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Fear skitters up my neck as I look into Kane’s eyes. This will take more power than I’ve ever exerted. It will likely kill me. But maybe, with Kane and Ambrose Oasis, we can do this.
“Kane?”
His breath is shallow as he glances down at me.
“Will you go somewhere with me? You were right, I do need you. And I know you won’t remember all of the moments we’ve spent here, and one day I’ll work endlessly to give those moments back…but right now, I need you to do this with me.”
His full lips part as he tries to decipher my choice of words. “Okay.”
My aching, frozen body sinks deeper into hypothermia as I drop us into the void, funneling down, down, down until we arrive in Ambrose Oasis.
I never realized the connections stemming through this location before. It has a million strings, wires, flailing vines linking to the many minds around us. I reach my hand out to slide it into Kane’s. His warm fingers curl around my hand, squeezing gently.
“I think I’ve always needed your strength to do what comes next.” Feeling the void thrumming through me, I bind with the links, grasping at the minds of every Vexamen soldier on the battlefield. Kane goes rigid next to me, sharing in this experience.
And I do what was done to Kaspias.
I change their childhood, one memory at a time. Twisting their fate with the palm of my hand. Giving them mothers, brothers, sisters, pets. School. Playtime. Best friends. Toys. Desserts. Happiness. Lovers. Heartbreaks.
I kill the violence that was inflicted on them.
I stone their trauma into submission.
And Kane fights their demons with me. We erase the abuse, the beatings, the days of starvation that helped mold who they are.
And with life drumming like a heartbeat into Ambrose Oasis, I feel the war go quiet on the outside. It simmers from boiling to flat, motionless water.
The sons and daughters of Vexamen are altered, draining their horrible memories into the void, being vanquished in Ambrose Oasis.
As we wipe their slates clean, I droop into Kane’s arms. The purple wisteria fades. The smell of lavender and honeysuckle vanishes. Kane holds me in the smoke and rain of the quieting war. Swords stop clashing. The screams have softened to quiet moans.
“Kane?” I choke.
“It’s Dessin.”
I peel my eyes open to look at him through my swollen lids. We’re sitting in the mud, hearing the thudding of dropping weapons. Vexamen Breed holding up their hands in surrender.
“Dessin.”
“Yes, Skylenna.”
“Take me to DaiSzek.”
The ground falls away from supporting my backside as Dessin lifts me. My eyes are closed, but I can sense the crowd parting for us. Kind words. Victorious cheers. It’s all a fever dream in the fogginess of my mind.
“I think he moved—where is he?” Dessin asks someone.
“Over there,” Warrose responds close to my head, his voice sounding drained and loaded with a cry he’s suppressing.
As Dessin moves in the direction of wherever DaiSzek was moved to in his wounded state, my eyes pop open at the sound of our boy whimpering in agony.
“What’s wrong?” I jolt upright against Dessin’s chest.
Gazing down at DaiSzek, wounded and weakened, I see Niles and Ruth sitting close to him. And many warriors from the other colonies are down on one knee. Even the white wolves bow close to them.
“What is it?” I ask again.
“He’s…” Dessin’s voice catches. “He’s found Knightingale’s ashes.”
