Lyric
Every part of me felt as if a brick had hit me, or at least as if I had fallen from a tall height, thus bruising every inch of skin I had.
Training for hours on end and then using whatever precious time I had left to battle plan would do that to a person.
“I think my Wielding is going to bed now,” Wyn said from my side.
“Can your Wielding go to sleep?” I asked.
“Maybe, it needs a nap. And a good, hearty meal. And wine. Lots and lots of wine.”
I snorted, shaking my head. “It would be nice to have a night off and have a drink, even though I don’t think I’m old enough to drink yet.” I almost laughed at that last part. To think of human laws when I hadn’t been human for over a year felt odd.
“You’re in the Maison realm. You’re old enough. You’re fighting wars, and the Spirit Priestess is supposed to save us all and all of that lovely prophecy crap. You’re allowed to have a glass of wine.”
“Well, thank you for your permission,” I said, shaking my head. “Although I really just want a nap. Though I feel bad that I’m so tired. Because we need to be training harder.”
“You and I are still learning our new elements, and we’re training so hard that our bodies hurt. We’re allowed to rest. After all, we’re all waiting for the other shoe to drop, and that could happen at any moment.”
“Well, thank you for making me think of the next horror that awaits us, rather than what my bed feels like.”
“You’re just thinking about who’s in that bed with you,” Wyn said with a wink.
I knew I was blushing a deep red, and I tugged my hair out of its short, stubby ponytail. I missed the long waves I once had and the fact that I could braid it or do a hundred different hairstyles. The sword that had cleaved the ends of it hadn’t left me with enough hair to do much with, though it wasn’t as if I knew how to style my hair. However, Easton didn’t seem to mind it this length. I blushed again.
“So, things seem to be going well for the two of you.”
“Perhaps.”
“He’s the king, and you are his Priestess. I’m pretty sure the two of you are having enough fun at night that it’s another reason you’re so exhausted in the mornings.”
I covered my face with my hands and groaned. “Stop it. Or I’m going to ask why you’re so tired.”
I lowered my hands as Wyn just blushed and looked away. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
I had just been fishing, but I grinned. “So, tell me? Why are you so tired?”
“The new Wielding. That’s it.”
“Why don’t I believe you?” I asked.
“You don’t have to believe me. I am sleeping alone. And I probably will for a very long time.”
“So, it has nothing to do with the former Lumière prince who looks at you when you pretend you’re not looking at him?”
Wyn froze and shook her head, her expression falling. I felt horrible and could have rightly kicked myself just then for prying. We liked teasing each other, and Wyn was a good friend, but I had been fishing, and now I felt terrible.
“There is nothing between Rhodes and me. And there will never be. There’s far too much animosity in our past to go forward with anything other than an alliance. Plus, he annoys me to no end.”
“He doesn’t annoy you that much. Not anymore.”
“He is pompous and self-righteous and an asshole most of the time. He thinks he knows what I need to be doing to prove that my Wielding is increasing and improving. So…no, thank you. He’s not mine.”
“Good to know,” Rhodes said from behind her. I looked up, not having realized he, Slavik, and Easton had joined us.
I winced as Easton just shook his head at me and kissed my temple. “Stay out of it,” he whispered, his voice barely above a whisper. I was sure that no one else had been able to hear.
Slavik, however, put his hands on his hips and grinned at Wyn. “Well, if you’re still looking for someone and this prince over here isn’t interested? How about a king?”
He leered, and I knew it was overdone just to make Wyn laugh. Thankfully, she did. She snorted, pushed at Slavik’s shoulder, and moved past Rhodes without saying another word.
“Well, that was fun,” Slavik said, slamming his hand down on Rhodes’ shoulder. Rhodes was big and strong, but Slavik had that Earth Wielding energy that made him slightly bulkier. The fact that Rhodes winced at all told me that Slavik hadn’t held back with the motion.
“Okay, then. Are we ready for our next meeting?” Rhodes said, completely ignoring the rest of us and what had just happened.
I shook my head. “I’m too tired right now. I could use some sleep. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry,” Easton said, looking around. “I honestly think everybody could use a break tonight. We are all fighting with the same goal in mind. Sure, we might not be enough for The Gray at this very moment, but if we don’t find a way to relax and increase morale, it’s not going to be good for any of us.”
I was grateful. I didn’t want to have to try to persuade him in front of the others.
“I bet if we talked to Justise and Ridley, they could help us figure out how to make sure everybody has time to relax.”
Rosamond walked in, Emory by her side, Luken and Braelynn following.
The Seer smiled. “No worries, I know what must be done. Food is already on its way, the same with mead and other accouterments to make people happy. Tonight will be a night of relaxation and morale-boosting.”
“Sometimes being a Seer has its advantages,” Emory said.
“And, sometimes, it’s scary as hell,” I said, giving Rosamond a look.
“You’re right. It isn’t easy to keep up with everything going on, but I saw that we needed time to relax, so I took it upon myself to do what I could. If that was in error, don’t worry, I can take it back.”
“Thank you, Seer,” Easton said. “Thank you for taking care of our people.”
“Always, my king. For as long as I am able.”
And on that cryptic note, they walked away as a group, leaving me and Easton standing with Rhodes and Slavik, all of us seemingly confused as hell.
“Has she always been that spooky?” Slavik asked.
“Since I was a little kid,” Rhodes answered.
“Really?” I asked, intrigued.
“Yep. My sister’s always been a little creepy, a bit different, and she was well into her powers by the time I showed up. However, she was always there for me, even when my mother couldn’t always be because, apparently, my father was trying to kill her.”
