Chapter 80 Chapter Eighty - Gabriella
Chapter 80 Chapter Eighty - Gabriella
I reach out through my mind, feeling for Merlos’ thoughts. Her eyes connect with mine when she senses the connection, quirking an eyebrow at me. “Merlos, I need you to blind every mortal around us,” I say urgently through my mind.
Her brows deepen in confusion for only a second when realisation fills her expression and her mouth quirks up into a smirk of approval. “Now that, I can do.” With a disinterested wave of her hand, she fills the eyes of every mortal with darkness, and with my new ears I can hear their panicked voices, but the panic begins to ease as I sense Zarseti casting a blanket of calm over the entire field.
“Time to be light…” I mutter under my breath.
I close my eyes, focus on every ounce of joy and happiness I have ever felt, and let that inner light inside me build within me, brighter and hotter than a supernova. I let it build as much as it can before I let it go. Throwing my arms out as a magnificent light explodes from my body, erupting across all the land we’re on, forcing the eyti to disperse, their shadow forms unable to withstand the light. It hasn’t killed them, but it’s going to slow them down for quite a while. Long enough that Azadou can’t draw on their energy, and that’s all the time I need.
As the light fades, along with its warmth, I drop my hands at my sides, taking a breath as I stand tall and proud. Azadou’s face now agape in shock and fear.
“Now she’s just showing off,” Morrtemis scoffs playfully.
“Someone sounds jealous,” Oshmin snorts.
I discreetly glance up as I see the barrier begin to disappear. I look back at Jartre, his jaw hanging open in astonishment. I give him a smug smirk. “Looks like you’re not the only one packing a punch in this relationship,” I tease.
He gives a lighthearted laugh of disbelief, shaking his head as he runs his fingers through his hair. “This will take some getting used to.” He takeshold of my hand, but his smile falls and his eyes narrow in rage as he pulls me to his chest, throwing a bolt of lightning out towards Azadou just as Azadou does the same. I look up, having already seen what happens next.
The high-pitched squawk of a bird fills the air as the largest stream of lightning strikes the field, colliding with both Jartre and Azadou’s bolts, the air rippling and filling with static charge as dust and debris are blown from the force. As these two idiots try for round two, a grand and magnificent eagle-like bird lands in front of Azadou, standing at fifteen feet tall, spreading her thirty-foot-long wings out wide like a shield. Her gorgeous golden feathers fade into a deep, electric blue charged with electricity as she lets out another squawk of protest. Now I know what a raitruum looks like and I have to say, they might be one of the most exquisite creatures I’ve ever seen.
“Orenda!” Jartre shouts in bewilderment. “What do you think you’re doing?!” He steps in front of me, placing his arm out to instinctively shield me.
The other bird just like her, lands on the field, watching the scene in confusion. Orenda’s raitruum form begins to shrink in size as it morphs into her human form. Now standing in front of Azadou, is a stunning six-foot-tall woman dressed in sky-blue skinny jeans and an electric blue, bell-sleeve blouse, with radiant latte skin and dark brown hair flowing all the way down her back. Panic fills her incredible rainbow eyes, each colour of the rainbow circling around her irises in a gradient, but their beauty can’t hide the terror that fills them.
“I’m sorry, Jartre. I can’t let you hurt him. That barrier has kept me out all this time, forcing me to watch the two of you going at each other like you both have death wishes, but I won’t let it continue,” she says defiantly, solidifying her stance in front of Azadou as he stares down at the back of her head still as a statue.
“This has nothing to do with you Orenda, stand aside,” Jartre orders.
“This has everything to do with me! I won’t let you hurt him!”
“Oh, shit,” Morrtemis says quietly.
Jartre stops short, his eyes furrowed in confusion, but I can see the gears in his head slowly moving as he now finally takes in her protective stance and the way Azadou has become completely frozen. His eyes slowly widen in alarm asshe stumbles back in shock.
“No…” he says quietly, before setting his eyes on Zarseti. “What have you done?!” he shrieks at her.
“I won’t let you hurt my animai,” says Orenda firmly, slowly looking back at Azadou. There’s no fear in her eyes when she looks at him, only concern. But his face is filled with confusion and contempt, and she sees it. I see the heartache on her face to have her own animai look at her like that.
Azadou looks to Zarseti, glaring at her, “If you think this is going to save any of you, then you have another thing coming.” He looks down at Orenda, his eyes briefly taking her in before sneering at her and disappearing completely.
Orenda closes her eyes, looking down with devastation as Zarseti walks over to console her.
“Are we seriously just going to let him go?” Oshmin asks incredulously.
“I think for now that might be best. If we all continue to fight it will only lead to more destruction,” laments Ezillus.
“Does your meddling know no limits, Zarseti?” Jartre snarls, but she merely ignores him.
“Jartre, enough!” I shout in exasperation. “All she has done; all she has ever done is try to give everyone the best future possible. She has devoted her existence to the happiness of others, including you. She has worked tirelessly to save you from yourself, and still, your first reaction is to scold her.”
“She bound the essrams of two beings I created, each polar opposites of each other, and for what?!” he shouts.
“Exactly! They’re both made from your magic. They can’t get more perfect for each other than that. Jartre I love you, but you have to stop picking a fight with everyone. Look around you.” I wave my hand at the field, or what is left of it, the tears in reality still lingering in the air taunting us with their looming destructive power. “You did this. Innocent lives are gone because of this.” I step forward and take his hands in mine. “You have to let go of this anger. We have to find a path forward and stop all this fighting. We can all live in some semblance of peace, but you have to meet halfway. I understand if you’re mad at me, and we have eternity to talk about it, but for now, I need you to fix what only you can fix,”I implore him, squeezing his hands as I brush my thumbs against the back of his hands.
He looks deep into my eyes for a moment before looking around and really taking in the severity of the matter. He looks to Zarseti as she soothes Orenda, then turns his attention back to me. “You’re right…for now I’ll fix the mess I made.”
I smile encouragingly, kissing each of his hands. “That’s a great start.”
He places a tender kiss on my forehead, reluctantly letting my hands go as he turns his attention to the field. I let out a deep sigh of relief as he gets to work reversing the damage he’s caused, though sadly I know he can’t save the lives that have been lost.
As I finally take a moment to breathe and process the monumental shift that has just occurred in my life, Merlos walks up to me.
“Did you see her?” she asks.
I look up and I’m surprised to see there’s no cocky arrogance, no annoyance, none of what I’ve seen from her so far. I see genuine emotions on her face, which I was starting to think she wasn’t capable of.
I nod. “She gave me quite the pep talk and sent me on my way.”
She nods with a nostalgic, “That sounds like Fretez.” She closes her eyes and takes a soft breath before she looks at me. “When you see her next…tell her how deeply I miss her,” she says with sad eyes, a hint of longing in her voice. Not that of a lover, but of a dear sister and friend. I can tell Merlos has a cold exterior and doesn’t view people or the world the same way others do. She appears aloof and uncaring, but I think there’s more to her than that. I get the feeling that Fretez was the only person who understood her. Maybe they were like yin and yang. Her darkness to Fretez’s light. Whatever their bond, I can respect it enough to grant Merlos’ request.
“I would be happy to,” I smile at her as she disappears.
I focus back on Jartre, watching him in awe as he reverses the unbelievable destruction he created. I have a lot of explaining to do when we get home.