Page 33 of Prince of the Phantom Sky

The female laughed, her husky tones smothering the chaos of battle like a soothing blanket. Raiden shivered, feeling oddly comfortable in her presence. The urgency that’d been choking him loosened, and for a moment, he forgot his purpose.

“You’ll come to understand who I am.”

Her curled fingers brushed the metal collar around her throat, tracing an unfamiliar rune. It flashed fiery orange and unclasped, falling to her booted feet. Raiden memorised the pattern, sensing that vibration nearing in the air. A storm on the horizon. It increased until the point where his own hearing shrilled, his mind rattling with a frequency of power.

Gods, it must be agony for the humans.

“What are you?” He changed his question and she cackled.

“To many, I am a potion swindler. An old hag.” She stepped back, shaking her arms out. The glass ceiling cracked. “They’re not wrong, I am very old.” As she spoke, vitality imbued her, her hair strengthening, regaining a steel vibrancy. Her fingers straightened, and her light brown skin tightened. “Others may call me a witch, but alas, that’s not completely true.”

That vibration increased to the point Raiden stumbled and his siblings fell to their knees. Even Barron collapsed, his web disintegrating like paint in water. Blake choked beside his father as the chamber shook, the stone walls crumbling, the ceiling splintering into a mosaic. Raiden gasped as his power reached out without his control, toying with the female’s hair, lifting it around her. She laughed in return as she manipulated his winds, playing with them between her youthful hands.

“Protect him,” she spoke to his power, and he frowned. “Protect the prince of the sky.”

“Tell me who you are.” He internally winced at the title, at how undeserving of it he was. Aerion was the prince now, not him. Raiden approached but she whipped a hand up, stopping him. “Please.” Something about her caused his chest to tighten, and a new desperation filled him.

“The fates are unravelling. Barron has tainted the purity of magic, of the essence left behind by the gods. You will know where you’re destined to be, so long as you are by her side. For he is coming, and he will enter this world into an age so dark, no life will bloom again.”

“Who is coming? Please, come with us. We can help each other. Let me get you out of here.” Raiden reached for the female again but she stepped back, throwing her arms wide with a smile.

“I’m so glad I finally got to see you again.” With an exhale, her eyes changed colour, the whites fading, revealing striking colours that changed every time she blinked. Her steely hair captivated him, along with the faintest mark on her forehead.

Kordelia thrashed in her chair, unaffected by the vibrations weighing down on the room; Aryn by her feet. Leto’s pirates and guards had passed out, blood leaking from their ears, and Theron and Ivar had collapsed halfway to a servant’s door. The female cast her stare around the room, inhaling the stench of moss and blood.

“I can interfere no longer. I’m ready now. My time is ending. I’ve lived long enough. Tell Kora I’m sorry, but I can’t follow her path.” She glanced back at Kordelia, who watched them with rapt attention. “Do not worry, Raiden. You’ll find me again. You only need to look.”

As she finished, a sword burst through her chest.

Raiden staggered back as her blood sprayed over his face, coating him. A sour, acrid stench filled the air as fresh guards poured in from all entrances, covered head to toe in that armour, and the vibrating power evaporated, leaving the ring of death, and the cry of sorrow.

“No!” Raiden reached for her, his fingers missing her arm as the female’s body collapsed to the ground, her lips still upturned in a smile. The thundering of boots approached and Raiden dropped to his knees, unsure of what to do. There was nowhere to hide her, nowhere to keep her safe to bury later. He’d witnessed death too many times, and a numb blanket embraced him as he turned her body away from the violence before them. As if that small notion protected her from Barron’s corruption.

A violent shake overcame Raiden’s body, and Kordelia’s blood-curdling scream echoed throughout the room. It broke through his trance, dragging him back to the present. Raiden wasted no time as he fought his way to save Kordelia, coated in blood that sparkled in the sombre light of death.

14

Kora

Agatha was dead.

Kora howled, her scream ripping from her throat as the shards of her already broken heart stabbed her chest repeatedly. She’d found it odd when Agatha had spoken to Raiden, but that confusion all too quickly turned into horror as he’d done nothing to stop that guard from gutting her.

And Raiden had left her body there. Simply rolled her to the side as if she meant nothing.

Anger joined Kora’s torrent of emotions, smothering the confusion from Agatha and the fact everyone in the room had randomly dropped dead . . . almost. Barron’s trap had evaporated, fading into the starry night above, but remnants remained wrapped around her body, tying her to this damned chair.

Sweet escape had been near until Aryn collapsed at her feet, blood leaking from his ears, followed by the Windward siblings . . . and Blake. The prick’s hand laid stretched before her, still trying to connect to her. Kora scoffed at it, nudging his fingers away with her toe. His bride-to-be had left him, fleeing the scene like a coward.

“Kordelia!” Raiden rushed over, an arc of shimmering, precious blood staining that iridescent uniform they all seemed to wear.

It looked ridiculous. Who would wear something so figure-hugging?

He fell to her feet, his hands hovering over her as those crystalised eyes assessed the situation. Battle was familiar to Raiden, he appeared too at ease, too in control. Chaos continued to reign behind him, seemingly unfazed that he’d just vaulted over several guards to reach her.

“What about them?” Kora jerked her chin at the wave of diseased guards infiltrating the room, marching in uniform to create two lines blocking the rear doors. They stood still and Raiden froze, observing them as they stared ahead, vacantly blinking.

“They’re not moving,” he whispered, as the room hung in suspended, tense silence. After another bout of gut-hollowing quiet, Raiden shifted to tug at Barron’s magic wrapped around her.