My shoes drop. Clarity graces my mind for just a moment. No, that’s wrong, Marxel didn’t kidnap me. I made a deal with him. Where is Marxel?
Pieces start to slowly fall into place as the compelled veil around my thoughts is lifted, creating a picture that is both alarming and disastrous. Xander doesn’t take this long to draw a portal; he’s done it a bunch of times. Did Marxel ever leave?
As if sensing my thoughts, William’s brow narrows, turning around quickly. But not quickly enough. Fire flies towards us down the barrel of the chasm, its heat burning a loud fury in my ears. As if I never left, I’m back in that old nightmare hearing the same screams of that girl as the cliff crumbles and she falls into the flames around her. I can’t move. My feet are seared to the ground incapable of interfering in Marxel’s grim intentions for William. This was it. The plan was me. Marxel knows I can’t interfere. He was right in guessing the demons would come for me. So he left and waited. Everything he planned for, I would be compelled to do, because I inherently couldn’t go against him.
The thundering flames are upon us and there’s nowhere to go. And even if there was, I couldn’t.
Time slows.
My eyes scrunch against the searing heat. Loud and terrifying. Why attack down the channel? William can make it out of here. I’m sure he can at least jump high enough to escape the flames. I, on the other hand, cannot. I brace myself for the searing pain but it doesn’t come. Instead, a horrid explosion erupts as fire and ice collide together in a cataclysm of elements and force. Air finds the space beneath my feet, throwing me to the ground.
And then, for a few moments. Nothing.
My eyes blink through the burning haze, a persistent ringing echoing through my head. The sides of the canyon are scorched with black, all walls except the one behind me. Behind us.
William crouches forward, his teeth gritting as his burnt arms hang brutalised by his sides. I’m glad he’s facing away so he doesn’t see my horrified grimace.
Why didn’t he move? He could have left me and…
I curse under my breath. Marxel knew he would save me. Damnit. Now’s his chance, the canyon covered in smoke and Will injured.
I stumble to my feet, shuffling disorientated over to Will who stands dazed just a few feet ahead. He shakes his head, squinting his eyes in the burning heat. A large shadow moves in the darkness. Marxel. I was right. This is not what I want. I have to do something. But I can’t move against him.
The glint of the dagger shines as a brief spark through the haze. William can’t see it and even if he could, he wouldn’t be able to move quick enough in his state. I will my voice to call out but it doesn’t. It can’t. The creature was right; there’s no way I can move against Marxel. My feet are planted firmly to the ground.
As a human, I know there’s not much I can do. Just this once, I want to be able to do something. I can’t let it end like this. Not after all the times he’s saved me. I can’t let him die. I scream, frustrated at my own body. It doesn’t understand, I’m not moving against Marxel, I’m moving for Will.
My feet break free.
Without hesitation, I run in front of the dagger.
30
William
Everything falls to silence.
The power to deflect Marxel’s blow was not enough. Even if it was all I had. The strike hit, albeit at a dampened force, but nonetheless has left me dazed and unconscious for what feels like seconds but could have easily been more. My flesh sears through the silence, my body trying to heal itself as fast as possible. From the state of these burns, it’s unlikely Marxel sustained as much damage.
A disarray of shuffling feet and movements linger on the outskirts of my deafened hearing. Ringing slowly fades out as reality meets my senses. Eyelids squinting, my determined legs manage to pull me to my feet. A large warm object shoves against my chest. A living breathing being. It produces a series of slow staggered breaths; each one shorter than the last. It struggles. Disorientated, I look up, blinking through the smoke. A wave of cinnamon hair reaches down its back and the faint smell of perfume wafts past despite the thick smoke.
‘Siara?’
Her head sinks forward, her face shadowed from view and her hands clasped together onto something in front of her. Clarity bleeds into my consciousness. I brace her shoulders, taking a small step back. The silver glint of the blade catches my eye, a small tip of metal protruding from her back. How strange. A cold feeling makes its way through my body. Amazed, I stare at the familiar red substance that bleeds into her surrounding dress.
Siara’s body jerks as the dagger is yanked out of her stomach by a panicked Marxel; his eyes wild with equal parts horror and remorse. He has hit the wrong target.
My insides churn and twist, forming knotted stones that drop to the pit of my stomach. ‘What have you done?’
I turn her body to face me; maybe it’s not that bad from the front. Siara slumps into my chest. Her hands grip against my coat, her once rosy cheeks cooling to a deathly blue. Her emerald eyes are wide, distant, scared. I shift my focus to the fire demon and he falters backwards. His dagger hangs pathetically by his side. A clang fills the silence as it slides from his weak grip. A jumbled assortment of words mumble just barely past his lips.
‘How did she – why did she do that?’ he repeats to himself. The words feel strange, weird to my ears. It is a question I too want answered, but my mind can’t seem to process what has happened. His wild eyes look over to me. ‘She wasn’t meant to do that. It was the fog. I couldn’t see. I didn’t know.’
Marxel’s gaze falls to Siara’s blood that has trickled onto his thumb and across his index finger. ‘How was I supposed to know she was going to do that? I’m not a murderer. I don’t kill humans.’ His words seem to speak to his phantom enemies rather than myself.
Siara lets out a muffled groan, her hand pressing firmly against the deep wound on her stomach. It’s to no avail; thick liquid escapes between her narrow fingers, bleeding in pools through her thin clothes. With every shallow and shaky breath, life drains a little more from her wide eyes. Looking down at her wound, panic is slowly replaced with resignation. She relaxes, relinquishing her hands to her side as she starts to fall.
Steadying her, I lay her down on the ground. Warm crimson creeps slowly across the red stone, a metallic scent lingering heavily in the air.
‘No – I can fix this,’ the words mutter out, a form of word vomit that I don’t have full control over. ‘It’s going to be fine, Siara. You’re going to be fine.’
What should I do?
She’s dying.
I don’t know what to do.
Fear swells in my stomach as my hand gently rips more of the fabric surrounding the wound. Maybe it’s not as bad as I…
It’s bad. It’s really bad.
No, this can’t be how it happens. Not like this. Not because of me.
‘Master, I’m sorry I was no match for him. I…’
Xander’s words fall away as his run slowly descends to a walk, cautiously moving past the grief-ridden Marxel. Confused, his eyes dart from the fire demon to myself, taking in the burns that sprawl across my arms and then eventually, the limp being situated on the ground in front of me.
‘What’s going on?’
