Page 35 of Bound By Stardust
I could not say where it had come from. I wasn't a warrior, and I had no magic. I was simply a mortal, a Stardust Collector with a skill for healing, and fae blood running through my veins.
An overwhelming peace came over me, as though I was exactly where I needed to be, and fear could not reach me. A victorious shout came as the demons surrounded me and a wave of something beyond me, a power not quite my own, filled my body.
I lifted my bloody hands as the demons reached me, howling as they surged around me, ready to rip me to shreds. I smelled their anger, their desperation for revenge, and worst of all, their evilness.
They came for blood, they came to kill, steal, and destroy. Worst of all, they enjoyed it.
26
Drazhan
Acure for stardust. The words rang in my mind as we fled, although Asira quickly fell behind. We were almost to another entrance to the tunnels when she stopped and faced them. Even I knew how difficult they were to kill, and the knife I’d given her would only slow them down, not stop them.
I spun around, drawing my sword as they surrounded her. “Asira!” I screamed, my heart squeezing.
The crowd of demons roared with glee as they surrounded her, counting on an easy kill. Closing my eyes, I summoned my magic. A burst of speed and power came over me as I dived into the fray. Tearing and ripping, I stabbed my way toward her.
“Asira!”
They would not take her too.
Demons went flying, and then a boom of thunder smote the air. Something heavy fell on my shoulders, and I went down, squirming as I tried to free myself.
Another boom came, followed by howls of pain and fear. The demons were frightened.
As I crawled out from under the heavy object, silence met my ears. Gingerly, I stood, and my knife slipped from my fingers as I stared.
All around me were stone statues of demons.
My jaw dropped.
The demons had turned to stone, and in the distance, those who escaped were running, not toward the palace, but away, deeper into the floating islands.
I touched one of the statues, still warm but heavy, solid stone.
“Asira?” I called, straining to find her in the garden of stone demons.
“I’m here,” came her voice, tinged with awe.
I spun around, and there she was, her side wet with blood but a light shining in her eyes. One lip curled back, she lifted her hands. “The secret of the fae was the blood. All they had to do was lay their hands on the Masters, and they turned them to stone.”
The words from the scroll drifted back to my mind. The answer had been in front of us the entire time, and Asira had finally unlocked it, saving Terrin and the chosen ones.
She wavered, and I dashed to her side, holding her as she slumped against me. “You did it,” I whispered.
Her lips curved up in a half smile. “Wedid it.”
27
Asira
The next three days passed in a blur. Drazhan and I worked together to free the chosen ones, help restore them to full health, and then send them back to the ground on golden chariots. I convinced Drazhan he should be the one to announce the change to the people of Terrin.
Once again, the people gathered, just like they did on the day of the tithe, and Drazhan announced that the Masters had fled, leaving Terrin in the hands of the people. He even went so far as to dismantle the knights and tell the people to build a democracy.
They were stunned, and I imagined it would be a while before they figured out what to do. Part of me felt I needed to stay to help guide the people of Terrin through the change. The other part of me was anxious, fearing I’d be forced to return to my job as a healer now that my adventure was over.
I hadn’t had an opportunity to catch Drazhan alone, but now, I wandered through the palace gardens to where Drazhan stood near the edge of the floating island, watching the last of the winged horses fly away.
