Page 19 of Risen
“I’m saying we’ve been carrying too much fear.For each other.For the court.For what comes next.I want to burn that out before we go to war.”
His words sank into me slowly, like the warmth of a fire when you were chilled to the bone.For a moment, I couldn’t speak.The only sound was the faint ripple of water against stone.
“What do I have to do?”I asked finally.
I felt him move, heard the soft sounds of the water as he stepped into the pool.“Come in.Keep our bond and our love for one another in your mind.”
It was a simple thing to summon up the warm feelings that came whenever I thought of my bond to Sadavir.I followed, the cold water biting instantly at my skin.The water deepened fast, climbing my calves until it reached my knees.It wasn’t just water—it was heavy with power, pressing against me like a living thing.My breath shortened as the current shifted, curling around my legs in a deliberate spiral.
Sadavir held my hands.His fingers were warm despite the water’s chill, his grip steady.“Close your eyes.”
He continued to speak aloud, his voice low and reverent.“You’ve helped me carry my fear, my anger, my grief, my joy, my love… you gave me back my life.Tonight, we let go of the weight.Give me all that you carry, so I might give it to the water.”
The words unlocked something I didn’t realize was still caged inside me.I remembered the feelings, a flood of emotions as I recalled Josh and Sadavir when I’d first met them in Acacia’s court, forced to be quiet, small, but still defiant, and willing to cling to me like I was the their only hope.I recalled how it felt, seeing them both grow more confident and at ease amidst the rebel court.And I recalled how their energies and emotions felt to me now whenever I was in their presence… Josh was a shadow bleeding sadness and despair.Sadavir was trying too hard to be strong, when he felt helpless and lost.
And… I remembered the way Robin had sounded the night she’d decided to follow Acacia’s terms—bitter resignation and icy determination.The way I could feel her aura darkening with every passing day, losing the battle with the wounded beast inside her.The way the entire rebel court—and everyone I loved—seemed to be dancing on the edge of some ultimate loss, while I scrambled for anything I could do to save them.
The current tightened, swirling around my legs as if it would draw me deeper.The water was cold but threaded with heat where Sadavir’s magic touched mine, pulsing in rhythm with his heartbeat.It felt as if it wanted to pull my memories from me, steal them away as it rushed past my skin.
“Let it go,” Sadavir whispered.
Reluctantly, breath hitching, I did.
It came like a flood—magic older than the stones around us, sliding over my skin and through my bones.It probed without malice, mapping every break, every scar.My own magic rose to meet it, wary at first, then locking into the steady, reassuring presence it offered.
And in that joining, other memories surfaced, some I hadn’t even known I possessed—unbidden, sharp but bracing.Moments that had made me who I was.My birth mother’s voice when I was small.The taste of blood and iron the first time someone in the cult struck me for asking too many questions.The moment I realized that my whole life up until the rebel court had been a lie.Sanaka’s solid, unwavering protection and affection when I knew nothing of the world, Martina quietly guarding my free will, Yuki feeding me like it was his mission to make me forget I’d ever been starving, Dusek’s caution, Robin’s utter faith in an inner strength I didn’t even know I possessed.Cicely, and Sadavir, and Josh putting their trust in me, tying their lives to mine without a single moment’s hesitation.
The power in me, even now still undeveloped, strong and wise and just waiting for me to step into the beauty of who I was.
Something shifted.I opened my eyes, but of course I couldn’t see anything but darkness and soft, blurry lights.Cicely gently nudged my mind, sending me an image of the carved serpents, their eyes glowing gold, the moon-shapes pulsing with the beat of my heart.
The air around me changed.I heard Sadavir let out a long breath, and realized his hands were squeezing mine so hard it felt as though we might fuse together—no doubt taking his own journey through what made him who he was.
A voice echoed through my mind, and it wasn’t Cicely’s.There was a sense of awe in me, as if I was hearing the voice of something so ancient it was beyond comprehension.You bring her here, child of earth,she said, her voice like the echo of water in stone.
“I do,” Sadavir answered, clearly hearing the voice in his own head as well.
You are not of the naga,the ancient voice said in my head.But you have the fierce heart of their creator.You will protect and treasure this man you claim.
I swallowed, feeling the weight of the request.“I will do my best.”The words felt inadequate, silly.But I was suddenly so afraid that I wasn’t enough to live up to the responsibility in the face of this ancient presence.
She paused, as if hearing something I couldn’t.Then she nodded once.The temple accepts you.You are one of us, child of life and death, and now you are naga as well.Do not waste the gift.
Then she was gone, her presence fading from my mind in soft ripples as the cave around us slowly became nothing more than a cave once more.
A sense of fierce certainty and pride flowed through the bond from Sadavir.“It is done.”
When we stepped out of the pool, my skin tingled as though every nerve had been rewired.The air tasted cleaner.The weight I had carried between my ribs for months wasn’t gone, but it had shifted—no longer pressing one me, restricting my ability to breathe.I felt… reborn.And all of my senses seemed stronger, sharper, as if I had beenexpanded.
I probably couldn’t explain it to anyone if I tried, but I knew, somehow, that I was connected to the naga now, bolstered, propped up by their honor and strength.I had no idea how it worked, or what the effects would be, but I felt more… alive.And I knew with every fiber of my being that it was a gift to be treasured, rather than an unknown to be feared.My magic felt altered within me.Bigger somehow.I felt more capable to take on every challenge that was waiting for me.
That wasamazing,Cicely said through his mind speak.I don’t know what just happened but I felt… a presence in the cave with us.I’ve never witnessed anything like it in my life.
Sadavir huffed a soft laugh.“Manasa.”
When neither Cicely or myself seemed to recognize the name, Sadavir sighed.“I will teach you.Or—Josh.He was always fascinated with the various pantheons and deities.”
Cicely hummed appreciatively and his mental voice was full of happy curiosity.I’d love that.And maybe your beta will be more likely to accept me if we have a common interest.
