I could only use a little bit of my own abilities. If I used too much I’d risk burning everyone down in the dungeons if an air user decided to redirect the path, killing innocents along with the soldiers.
Some of the chained Advenians stood with me, mixing whatever they could from their powers with mine, but it wasn’t enough.
Kallon returned. Our eyes locked for a moment before she saw the bloodlust below and vanished through the portal again. I didn’t have time to think about how it might have been the last time I saw her.
Slowly, more Advenians were leaving the dungeons. Either leaving through Kallon’s portal, if she returned, or they were just making it to the upper levels of the dungeons, I couldn’t tell. I half hoped she went back to the camp for her own safety.
A knife sliced into my forearm as another dagger was thrownat my head. The Advenian next to me threw an air shield up, protecting me at the last second. The dagger bounced off the shield he’d erected and clattered to the ground.
I barely mumbled a quick thanks as a wave of water rushed past me, forcing me to take a step back.
“We need to make it up the stairs, Prince Tezya,” he shouted over the chaos. I looked around, following the flow of water. It was thigh-deep and winding through the cells like rapids of a river, only it was following an invisible bank. I watched as it wiped out soldier after soldier—the current so strong, it knocked over everyone in its path.
Then I heard people shouting my name. Kallon’s voice came through above the screams, but my heart stopped when I heardher.
Scotlind came. She was here, in Lux, and so was Sie. The Dark Prince was teleporting the remaining Advenians up toward the open portal, so they bypassed the stairs altogether, and Scotlind had one hand stretched toward Kallon and was working to enhance her portal. But her other hand…holy shit. She was using both of her powers at once. She was pulling the water from the room, shaping and redirecting it herself.
She was the reason the stairs were clear, the reason Sie was able to get so many out, the reason I didn’t have a Luxian attacking me right now.
I stared at her in fucking awe, at the arduously amount of power she was putting into both of her abilities. I gave myself ten seconds to soak her in, ten seconds to be mesmerized by how fucking serene she was, before I took in the rest of the room.
Dovelyn was back creating an air shield, pushing the few soldiers back that were out of reach from Scotlind and preventing them from getting too close, and what I assumed was Peter in a bear form, was ripping into any soldiers who managed to get by. Lavender hair flashed in my vision, andSavannah was standing close to the portal, throwing star-like daggers at the soldiers, never missing her mark.
I looked toward the older Advenian who had stayed by my side. His auburn hair and coral eyes were something I’d never forget. A smile crept over my face because for the first time I truly believed that together we could win. I raced up the stairs as Sie teleported the coral-eyed Advenian next to me through the portal.
I grabbed Scotlind by the waist, pulling her into me, right as I saw silver eyes.
The Lux King made it into the dungeons.
FORTY-SEVEN
SCOTLIND
My vision was consumedby purple and black mist as we landed onto the grass in Brighta. I was two seconds away from falling flat on my face before strong arms caught me.
Tezya turned me around, pulling me into a deep hug. “Scotlind Rumor, you are so fucking amazing, but don’t ever do that again,” he breathed into my hair.
“What? Go head first into Lux like you just did?Youleftme.”
He reeled back, and I couldn’t tell if he was more impressed or worried. My body was shaking slightly from using too much of my power at once, but it also felt exhilarating.
“I couldn’t lose you again,” he said, his voice lowering. “I only just got you back. If you were caught—”
“I wasn’t,” I cut him off. “I’m right here. We’re all here.” I hugged him back, still furious he left me behind, but I’d yell at him later. Right now, I was just relieved he was okay.
Rainer came sprinting toward us. “What the heck guys? I didn’t even know you were going somewhere. Wells just relieved me from my shift, and I only found out because of the boat load of people who showed up. Stop going on missions without me.”
Kallon smirked at him. “Don’t pretend you would have wanted to go. You’re terrified of fighting.”
“Just because Ihatefighting—not terrified of it—ya dick, doesn’t mean I wouldn’t have helped.” He looked taken aback. His normally large smile was gone as he crossed his arms over his chest. My gaze drifted toward his hands, toward the lightning he wielded. Tezya noticed and pulled me tighter against him.
“I’m just joking, Rain. We didn’t tell you because we didn’t have time. It was kind of a last minute thing.” Kallon pulled Rainer in for a hug, which he willingly accepted, but his head kept scanning the camp, taking in the sheer amount of people we brought back with us.
“Where did you get all these people, and why are they all so bloody and naked?”
“It’s a long story,” Tezya said as he reluctantly pulled out of my grip. “For now, we need to get them all medically evaluated. They’ll need clothes, food, water, and rest. Sav, can you send word to the healer’s tent so they can prepare?”
“Yup.” Her lavender hair was whipping behind her as she sprinted away.
