The Touch of Salvation

25: Never Again

GRACE

He destroys what is left of the partially ruined palace. He's more brutal than I have ever seen him. He's more ferocious than even Demise. He becomes feral, outraged, that his mate has been taken once again by her tormentor and he has no idea where she is.

He had failed to protect her. He had failed to mate her. And beneath all that anger, was fear, because they were marked by one another and her heat was threateningly close.

In a moment of calm, he had walked through the rubble, searching for something. None of us knew what, but followed him as he lifted brick and stone. Demise was here too, beside me, walking with us as our friend sorted through the carnage. Finally, coming to the edge of the palace, where the still-standing stone met the fallen stone, he bends down and lifts something up. As he turns, he comes back to us, a fawn in his hands.

I realize it's the only thing he has of her left.

And he's holding onto it like his life depends on it.

The fawn has a shimmer surrounding it and I realize heartbroken that Adalind's last feat was to protect this animal.

"You betrayed us." It's a soft, delicate whisper. It's dark and heady. My eyes go to Lux. Her brows furrow. "Why?" She asks. No one attacks us as I thought they would. They stand, looking at us, watching us like they couldn't give a damn what happened next. Like their entire world has been stolen.

"I," Goliath says. And then stops. He gives up and I can see it on his face that he doesn't think he deserves to tell them that he never actually betrayed them, that it wasn't him. That he denied the order. He accepts that his choice to not tell any of them of Demise's order has resulted in this wreckage. It didn't matter if Goliath never betrayed her because he mind of well had. He's blaming himself.

"He didn't," Demise says. "I did. Goliath rejected my order and refused to betray her to get the keys."

"Why?" Lucian asks. "Why? We have done everything for you. We protected your mate, we shared our home, we-"

"I don't know," Demise says. It's a whisper and his gaze seems to unfocus as he tries to remember what made him make the choice he had. "When we were within Ophir's lands we saw her murder a child. She wanted to. She asked to," he says.

Daario straightens. Lucian's eyes close and then open as if he finally understands everything.

"And that is why you wouldn't accept her," Lucian asks Goliath. "I need to show you all something."

We walk through the city which is destroyed. We walk and provide care where we can until others can arrive to help. We walk for what feels like hours before coming to a small house on the edge of the land.

"Milords," a man stands from his garden and bows. "We were just about to head into the city to help...what has happened?"

"Ophir."

The man goes sheet white. A woman comes out from the home and wraps herself in the man's embrace.

"What is going on?"

The couple turns and the breath from my lungs is knocked out of me because the boy we all watched Adalind murder was here, healthy and alive. He looked...better now. He had grown into a tall young man with bright eyes and a robust figure. His eyes snap to mine and then Demise and finally to Goliath. He stills.

"You're alive," the segundas says.

The boy nods.

"How?"

"She," the boy starts. "I don't know how she did it. One minute I was there, on my hands and knees, and the next...time froze. It was as if you were stuck there and I was stuck elsewhere...Adalind - she was with me and she told me to act afraid. To scream and fight and that if I did that all would be well. She told me that once I landed here that I was to go to the palace and seek Grandmaster Lucian and tell him that I was lost."

"I didn't know he was the reason why you wouldn't mate with her," Lucian says. "Had I known I would have told you. I didn't know he was the child you spoke of because he is so much older now."

"She said as long as I never told anyone about what happened that she wouldn't either. She promised me she would protect me, and she has. She sent me here and I found people I call my parents and I go to school...She also said that by keeping my secret I keep hers, and if I wanted to repay her, I would never tell anyone."

"What secret?" Demise asks.

Silence. Daario speaks up. "We should tell them."

"They know too much."

"Exactly," Lux says. "They already know pretty much everything. Our lands have been ruined. Our Queen has been taken. What do we have to lose?"

"Do you remember when you asked her how strong she is," Lucian begins. Goliath nods. "She's stronger than you could ever imagine. She has this ability to...change reality. Not affect it, but change it. She can't do it for long and she can't change large events but she can alter not what is perceived but what is. There are conditions to it, which is why she can't change her reality now. She can't affect her reality. She can only change small increments of others. At any given moment, she can see and feel the realities that surround us. She can't see the future...but she can sense what would happen in certain instances. It's dangerous and no one knows this. She is the strongest Regent. It's probably why she can't heal herself, either."

And Goliath acts as if it doesn't matter. As if these people have not just told us they know someone who can bend time and space. He backs away from the scene and takes off down the path we had come from.

"Where are you going," Demise calls to him.

"She's innocent." Goliath snaps, turning to us. "She's been innocent this entire time. She's been selfless and strong and brave and we...I..." His voice breaks. "I'm getting her back with or without your help."

"Goliath," Demise starts. His voice wavers. "I am sorry."

The apology doesn't matter. Goliath doesn't forgive him. "You didn't force me to hate her, but you made me betray her, Demise. She's my mate....and I chose you over her, and that will never happen again." Slipping off the rings from his fingers, he throws them to the ground and turns back around.

Author's Note

Basically Adalind can manipulate reality to her will but it takes a lot of effort and has many stipulations. She is the strongest character in this series at this moment.

Also I know it's confusing and we hate demise but it will be explained soon:)

These next few chapters are gonna year you to pieces but don't worry there are twenty chapters of fluff to follow:)

If you want chapters early feel free to join my Patreon.

Still looking for someone to use my inkarnate account to make a map of this world bc I suck:)

Just as a master list of characters

Hades - Demise
Erebus - Goliath
Grace ??
Adalind ??
^ take your guesses as to who they are;)