Chapter 114 A PROMISE TO BRING HIM HOME

Chapter 114 A PROMISE TO BRING HIM HOME
Silence fell over the small group. Nobody spoke, and for a few seconds, it felt like nobody was even breathing. Magnus stood completely frozen. His heart felt like it had stopped, and his breath hitched in his throat. The only sound left was Astrid softly crying in front of him. He still had his hands on her shoulders, gripping her so tightly that his knuckles were white. His face was just as pale as hers. Behind them, Xyra looked just as shocked.

Xyra slowly backed away until her heels hit the castle steps. She sank onto the cold stone and stared blankly at the ground. This was the last thing she had expected to hear. Just when they thought the worst was behind them, another nightmare began. Darren was trapped with the worst enemy possible, and she hated to even wonder if he was still alive.

Magnus stared blankly into space. His mind raced as guilt washed over him. If only they had forced Darren to come with them, Raheem wouldn't have been able to grab him. Darren would be safe right now. He knew what the demi-god was doing — the monster was using Darren as bait to drag him out into the open. Magnus gritted his teeth. Demi-god or not, Raheem wasn't going to get away with this.

"What do we do now?" Christian asked quietly, breaking the silence. "Are you going after him?"

"I don't have a choice," Magnus whispered. He finally let go of Astrid's shoulders and dropped his gaze to the floor. "I couldn't live with myself if I abandoned him. He's saved me so many times. I'd be a terrible friend if I did nothing."

"Do you even know where he is?" the young mayor asked.

"The Sorcerer's League," Astrid said. Her crying had slowed to a few soft sniffles as she wiped her eyes. "Raheem told me he'd be waiting there." She looked up at Magnus with tear-filled eyes. "Please, Magnus. You have to save him. He's my brother... I don't know what I'll do if something happens to him."

"Hey, don't worry," Magnus said gently, forcing a small smile to give her some comfort. "We'll find him. I promise."

He turned toward Xyra, who was still sitting on the steps with her head down, lost in thought.

"Xyra," Magnus called out softly. She lifted her head to look at him.

"We leave tonight after sunset," he told her. "Try to get some rest before then."

Xyra didn't say a word. She simply gave a tight nod, pulled herself up, and walked back into the castle.

Magnus turned back to Astrid. "I want you to stay here where it's safe until we get back."

"Okay," she whispered.

He placed a gentle hand on her back and guided her toward the castle doors. "Come on. Let's find you a room. You must be exhausted after flying all this way."

"I don't think I can sleep," she murmured, her voice trembling. "Every time I close my eyes, I just think about Darren..."

Magnus wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her close to comfort her. He couldn't bear the thought of failing her, so he pushed the fear out of his mind. I won't let him die, he promised himself. I'm bringing him home.

Inside the castle, Magnus led Astrid up the wide staircase toward the guest wing. Christian's castle was huge, but Magnus remembered the room Astrid had stayed in before and figured a familiar space would help her feel a bit better. As they walked down the hallway, they passed Xyra's room. The door was shut tight, but Magnus doubted she was getting any sleep. He decided to check on her as soon as Astrid was settled.

"Here we are," Magnus said, opening a door near the end of the hall. "This one should be good. Try to close your eyes for a bit. We'll handle everything."

"Thank you," Astrid whispered. She slipped inside and quietly closed the door.

Once she was settled, Magnus walked back down the hall to Xyra's room and pushed the door open without knocking. Just as he suspected, she wasn't sleeping. She was sitting on the edge of her bed, staring blankly at the wall. He walked over and sat down beside her on the mattress. Neither of them spoke for a while, sitting side by side in the heavy silence. Magnus was just about to open his mouth when Xyra spoke first.

"I'm scared," she said softly.

He had never heard her admit that before. No matter how dangerous things got, Xyra always put on a brave face. But right now, her voice was shaking.

"You're not the only one," Magnus said.

Xyra turned to look at him, her eyes wide with surprise.

Magnus let out a small, dry laugh. "What? I'm allowed to be scared too. I can't be brave all the time," he sighed, his smile fading. "I've spent so much time preparing for this — collecting the talismans just to defeat Raheem. But now that it's actually time, I'm terrified. What if I can't beat him? What if the talismans aren't enough? If he kills me today, everything we did was for nothing."

"Don't say that!" Xyra said sharply, turning to face him. The fear in her eyes was replaced by a sudden fierceness. "You've saved so many people already. None of it was for nothing, and it never will be. You're going to beat Raheem, with or without those talismans. And we are going to bring Darren back."

Magnus couldn't help but smile. Looking at her fierce, determined face brought a sudden wave of warmth to his chest. He reached out, pulled her close, and lifted her onto his lap. Xyra's cheeks flushed bright red, and she quickly looked away, but Magnus just smirked. He gently brushed a strand of hair behind her ear, his expression softening.

"You always know what to say," he murmured, leaning closer. "Do I make you nervous?"

"A little," she muttered, still refusing to look him in the eye.

She knew if she looked up at him now, she'd get completely distracted. But Magnus didn't give her a choice. He gently cupped her chin and tilted her face up to his. Before she could say anything, he leaned down and kissed her softly.

Xyra melted into the kiss, her worries fading for a brief moment. When he finally pulled back to breathe, he looked at her with a satisfied grin.

"What's with that look?" she snapped playfully, her face burning.

"Nothing," Magnus chuckled, pulling her into a tight hug. "Now close your eyes and rest. We have a long night ahead."

"I can't just fall asleep on command," she mumbled into his shoulder.

He rested his head against hers, his hand gently tracing circles on her back. His playful mood faded, replaced by a quiet worry. "Maybe... maybe it's better if you stay behind this time."

Xyra pulled back slightly to glare at him. "We've already talked about this. I'm coming with you whether you like it or not. I'm not letting you do this alone."

She rested her head back against his chest and closed her eyes. "Darren is my friend too."

Her voice trailed off into a soft whisper. Within moments, her breathing slowed into a steady rhythm.

Magnus smiled softly as he looked down at her. For someone who claimed she couldn't sleep, exhaustion takes over quickly. He rested his head back against the wall, holding her close as the room grew quiet. They had a long fight ahead of them tonight, but they would pull through — all of them.