In no time, the whites of Edwardo’s eyes shine with unshed tears as his lips part, blood frothing through them, crimson bubbles trailing down his chin.
That’s when I realize that she’s infusing a tremendous amount of her healing powers into his body to overwhelm his system.
Vines thrash around them while Drake takes the brunt of their whips, seeds sowing into his arms to turn him into a grotesque human garden.
Edwardo’s shrieks taint the edges of my hazy mind as I watch Ari sink the claws of her powers deeper, and his abdomen swells to ten times its size before exploding.
“Ari,” I whisper just before I fall into nothingness.
TWENTY-FOURCalista
It is a most beautiful place, a dream found between life and death.
The golden petals of the sun stretch into the horizon above me, the sky alight with the most captivating purple and pinks. Misty clouds settle together, as if the sky is dancing, welcoming a new day. Orange hues peek into the sky, its rays arrowing around me, spreading warmth over my desperate, aching body.
I blink twice, enjoying the heat, and as the colors touch me, I am as vibrant as this brilliant morning. Tall grass tickles my sides, brushing up against my cheeks as a gentle breeze caresses me. Bees buzz in a symphony with the crickets, and a smile settles over my lips.
Wait. Ari. Drake.
The torture floods back to me, cutting through the fog in my mind. The memory of the plants erupting through my skin throbs anguish into my skull. I sit up, folding myself forward, inhaling sharply as I stretch my arms out in front of me. I note the bracelet around my wrist, woven with silky wildflowers and threads of roots. “What the—”
“You are awake,” a woman’s low, hearty voice exclaims behind me.
I scramble onto my knees, my fingers running over the grass. I gaze around at the meadow, and after a quick glance around, my eyes land on a stunning woman. Shimmering gold covers her skin like glitter, catching the sun’s rays as if she belongs to it.
Her round, deep gold eyes are pools of familiarity drawing me in. A sense of home washes over me as her full lips curve into a genuine smile, dousing the flames of hatred that have always burned inside of me.
Daggered leaves bursting with life are perfectly placed within her crown of dark brown curls. She strides closer, her arms outstretched, ready to embrace me, her emerald dress gliding silky over the grass. Flowers bloom in her presence, and behind her, a trail of pink and red flowers becomes her path.
My lips part, and a whoosh of air circles to the back of my throat as I stare at the woman I’ve seen in hundreds of portraits and paintings depicted in books—Essentria.
Her arms are around me, and my muscles relax as I breathe in the familiar bouquet of smooth honeysuckle, floral fragrance. My heart balloons as I recognize the mixed notes the longer she holds me—an evocative smell, laced with the energizing smell of grass after a light rainfall.
I don’t know her, yet I can’t help but squeeze her back, curling my arms around her, a tear dancing from my eye. My soul recognizes her, even if my mind doesn’t.
“My goodness,” she says, once I’m at arm’s length. Her finger hooks under my chin, and she raises my eyes to meet hers. “You’re really here.”
I purse my lips, searching for the words to speak, yet my brain struggles to catch up with my unexpected rush of emotions. “Am I dead?” I ask slowly.
Her thumb glides down my cheek, brushing over the escaped tear. “No. This is a memory, inside of your mind as you cling to life,” she explains as the meadow fades in my peripheral vision.
Essentria lifts my hands in hers, a flash or red crossing her dangerous stare. It lasts only a second, but the effect remains on my emotions. “Decay magic.” Her expression warps. “Such a pity.”
“I wanted your power,” I admit quickly, recalling when the God of Death’s powers appeared alongside hers. I felt her magic, before it slipped away, but now I sense it, something alive, blooming deep, but it’s so repressed by the decay I cannot access it.
“You had it, once.” She drops my hand as if it was made of poison, her lips twisting. “This magic was your choice.”
I inhale sharply, but do not look away from her. “What? I didn’t choose this magic.”
“Where is Azkiel?” she asks.
“I don’t know.”
Her eyes alight with menace. “Good.”
Before I can inquire any further, I’m grasping at thin air, and she dissolves along with the meadow. The darkness threatens to steal me again, and I’m slammed back into my body with such force that I jolt forward.
The first breath is painful, and I’m breathing daggers of air into my lungs, the deep pockets of tissue objecting to the sudden, sharp breaths.
I peel back my eyelids to reveal what is left of the fog-haloed trees, towering to form a thinned canopy above. I squint as my eyes become accustomed to the harsh red light of the moon, reminding me I am still in The Harvest.
Arabella is over me, her blonde strands falling around her face. Blood splatters carve into her delicate features, her lashes flicking away the last remnants of crimson drops dripping from her forehead.
“Thank the gods,” a deep voice announces, followed by a sigh of relief. Ari whips her head around to who I assume is Drake, his footsteps growing louder as they scuffle closer.
“Ari,” I croak, my voice strained as it climbs out of my mouth. I struggle up, pushing my arms into the thick of the moss and scattered bark, but my head is too heavy. I heave out a breath as I drop back down, my head hitting the soft ground, the forest floor a blanket for my aching body.
Drake comes into view, and I’ve never been so glad to see that relieved, lazy smile settled over his lips. I notice the blood against his tanned arms, and my chest pangs.
Ari shushes me as I open my mouth, bringing her finger to my lips. “Edwardo is dead.”
The scene floats back to me. “I saw,” I whisper, nodding slowly. “He exploded.”
“Yes,” she says, her eyes veiling over. “You saved me. I thought I was as good as dead.”
Drake presses his lips together, glancing from my sister to me as they both crouch over me, their knees on either side of my torso.
Ari’s sigh sends a fresh wave of anxiety through me. “Yes, I saved you.”