“I’m sorry,” I whispered.
“Don’t be. We’ve all been through hell, but we’re here. We’re together. And we’re going to beat The Gray. We beat my family, we won against the Obscurité, who tried to take everything from us. We’ll beat this, too. Because that’s what we do.”
“And on that note, I do believe it’s time to drink, make merry, and maybe find a few Wielders who don’t mind making a little more.” Slavik winked at me, put his arm around Rhodes’ shoulder, and nudged him towards where the others were gathering.
“Well, Slavik is sure a boost for morale,” I said.
Easton gave me a look.
“What?” I asked.
“Slavik sure is something.”
I snorted, and Easton and I moved a few feet towards the group. Suddenly, I heard something behind me. I froze and turned slowly on my heel.
“Did you hear that?” I asked.
“No, but something feels wrong. I miss our wards.”
Easton mumbled that last part, and I wasn’t even sure he realized he’d said it out loud.
“Let’s go see what it is.”
“Every time we go over to see what it is, it’s always someone or something trying to kill us,” Easton said.
“True, but that seems par for the course these days.”
“Do you sense him?” Rosamond asked, and I turned to the Seer. My eyes went wide.
“Where is Emory? Didn’t you just go the other way?”
“I did. They’re making sure the others have their night of peace. But it’s time to face someone that should not be here.”
“You should go back,” I said quickly. “Go get Rhodes.”
“No, I will go with you. Rhodes doesn’t need to see this. Nor does Delphine.”
“What is it, Seer?” Easton asked.
“It is of what should not be. It is of darkness and death.” She paused. “It is a perversion.”
I gasped. Knowing who it probably was. “Eitri.”
The Seer nodded.
“So, when The Gray shadows took him that way, what did it do to him?” Easton asked.
“It is of what should not be,” the Seer repeated.
“Okay, then. We need to go,” I said, my Wielding at the ready. I was exhausted, the training had taken so much out of me, but it didn’t matter. From the way Rosamond was staring into the darkness, I had a feeling it had to be Eitri. And she didn’t want her brother to be forced to see another of their family twisted in this way.
“Do you need to be here, Rosamond?” I asked.
“I do. For one of us needs to be near family. And my brother does not need to bear that burden.”
She started towards the forest, her dark hair flowing around her, the brown of her skin shining in the moonlight.
I swallowed hard and followed her, Easton right beside me.
“I don’t like this,” he growled.
“I don’t like any of this, but Rosamond wouldn’t lead us into danger.”
“I want to believe that. So, I’m going to trust her.”
I knew that trust didn’t come easily when it came to Easton. We had to fight back the fear. We needed to see who was here.
As we made our way through the forest, bile rose up into my throat as I saw what lay in front of us.
Eitri was there, his body gray, large gashes all over his chest and arms as if he had been cut with a sword many times. His eyes were rimmed in red, and drool slid down his face.
As he looked at us, I noticed his neck had an odd angle as he growled.
“This is what happens when dark magic fails. When the Wielding of the shadows enters a body but doesn’t quite leave it. This is what The Gray could be if he had not been strong enough to withstand it.”
I glanced at Rosamond.
“What do you mean?”
“The Gray accidentally put part of himself into this one. Out of anger, out of spite, out of darkness. The Gray uses his Wielding to put on a face of beauty, of what should not be. He hides from me, from the other Seers. So, I cannot see everything. My cousin here is no more, just a shade of what he once was. Of who he once was.”
“What do we do?” Easton asked, Fire Wielding in his palms.
“I will take care of this,” Rosamond said.
“You don’t have to do this.”
“I do. My grandmother lives, my brother lives, as do my friends. At least, some. But the line of our family will fade into dust one day soon if we do not prevail. The shade in front of us is not a true Lumière anymore. He is what The Gray would have been without power,” she repeated.
I froze. “How do we defeat The Gray, Rosamond?”
“You need to find the power within him and strip it so he is no longer a man.”
“How do we do that?” I asked.
“The fates have not let me see. But I’m afraid that there isn’t a way.” Her voice broke at that, and despair filled me, my hands shaking. “There has to be a way. All of this was for nothing if there isn’t.”
The Seer looked at me, her eyes full of clouds and mist. “I know that, Priestess. I’m not the one with the power to defeat him. For I cannot see. Eitri here, though he cannot move, though he cannot speak, has come somehow, to show us what should not be.”
“Who sent him here?” Easton asked.
“The fates,” the Seer whispered. “They show us what we must do, even if it makes no sense.”
“Rosamond,” I whispered.
“We must find a way. For I cannot see it. And I fear if I cannot see it then it cannot be done.”
“We’ll find a way,” Easton whispered to me.
“Of course, we will. We will not lose.”
As I looked at Rosamond, the idea that she had no hope, that a Seer could not see a path to victory, scared me more than anything.
Because I had always trusted Rosamond to help us find our way.
If all she saw was mist and death? The unknown?
Then how would we find our path and know what to fight for?
“Be at peace, Eitri,” Rosamond whispered.
The boy who was once the cousin of two of my dearest friends, the true prince of the Lumière, looked up, his eyes wide. Suddenly, he let out a gasp and was no more.
Because the power within him had not been real, it had not been true. And, somehow, the Seer had used her Air Wielding to pull it from him.
But, as she’d said, he was just a shade of The Gray.
And that was not how we were going to defeat the tyrant.
I looked at Easton, worried now beyond anything I’d felt before.
If we couldn’t find a way to defeat The Gray, we would lose. And we would perish.
And all would be lost.