Page 125 of Bright Soul

“Thank you for everything, Mom,” I murmured. When I let her go, she gave me one last look and nod, before heading over to the ghostly dimensional family. At Phaeron’s direction, she held Keshora and Ravai’s hands, while they grasped the hand attached to one of Braza’s halves.

With a glance my way, he said, “I beseech my goddess for a miracle.” He wove shadows and soul magic, feeding energy from Eris to the two dimensionals. They glowed with a new infusion of power, before a portion of it passed into Braza.

Her shadows darkened considerably, but I continued to hold my breath, not feeling my connection to her grow any stronger. Phaeron blew out a tense breath and held out the two pieces of the dragon scale. Braza’s bottom half went into the larger shard without trouble. He chanted a new spell and held the smaller shard toward her head.

With a wrench I felt down to my own soul, he cut the connection between us permanently and Braza’s top half turned into curls of shadows that absorbed into the smaller shard. He tilted both shards to inspect the steadily glowing runes on them. Satisfied, he lashed them together with a tendril of shadow.

“It is fortunate the scale broke. I believe she will be okay,” he said. His eyes shone with a mix of grief and relief as he drew in first Keshora for a hug goodbye, then Ravai. My understanding of their language disappeared, tugged away by him for a few private words to them both.

Eventually, the two spirits turned to Eris and took her hands again. Together, they faded to nothing, heading off to the next life together.

I hiccupped a sob. It hurt a lot worse than expected to say goodbye and Phaeron echoed that feeling. Even though he’d come to peace with their deaths long ago, it was hard to have them back for such a short visit.

“Maybe you could see them again on Samhain,” I suggested quietly.

With a sigh, he adjusted his swords and sat. “Perhaps.”

We watched the last, straggling souls wink out of existence and the Void break down what was left of Myuna’s corpse. Soon, it was just us, the living, and Áine came over, scuffing her hoof. “I know this was intense and all…but shouldn’t we be heading back?” she asked.

Phaeron quirked his lips. “You all may as well be sitting for this news.” He waited and everyone but Geo had a seat around him. “I don’t know the way back.”

“What?” Roe spluttered.

“I sense my mate like a second heartbeat and led you straight to her due to that alone. But wayfinding in the Void is impossible to all but the Vess,” he explained, putting his palms up inapology. “If we try to go back without assistance, we will only become hopelessly lost.”

Ben scowled. “What the fuck, Big P?”

“If Auric knows what’s good for him, he’ll rescue us!” This, Phaeron shouted up at the Void’s sky. “He owes us for sending Cress here in the first place.”

I looked at him in astonishment. “You came after me without any guarantee you’d return?”

“To clarify, Ben, Geo, and I did.” He slanted a look in my three friends’ direction.

“No.” Ben held up a finger. “To clarify his clarification, I didnotknow that was what I was signing up for.”

Geo cracked a smile in his stone form. “I would do it again,” he rumbled.

I propped my chin on my fist, shivering head to toe. “I love you all so much,” I said. Ben snagged me to pull into his lap to share more body heat.

Wren rolled her eyes, warming her own fingers by rubbing her hands together. “Pleasestop there before you start kissing.”

Áine and Roe exchanged a glance. “I’d do it again too. That fight was fucking awesome, and it was even cooler that you all saved so many souls,” the faun said, with Roe nodding emphatically in agreement.

Some of the good cheer faded from Phaeron’s face. He ran his thumb over the cracked dragon scale he still held. The rest of us kept talking as a distraction, teeth all starting to chatter as the Void’s chill really sank in.

By the time Auric showed up, I was wondering if I’d perish here from cold. “SoIoweyouhmm?” he grumbled. He and Phaeron snipped at each other in Soiluirian, before the Vess opened a new rip in reality that radiated much-needed heat. I was the first to jump through.

43

CRESS

It took us a week to convince the governing supernatural councils and covens of the world that Myuna was, in fact, dead and that Wren’s video wasn’t heavily doctored footage. But eventually, we were released from Cerris City and allowed to go back to normal life.

Whatever “normal” was.

A day after our return to New Salem, I was in a familiar office in the center of a semi-circle of five chairs facing the cupid woman behind the sandy wood desk. The other chairs were filled by my men and my sister. Dr. Aurina was flawless as ever, resplendent in a green dress that offset the candy pink of her flowing hair and the gleam of her rose gold wings.

“Rowena Ashbough sent me to represent A Little Wicked Coven in her place. She’s in the Crystal Court right now, recovering with her family,” I said as soon as small talk faded.

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