Page 114 of Queen of Thorns
Nothing.
My breathing is labored as we stand there, waiting for something to happen. Are they even still here? Did we miss our chance?
“We’re going to do this,” Rev whispers, echoing my own thoughts. “We’re going to kill them.”
“Together.”
He nods, eyes blazing.
Another quiet moment passes. I’d like to be able to appreciate it, our last moment of peace, but I can’t. My anticipation is too strong.
“Are you afraid, my monster?” I say loudly to the quiet waters.
Rev quirks a brow. I shrug.
The ground rumbles with his sadistic laughter. The breath freezes in my lungs. Rev squeezes my hand tightly.
A shadow forms over the surface of the lake like a massive void. A black hole, ready to consume everything.
“Have you come to die, my pet? I did tell you I wouldn’t oblige, didn’t I?”
“We’re not here to die,” I tell him. “We’re here to end you. For good.”
The Night Bringer pauses. The massive void pulses with breath, but I can see no relatable characteristic. He has no eyes. No mouth. Not even any arms, though I know he has appendages. I’ve seen his claws. I’ve felt them through my body.
“How do you intend to achieve that?” the Night Bringer asks, his voice unsure for the first time since I’ve known him.
“Like this.” The voice is quieter than I expected, but his first blow is not. Blinding white like slams into the black void.
The world seems to explode with them. A wave crashes against the bank, smashing the dirt into bits, sending Rev and me flying. Sharp pain flashes over my limbs as I land on gravel. I sit up to find Rev ten feet away. He rubs his head and stares out at the ancient powers battling only a few hundred feet away.
The Ancient King takes the form of a fae with white glowing skin, and he wrestles with the black void. Blinding white light and pure unending darkness.
The ground continues shaking with each hit and twist and roar.
This is it, I think.This is the moment my nightmare dies for good.
Another form rises from the dark waters. The female with pink skin leaps at the Light King, baring sharp fangs and claws. Her eyes still glow, but this time bright yellow. She slams the Light Ancient into the waters, sending a tsunami our way.
“Caelynn!” Rev screams as the hundred-foot wave careens our way.
I cover my head just as Rev wraps his arms around me. The water barrels down at us. With a cry I send out my magic, covering us with shadow. Rev does the same with his light, and just as the water crashes down on us, we are surrounded by an orb of light and shadow.
The world is gone entirely. There is only me, Rev, and our magic weaving together to protect us. I almost don’t want to release it. I want to live in this orb, where Rev and I can be free and together in true peace.
But these moments never last nearly long enough. It’s only a flash of peace in the chaos. My power is too weak, and it slips from my grasp before I’m ready. Rev and I cling to each other as we fall into cold water.
The water is deep, even here where there was just solid ground beneath us. Tree tops stick out from the settling waters that cover the land for miles. We tread water near the closest cluster of trees.
“What do we do?” Rev asks. The ancients are farther out now, their clashing shakes the waters and the trees, making it hard to hear anything else.
A fourth form appears in the fray. A massive, monstrous tree, with a dozen red eyes in a circle. The Night Terror. The tree’s limbs are sharp as blades, and they swipe toward the King of Light. He roars in his rage, sending blasts of his blinding light at all three of his foes.
“Can he beat all three?” I ask the spell book.
“I don’t know.”
My stomach sinks.
