Bonds of Light and Fire

77. Life and Death

    Luciana clutched her trembling hands to her chest, willing her Fae body to heal the wounds as quickly as possible. Aeron was still crouching over her, his teeth bared at Brye. There was no sign of Rowan, but that terrible, terrible roaring... Vaughan was ripping into Maeve with a fury she'd never seen before.

    Maeve was wielding two crescent shaped sickles. They glanced off Vaughan's sword and dagger with resounding rings. The sound was beautiful, like the chord of a harp, but also chaotic, like a pickaxe against a rock. Luciana tore her gaze from Vaughan as her father stalked towards her and Aeron.

    "What have you done?" Luciana demanded. "How is this even possible? She is dead!"

    "It is very hard to kill a soul, even one as decrepit as Maeve's," Brye chuckled. "She promised me the world, so I promised her life."

    "You can't bring the dead back to life," Aeron spat. "No one has ever brought the dead back to life."

    "The gods have."

    "The gods aren't here." Luciana wrapped her still bleeding palm around the hilt of her sword. Something unspoken glittered in Brye's eyes. Her own fell to the ancient markings on the ground. Markings that had not begun to glow until her blood soaked into them. Luciana froze, Ailuros' words echoing through her ears.

    "The might of a god lies in your veins."

    "Why do you think she was so adamant that you one day be given to her?" Brye murmured, almost as if he heard her thoughts. "The power in you and your carranam's blood can grant someone the strength of a god. The strength to defeat even death itself."

    "Aelin and Rowan are carranam. Why did she never try to hold onto them?" Luciana spat.

    Aeron was inching backwards, dragging her with him. Luciana risked a glance at Vaughan. He was still holding Maeve off, but looking more battered by the minute. His fading injuries had to be affecting him, though he showed no sign of relenting.

    "She had other uses for the two of them," Brye said. "Besides, their power, even when combined, wouldn't be enough for her."

    "Then what makes you think ours will be? My power is nothing compared to what Aelin's was."

    "Rowan Whitethorn's magic was not inherited directly from the bloodline of a god, although Aelin's was. Your magic, and the Osprey's, both hail from powerful gods. The Goddess of Death, and the lesser known God of the Sun." Brye's eyes glittered coldly. "The God of Life."

    He gestured to the glowing marks on the ground. "It was your blood that allowed Maeve to possess a physical form and step through the portal. Had I used my blood to activate the Wyrdmarks, she would've only been able to speak to us. With your blood combined, Maeve will be restored to life. She will finish what I have begun, and I will finally have what I've always deserved. A crown of my own."

    "You're a gods-damned fool if you think Maeve will share dominion over the world with a bastard like you," Aeron spat. He shoved himself to his feet and Luciana leaped up behind him.

    "Help Vaughan," she murmured. "I can handle him."

    "I'm not leaving you by yourself," Aeron growled.

    "Aeron, Vaughan needs help more than I do." He didn't move. Luciana touched his shoulder. "Help him. I need him to come out of this alive." She barely touched her palm to her stomach, knowing Aeron would understand the message she was trying to convey.

    Aeron's eyes widened and his throat bobbed. She knew he was scenting her, wondering if Brye would be able to tell. "He'll kill me if anything happens to you," Aeron said.  "Be careful." He unsheathed his sword and sprinted over to Vaughan and Maeve.