Page 63 of Legacy of the Heirs
Elisara approached and bent to examine the polished stone; it had once been nothing but a part of the tallest mountain on Ithyion. The piece around her neck warmed, humming in recognition of its counterpart, and her fingers tingled again as she reached for it. Lightning struck as she touched the ice. She quickly withdrew her hand and cradled it against her chest. It had been a precisestrike that was intent on hitting her rather than the tower.
“Ouch!” She jumped back and shook her hand. When she glanced down, a small circular burn lay atop her skin. Vlad reached for her and examined it before retrieving a small vial of healing potion from the stalactites of Vala.
“I don’t think it likes you, either,”Kazaar retorted, frowning at the mark on her hand.
“Third time’s the charm?” asked Vlad, approaching the pillar. He looked at Elisara for permission. She nodded and watched as Vlad cautiously grazed the ice with his hand and reached into the jagged opening. Elisara held her breath as his hands clasped the talisman, and finally released it when he withdrew his hand, unharmed. He held his hand out for Elisara, who examined the cracked stone but dared not risk being struck again. Reaching for the leather pouch at her side, she opened it for Vlad, who dropped it in. She tied it shut.
“I’m offended that it liked Vlad,”Kazaar said, and though she wanted to laugh, she focused only on why it had not allowed Kazaar to approach it or allowed its queen to take it with her bare hands. It was just one of many questions she hoped she could get answers to if the plan worked and brought Elisara before Goddess Vala.
“We should get back to the edge of the lake. We should not risk crossing when the sun sets,” said Vlad, striding towards an open pathway. “And we may need some time to determine how to get across with thatthingstill in the water.”
Elisara reached for his arm, stopping him.
“What if we get trapped in the maze again? Would it be better to wait here overnight and attempt the maze at first light?” she asked. Her mind strayed to the image of her family again, reminded of their fake, cruel words.
“Was your path really that difficult?” Vlad asked, frowning between her and Kazaar. They shared a look and nodded. “Mine was simple and led me straight here. I only took two turns.” Vladbegan walking through the pathway with Elisara close on his heels, turning over the many questions in her mind. Why had the maze allowed Vlad to reach and touch the talisman but not Elisara, the heir of Vala?
Vlad was right to be confused by the pair’s arduous journeys through the maze. It took the group barely half an hour—and three simple pathways—until they stood overlooking the lake, with the sun sinking in the horizon.
Elisara knew the two men spotted it at the same time she had. An arm stuck out from the reformed lake, frozen in place with a pale blue sleeve still attached. Arrows scattered across the frozen surface. Had the creature tried to resurface? They stood, watching and waiting for any sounds from the lake, but there was nothing but the sway of trees and nearby birds.
“It could still be weak in points; the ice may have only reformed recently,” Vlad said, and she nodded.
“I can summon my power to strengthen it, but it was resistant before.”
“Perhaps that was a part of whatever defences guarded the talisman,” Kazaar suggested. “Now that you have it, maybe the defences are lowered.” He nodded encouragingly, and Elisara stepped forward, the tips of her boots meeting the edge between the frosty grass and the lake. As Elisara reached for her power, her fingers twitched at her side, where the other half of the talisman sat within the pouch. Frowning, she moved her hands in front of her before pushing them apart in a large sweeping motion across the lake. Elisara felt the power and was certain she saw a change in the ice's shade that indicated it thickening.
“Only one way to be certain,” Elisara murmured, peering at Vlad and Kazaar. They stepped onto the ice and paused, waiting for any sign of the beast’s presence.
“Vlad, take the lead. I will guard behind,” Kazaar commanded. Vlad moved instantly and began a quiet and steady walk across the ice, with Elisara following suit, often pausing to monitor formovement. Elisara glanced over her shoulder at Kazaar, his eyes on her.
Despite making it halfway across the lake in a quicker time than before, Elisara’s heart pounded, her teeth still on edge.
“It’s thinner here,” Vlad called, “It must have been where you had to jump over the cracks. Be careful.” He was right. As Elisara approached, she felt the difference in the ice as she apprehensively trod across it. She paused to reach for her power again to thicken the ice, but the surface froze too slowly, she realised, as bubbles appeared under the surface.Bubbles.Elisara had no moment to ponder as a large-toothed mouth rushed to the surface and broke through the ice, throwing her into the air. Elisara felt her and Kazaar’s power merge as they each tried to stabilise her fall, but their combined powers only confused their intentions. Instead of creating a slow cradle to guide her from the crack in the lake, she slipped right through the air pocket and plunged into the icy waters of the Vellius Sea.
