Chapter 115 Rescue & Home

Chapter 115 Rescue & Home
Aeloria POV

Silver-blue scales raced across my skin, and my tail lashed behind me with enough force to crack stone. My bad ass claws extended. Fangs descended. When the transformation ended...Everyone just stared. I frowned deeply. Did I have some shit on my face what the hell. "What?"

Nyra blinked. "...Babe...you're bigger."

Riven looked genuinely surprised. "You've grown so much my love."

I looked down at myself. Damn, they were right. I was larger. Taller. More muscular and powerful. The ancient magic inside me had evolved. Kael's triumphant roar rolled across the sea. "Little Queen, is not so little anymore."

I smiled. "Ready?"

His laughter shook the ocean. "The creatures are prepared." Massive shapes surfaced beyond the shoreline. Sea serpents. Dolphins. Mantas. Seals. Giant turtles. Predatory fish. Creatures I'd never even seen before. "I shall open my own portal beneath the sea."

I blinked. "Holy shit, you can do that?"

"Of course I can do that. You do really need to research Leviathans. I am a God." He sounded almost offended. "Some of us shall emerge inside their waters." A pause. Then, with unmistakable amusement..."Others shall simply walk through their walls and cause... raucous."

I burst out laughing. "Oh my gods that's perfect."

Even Riven smiled. "That sounds wonderfully chaotic."

Kael rumbled proudly. "I have always wished to cause raucous."

I grinned so hard my cheeks hurt. "Sounds fucking good to me." Then I reached for the tracking spell. Silver and shadow wrapped around my hand and space itself began to tear open. Chaos had taken my allies.

Now...Chaos was about to discover exactly why you never cornered a Leviathan Queen with an army of very angry people armed with ancient artifacts... and one extremely enthusiastic ancient sea god eager to "cause a raucous."
~

Nethrys POV

Time had ceased to matter.

There was only pain. Not mine. Hers. The chains forged by Chaos pinned Katria and me several feet apart, forcing us to face one another. Every time I strained against them, black runes burned deeper into my wrists, feeding on my magic and dragging it away into the endless darkness surrounding us.

Chaos had planned this well. He didn't need to torture me. He only needed me to watch. "Katria..." My voice cracked. She looked at me through tear-filled eyes, trying so desperately to be brave. "I'm okay," she lied. She wasn't. Not even close. My shadows writhed uselessly around my feet, unable to touch her, unable to shield her. Every instinct inside me screamed to protect my mate, yet I could do nothing except pull against chains that refused to break. I roared. The sound echoed through the cavernous chamber.

Chaos only smiled. "So much power," he mused. "Reduced to helplessness by one little weakness." He looked directly at Katria. "Love."

My chains rattled violently. "If you touch her again..." Chaos laughed. "You'll what?" The words landed like a blade. "You can't even reach her." Katria cried out again and something inside me shattered. This...This was exactly what I'd spent centuries trying to prevent. Every bargain. Every sacrifice. Every lie. Every terrible decision. All to keep this from happening. And I had failed. "I'm sorry," I whispered, tears stinging my own eyes.

She shook her head furiously. "No, you have nothing to apologize for Nethrys."

"I failed you."

"You saved me."

"I brought you here."

"You loved me." Her voice broke. "That's never something to apologize for." My vision blurred. For the first time in centuries...Hope slipped through my fingers....

Then reality suddenly ripped apart. A portal exploded open directly behind Katria. Chaos turned too slowly. I blinked and a familiar head poked through the shimmering opening. Bright blue hair. Blue eyes. A grin entirely too cheerful for the situation. Aeloria. She looked directly at me, raised one thumb in a thumbs up, then...winked at me. I stared. She actually winked. Before anyone could react, blue Leviathan magic erupted from her hands, and Katria's chains shattered. My mate gasped as invisible force yanked her backward straight through the portal.

