Danger. Resoluteness. Shock. So much pain. They all smacked into Dalir. The swift impact clouded his mind and made him stagger. It came from Ari. Pure power rose out of him. He shot into a phase stream.
Thane kept up with him. The team leader’s terse commands to the others came through Dalir’s headset. “Weapons hot! Target area!”
Dalir landed midway down the mountain.
Automatic gunfire raked over the incline. Dust and rock pinged upward, followed by silence.
Ari crawled to an opening in the rock.
He phased, catching her as she sank face down on the ground. Dalir turned her over.
She stared up at him eyes wide, breathing hard. Dirt and blood streaked her face and spattered her clothing. A crimson stain spread wider on her side.
“I’ve got you. You’ll be okay.” He called upon his powers to phase her to The Drift where he could heal her. The pulse of energy rebounded back rooting him in place. Something stopped him. Horror engulfed Dalir. He tried again. His powers still failed him with her in his arms, but he could phase without her. He fought against the block, gathering up all of his phase energy. All he felt was life draining from Ari.
She closed her eyes.
“No.” He gripped her shoulders. “I won't lose you like this. You have to fight. Please, I need you.”
West dropped down beside him. Sweat covered his shaved head. “Why haven’t you phased her out of here?”
“I can’t.”
West’s dark gaze snared Dalir’s. “Let me try.” He lifted Ari in his arms. Nothing. West ripped open Ari’s shirt revealing the wound. He slipped off his pack, snatched the medic’s kit out of it, and started working on Ari.
Her arm flopped to the side. Dalir’s dagger fell from her hand and rattled on the stone ground. The memory of Kell taking Taliana’s life rolled in along with him plunging that very dagger into his brother’s chest. Instinctually, he knew whose blood covered the blade now. Not Ari’s but Kell’s.
Despair sunk deep in Dalir. He wanted so badly for West to save her. If Kell inflicted Ari’s injuries with one of his blades, filled with ancient energy, her healing went beyond this dimension.
As West packed the wound, her eyelids opened as if it took all the energy she had left. Her lips moved.
A spark of hope flared inside of Dalir. He gripped her hand and leaned down to hear her.
“Dalir…”
“Yes, Adorada, I’m right here.” He pressed a kiss to her forehead.
Her gaze focused on him, and her lips tipped up in a tremulous smile. “You’re okay. You’re alive.” Coughs shook her and a tinge of bright blood colored her lips.
Anguish constricted in Dalir’s chest. Why? Why did she have to have that vision?
Footsteps thundered up the mountain. As Mace slipped past them to enter the tunnel, he looked down at Ari. Sorrow reflected in his eyes as his expression turned grim.
Thane’s orders to set up a perimeter came through the headset. Then, he stood over them. “You need to phase her out of here. Now. We picked up a radio transmission. More RPA’s are humping through the woods. We’re in for a fight.” Thane glanced at West who shook his head. Thane’s expression sobered.
Ari clutched Dalir’s arm, panic in her eyes. “You have to stay safe.” She struggled to catch a breath. “Promise me. Please, Dalir, promise.”
Thane motioned for West to leave. Then he stepped away and issued more orders to the team.
Dalir’s throat closed up as he gathered her close. He’d say anything to keep her calm. Give even more if he could save her. “Yes, I’ll stay safe.”
“What does Adorada mean?”
His heart pounded with a heaviness that threatened to break him apart. His tears spilled onto her face. “Beloved.”
She smiled as she closed her eyes. “I like that.” Her soft exhale warmed his cheek, dried his tears. She grew still.
He kissed her forehead. No. Please, my beloved. Take another breath.
Thane stood over him. “Kell’s dead in the back of the cave. RPA is almost here. What do you want to do?”
“Go. Leave me here.”
Thane squeezed his shoulder, then quick phased out of the cave.
With Ari in his arms, Dalir stumbled through the tunnel. It widened into a chamber.
Kell lie on the floor. His gaze remained fixed on the ceiling. The dagger with the sun in its hilt still lie in his hand. Even in death, his brother seemed to mock him, as if pleased in his triumph of making good on his word. Once again, Kell had succeeded in taking away all that was meaningful.
A wash of grief drove Dalir to the ground. Ari so beautiful, happy and loving. She was really gone.
Ancient energy swarmed around him.
Uncaring of who appeared or the outcome, he didn’t call up his swords.
“As much as your heart aches, you cannot rest.” Jalan materialized. Her dark hair and pale tunic fluttered around her as she drifted toward him.
Anger dawned with realization. Power rose inside of him. “You caused this. You sent Taliana to torment Ari with those visions. You knew she couldn’t defeat Kell. Why did you stop me from phasing her out of here? Why would you lead her here to die?”
“It was her destiny.”
“Torment wasn’t her destiny.” Rage swelled. Dust fell as the wooden beams in the cave shook. “She was an innocent. She had nothing to do with it. This was between me and Kell. You had no right.”
“I serve what is right.” Jalan’s violet gaze bore into him. Energy flowed through the cave, muting his. “As I warned you before, warrior. What destiny has set into motion can’t be changed. It is fate.”
“She wasn’t fated to die. There were other choices.” And Ari would have made them if he’d stayed away from her.
“And you believe you’re the one who decides what those choices are?” Irritation sparked in her gaze. “Your pride is the reason why you must go home to Alandia and answer for all that has occurred.”
Home? He’d never call anyplace by that name again. It didn’t exist without Ari. “Why waste the council’s time. It’s over. I don’t deny that I am responsible. Let me serve out my exile in peace.”
Jalan swept her hand over Kell. His brother’s body disappeared. “I am sick of arguments and have no time for yours.” A blue orb formed in her hand. She flung it out and it formed a time portal.
A squad of Alandian warriors marched out of it. They surrounded them, then stood at attention.
Dalir stood cradling Ari. She weighed almost nothing, but she’d been stronger than him in so many ways beyond the physical. She’d found the strength to endure her childhood, forgiven those who’d hurt her and still had a heart big enough to love him. “I won’t leave her.”
“Give Ari to me. I will watch over her. Know that she was prepared for her journey. She will find peace.”
He brushed the hair from Ari’s forehead, stroked her cheek. No matter how Jalan judged him, she would keep her word.
As he laid Ari in Jalan’s outstretched arms, gunfire echoed from outside the cave. “And the others, you will honor my promises to them?”
“They will understand what is required. And yes, whatever you have promised them, I will honor.” She turned her back on him. The warriors made a space and let her pass. “Your time is done here, Dalir. You have nothing left to offer.” Jalan disappeared with Ari.
Jalan was right. He was done with fate, destiny, and all of the pain that came with their influence. It didn’t matter what punishment awaited him in Alandia.
The light-haired captain of the squad approached. “Commander. It’s time to go.”
Dalir gathered power from the broken places inside of him and phased.