Chapter 13: Sapphire Flash, Silver Storm
Her soul was cold, not like Devouring. My warmth kept her strength at bay. I could bide my time, but what would be the cost. An ancient evil rested just beyond our newly shared view. The arbiters of the cycle, and a Devouring older than my hostess.
Family Bound
The snow had stopped. That should've been a relief, but it left a void that the shrieking filled with a sick, bloodthirsty glee. It likely would be fine. We had a house full of warriors and a city full – well, we hoped it was full, anyway – of guards and fighters and criminals of all manner. Whatever it was, we could be certain we would be safe.
But the most terrifying part above all else was that none of the goddesses knew what might be making the sound.
These women, some of whom had walked Lafleur before the first raindrop fell, who should've been fully informed of even the worst terrors hiding in the darkest corners, hadn't the slightest idea what it could be. Old words like landaax and ereben and oomano were thrown about, catching confused looks from the less venerable among us, but not one landed ground. The sound was foreign, new.
We had plenty of time to worry, though. The snow would have to melt before anything could possibly get in and attack. That was a good thing, wasn't it? And yet I still felt as though the world was becoming impossibly small within the walls of the Kovar and Iron smithy. Somehow better and worse at once was the notable absence of that voice. I could feel my emotions stabbing at every part of me in a way that was entirely, uniquely personal.
As I began to spiral in those thoughts, a light touch met my shoulder. Dark skin, broad hands, an impossible warmth that spread throughout me from there.
"Nyx," I whispered without looking her way, "is everything going to be okay? Are we going to be okay?"
"How should I know?" The voice was steady and firm, but she was holding something back. "What I am certain of, though, is that worrying over everything as you are isn't going to help."
"Then what? What are we to do?" As I turned in my seat, she backed away, taking the warmth of her hand with her. Nyx's face was wet, her eyes were still welling with tears. How was she speaking so calmly when she looked like that? "Oh, Nyx." No other words could serve.
I closed the space to her and wrapped my arms about her waist. She took a moment before she let her own arms engulf my whole form. That impossible warmth became my whole world – not a blanket, but an oven, the heart of a baker's love – as I felt the tears drip into my hair or onto my shoulders. Even a woman as sturdy as her could be broken, and that stung in a way I couldn't articulate.
We didn't speak as we shared each other's peace, whatever might've been left of it. The sounds of the smithy continued around us: children giggling, hammers falling, feet shuffling, and our shared breath. I couldn't say how long we stood before a different sensation joined us. A coolness that spread from behind me, and the pressure of another body against mine.
Nyx's warmth and smell were a bakery, alive and active. The new sensation was a brisk spring sun, the smell of winter still clinging to the air, and a faint earthy undertone like rain. Someone else had joined into the embrace, hugging me and Nyx as tightly as their small form could manage. Not quite as small as Roisin was, but still somewhat smaller than myself.
"Em," I recognised the coolness of them. They felt like freedom. Nyx felt like home. A brilliant blend of a new sort of peace.
"I'm certainly not opposed to it, ladies," Em's voice was muffled as it slid through my hair, "but why are we hugging? I'm not sure any of our respective spouses will be pleased with it."
"Mine won't be opposed," I laughed at the image I was sure we presented. "But sometimes, comfort requires contact, you know."
"Yeah," they sighed around the word, "and Nyx here is the best person for comforting anyone."
"Not to make things more complicated," Nyx released her grip as she spoke, leaving me longing for the warmth she took with her, "but I was the one seeking comfort. Delia seems to be the only one who views all of this with the same gravity. I can't explain it." The stability in her tone never faltered, even as more tears fell down.
"Delia, Delia, Delia," Em released me as well, and I quickly settled to the temperature of the room, "looks like you're becoming something of a mother figure to the goddesses as well as your own family."
"I don't need a mother figure," Tenebra's voice interrupted, "but a sister. For all that's worth." She was standing in the doorway with Jasmin, both of them with hands on hips. Both Nyx and Em sighed at the interruption, Nyx's tensions seeming to melt away in a breath.
"Same for me. For as long as she wants me around," Jasmin echoed the sentiment. As she spoke, I noticed Vaelis behind her bouncing up and down. It really gave perspective to how tall Jasmin was. Not quite the mountain that Nyx was, but still dreadfully tall.
"I could use a mother, if you don't mind, new Aurelin," Vaelis's voice was far away, like she was speaking to someone else. Aurelin, the goldroot goddess. I remembered the name from so many cycles. Another name tickled at my mind. Elia Gideon. Aurelin's true name. But why was Vaelis calling me Aurelin?