Chaos lunged, but he was too late, and he was also chained in his prison and limited. The portal snapped shut, and Katria was gone. Safe. For one heartbeat...The entire chamber stood frozen. Then I started laughing. Not politely or quietly. Full-bodied, uncontrollable laughter. Chaos slowly turned toward me. "You..."

I couldn't stop. "You magnificent little menace..." Another laugh escaped me. "She's incredible."

Chaos roared, and the sound split the damn stone. The fortress shook violently. Before his rage could settle...Something enormous crashed through the ceiling. Stone exploded in every direction. Dust filled the air. Then came the roar. It was ancient, primal and powerful enough to shake my soul. A Leviathan. An absolutely colossal Leviathan hauled itself into the chamber, crushing walls beneath clawed feet. Guards scattered in every direction as the beast lashed its massive tail through ranks of soldiers. One unfortunate cultist disappeared into enormous jaws. Another was launched through three stone pillars.

The Leviathan looked almost delighted. Then, somewhere beyond the dust cloud, I heard a familiar booming voice. "RAUCOUS ACHIEVED, KAEL!"

The giant beast answered with another triumphant roar that sounded suspiciously pleased with itself. Despite everything...I laughed even harder. The rescue plan was absolute insanity, but was also somehow working. The chamber erupted into complete chaos. Sea creatures burst from portals opening across the floor. Water flooded through broken walls. Warriors charged from every direction. Fire exploded overhead. Earth erupted beneath soldiers' feet. Someone screamed. Someone else was singing. I had absolutely no idea what was happening anymore.

Then I felt hands grab my shoulders from behind. I instinctively twisted. It was Riven.The other Leviathan smiled. "Rescue time." Blue magic surged through his hands, and the chains around my wrists exploded into glittering fragments. I was free.

"Move!" he shouted. A portal shimmered beside us. Without hesitation, he shoved me through. The world spun. Darkness became sunlight. Cold stone became warm sand. I hit the beach hard, rolling several feet before coming to a stop. For a moment I simply lay there, staring at the bright blue sky overhead. Free. I was actually free. Then I remembered.

"Katria." I scrambled upright. My eyes searched frantically until they found her. She was sitting several yards away wrapped in Aeloria's arms, crying openly. The moment she saw me, she broke free and ran. I caught her halfway. She collided with me so hard we both nearly fell over. "I've got you," I whispered. "I've got you." She clung to me with trembling hands. Then suddenly stiffened. "Nethrys."

"What?"

"Rosia."

My stomach dropped. "The castle."

"We left her." Tears welled in her eyes again. "We have to go back." I smiled softly. "My love..." I cupped her face. "We won't need to." Closing my eyes, I reached through the shadow bond I'd quietly forged with the tiny snow leopard days earlier. Rosia. Instantly I felt indignant little emotions. Confusion. Hunger. Annoyance. Then...Recognition. A tiny patch of shadow formed beside us. It expanded into a swirling black circle no bigger than a doorway. A heartbeat later, a tiny white and purple blur launched through it at terrifying speed. Rosia. She flew straight into Katria's arms.

The little snow leopard immediately began chirping and purring while licking tears from Katria's cheeks as though she'd only been gone for an afternoon stroll. Katria laughed through her tears. "You little menace." Rosia puffed out her chest proudly. Mission accomplished. I wrapped one arm around both of them and looked toward Aeloria, who was already barking orders to warriors returning through portals. She caught my eye, smirked, then called across the beach. "Told you my word was good."

I shook my head, still laughing. "You certainly did, Leviathan Queen."

For the first time in centuries...I truly believed we might survive what was coming and be able to defeat Chaos. This woman was unstoppable.
~

Katria POV

Walking through the island felt... strange.

Not bad. Just strange. Two days ago, I'd been preparing for war inside the Shadow Palace. Yesterday, I'd been chained in front of Chaos himself. Now...I was strolling through a thriving seaside town while children chased glowing butterflies down cobblestone streets. I wasn't entirely convinced this wasn't some elaborate fever dream. Rosia trotted happily beside me, occasionally darting after colorful birds before remembering she was supposed to stay close. Nethrys walked on my right, one hand brushing mine every few steps as if reassuring himself I was really there.

