The Heir of Moon-Fire

Chapter 23

Elentiya's POV

I blinked my eyes open as the light streamed in from a window. I sat up from the couch that I was sleeping on. I remembered the unspoken agreement that Mal and I had reached. Whenever one of us had a nightmare, we'd go to the other's room and crash on a couch.

I walked down to the kitchen to find Mal already sitting there with a mug of steaming hot chocolate in front of him.

"There's a ball tonight," Mal said from where he was sitting. It pained me to think about the lack of emotion in his voice when it used to be always prominent whenever he spoke.

I stretched my arms above my head before walking over to him. "That's nice..." I replied.

He shrugged as he continued to stare at the counter in front of him. "Mom and Dad want me to go," he stated as I sat down beside him. I had no idea what to say to that, so I stayed quiet. "I'm not going."

"What do you mean, you're not going?" our father demanded from the doorway. His pine-green eyes flashed dangerously as he spoke to Malatyr. I swallowed thickly as I turned my gaze to Mal, awaiting his response.

"I wasn't aware that you didn't have a basic understanding of the common tongue," Mal snarked in the old language. "It means that I will be staying here and will not be there."

I could feel the rage boiling off of Dad by now as he stared down Malatyr, who surprisingly held his ground. "You are going, whether you like it or not," he snapped.

Mal's light blue eyes narrowed in annoyance. "No," he stated, his canines flashing briefly as he snarled back at our father.

"Listen here, Malatyr Ashryver Whitethorn Galathynius. I will not have you disrespecting me. When I say you are going-" he didn't get to finish before Malatyr erupted. 

"SHE'S DEAD!!!" Mal roared as he stood up, his breaking point dangerously close as tears fell down his face. His fists were clenched tightly while his lips were pulled back to reveal his deadly sharp canines. 

Our father was taken aback by the sudden outburst and offensive stance that Mal had shown. "It's been twenty years, Malatyr. LET. HER. GO," he growled.

I could feel Mal suppressing his magic as I watched the two of them. "You're one to talk. You wouldn't let Lyria go for two hundred years," Mal snapped. 

I turned my gaze back to Dad as his eyes flashed with a wave of sharper anger. "That was different," he muttered, not backing down in the slightest.

"How! How was that different!" Mal demanded, his eyes glowing brightly as the tears continued to pour down his face.

"I thought Lyria was my mate!" our Dad shouted back. His eyes narrowing in fury as his snarl deepened.

"Emily was my mate!" Mal roared furiously. 

Shock flew across Dad's face before he controlled himself. "Lyria was pregnant," he tried. "I failed her."

Mal didn't back down, though. "Emily was too," he snapped before storming out, leaving us stunned in silence. I stood there for a moment.

"How. Dare. You!" I shouted at our father. "You dare to question how much he loves her! You have the audacity to compare Emily to your presumed mate! Well, listen up, father!" I spat at him. "Emily was the best thing to ever happen to him, and you go and tear up her memory!" I could feel the anger heating my own blood. Even with my far shorter stature, I was able to stare him down. "I hate that! I hate that anyone would try to destroy the memory of one of my best friends!" I glared at him ferociously before running after Mal. I found him on the ground, sobbing in an empty corridor.

"Cauldron, Mal," I said as I sat down beside him, my anger banking as I took in his form. "She- She wasn't really pregnant, was she?" I asked him hesitantly.

He nodded. "I promised," he choked out. "I promised her," he repeated. We sat there for a long while before he wiped his eyes and stood up. 

I watched him in confusion as he walked back up to his room. He ran a hand under the edge of a table, coming back out with a sword which he proceeded to strap onto his back. He walked over to his bed, unstrapping the knives that he had hidden in the bed frame to his waist.

"Okay, what are you doing?" I demanded with crossed arms as he covered the distance from his bed to the balcony.

"I'm going to kill him," he replied as he flung the glass doors wide.

I arched my brows. "You're going to kill Dad?" I asked him in surprise and shock. Sure I was mad at him, but that was a little harsh.

He gave me a weird look. "No! Why would I do that!" he exclaimed, turning to face me. "I was talking about Vincent. I'm going to kill Vincent, not Dad."

"And here I was, thinking that you weren't stupid," I snarked. He gave me a flat glare. "You don't honestly think that you can kill Vincent by yourself, do you?" I demanded as I stalked towards him.

"You can't stop me," he snapped as he turned towards the balcony again.

"Like hell, I can't!" I replied as I snapped the doors shut with magic. He raised his brows at me, unimpressed. Before I could react, he had shifted and flown through the shattered glass. "Damn it, Malatyr Galathynius! Get back here, you dumbass!" I shouted, shifting as I jumped out the window.

I flew after him as his small form twisted through the air, quickly gaining on him. Right as I was about to snatch him from the air, he tucked a wing in, rolling into the trees that marked the Oakwald forest. He disappeared from sight as his brown fur melted into the shadows cast by the large trees. I snarled at him, my large teeth showing as I let out a roar of frustration.

I paced in front of the trees for a moment before taking off again. I stretched my magic wide, encompassing the entire area in an invisible shield. I circled the outside of the shield from the air, waiting for a flare from a collision.

A vibration flew through the shield to my left. I twisted, shrinking the shield to encompass a smaller area.

I found Mal glaring at me through the shield when I landed. "I'm not going to let you do this, Mal!" I shouted.

Tears were staining his cheeks again. "Why not! You of all people should know why I want this!" he yelled back.

"I know, but it's not going to solve anything," I whispered. "It's not going to bring Emily back. It's not going to help."

"If he's dead-" I cut him off, already knowing where he was going with this. I had once been there, after all.

"It won't! I tried, Mal! I wanted so bad to stop him, but it'll only get you more hurt!" I cried. "Believe me! He'll hurt you! He'll use you!"

"I don't care," he growled.

Iron rage flooded through me. "FINE! If not for you, do it for me! Because if he asks to trade your safety for mine, I won't hesitate! I'd give up my life to see you safe in less than a second, Malatyr!" I roared in his face. He stumbled backwards in shock. It looked like I had struck him.

"H-he needs..." he trailed off, his body shaking in grief as he collapsed to the ground. "Why did he kill her?" he whispered to me, collapsing to his knees. I sighed, finally lowering my shields so that I could approach him.

"He wanted to hurt us, Mal," I told him as I kneeled in front of him. "I want him dead as much as you. But we need more strength if we're going to go after him." He let out a sob. "I promise, Mal, one day, we'll kill him. I promise."

His eyes met mine, and for a second, I forgot he couldn't see as I could only stare into the fury burning deep in his eyes. "One day," he agreed at last. And the moment was gone, leaving only a broken male behind.

A/N

Elentiya (May 1), 72

Lyria (September 9), 58

Malatyr (March 20), 41