Page 65 of Absolved In Death

DIANA

As I dove for my fathers, I saw Michael’s body curled up on the ground. He wasn’t moving or responding to my mindlinks, but there was no blood around him. When I landed on the ground, I shifted to my real form immediately. Michael was breathing, but that did little to ease my mind.

MICHAEL! DAD!I shouted down our mindlink, beseeching the universe for him to answer me. My anxiety, fear, and rage magnified my magic, fueling it at an alarming rate.

Diana, don’t worry about me—find Red’s base. Track him,Michael whispered, his voice barely audible. Thank fuck he was well enough to give me that. But how did I use my magic to track him?

Judas, Michael is down. Please get him to a healer, stat.I trusted him enough to take care of my father in my absence.

Zaz, Michael told me to track Red to find his base, but I don’t know how. Help me!I was not letting Red hurt my fathers, and we weren’t going to miss this chance to find his army.

Red’s hand lit on fire, but I ripped his cloak off him as a distraction to buy myself some time. What I revealed was hideous to say the least. He looked even worse than the last time I saw him, as if he was being drained of life. His matching red uniform seemed a size too big, and I wondered how he could deteriorate so badly. Maybe he was dying…

Hopefully I'll get to finish the job today and end this shit show.

I felt Zaz land behind me through our soulbond before he mindlinked me.

Diana, take my hand and Red’s. You’re going to use my power to get a vision from him and find where his base is. Then you’re going to fade there.

That isn’t a huge ask, or anything. No pressure here.

I felt my magic teeming under my skin, trying to burst through to escape. Sometimes my magic acted on its own, and this seemed like one of those times to let it lose. I grabbed Red’s hand, then opened my mind and soul, unleashing the magical force inside me.

It hit like a tsunami, drowning everything in its path. Red light shot from where our skin touched, and a vision hit me instantly.

A sky with no sun, despite the light. There are no trees or grass, just dirt and wooden houses, with tents surrounding them. Soldiers train in camps to the right of the living quarters. Everything was plain and easily moveable. No icons or landscapes I could place.

I had never seen a place like that before. I tapped into my mindlinks with Ares and Zaz.Reach out and grab me. Touch me now, before I move!

I opted to leave Lucifer with Michael, not wanting them to be without each other. He had to protect Michael from Red—I’d be fine without him.

When I felt their hands on me, I kept the mental image of what I had seen, and let my body fade to the place in my vision. Fading had never been a great experience for me, even after my magic had improved. Sometimes it made me a little queasy, but this felt different. Like we were freefalling, moving through something more than just distance.

Are you time hopping?Zaz asked me, but it was garbled, as if he was talking under water.

I don’t think so.Time hopping felt as if the world around you was changing. This felt as if we were being pulled downward, then upward. Our bodies changed directions so many times, I couldn't keep track.

Just as I started to regret this decision, my body slammed onto the ground. I heard two thunks after me, and loud shouting. Zaz cast a shield around us, and I stood on shaky feet to see dozens of soldiers surrounding us.

But we were in the place from my vision, so that was a plus.

“That’s Diana Morningstar!” one of them shouted.

“Alert the camp!” another ordered.

Magic bombarded the shield from all sides, absorbing the hits. It held strong for now, but I didn’t want to test it. More soldiers joined in, running toward us from all directions. We didn’t seem to have much time to torch this place to the ground, and the longer we waited, the more company we had.

Expand your shield, and hop on,I linked both of them before morphing back into my dragon form. Thankfully the shield accommodated my larger size, and they acted quickly.

LG, torch them from the air with me. Feathers, gather as much intel with that big brain as you can to take home. Whatever you see, I can project and share,Ares said. His plan was solid, and went further than mine did. I never thought about gathering intel.

Taking off in one…two…three!I counted down. At three, I took flight. When the air was under my wings, I inhaled a deep breath and pushed out line after line of fire.

Nothing was safe from me. I burnt down buildings, tents, soldiers, and anything in my way. Ares’ signature boomerangs took out long distance targets.

This is fucking awesome!Ares screamed.This camp is falling like fucking dominos, LG.

I picked up speed, flying like a fucking bullet through the sky as I laid waste to everything and everyone. The screams and pleading of the soldiers on the ground meant nothing to me. The only thing I thought about was that vision. How I’d do anything to keep my men and family safe, even if it meant creating mass destruction.

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