Chapter 70 Not Without My Wife
Serafina
The dark sky began to shift, the heavy black fading into deep blue before softening into a muted violet. The first light of dawn stretched across the horizon, thin at first, then growing stronger as it spread. The air changed with it, cooler and sharper against my skin.
“Blink,” I said, not taking my eyes off Elyndra, “take safety in the forest.” Blink let out a low huff in protest, her body unmoving beside me. I tightened my jaw. “Blink, I’ll call you when I need you. Just stay back for now.” There was a brief pause before she finally obeyed, her paws moving against the ground as she retreated behind a tree, out of sight but close enough to return if needed.
The ember in my chest flared, rising fast and strong. Heat spread through my ribs and down my arms, flowing into my fingertips. I let it move freely. Shimmers of hot light formed above my palms, glowing brighter as I drew in a breath, waiting for Elyndra's next move.
My eyes caught sight of the giant ring she wore.
A green glow pulsed from within the black jewel, faint but unmistakable. A memory surfaced, my mother’s voice clear in my mind as she recited the lines I had not thought about in years.
Green whispers secrets, sly and mean—
Envy, jealousy, greed unseen.
It paints the sick with pallid hue,
Decay and rot in every view.
Corruption, poison, sin’s own shade,
Magic turned dark, a villain’s blade.
Beware the green that gleams so bright—
It hides the wrong in stolen light!
The ring. That was her source. Her medium. I stilled for just a second, my focus narrowing on it, understanding settling into place.
I knew what I had to do.
The black orbs from Elyndra's palms stretched and hardened into small blades that hovered around her fingers, their edges thin and sharp.
Before she could move, Azerath stepped in front of me. The sword of flame appeared in his hands again, burning bright.
“Step aside, Azerath,” Elyndra said, her voice softer now, though her gaze remained fixed on me. “I know the easiest way to kill a binder is through his dragon. But I don’t want to hurt you. I love you.”
“You will kill me if you kill her,” Azerath replied, his tone cold. “The contract has been revised. If she dies, I die.”
“You lie!” Elyndra snapped.
“The contract was made to ensure that I would no longer roam alone,” he said.
Her lips parted slightly. “But you will never roam alone," she insisted. "I will be with you, right by your side, as it was meant to be."
“Not without my wife,” he said with finality.
She pursed her lips and stomped her foot in frustration. "Then, so be it," she said through clenched teeth.
The black knives changed shape. They stretched and joined together into a huge cage that settled on the ground beside her. Black light appeared in her hand again, this time forming a long whip.
She swung the whip toward me, trying to lasso me around the waist. I moved sideways fast hiding behind Azerath. The whip cracked past me and hit empty air.
“If killing her will kill you, then I will not kill her,” Elyndra said, her voice tightening. The whip lifted again. “To ensure you and I will stay together for eternity, I will keep her caged like a pet monkey and keep her alive forever. Now stand still, Binder, and come to mama.”
She flung the whip again. Azerath blocked the whip with his sword. It burned through the black mist.
"Stop this nonsense of yours, Elyndra or I will slit your throat," Azerath snarled.
Elyndra cackled loudly as black mist gathered from her hands again forming into a new whip.
She was not stopping. She was a woman obsessed.
It was a good thing Azerath kept her distracted. While he held her attention, I moved carefully, slipping a hand into my bag. My fingers closed around the handle of an axe, and I drew it out just enough before concealing it beneath my cloak. All I needed was one opening.
The sky brightened further, violet giving way to gold as the sun began to rise above the ridge. Birds began to sing all around us, their calls breaking the quiet and marking the start of morning.
Elyndra froze. Slowly, she turned, her eyes locking onto the sunlight as it swept across the ground, inching closer to where she stood.
For the first time, fear broke through her composure.
She stumbled back, her movements no longer sure, retreating toward the hut with urgency.
She was afraid of the sun.
Azerath saw it too. He moved quickly, stepping in front of her and cutting off her path. “The sun does not restore you,” he said, his voice firm. “It drains you. Is that why you avoid it?”
The light reached her back.
The whip in her hand flickered, then began to fall apart. Panic spread across her face, sharp and immediate. She shoved him hard, forcing him aside. “Get out of my way. I need shelter!”
This was my chance.
Her arms were still outstretched from the shove.
I moved without hesitation, closing the distance in seconds. I grabbed the hand with the ring, locked my grip, and raised the axe. Then I brought it down with force. The blade cut through her wrist cleanly. Her hand dropped to the ground as blood burst out, hot and heavy, splashing across my arms and shirt.
Elyndra screamed in pain and shock. She stared at the stump of her wrist, then snapped her gaze to me. Rage filled her eyes, and saliva dripped from her mouth as her lips pulled back.
“You will pay for this, Binder,” she hissed. “Mark my words. I will have my revenge.”
She lifted her other hand toward the orb on her throat.
Azerath moved fast, his blade cutting cleanly through her neck. Her head separated from her body and fell, the rest of her collapsing a second later.
Silence followed.
I stood there, breathing hard, my grip still tight around the axe as blood dripped from my hands and clothes. Slowly, I looked down at the severed hand. The smooth skin began to change, shrinking and wrinkling rapidly before it collapsed into ash, leaving only the ring behind.
I lifted my gaze to the rest of her. The same thing happened. Her body aged in seconds, her features breaking down before everything turned to ash.
Azerath bent down and picked up the necklace with the small pearl-like orb from the ground. He looked at it for a moment, then smiled.
“Now we have a travel orb,” he said. “Perfect.”
I crouched slightly, reaching for the ring, but Azerath’s voice stopped me. “Black magic is consuming, Serafina. Do not touch it.” I paused, then pulled my hand back as he stepped forward. The blade in his hand shifted into a rod, which he used to lift the ring without touching it.
“Conjure a small box made of lead from your bag,” he said.
I nodded and reached inside, focusing as a small, heavy box formed in my palm. I handed it to him, and he dropped the ring inside before shutting the lid immediately. The air seemed to ease the moment it was sealed. He slipped the box into his pocket and the flaming rod vanished from his hand.
For a moment, neither of us spoke. The sun had fully risen now, casting warm light across the clearing.
As the sunlight touched Azerath, he began to shimmer. The smooth human skin I knew faded away, revealing tiny dragon scales that covered his arms, neck, and the line of his jaw. They caught the light and threw it back in soft, shifting colors—deep red, bright orange, rich blue, and violet—all dancing across him like living rainbows.
My breath caught. I had never seen anything so beautiful in my life.
I stepped closer, my hand lifting without thinking. I needed to touch him, to feel the truth of what he was beneath my fingers.
He caught my hand gently before it reached his face. Instead of pushing it away, he brought my palm to his lips and kissed it.
The touch sent a shiver through me, and all the tension I had been holding melted away in an instant.
I closed the distance, pressing myself against him, hands gripping his clothes as I pulled him closer. My lips found his without hesitation, the kiss at first deep and urgent, but beneath it, soft and aching, filled with a need and longing I had kept buried since our first night together.