Arianna's Lotus [http://i.imgur.com/oOhwKDZ.png]

Chapter Ten

Divine Stirrings

I sped across the frozen lake as fast as my wind and darkness could carry me. Nalithor wasn’t far behind, his much longer stride allowing him to keep up with ease. My nine fluffy tails streamed behind me freely as I pulled shadows around me. The whips of light had increased the speed in which they were beating at Sihix’s growing crystal, their desperate attempts cracking its surface.

As soon as I was in range, I leapt into the air with Eoraso in one hand and pierced the closest target. The corpse-like Angel screamed in pain when my blade tore upward through his chest cavity, soon silencing him. He dropped to the ground, unmoving, but I was already on to my next target. ‘Nalithor, can you get to Sihix?’

‘No, I don’t have the necessary control over my darkness,’ Nalithor replied, his tone strained. I gritted my teeth and beheaded another Angel before glancing toward Sihix’s crystal. It was already the height of a parapet and didn’t show any sign of ceasing its growth. A glance at my nylziis showed his darkness was being pulled toward the crystal. I cursed internally and cut down another Angel before turning my attention back to Nalithor.

‘Come here then, I’m going to end this.’ I beckoned to Nalithor briefly. He hesitated but soon obliged, a questioning look on his face. ‘The Angels are just a distraction. Look at the aether. Those light whips aren’t coming from the Angels at all. I’m not convinced the Angels are even alive.’

Nalithor growled and took a step forward but stopped when I placed a hand on his arm. I gave him a pointed look before closing my eyes and grasping both our magics. Once my grip was firm, I opened my eyes and glared at a spot in the sky above Sihix’s crystal. Our combined darkness lanced the sky, tearing it open to reveal what looked like an opulent room. Within, several dozen Jivyador sat around an orb that glowed with their accused, twisted light.

“Arianna—” Nalithor began, but I didn’t intend to let him stop me.

I plunged our darkness through the rip in the sky and grabbed each of the Jivyador by the throat, ripping them from their hiding place. Delicious screams echoed from their lips as I pulled them from their realm and into ours. Eoraso plunged into the chest of the nearest one, shattering the bastard’s crystalline heart. The light magic and the Mists wavered, weakening in response to the man’s death. A grin spread across my face moments before I leapt into action.

This time, my nylziis didn’t hesitate. Together, we fended off their pitiful light magic and struck the false Elders down one by one. However, I could still feel Sihix fading. Several Jivyador leapt at me only to be cut down by a broad swipe from Nalithor’s spear. Pieces of their bodies flew past us, landing harmlessly in the dirt. Corrupted blood oozed from their wounds. I expected them to try and get up again, but their movements ceased.

“Do not leave any alive.” Yiltanys’ snarl made me tense, my skin prickling into goosebumps.

“How about we send these bastards to meet oblivion, Nalithor?” I reached out to him with one hand, a playful smile on my lips. “I think we can kill two birds, or forty, with one stone.”

“I…very well.” Nalithor skewered one last Jivyador before joining me, placing his hand in mine. ‘They are not putting up much of a fight…something is amiss.’

‘Which is why we’re going to kill them all in one fell swoop and give Sihix a little boost at the same time,’ I replied, intertwining my fingers with Nalithor’s.

Once more, I wove our power together but this time with a different purpose. In an instant, I plunged the immediate area into pitch black darkness. The false Elders whimpered in fear, unable to use their senses in the inky blackness. Still, there was a tremble in the aether indicating that someone was directing them, giving them orders. I clenched my teeth. Sihix had to come first, and Yiltanys was right that we couldn’t afford to leave any of the Jivyador alive for questioning. Not with Sihix in such a state.

A sigh escaped me as I created a small bubble around Nalithor and myself. Within seconds, the darkness I’d summoned imploded around us and everything fell silent aside from the sound of corpses collapsing in place. I grimaced at the corpses of the Jivyador and the corrupted blood pouring from them. With a brief motion of one hand, I summoned a ring of ice around Sihix’s crystal to block the corrupted blood. Our dissipating darkness rushed toward the remnant of Sihix, absorbing into the crystal. As it basked in our shadows, it finally began to shrink.

“Let’s make sure they’re all dead.” I turned to look up at Nalithor. “We should destroy their hearts to be certain. I’ll bind them in place with my ice, you take your spear and the Godslayer to make sure they’re each dead.”

“You’re going to ‘let’ me kill them?” Nalithor arched an eyebrow at me. “I would have though you would wish to do the honors.”

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“You’ve wanted to kill them longer than me,” I pointed out, a slow grin spreading across my face. “Shall I call it a wedding present?”

Without any good answer to that, Nalithor cleared his throat and waited for me to trap our prey in my ice. Once done, he began the tedious task of shattering each of the fallen Jivyador’s hearts.

“Sihix needs more.” Yiltanys came to stand beside me. I glanced at him and then at the unconscious Lari’xan in his arms. Sihix looked deathly pale. His skin was clammy and his breathing ragged. ‘We are not yet alone.’

‘I noticed.’ I shifted my gaze to the rip I had torn in the sky, narrowing my eyes at it. Without moving, I summoned an orb of flames and threw it through the rip. The room on the other side immediately burst into flames, and within seconds it and the rip both disappeared, leaving the sky in its otherwise untouched state. “Better?”

