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“Which means something had to have gone wrong. Someone abused their power and unleashed the Darkness onto the realm.” I mused, wondering if that could be the truth.
“Like someone trying to use the land’s power, that didn’t have access to it?” Halley called out, causing me to stop my search.
“Explain more.” I demanded, wanting to grab onto her train of thought for myself.
“The book I was reading earlier. It detailed the distinct power, how Agrum Di Vinum blessed chosen ones with the extra power. The power to balance out the realm. Willow was explaining it to me the day she spoke to me alone, how I had the power to balance the world. But she seemed crazed when she spoke and now, I think I know why.” Halley took a deep breath, the three of us drawing closer to her, waiting for her words. “Thediciludus visisn’t automatically passed onto each descendant. The power chooses those who are worthy to wield the energy. But if someone thought they deserved that power, they could have drawn on the energy from the land anyways. The use of the energy would have corrupted the power, resulting in a Dark energy. And they wouldn’t be able to stop, the corruption going to their head. Even when they realized their mistake.”
“Holy shit.” Madden muttered, catching on at the same time I did.
“Are you saying?” I questioned, Halley cutting me off.
“That the oldest Enchantress alive created the Darkness and is still controlling it? That’s exactly what I’m saying.” Halley finished and we all stood in shock for several minutes.
Because in that moment, I realized we were truly fucked. Because if Willow was truly the one who had brought the Darkness to Agrum Di Vinum, she possessed more power than the rest of us. And now she had Eli under her control. The one person that could alter our emotions until we did whatever he wanted us to.
“Fuck.” Madden swore and it summed up our situation perfectly.
“Knox, you need to try toseeinto the future. We need a plan.”
Listening to Halley’s words, I closed my eyes, hoping one of my visions would just come to me. Hundreds of futures passed before my eyes, none of them promising a win, until suddenly one came into view.
Bodies lay strewn across the ground, blood smeared on the grass. Divines on both sides, dead on the battlefield. The Darkness furled in the sky, angry and out of control, trying to claim all those still alive. And among the chaos, two lights, standing among it all. One light, glowing brighter than the sun, the other dark as the depths of the ocean. Two opposite forces, fighting for the survival of the land.
The vision ended before I could see the outcome, meaning it was still uncertain. But the short vision gave me a glimpse into a path that we could win. That we could defeat Willow and the destruction she had brought onto her own home. Unfortunately, I knew who this all relied on. Once again, my Enchantress would be the one sacrificing her life for the Divines.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Halley
Knox’s eyes snapped open, the vision passing, and as his gaze meant mine, I knew the truth. There was only one person who could truly defeat Willow and the Darkness she had created.Me.It seemed that no matter the problem, I was always a part of the equation, the solution that didn’t want to be there. Was it too much to ask that for once, I didn’t have to risk my life, or the life of those I loved? Couldn’t someone else fight?
“What did you see, Knox?” Wilder asked, worry in his tone as he stared between Knox and me.
“We’ll need as many people as we can get. There are thousands of Divines in the shadows, all being controlled by Willow. Twenty volunteers won’t be enough. It won’t be a pretty battle. People will die. But we can defeat her.” Knox explained, his eyes somber before he finished his statement. “Halley can defeat her.”
“Fuck no.” Madden roared, his anger at the truth evident.
Walking over to him, I pressed my palm against his chest, his heart beating hard against my hand. I knew I couldn’t say anything to calm him. I would feel the same if it was one of my men who had to put their life on the line. But the truth was, we were all putting our lives on the line. The fight against the Dark Divines wouldn’t be an easy one. Any of us could be killed in battle.
“We don’t have a choice. The only other option is to go along with Willow’s plan. Reopening the portal to the human realm and sending everyone through, including the ones controlled by the Darkness, hoping the affects would go away.” I told them all.
“And then you would be trapped here anyways, Willow able to control you.” Wilder added, telling us all what we already knew.
“Exactly. If I have the choice to die by your sides or be trapped alone to die anyways, I’m taking the selfish route, and dying with the people I love.”
As I spoke, I hoped the three men before me could understand. I knew I would die one day. It was an inevitable part of life and I had enough near-death experiences to know that dying wasn’t my biggest fear. But being alone? Losing my family once again? That was the one thing that terrified me the most.
“It’s not selfish. I’d rather die by your side than leave you here to rot.” Knox spoke, stepping forward and squeezing my hand in his.
“I’ll kill any fucker who tries to get in our way. Just for you, sweetheart.” Madden added, grabbing my other hand and lacing our fingers.
My eyes landed on the last man in the room, the one I knew would understand more than the others. Who had felt what it meant to be alone. To be unfairly abandoned by the one person who was always supposed to be there for you.
“I promise to be the man who does anything for the ones I love.” Wilder stated, reiterating the words he had told me our night together. And in his promise, I knew he was saying the words to his father as much as to me.
As the four of us stood in a circle, promising to weather this fight together, I couldn’t help but think about the man that was missing. The man that according to Kalani, knew that he no longer had control and was probably agonizing over the harm he caused.
And I knew that as we made the promise, I was promising Eli as well, that I wouldn’t let the Darkness control him forever. I would tear it out of him with my bare hands if I had to. No one would continue to hurt my people, even if it was the last thing I ever did.