"Oh stop, you," Tenebra shoved Vaelis back into the hallway. "This is Delia, not Aurelin."
"I don't know," Vaelis continued, squeezing between the other two, "looks the same to me. Sounds the same." She closed the space between us and began poking various parts of me. I tried swatting her away, but she was quick. "Feels the same. Are you sure?"
"Even if she's uncertain," I kept swatting at Vaelis, but she kept being just out of reach, "I am entirely sure that I'm not Aurelin."
Taking a moment to reel back, I attempted a proper slap, but Vaelis slipped behind Nyx, and I tumbled over myself, falling to the floor in a vague jumble. I looked up just in time to see Vaelis sticking her tongue out at me and dashing out of the room.
"What's Nara on about now?" Tal's voice was a soft shadow as she slid into the space from nowhere in particular. "Something to do with Gideon and mothers and silken hair?"
"She's convinced," Jasmin decided to answer as she moved to help me to my feet, "that Delia is Aurelin." With one hand and a smooth motion, Jasmin had me on my feet and stable, as though I were a small bird. "To be fair, Salora keeps tickling the back of my mind and agreeing with the woman, whether I like it or not."
"In Vaelis's defence," Tal continued as she took up a studious position and traced my form up and down, "she's not wrong. But she's also not correct. It's complicated."
· It's not complicated. ·
"Not now," I hissed at the voice, forgetting for a moment that no one else could hear it. And that I was surrounded with other people who were suddenly staring at me. "I'm sorry. I'm just considering some things, sorting a few details, wondering how much longer the snow will be."
· Liar. ·
"You're lying," Em said as they circled me, taking in every angle as I attempted to ignore the voice. "There's something off about you right now."
· There isn't. Mass hysteria doesn't make the hysterics true. ·
"Yes, there is," I admitted. "Everyone seems to want me to be something more – or at least other – than I am." I moved behind Jasmin and pulled at her until she complied and followed me into a corner, where she stood between me and the others, facing out and serving an excellent shield. "I'm just Delia. Mother of two. Wife of one. Sister of —"
My voice left me. I couldn't say it. She was gone. I was sister of no one, really. Sister-in-law? Yes. Sister? That wasn't right. It was wrong for someone thirteen years the elder to be left without their younger, smarter, quicker, cleverer half.
· You can't blame yourself. You tried. ·
"Sister of a goddess," Tenebra cut in, her voice wavering, "if you'll have me."
"And a princess," Jasmin added without looking back at me as she continued to stand guard, "if you prefer to see me that way."
"Sister of a baker and a scholar and a massive headache," Nyx offered softly, "provided Em and Tal haven't scared you off of the three of us altogether."
· They see you as a friend. They want you as family. They care. ·
I peeked out from behind Jasmin and met the eyes of several of the people in the room. Tenebra wasn't smiling. Instead her expression was the soft look of one who desperately wanted to help. Nyx had taken Tal into her arms and was holding her a little too tightly. Tal, on the other hand, was just looking up at her enormous wife. Em wasn't looking my way. They were staring at the floor.
· Everyone to the roof. Now. ·
I'd heard that tone from the voice before. Just before the forges began venting smoke into the smithy. I couldn't take any chances.
"Not to ruin this moment," I said gently, "and I know it probably sounds crazy," I put a hand on Jasmin's back, and she gave me space while turning about, "but I think we need to go to the roof."
"You heard the woman," Jasmin's voice turned official. She sounded like a noblewoman in command. "Everybody out, up, and out again. Move."
Tactical Division
We piled our way up to the roof of the smithy, demanding Davian, Asha, and Sage take up shelter on the first landing. Davian wasn't a fighter, and the children weren't ready to face whatever was waiting for us up there. That left Kovar, Nico, Vaelis, Tenebra, Jasmin, Em, Tal, Nyx, and me. At first, I was certain only Kovar, Nico, and I held weapons – each of them held some manner of polearm, and I held the sabres Roisin had given me – but something happened that shook me.
The four goddess reached down to the snow and pushed a bit of cold-flame into it, growing flowers at their feet. Each one picked at least one flower, Tenebra and Nyx handing one or more to Tal and Em on the way. Then in a moment of silent calm, I watched as each flower shifted into something new, something different.
Vaelis held a blood-red flower that became some manner of bow. Jasmin's silver flower became a sabre that matched the ones I wore, except with a thorn-covered hilt and pommel. Tenebra and Tal changed their black flowers into obsidian daggers. The fragile white flowers of Nyx and Em became powerful warhammers of ivory, opal, and obsidian.
If not for the continued, and now louder, shrieking across the valley, my jaw might have dropped. Nico's did.
