The crack of Davon’s wing was lost in the answering howl of pain.
“My gods,” I whispered.
“Yeah,” Saion breathed. “You haven’t seen a really pissed-off Primal, have you?”
Eather erupted from Ash. Blinding streaks lit up the sky, slamming into Davon. The draken tumbled as eather raced through his scaled body.
“It ain’t pretty,” Saion finished.
Davon hit the courtyard on his forelegs and pushed up again with a roar, still crackling with eather. He flew back up, even with a broken wing.
No, it was not pretty.
Telling myself that Ash would be okay, I turned to the pikes. I needed to focus. I had a job to do. I started forward, unsheathing the dagger.
“What are you doing?”
“Help me.” I hurried to Aios. I hated choosing, picking one life over another, but she was the closest, and she still…she still had her head. I didn’t know what I could do for those who didn’t. I didn’t understand how the embers worked to reattach limbs and parts, but Aios…I could help her and then try with the rest. “Help me get her down.”
“Fuck, Sera. You’re sure about this? It’ll be felt. You’llAscend Aios, just like you did with Bele.” Saion followed. “It will make things worse—”
“Worse?” I laughed, and the sound broke off. “Worse than this? Really?”
“It can always get worse.”
Like it had for Aios, who had already experienced far more horror than anyone should ever have to live through.
“The risks,” Saion began.
“I know what the risks are, but it won’t matter.” It wouldn’t. Because as soon as we had the chance, Ash would take the embers from me. There would be no more waiting. No plans made to figure out what to do with whatever time I had left. He had to because, after this, he’d have to Ascend.
And he’d need to stop Kolis.
“They will not die today,” I said. Ignoring the blood-stained edges of Aios’s gown, I bent and cut through the ropes around her ankles as the sky overhead lit with silver flames. I tensed and then relaxed as Davon let out another pained screech.
I rose, freeing the wrists tied at Aios’s back. Her skin…it was cold, clammy but not stiff. “Help me get her down,” I said again before cutting the rope around her waist. I met Saion’s stare. “As your Consort, Idemandit.”
Saion briefly closed his eyes, then nodded. He came to my side, folding his arms around Aios. “I’ve got her.” His gaze met mine. “You’re going to want to get your hand behind her head as quickly as possible or…”
Clamping my mouth shut, I nodded. I knew what could happen. “On the count of three,” I said. “One, two, three.” I cut through the rope and then moved, bracing the sides of her too-loose head as Saion took her weight. “Lay her down. Not in the blood.” I looked for a nearby place free of gore. And looked…
“No place is clean.” Saion began to lower her. “This will have to do.”
Blinking back tears as Ash’s lightning arced across the sky, catching Davon once more, I dropped to my knees and placed the dagger down as I tapped into the embers, willing them to respond. They throbbed and surged, the essence flooding my veins.
“Keep that dagger close,” Saion advised, his eyes on the Rise as he moved to brace Aios’s head. “Ash is getting thedakkais riled up.” His gaze flicked over me. “As are you. The dakkais. Remember, they don’t just trace the essence,” he said, “they devour it.”
I placed my hands over Aios’s damaged chest as I snarled, “Fuck the dakkais.”
Saion let out a short laugh. “I like you,” he said, shaking his head as his gaze returned to the Rise. “You know that? I really do.”
The essence flared from my palms. “I like you, too.”
I looked down at Aios, not seeing or hearing Saion’s response as I channeled everything I had into the goddess. The flow of power responded without hesitation, faster and hotter than before. I focused on her face, no place else. The eather rippled over her body and seeped into her skin. All her veins lit up, the light intensifying.
Shouts ramped up from the Rise, as did the howls and growls.
The glow beneath Aios’s flesh expanded and rose, spreading beyond her body. Beneath my knees, the ground began to tremble.