Elisara screamed into the waters as the shock of the cold hit her, attempting to numb her muscles into paralysis. Her limbs were heavy as she tried to kick upward towards Vlad’s hand, plunging through the hole the beast had created. Her fingers inched closer, reflected in the final stream of sunlight filtering through the hole, yet her legs slowed, every movement delayed by the weight of her clothes.
“I’m coming, angel.”Kazaar’s voice rang through her mind as fire skated across the ice above, melting it and illuminating the dark waters. She waded towards it but could not move quick enough as a deep blue scaled tail appeared through the darkness and lashed out. Elisara took a hard blow to her stomach, knocking out what little air she had left. She plunged deeper into the waters, and Kazaar’s panicked flames appeared to consume the entire lake. The thud of his boots crunched overhead as he ran, as though sensing exactly where she was. Elisara could not focus on his calls or the chipping of his dagger against the melting ice. She could only stareat the approaching creature. It did not rush at an intent speed as it had in their first encounter—no, it stalked its prey, playing and goading Elisara as its long body twisted side to side. Elisara froze, her body trapped by fear as she stared wide-eyed at the advancing beast.
She had seen nothing like it before; even the dark-winged creatures were no threat to this. It was at least five times their size. Four taloned legs pushed through the water as a long, scaled tail propelled it forward, working in tandem with its body. Its neck was nearly as long, and it blew bubbles furiously from its large snout and nostrils. Elisara stared into its deep purple irises as it blinked rapidly. A silver glow circled them then, as the light from above highlighted the deep scars covering its face. Elisara blinked, and darkness crept into the edges of her vision as the pain deepened in her chest. Reaching for her power, Elisara tried to freeze a wall between her and the beast.
The creature slowed, and its lower half sank deeper into the waters as if standing on its hind legs. The beast tilted his head, watching the glow in Elisara’s eyes as though something about her power triggered a memory. The creature let out a warbled cry, different from its earlier roars of anger. Elisara frowned. It was like the creature was showing her something as it stretched its legs. Her eyes tugged on the metal chain around its scarred stomach before a rush of water caught her attention as someone jumped in. The creature startled and spun to the side to gauge its threat. Elisara’s eyes widened as she noticed the chains wrapped around its body, confining a set of great, turquoise, iridescent wings.
Elisara felt the familiar warmth of Kazaar’s arm wrap around her body. As she laid her palm on his, trying to hold on as the fight in her body left her, tendrils of light exploded from them, the shadows nowhere to be seen. Their light blazed through the waters and reached towards the beast. Fear sparked in its eyes as the creature backed away and swam towards Nerida’s border.
Kazaar kicked and pushed them to the surface. She was unsure ifthere was something else in the lake or if she was simply hallucinating from lack of oxygen, but Elisara could have sworn she glimpsed a whirlpool of water in the distance, bathed in a soft glow before the beast reached it and appeared to vanish into darkness again.
Elisara sputtered as they broke the surface, choking on water as Kazaar dragged her onto her back. With a flourish of his hand, the ice thickened and froze hard underneath her. His power worked as normal despite their former attempts. Had the creature affected their power?
“Elisara, look at me,” Kazaar demanded, gripping her cheeks. “Look at me.” Elisara’s breathing eased as his power radiated through her, drying and banishing the chill from her bones. Tears welled as she looked at his face and the worry etched on his features. Dark and light tendrils overtook the amber in his eyes as he held Elisara’s face, assessing her. “Please say something,” he murmured, stroking a thumb over her cheekbone. His eyes faded to normal as she felt her body dry completely.
“I’m okay,” she breathed, and she was telling the truth. No near-death experience, terrifying creature, or threat of darkness could ever stop her from being okay, so long as she had Kazaar.
Chapter Thirty-Six
Sadira
All hopes of ever being on the same side as her sister rode away into the flower fields of Albyn as Soren took off at a gallop towards Antor. The group had wasted no time returning to the mainland. The journey by ship had taken a mere few hours, a benefit of the short crossing between Albyn and the Island. Sadira spent most of the excursion rubbing Caellum’s back. He was not made for the ocean. Yet her focus regularly strayed to watching Soren pace the ship with her wolves, and her constant glances at the pouch at Caellum’s side did not go unnoticed. The sisters ignored one another for the entire journey. Something had changed since retrieving the talisman, like fate had cemented itself for the sisters and set them on different paths. Sadira made her loyalty to Caellum clear by ensuring he took the talisman.
