hair.Nodding, I turned my head away from him, watching the water.“This has been going on for overfour hundred years?”
“Say what you brought me here to say, Xavier.”
“If you werethatdesperate to train for battle, I would have done what I could.Why didn’t you come tome?It sickens me to thinkthatNoxlin trained you.”Xavier’s face was pained.“Have I not done everything you asked of me, Alora?Why do you continue to make me suffer this way?Please tell me that he didn’t touch you?I can barely stand the thought of him training you, but if he laid afingeron you, I’m not sure what I’ll do.I won’t rest until I hunt him down and run him through with my sword!”
