Reaching out to me she ran a single finger along the new swirling ink of my devotion to her, branded by the darkness itself. I knew she could see my moods shifting like the damned sea winds around us and I could see the worry slowly bleed into her emerald eyes. My gripped tightened when her vulnerable voice whispered back.
"I know shifter and if I could stay in your arms like this forever I would, but no worlds were ever saved by being held in a lover’s embrace."
Softening, I leaned forward and kissed her forehead, whispering against her skin. "But theyhavebeen saved by love, little umbra. If I cannot have you in my arms, then I shall hold onto that instead until you find your way back to where you belong."And I did too…I held that thought back, because I was not ready to admit that perhaps I was slowly losing myself to the price of being a soul wraith.
Lowering her, I let go and something visceral in me responded, not liking the sudden distance created by the loss of her in my arms. Instinct telling me to pull her back in, to take her and run from this place, and let this world devour itself instead of saving it.
But The Well had other plans because the moment her feet brushed the smooth polished stone, it suddenly sucked inwardand the realm was still. My head jerked up, there was no sound, no rustling of air, no rumbling of thunder, no swirling of stormy clouds above, no breath, no heartbeats.
Then like a great geyser, the ocean burst from the deep depths and shot straight up into the sky between the spiraling steps, and beyond the clouds—its final destination.
I growled, holding Riella close on my shoulders.
"Look!" Riella cried, pointing towards Lir's ship rising quickly with the new flood of water, its crest growing higher and higher tilting the entire ship bow over stern.
Roaring, the great sea king jumped forth, his shovel turning to a glittering trident as he braced to command the tidal wave that threatened to destroy the only remaining physical thing he truly loved.
"Lir!" Remnant shouted out to him, as the wave began to descend.
His silver eyes flashed at her and his voice boomed. "Haud yer wheesht lass! I will be seeing ye again. No seas ever got the best o' mi."
I chuckled. The fucker was mad. My kind of water fae.
Roaring with laughter, he drove his trident down upon the metal deck and right before the great wave smashed his ship into nothing but scrap metal he was gone in sparkling silver dust.
The waves crashed downwards, destroying the powder that marked where Lir had once been, leaving only his deep crazed laughter on the winds and a soft mist.
I shook my head, my brows raised, "We do realize that that crazy fucker still has my body and our pack right?" I commented dryly, my hand squeezing our daughter's legs gently in my wryness.
Remnant blinked slowly up at my daughter who had inhaled sharply before laughter escaped them both.
It was a beautiful sound, one that I allowed to wash away the hungry darkness, then mockingly grumbled, "I fail to see how that is funny."
When Zaki appeared, hissing with Riella’s lethal bás fang spear clattering towards me, I cursed jumping back from the soul ending spear, hearing Remnant laugh harder. Had we all fucking lost out minds? "Fucking goddess," I snarled dodging it deftly within the narrowed space upon the step and stomping on itbefore it slid into The Well’s ocean. "Watch where you throw that thing, Zaki!"
"Oh thank you Zaki!" Riella cried out, scrambling down from my shoulder, causing me to grunt when her tiny knee slammed into the side of my neck. "You are the bestest friend evers," she cooed. Her face nuzzling into the soft black fur of the rabbit’s body, its beady red eyes staring over her shoulder at us smugly.
"Bastard," I growled, stooping to sweep up Riella's spear and then paused, the hairs on the back of my neck standing on end.
Our daughter felt it too, and she turned with her eyes wide on Remnant. "Maedere?"
My lips thinned at the way her heart raced, my claws extending while I searched the area around us for the threat.
Dropping to her knee, Remnant studied our cub’s sudden pale complexion. "What is it, little chickadee? Is it your father? He doesn't mean it, he likes Zaki."
I snorted,likewas a strong word to use.
The spirit guide hissed at me from his regular perch, but Riella shook her head quickly, her tiny body trembling. "No," she whispered. "I hear…I hear them. They scream."
"Who—-" Remnant managed to get out before the rest of her words trailed off when the water rushing upwards stopped.
Instinctively, I shifted in front of my soulmate and cub, snarling right before sheer blinding rays of light exploded between the spiral steps.
“Remnant?”I shot back to her, watching the light through slitted eyes.
“It screams,”she breathed painfully,“Thousands upon thousands of voices—they are crying, screaming, roaring inside that light. I think…Riella must hear them too.”
“Fuck.”I spat. What new goddess damn Sheol of a cunt had we stepped into now?
