“Shh. You have nothing to be sorry for. We’re both here now. Alive and safe. Nothing else matters.” I pull him into me again and can feel his body shake as he buries his face into my shoulder. So much pain he’s had to endure all of these years. So much guilt he’s had to live with. It’s not much, but if I can relieve his guilt for killing me, then that’s what I’ll do. “Come with me. I want to show you something.”
When we get far enough out to the Shadow Lands where it’s safe for me to transform, Kane’s eyes go wide, and his jaw falls open.
“How?”
“The Mother.” My wings shimmy out behind me, showing off their full length. “This is who I am. Who I’ve always been.”Kane shakes his head in disbelief before a wide grin spreads across his handsome face. “What?”
“Oh, I just can’t wait to see the look on the king’s face when he realizes not only are you still alive, but you’re…this.”
“I only wish I knew whatthiswas. We haven’t been able to find any information about phoenixes and I’m starting to lose hope that we will.”
Kane approaches me, unflinching at the intense heat coming off of me.
“You are one of the most resilient people I have ever met, Reign. What you are is not what is important.Whoyou are is.” He stops just in front of me. “And who you are is a fiercely determined individual. You don’t need others to tell you what you are. You just need to trust yourself to figure it out as you go.”
He’s right.
I need to let go of the idea that I’ll never know what I am if someone doesn’t tell me. Instead, I need to learn to embrace the fact that being a phoenix is my destiny and The Mother wouldn’t have sent me here if she didn’t think I’d be able to find my way. Just like learning how to fly, I need to lean into what feels natural, trusting that the rest will work itself out in time.
“I’m glad you’re here.”
“Me too. Now, how about you show me what those wings of yours can do.” He tosses me a cocky grin before taking off in a sprint and shifting. I quickly shoot into the sky, following his lead.
It’s hard to image that we’ve only known each other for a short amount of time. I suppose being held captive together has a way of bonding people. With him, there’s a sort of comfort in being able to share the horrific experience. Amaya andthe others have heard what it was like, but they don’tknow.They never truly will. But he does. More than anyone else, Kane knows what I went through.
We spend the rest of the afternoon soaring through the skies together. He shows off his flight maneuvers, taking time to teach me a few that I can modify for myself. It’s nice. We never got to be like this when we were locked behind bars. It feels freeing and right. We’re survivors. Proof of what one can become when no longer held down by the king’s sharp talons.
“How did you guys even make it here alive?” I ask once we start to make our way back through the Shadow Lands.
I’m sure Damien will give me the detailed version when I see him, but I’ve been wondering how they were able to get back so fast. Even with Damien’s plan to get into the realms, there’s no way he just waltzed into the dungeons, freed Kane, and waltzed out that easily.
“I’d like to say it was from our impressive stealth-like abilities, but the truth is we got lucky.” Kane shrugs. “Someone must’ve set off the alarms which allowed us to get out of the palace without getting caught by guards.”
“Alarms?”
“Yeah, they’re set to go off anytime someone portals into the realms. Someone must’ve triggered them in Strellesia.”
“No way.” I stop walking and he turns to me.
“What?”
“That was me. Well, me and Ryder.” Kane looks confused so I elaborate, still trying to process the information for myself. “We tried to portal to the Divinity Oracle and well, long story short, I accidentally portaled us to the palace. If it weren’t for Ryder getting us out before the guards got there, I’d probably be back in my cell, sitting across from you right now.”
“Well hell, Reign!” He throws his arm over my shoulder as we continue strolling through the ashy terrain. “Thanks for the backup. There’s no way we would’ve made it back here without the head start we got from the distraction of the alarms. That little accident of yours is what gave us the extra time we needed to get out.”
Suddenly, the guilt I’ve been feeling since my screw up with the portal seems to disappear. Even if we lost our chance at searching the island for the scepter, we got Kane and Damien back safely and that win is enough for me.
“Thought I might find you two out here.” The two of us whirl around to find Ryder standing with his hands in his pockets. “I’ve called for a council meeting, and I’d like for you both to be there.”
“Of course,” Kane says with a slight bow that reminds me of Ryder’s prestige.
A moment later, I feel the invisible weight lift when I see Damien standing in the hallway. Even though I knew he made it back safely, it’s like I couldn’t fully relax until I saw him for myself.
I can tell just by the tension in his shoulder blades that he’s wearing his Head Officer demeanor. When he turns around though, it immediately falls away. I waste no time running up to him. His lips crash into mine and it feels like I can finally breathe again.
“We’re ready,” Ryder interrupts from the doorway.
Once we’re all seated around the long table, Kane stands, and his expression is grim. He no longer looks like the friend I just spent hours with. Instead, he looks like the elite warrior who has seen his share of evil.