“Much.” Yiltanys nodded to me before striding toward the crystal. “We need to make haste. We will return Sihix’s heart to him and then take him to his domain to rest. I will have you and Nalithor assist me in returning this shard to Avrirsa’s surface.”

“Wait, we’re going to return it now?” I exclaimed, hurrying to follow the Lari’xan. “And Sihix’s heart? You mean to tell me it’s been lying up here in the mud for—”

“Centuries, yes. It was necessary.” Yiltanys shrugged as he stopped at the base of the crystal. “Give his heart more of your power, Arianna. It requires more before it will shrink to a manageable size.”

“Fine.” I sighed heavily before placing my palm against the crystal.

Deciding to pace myself for once, I allowed a steady trickle of my power to slide from me and into Sihix’s heart until it shrunk to a size that could fit in my palm. I picked it up and grimaced at the blood-soaked soil beneath us. The smell was definitely that of corrupted blood, and there were plates of metal with foreign engravings strewn around on the surface. Shaking my head, I shifted to look at Yiltanys for further instruction.

“Sihix, you fool, wake up,” Yiltanys snapped. He sat the Lari’xan on my wall of ice and gave him a sharp slap across the face. I arched an eyebrow but decided questioning the tetchy deity probably wouldn’t get me anywhere.

“Hit me again…” Sihix grumbled groggily. I failed to suppress a snort of laughter, earning a filthy look from Yiltanys. His counterpart, however, snapped his eyes open when he heard me. “Ari-mrii! Ah, you’ve found my heart, excellent! I—”

Yiltanys clamped a hand on Sihix’s shoulder when the weaker Lari’xan attempted to wobble to his feet.

“You both have a lot of explaining to do.” I stalked over to Sihix and opened my hand, revealing his heart. He shot me what would have otherwise been a cheerful grin, but he was so ill it only made him look pitiful.

“I am in agreement with my ayraziis,” Nalithor added, striding over to us with his bloodstained blades. “Killing so many Jivyador is not going to go unnoticed. We are going to have to come up with a plan.”

“First, we will take Sihix back to his domain. Then, the two of you are going to assist me,” Yiltanys stated, shaking his head. He shot Sihix a sideways glance next. “Take back your heart before you lose it again.”

“Aww, Yilty is worried about me?” Sihix cooed teasingly as he plucked the crystal out of my hand. I expected him to bring it up to his chest and absorb it, but instead he popped it in his mouth and swallowed it whole. He licked his lips and grinned at me when he caught my expression. “Want a taste, Ari-mrii?”

“No, definitely not.” I sighed, pressing my fingers to my temples. “We should get going…but what are we going to do about this mess? A lot of this blood isn’t from the creatures we just killed.”

“Back to sleep with you.” Yiltanys flicked Sihix’s forehead, and the dark-haired Lari’xan immediately fell unconscious again. Sighing, Yiltanys turned to look at me next. “I will have my servants begin investigating as soon as we have returned Eormir to its rightful place. Once everyone has fully recovered, Sihix and I will explain ourselves—and no sooner.”

“Important work and all that, I know.” I made a sour face before freezing the surface of the lake again. “Well, if you want to hurry then let’s do it.”

“The Mists are dissipating…” Nalithor murmured, glancing up at the sky. However, his gaze soon shifted to the object that had replaced the sun for so long. “However, that is not.”

“A matter for another time. We will be safe in Sihix’s domain.” Yiltanys strode briskly toward the dark crystalline forest, forcing Nalithor and I to rush after him. The remainder of the Mist appeared to be pouring into Sihix’s domain, returning the power to the forest’s trees. Lightning arced through the clouds, striking the island we had just left. Yiltanys’ eyes narrowed. “I see. So that’s how it is. Come closer, you two.”

Without any warning, Yiltanys’ power engulfed us in an orb of light and we rocketed across the surface of the lake. Several more bolts of lightning struck the spot we had been standing in, breaking the thick ice I’d summoned. I withdrew my aether from the lake and clung to Nalithor, shutting my eyes. The speed at which Yiltanys’ power moved us made me far, far too dizzy. When we finally came to a stop, I opened my eyes to see Shir, Gari, Alala, and Corentine waiting for us. Djialkan soon swooped down from the trees and perched on the concerned Rylthra’s shoulder.

“I guess the happy reunion’s gotta wait.” Corentine frowned deeply, looking past us as another bolt of lightning struck the ground outside the forest.

“Gari, take Sihix to his temple,” Yiltanys ordered, draping the unconscious Lari’xan across the Guardian’s back. “Shir, Alala, Djialkan, the three of you will assist Arianna and Nalithor in returning to Arianna’s cottage in Auvry’e once I am finished with them.”

“And what will you do?” Corentine narrowed her eyes at him.

“I will be remaining here until that foolish bastard wakes up, of course,” Yiltanys scoffed. “I will send for the other Lari’xan. We have much more to address in these lands than I first thought.”

Yiltanys shot Nalithor and I an expectant look. Once we were close enough, he took us each by the hand and closed his eyes. I felt my power slipping away at an alarming rate. Next, I felt my knees strike the ground as my legs lost all strength. Then, nothing as darkness took hold of me.

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