Chapter 13 Two Worlds
“No! No, this can’t be happening!” Oberon roars. “Let me back through. This is Anara’s scale, not mine!”
I lift myself to my elbows, my vision doubling, and stare through the opaque portal as two Oberons are dragged away by guards. My sight sharpens along with the ice-cold pain in my chest.
Behind him, Serena is running for me, her satin skirts raised over her knees, tears streaming down her face. Her hands splay over the invisible wall between us.
Slowly, I pull myself to my feet and meet her at the portal. I place my hands on the other side of hers and my own tears begin to fall. She’s been like the mother I never had, and her pain at losing me is breaking my heart. This is not how this was supposed to end. I was supposed to make it out of there and explain myself to her. I was supposed to apologize and earn her forgiveness.
I was supposed to earn the forgiveness of both kingdoms.
Silas appears behind her, flicking his hand so the guards pull the queen away too. Thorne is at his side with a scowl. Behind them, I see Sylvain sobbing on the ground with the green scale clutched to her chest.
I realize I’m the final contestant. Everyone else has passed or died.
And I sure as fuck won’t be passing.
Which leaves dying.
The others begin walking away. No one wants to stay to watch the last girl starve to death. How humiliating. I know from experience that the portal will stay open for viewing until the last challenger dies or exits. Those are the rules. No one’s fate goes unknown.
I press my head to the cool barrier, wishing I could feel the warmth of the sunshine one last time. When I open my eyes I see Zaries standing before me, but instead of righteous victory, his face is hollow with horror and dismay.
He rears back and punches the portal, screaming something I can't make out. Although the connection between worlds will remain open, the power is diminished so people can see but not hear what's on the other side. Silas can only expend so much energy after all.
I’ll never know what Zaries is saying.
He punches the portal over and over with more rage than I’ve ever seen him unleash. Until both fists are bloody, his mouth moving as he screams so hard veins are bulging in his neck. His fury is bringing tears of frustration to his eyes. When blood starts to streak the unforgiving surface, he grabs his swords, hacking and slashing at the portal.
I shake my head and put my hands on the barrier that’s as impenetrable as everything that’s passed between us, trying to touch him, trying to calm him.
“It’s okay, I’ll die. Just like you wanted. You’ve gotten your revenge,” I tell him, not caring if he can hear me.
Zaries drops the swords, chest heaving, and presses his hands to mine.
All I can do is force a smile and cry.
“It’s okay,” I tell him. “Go find the dragon.” Someone has to avenge Elsie.
I register he’s wearing the huge silver scale on his back like a shield, and that’s just what he’ll need; a shield to protect him from the fire of the same dragon who shed that scale.
Zaries snarls, turning his head to the side as someone else walks up. It’s Oberon, black scale in his gloved hand. He looks lost, destroyed. He shuffles up beside Zaries, his face red from crying.
Zaries snarls something at him and Oberon’s eyes narrow menacingly.
“What’s going on?” I ask, pressing my ear to the portal and trying to hear.
Zaries points to me and then at Oberon’s face before punching him straight in the mouth.
Oberon rears back but doesn’t fall. He spits blood from the corner of his mouth and grins devilishly at Zaries before turning to me. “I love you!” I don’t need to hear it to know what he’s saying.
Zaries launches himself at Oberon and the two men hit the dirt. They roll, creating a cloud of dust as they beat each other mercilessly.
I’m banging on the portal, trying to get them to stop, but it’s to no avail. I can stop this as much as I can stop the inevitability of time. Their faces are bloody and their knuckles split before the guards break them up. They drag them away, Oberon barely conscious, Zaries still fighting. When the dust settles, the only one standing in front of the portal is Thorne.
The slayer master shakes his head in disappointment before turning his back on me. I watch him walk into the castle without looking back, and soon, the only one still observing the portal is Silas himself. He’s watching from the comfort of his tower. I can feel his evil eyes on me.
“Well, voice, it was nice knowing you,” I mutter, turning my back on the portal and facing the maze under the stormy skies. “Should I starve to death or go find a minotaur?” I ask, chuckling darkly. A slow death was never my style.
I walk toward the maze, preparing for my death.
“Nothing to say now?” I mock myself. The moment I’m inside the maze, I slide down a wall and pull my knees to my chest. The quiet inside is complete, even the sounds of the storm are fading. There’s just the odd plop of rain in the puddles around me, and in the silence the cold sets into my bones.
I bury my face in my knees, exhaustion taking over me. Sleeping in here has got to be the dumbest thing I’ve ever done, but my body can’t function anymore. I need rest.
If I die in my sleep, well then, so be it.