We didn't have time to ask, though. The sounds intensified, and most of us turned to look toward the nearest of the city's walls.
To say we saw the thing initially wasn't strictly true. We saw the path it carved through the deep, thick snow as it roared its way toward us. We saw the steam from the snow that touched its form. We saw flickers of Devouring flame burst forth every few steps as it grew closer.
Whatever it was, its ever closing distance brought greater volume to the shrieks we'd been suffering through for several suns since the snow stopped.
Shadows. Darkness. Destruction in human form. Those were all things we'd faced in various capacities. But this was different. This was more. When at last it reached the walls of Violet's Repose, we finally saw what was threatening our lives amidst the blizzard.
It wasn't a larabrin. It wasn't a bear or a wolf or any sort of ordinary creature. A great onyx lizard of some manner engulfed in Devouring flame and desperate to continue its assault.
"Ladies," Jasmin's voice shook as she spoke, "I don't mean to worry you, but there are more of them."
I turned to face where Jasmin's eyes were glued. Four more of the beasts. Silver, gold, crimson, and ivory. Great fangs that threatened to tear through anything put in their path. Not one of us was armed to fight Devouring flame. No one was equipped to fight whatever those things were.
Nyx, Em, and Tal were immediately coordinated, wordlessly falling into some familiar formation and dashing across the city roofs toward the red beast.
· Five hundred years working together, you know. ·
"Shut up," I whispered with a futile groan.
"Kovar. Fernico. Inside." Jasmin's words were spoken and steady, like a commander who trusted her words would be obeyed without question. "Delia. With me." Just as she said, all three of us followed her commands.
"Leave me the gold one," Tenebra called as she found the nearest shadow and vanished. The next place I saw her was across the city and facing off with the white beast. The three unoccupied ones were closing the distance to me and Jasmin quickly.
"Apologies, sister," Jasmin smiled as she lifted me and leapt toward the centre of the city. She bounded step by step across rooftops, checking each direction to confirm the beasts were still tracking. "Roisin never let me do this with her," Jasmin said effortlessly. "Didn't even let me carry her when she was injured."
"Sounds like her," I laughed around a choked fear that was eating me. "Do we have a plan?"
"The best of plans," Jasmin said, still focused on bounding across the city. "We survive."
"Goddess, but you sound like her now."
She looked down at me with tears welling in her eyes. "Thank you."
As we reached the massive courtyard where we camped half a moon earlier, Jasmin set me down on a rooftop and checked our distance from the things chasing us. They were still charging toward us, a good sign.
"Melt the snow, Delia. As much as you can. Give me plenty of room to fight." She was calculating something. "We have about ninety seconds before things get dicey."
· Where's Vaelis? ·
"Not now," I spat and lit the golden cold-flame I'd discovered in my time as flux. I pushed as much as I could into the thing, making it burn hot like a summer sun. As it glowed, I pushed it toward the centre of the courtyard, melting feet upon feet of snow down to the rubble of the Violet Cathedral.
"Good girl," Jasmin beamed, "Are you fighting with me or standing watch?"
· Delia. Where's Vaelis? ·
"Someone has to watch your back." I smiled and offered my hand. Jasmin took it and whipped me back into her arms before jumping to the ground.
"Now we wait."
She stood resolute for several seconds, and I saw something different in her. A fighting stance that looked more animal than goddess. A familiar dagger worn at her hip, and the silverthorn sabre in her hand. Everything about her was Roisin's perfect match.
The shrieking sounds drew closer, and we moved into mutually defensive positions, preparing for whatever was coming.
"Whatever you do, Delia," Jasmin said from behind me, "don't you dare die."
The Return
The first of the lizard things that came into view was the gold one Tenebra was excited about. From that range, I could at last see that it had sharp scales that flexed and flared like a cat's hair as it moved about, its terrifying legs and tail moving as beautiful clockwork in the advance. The eyes were empty hollows shining brightly with golden flame that burned to a deep black the further from its body you traced them.
"Devouring soulfire," I said the words softly. "How?"
"Ours is not to ask how or why, Delia," Jasmin said, finally breaking contact with my back and advancing. I assumed the black lizard had come into range. That was my cue.
I began to close the space between us. Testing was the first step.
My golden cold-flame burst outward. It seemed to be subsumed into the beast's flames. As soon as it made contact, the thing turned toward me, staring at me with those missing eyes. I had to move.
Circling around behind the thing, I pushed another cold-flame toward it and readied the sabres. Two quick slashes across its face, and I would know for sure. I feinted toward the left, letting my momentum add to the strike of the blades. They didn't dig in, but they didn't seem ready to give up either, sliding across the thing's face.
