Heobeyed, at least untilIpulled off his jacket. “Tori,Ireally am trying not to misread this situation, but—”
“Hush.”
Iyanked his shirt over his head and lay my hands on his chest.Hisdragonfire glowed green beneath his skin; the light leaked between my fingers.Hisheart was mine, but how close hadIreally looked at it?Ipressed my concentration beneath his skin.Emeraldgreen light flowed through him, and in this form, it felt like fae magic.
“Yousaid that in this body, you are bound by the laws of the fae.Youcannot conduct mana, only wield magic as a fae would.”Henodded. “Yousaid you used to be stronger?”
Hegripped my hand in his. “Yes, as magic has faded from this world, it has also faded in me.”
“Whatdid that feel like?”
Hefurrowed his brows. “Itwas slow, almost unnoticeable, like a pot being slowly brought to a boil.Ididn’t sense it until it was too late.Now, ifIthink on it, it feels like… like my magic has been caged inside iron.Ican feel it, butIcannot access it.”
Acage.Ireached back into his heart.Itwas so bright now, overflowing with fire, life, and, at its core, love.Ipushed tendrils of mana inside of it, digging deeper untilIheardAbraxasgrunt with pain, but he did not stop me.
There!Shadowshiding in the light.Vinesmade from iron and stone, just likeIhad felt aroundPallas’ heart, around almost everyone’s heart.
Istruck them with mana and fire to no effect.Abraxasgrunted again. “Thisis really starting to become a bit unnerving,Princess.”
Ididn’t answer asIwrapped tendrils of power around each branch and tried to pull them loose, but they wouldn’t budge.Isnapped at them with dragonfire, but these vines had grown in the flaming heart of a dragon, and no flame would touchthem.Ipoured more mana into them, more power, and it did nothing.
Abraxasfell to one knee. “Tori, whatever you intend to do here,Idon’t know how much moreIcan take.”Ipulled back on my power.
Finesseand control.That’swhatPallashad said.Icouldn’t just ram my power into this.Ineeded help.
Ireturned shortlywithJunto findAbraxasdozing on the cot, still shirtless.IguessIhad worn out the old man.
“Tori,Istill don’t exactly understand what we need to do.”
“Youwill.”
Iknelt down besideAbraxasand shook him gently.Hegroaned. "Whateveryou have planned for me, please try not to kill me.”
“AfterIwent to all that effort of getting you back?Ithink not.”Igave him a reassuring smile, and he gripped my hand tightly.Iplaced my hand onAbraxas' chest, butJunhesitated.
“Itis alright,Prince.Iconsent to this.”Jun’slips flattened, but he nodded and placed his hand on mine.
Ipulled mana into us.Itried to weave it into a song, a resonance betweenJunand me.Ourhands glowed, and we sent that light intoAbraxas' heart.
“Isee them,” my brother muttered with a smile on his face. “Timeto show you how much betterIam at puzzles.”
Together, we guided that white light around the entanglement.Seeingit like this pressed against the ancient magic of the earth and the fire ofAbraxas’ heart,Icould see how alien it was.Itwas the light of a star that had flown across time and space,through the unimaginable distances and emptiness of the universe to find its way here.Themagic of the earth was just a blip to it, no more than the plankton of the sea was to theLeviathan.Toa magic that had existed since before time even had any meaning.Whatwas the life of one world?
Junguided it with grace, tugging at each thread as the earth unraveled under his work.Ipressed that light intoAbraxas’ heart, protecting it from all the jagged edges.
Abraxaslet out a moan of pain that had my eyes snapping open.Bloodflowed from his nostrils, and his jaw was clenched so tight that the muscles popped in his jaw.
“Stop—”
“No!”Heslapped his hand down on top of ours. “Don’tyou dare stop;Ican feel it.It’salmost done!”Hiseyes shone bright green, and fire licked all over his skin.
Iforced it away fromJunas sweat beaded on his brow. “Almostthere…”Mybrother gritted his teeth, andIfelt the last of the vines get swept into the light and dissolve into nothing.
Fireexploded over the tent, andIthrew myself and a shield of raw mana overJun.Wescrambled away fromAbraxasas the tent above us was incinerated.Iheard his maniacal laughter as dragonfire oozed from every pore.Itswirled around him blazing-hot, creating a vortex that pulled on the surrounding tents until they threatened to collapse.
Abraxaslaughed and laughed.Helet his arms be swept up in the dance of the flames, his hair flowing wildly as he shot an enormous green fireball straight into the sky.Itexploded like a firework, and embers rained down, starting small orange flames all over the camp.
“Thisis it.”Hewas caught in the rapture of the flames.Hisglowing eyes locked on mine, and he stalked towards me, every inch a predator.
