Queen of Light (The Light-Bringer Trilogy, #3)

Nineteen

Matias paced relentlessly. He was supposed to protect the princess. He failed. Calista was at the mercy of the gods.

"How long is this supposed to take?" he growled.

"However long the gods want to take," Akaljot answered.

Matias rubbed his temples, and ache building in his skull.

"Captain, are you alright?" asked Lance.

He doubled over, the pain tripling. His heart pounded, his breathing was rapid, his mind raced.

What is happening to me?

His mind was flooded with memories. They were dark and fuzzy, and they invaded his mind. Matias tried to stop the flow but to no avail.

There was a memory of him and Calista getting married. Then there was another of them sitting on the shores of the Jumelé Droit. In the majority of his memories, Matias had two grey eyes. In more recent memories, they were either orange or mismatched.

Please stop, please stop, please stop!

—

Cal was falling.

She fell out of the void and slammed into a world. And then she fell into another one.

Home. She had to find home—

There were worlds of light, towers that touched the skies as if reaching for the gods.

There were so many.

Cal fell faster, a star shooting across the sky. She plunged through the worlds.

Too fast. She was falling too fast. She had to slow down.

She passed through a world. It was mid morning, and impossibly tall buildings reached up to her. They were made of glass and metal. That world was ripped away from her and replaced with another. It was a city by the ocean. It was large and it sparkled below in the darkening twilight.

She heard a door slam below her. She looked down in time to see a young girl with long honey blonde hair race up to a man—no, a demon.

He looked exactly like James, but also different. His hair was much shorter and spikier. The plane's and angles of his face weren't as harsh as James's.

It's his brother, Cal thought in shock as she watched Jason embrace the girl and spun around.

He set the girl down as a young woman approached. Her brown hair was in a messy knot and she gave Jason a kiss on the lips. Her eyes flicked up to where Cal was crossing the sky. She pointed her out to him, and he looked up at her.

Help me, she thought. I'm going too fast and I need to get home.

Jason raised a hand up to Cal and, seconds later, she felt herself hit and invisible barrier. She slowed just a bit before she was torn away from that world without another word.

And there it was.

Zemlja.

Cal threw herself into it. She bellowed as she fell.

Home.

It was not the end. She was not done.

The emperor's palace neared.

And Calista Pyro-Bjorndottir plunged back into her body.

—

Cal gasped for air as her eyes snapped open. She fell to her knees, the chalk smouldering.

"Did it," she rasped, "did it work?"

Akaljot helped her up. She walked back into the guest room. Her bones ached.

Lucas and Lance were at Matias's side. Matias was seated in a chair, his eyes wide and skin pale.

"Matt?" asked Cal.

He opened and closed his mouth, searching for words. "I don't... I don't know what's real," he whispered.

"What was the cost?" asked Lance.

She held out as hand and flame sputtered to life. She held out another hand and concentrated on willing a ball of light to her palm and failed.

A Light-Bringer no more.

Rather a Fire-Bringer.