No blood. Were they even alive?
Stopping was death, so I kept moving, just like Mrs. Reed always taught me. Just like Ma would have taught me. A good warrior studies first, then attacks. A better warrior is always fluid, letting the wind and earth carry her around the field of battle.
· Dive to the right. Do it now. ·
My legs pushed me to the right just as the silver lizard dove past me, its smooth slick scales just about brushing my arm as its Devouring flame singed my hair.
I had forgotten there was a third beast coming at us. That would make this much more difficult.
The silver one wasn't paying me any mind and was running straight for Jasmin. I extended my cold-flame at it, focusing my attention to hopefully distract the thing. As my cold-flame made contact, a bit of the beast's Devouring flame dissipated, and I saw the silver scales tarnish for a second. That was enough, though. It was coming my —
A tail sweep from the gold one took me to the ground, burning my legs with Devouring as it did.
· Half roll left. Only half. Then wait and kip up. Trust me. ·
My muscles groaned at the precise effort the voice pushed on me, but I followed the order. It had saved me from a lot of pain so many times already. As my weight moved up on to my left shoulder, the gold lizard's tail came down behind me, and the silver lizard's mouth flew by my face as it ran full tilt over my body, its flames licking at my hair along the way.
Once the two attacks were past, I leapt to my feet and got back to the effort. Both terrifying lizards seemed to be staring me down, but I still took the moment to check on Jasmin. She was bouncing around with her emerald cold-flame and moving just like I was with my gold. The black lizard seemed preoccupied with something, which was a good sign.
As I looked back to the beasts that were concerning themselves with me, I noticed they weren't attacking. They were waiting for something. Some cue. I wasn't finished studying just yet, so I had to get the silver one in the middle of us.
I pushed to the right of it and sent a cold-flame at its tail just as I brought my sabre down. Black blood oozed out where the blade struck, but the wound closed almost instantly. It was something.
No time to celebrate. Both were coming at me again.
"Any luck?" Jasmin called, her breath still steady.
"Cold-flame does something, but I don't know what exactly." I realised I was gasping for air as I spoke. No talking. Only fighting.
"Good. It's more than nothing. Keep it up."
· Don't move. ·
The silver one charged at me again as the gold one stood still. I wanted desperately to trust the voice, but I was terrified. What would happen if the thing managed to trample me? I dove out of the way. That was my mistake.
As I came down to the ground, the gold one was on me. It had long sharp claws like the talons of a weaver hawk, but tipped in something like iron. There was no escaping. When those claws made contact, I was done.
I'm sorry Jasmin. Truly.
My self-pity was cut off short when the weight of the thing was suddenly lifted off of me. A blue and silver flash slammed into it from the side, knocking it to its side on the ground. All I could see were what appeared to be cold-flames whipping around at maddening speed. In a second, the thing was bleeding from a hundred cuts that didn't seem like they wanted to close.
With blinding speed, the flash was between Jasmin and the black beast, moving just as quickly and taking the thing to the ground like before and overwhelming it with silver fire rimmed in blue. Like a lightning strike, the thing was cut in half at the mid-section, quickly leaking out whatever served as blood for it.
The blue and silver thing wrapped itself around Jasmin for a second and moved on to the silver lizard. Whatever it was, the flash was impossibly fast. Faster than me. Faster than Salora when she stopped time. Even so, it didn't seem capable of managing the silver beast.
Strike after strike, move after move, second after second. It kept working at the fight, but nothing seemed to affect the lizard. After a long time, the lizard raised one of its immense legs and swiped its claw, catching the streak and tossing it across the courtyard, bringing it at last to a stop.
Impossibly, Roisin's body lay in the snow. Broken, but breathing.
I started to run to her, but the beast cut me off. This was my opportunity to test what I learned. I had to move faster. I had to strike firmer. There was no stopping me now. Roisin was alive, and I had to get to her.
My gold cold-flame cut through the beast's armour, tarnishing those silver scales just in time for my sabres to make contact and dig deep into its flesh. I didn't stop. A huge flash of my cold-flame nearly completely doused its Devouring flame, and I rushed, attacking just like Mrs. Reed always did.
Strike after strike, pushing cold-flame through the blades of the sabres and sliding them easily through its flesh. It wasn't fast enough. I had to push harder.
Another flash. Another brilliant push. Another volley of dancing blades. My body became less and less fatigued as I pushed harder and harder until the sapphire pommelled sabre in my left hand dug in and found the beast's heart, and it let out a final shriek, nearly piercing my ear drums in the process.
But the beast slumped to the ground, and I dropped both weapons and turned to where Roisin had fallen.
She was gone.