Even though Lærke went ballistic when Mikkel was being tortured, I feel now how some part of her remained sane. Made of sterner stuff than the roaring energy of her brother, I understand then that some part of Lærke will always remain sane, even under the most horrifying duress.
I feel now, as I stare into her menacing white-green eyes, though I couldn’t feel it before from far away, that she’s far more balanced in her power than Mikkel. It’s because some part of her always was; it makes a difference now, as I feel her consider my words.
Though I can see her deadly green acid boiling in her throat, ready to be ejected to melt me, she doesn’t. I know she’s heard me, because Lærke has insane mind-to-mind abilities.
Slowly, she closes her terrible maw, letting all that acid drip out of the sides of her jaws, sizzling to the stone floor rather than blasting into my flesh. As she lowers her magnificent head, I know I have her.
We lock eyes, predator to predator, and I feel her give in to my dominance. Because I am the scariest creature here, as Lærke suddenly shifts down. Falling to her knees naked before me, she lifts her head.
And pleads with me in a way I never expected, barrenness in her beautiful pale eyes.
“Help him, please. Save us. Because… I can’t.”
It’s then that I know Lærke’s used the very last of her mind wiles onher brother, trying to get him to down-shift. She’s been trying to corral him back from this edge all her life, and she knew a day would come when she couldn’t.
That day is now, as I reach down and help the exhausted Lærke up. Because she’s been battling so hard this entire time to free her brother.
She’s battled her entire life to free him from this black madness.
“Stay behind us. Take a break. I’ve got this,” I tell her gently now as she nods. As Ström receives the exhausted Lærke into his arms, shuddering and shaking so hard from what she’s gone through these past twenty-four hours that she can barely stand, I face off with Mikkel again.
No one steps between us now, as Ström helps Lærke get well back. Bjorn and Baldur stay by my sides, both growling as they begin to blister with melded white-gold light again from their joined powers, but I nod them subtly back, as well.
“Stay behind me,” I tell them, though I don’t break eye contact with Mikkel. “Give me what I need when I need it… but this is my conflict with Mikkel. This is our fight to win or lose right now. Or die trying.”
“We’ve got you,” Bjorn says solidly, as he takes two steps back, knowing I’m right.
“Anything,” Baldur says with just as much courage, as he also steps back beside Bjorn.
Backing me up for this fight.
It leaves me alone now as I face off with the wrathful Mikkel, though I’m truly not. I feel all my drake’s energies surging into me, bolstering me with brightness as I face this true demon of the night. And I need it, as I feel Mikkel’s wrath spike through my veins. He doesn’t like it that my other drakes are backing me up.
Keeping me away from him—when I’m supposed to be his.
“I will not go dark right now, not like you want me to.” I face off with Mikkel in the brief respite we have in the dungeons. I know it will not last, even as I dig deep into my warrior’s training to find the patience I need to face off with his terrible black beast.
A massive battle is probably happening at the gates of the palace now, thanks to Emil’s forces, and it’s distracting more guards from coming. That won’t last, however, as I try to work this as fast as I can to get Mikkel back.
Like a lion trainer facing off with a still-wild big cat.
I feel Mikkel’s snarl thunder all through my bones as he tries to force me back into my blackest state. Because the way he is now, he wants us to revel in that ruinous place together, forever, rather than ever return to his light.
“I know you’ve been hurt.” I slowly raise my hands at my sides, showing him I’m not a threat. “I know you’ve been wronged terribly. I’ve been wronged, too, me and all my drakes. We’re here to help you, if you’d let us. We want to help you come back to that light I see inside you, Mikkel. Such an intense, careening light. If you’d only let it shine like it could be, unhindered.”
Mikkel doesn’t like what I’m saying as he snarls and rakes his massive talons across the bloody stone. He rips the ancient runes all over the floor up like tissue paper now as he flaps his wings in the decimated space of the prison.
Because our bond’s power has mostly renewed Mikkel, now that we’re so close to him in this space. Though my drakes and I are trying not to give him anything through our bond, it’s impossible to contain it completely.
As I feel his darkness surge, ripping at our walls, deep inside.
I hear Ström grunt as Mikkel assaults him first. Mikkel looks for more darkness as Baldur steps in fast to Ström, slapping a palm on his chest and flooding him with light. Next, Mikkel tries his sister, who has a Bone Mage darkness similar to his. But Bjorn is there with Lærke, seizing her in his arms as Baldur helps Ström.
Bjorn pours a furious stalwartness into Lærke’s flesh, along with his molten gold rage. It foists Mikkel’s power off from both Strömand Lærke. As Mikkel roars, furious to his marrow that he’s been prevented from tapping into more darkness like he needs, he sidewinds in fast.
Seizing me in his coils—crushing me to death.
I’m still in human form, and Mikkel has the full power of his drake now as his many wounds heal under his bloody scales and flesh, even the cursed manacle-marks around his scaled ankles and wrists disappearing.