Aeloria led the way. "Okay," she said, throwing her arms wide. "Welcome to your new home." I couldn't stop looking around. Market stalls lined the streets, filled with fresh fruit, jewelry, enchanted fabrics, books, and pottery. The scent of fresh bread drifted from a bakery while somewhere farther down the road someone was playing a fiddle. People smiled. Actually smiled. At me. Not because they wanted something. Not because they feared my family. Just because they were happy. It felt... nice. Aeloria pointed toward a colorful row of buildings. "That's the tailor."

Another direction. "Bakery." Another. "The apothecary has just about anything you'll ever need." She continued walking. "Oh, and that café over there makes cinnamon rolls that'll change your life."

"I believe her," I said immediately. Nethrys chuckled. "I suspected you would."

Then...Calren appeared around the corner carrying a crate over one shoulder. He stopped when he saw us."...Katria."

For a heartbeat, everything became awkward. Very awkward. We'd once dated. Once kissed. Once believed we'd spend our lives together. Then we had fought and I had acted terribly. Now...I loved Nethrys. Calren loved Aeloria. Life was weird. I offered him a small smile. "Hi."

He smiled back just as awkwardly. "I'm... glad you're alright."

"Me too."

Silence. Aeloria looked between us before grinning. "This is weird."

I burst out laughing. "It really is."

Calren rubbed the back of his neck. "A little."

Nethrys glanced between us."...Am I missing something?"

Aeloria coughed into her fist. "Oh..."

I closed my eyes."...Right."

Calren looked at the sky as though asking for divine assistance. "We used to..." He gestured vaguely. "...date."

Nethrys blinked once. "Date."

"Yes."

Another blink.

"You."

Calren nodded.

"...And Katria."

A long silence followed. Rosia chose that exact moment to sneeze. Finally Nethrys looked at me. "You never mentioned that."

I shrugged sheepishly. "It never came up?"

His eyebrow slowly rose. "It seemed... relevant."

"I mean..." I looked at Calren. "We were young."

Calren nodded enthusiastically. "Very young."

"And incredibly stupid."

"So stupid."

"We were never right for each other."

"No."

Aeloria wrapped an arm around Calren's waist. "I'd like the record to show that I am entirely unbothered."

I grinned. "I know." She winked. "I have six ridiculously handsome mates."

"Show off."

"A little, can ya blame me?"

Nethrys finally sighed. "I suppose I can tolerate one former boyfriend." I slipped my hand into his. "Good."

"But if he starts reminiscing..."

Calren laughed. "I absolutely will not."

"Excellent."

The awkwardness dissolved almost instantly. By the time we reached a beautiful two-story home overlooking the ocean, everyone was smiling again. Aeloria stopped dramatically in front of it. "This one's yours."

I stared. "Our... what?"

"House."

"It's huge."

"I know."

Nethrys looked just as surprised as I felt. "This is for us?"

"The island chose it."

I looked at the sprawling wraparound porch, flower gardens, and massive windows overlooking the sea. My eyes immediately filled with tears. "I've never..."

I couldn't even finish the sentence. Aeloria simply smiled and pushed open the front door. The inside was somehow even more beautiful. Sunlight poured through enormous windows. A stone fireplace occupied one wall. Shelves already held books.Fresh flowers sat in vases. Rosia immediately took off exploring. "I call this corner!" she seemed to declare by flopping dramatically onto a rug.

We laughed and followed Aeloria upstairs. She opened the bedroom door. Then stopped. "...Well."

"What?"

I stepped around her and my jaw dropped. The walk-in closets stood wide open. Already full. Clothes. Boots. Coats. Jewelry. Everything. Every shelf perfectly arranged.