Prisoner of Chaos (Redemption Book #4)

Chapter 58

Hey all, I'm so so sorry this update took so long! My life has been incredibly busy and there have been personal things going on that kind of sucked my inspiration for writing this story. Anyway... enjoy the update, thank you for all of your support and patience, and please vote!

Kyla

The Fe soldiers continue to attack, they climb on me like a horde of crazed, ravenous beasts. Their darts hit like pebbles against my scaly armor, they rake their fingers over my skin, punching, hitting, and scratching. How horrible it must be to be aware of your powerlessness, to attack a mighty beast that you know can easily destroy you with one swipe of its claws?

"I'm surprised to find you are still immortal," the Dark Lord growls. "What are you exactly, Princess Kyla?"

"I'm your worst nightmare, a princess with the power of a Cursed, but none of your dark, controlling side effects," I hiss at him, expanding my wings to carefully knock the Fe soldiers out of my way.

"Kyla was born to be the goddess that she is," Rift says, and I realize his words fill me with happiness and gratitude at what Rift and I have found together. "She was the first Cursed born with wings in her human form, and she was the first female Cursed born in the history of your stupid legacy. I believe she didn't need your power. She had it inside herself from the start."

"Let's see how immortal you really are," the Dark Lord growls, and both of us back away as we realize he's changing form, from the human-like man dressed in dark armor to a beast far more formidable in size than even my father had been, as the Dark Lord grows in size he sends the Fe soldiers in his direction and squashes them under his expanding fore claws. With each life he takes he grows.

"Kyla, we need to get this under control," Rift says, looking up at me. "I'm going to use Light magic. It'll drain me, but I believe it's the only way to stop him from killing. The rest will be up to you."

"I'm just like you, Rift, and I'm just like you Kyla," the Dark Lord roars, his jaws expanding in size so they could fit easily around my own beast's torso. I'm going to have to dodge him. "With every life I take, with any pain I cause, I grow in power. And I have the ability to become an immortal beast with impenetrable scales. This war could go on for centuries. This fight between the two of us might last until my cause is complete in destroying this world. Between the three of us, we will throw Axus into darkness for eternity, a world extinguished by our raw power."

"If you had been capable of doing such a feat why are we here right now? Why hadn't you done this back in the day when Axus was young?" Rift shouts, he swings up onto my back, muttering, "Sorry, chap," as he Scourges one of those in a Fe Collar to inflate himself with power before the Dark Lord's full strike. Rift's eyes beam with his magic, and an amber aura seemingly illuminates around him as he attempt to throw a Scrouge at the Dark Lord.

The Dark Lord's immense form rattles, and shivers, roaring in anger at Rift for attempting such a thing.

Is this actually working?

"Is that the best you've got, mighty Dark Lord Rift? But a tickle," the Dark Lord taunts with a grin. His teeth like double-edged swords glinting against Rift's magic. "The Sorceress' dream was to use you to tear apart Axus and you've already done a fine job of it. And maybe that is still your ultimate goal. Get me out of the way so you can have Axus to yourself and truly accept your destiny as the one who brings forth the darkness to this world. The dark magic you use has tainted your ability to harness the light. You cannot defeat me."

"It may have felt like a tickle, but I'm still draining you of power, and I have enough strength to use the Light magic to bring you back to your human form," and then Rift whispers in my ear. "It's going to be far more difficult than it was with your father, but the only way you're going to kill him is if you--"

The Dark Lord doesn't give us time, he lunges at me.

I dodge his massive jaws snapping above my back, latch my claws on the trunk of his neck, then I climb up him till I'm under his throat. A fire burns in the back of it and I realize he's about to incinerate the last of the Fe army to empower himself. I tear into where his throat meet his neck and yank his flesh from there, the fire building inside spills out like magma from a volcano onto the ground. Unlucky Fe soldiers are liquidated by it, but his skin immediately repairs itself, just as mine would with such a wound.

"Rift, now!" I shout. "Bring him back to his mortal form! I'm going to see if he can grow back a head."

Rift is ahead of me, I hear him groan in anguish as he uses the Light magic he possesses to pull back the Dark Lord's beast. The Dark Lord begins to shrink under my grip, but he's fighting back the transformation, enraged, roaring, shrieking like a maddened dragon. He thrashes and claws against where I cling to his throat.

My claws slip from their place and I'm thrown off of him. Rift somehow managed to climb onto his head and I notice a dark dagger appear in his hands. He embeds it into the Dark Lord's cheek, using it as a place to hold to as the massive beast shakes it's head to free itself of him.

I land on one of the Fe soldiers, knowing I've crushed him beneath me. "We have to finish this fight now, Rift!"

"I can't manage him, he's too strong--I can't--" Rift shouts back, "--without--without killing myself."

"No, Rift!" I say, scrambling to my feet and readying my wings for flight. "There has to be another way!"

"I love you, Kyla!" Rift says, "Promise me you'll let Raia know I love her too! That you'll tell her about me. I may have done a lot of bad things, but I'm going to die making this world a better place for you and for her. You were the best part of my story and that's the first thing I'll tell your Father if the Light lets me see him."