Fireblood (Frostblood Saga #2)(100)
I forced the fire Minax to pull the frost Minax from the shell of Marella’s body, its shadow arms wrapping around the essence of its twin and yanking it out. I heard Marella’s gasp and cry. I heard her body hit the floor. Dimly, I listened to another fight nearby. Arcus’s grunt of pain, and Eurus’s malevolent laughter.
I bent every fragment of awareness on the fire Minax, controlling its movements, forcing it to drain energy from the other Minax, to turn its vast hunger on its twin. The frost Minax screamed and fought back, threatening and begging. I showed no mercy. The frost Minax had caused war, genocide, and murder in Tempesia. Never again. Its time was over.
It spat a torrent of ancient words I didn’t understand, though I sensed the general meaning. A curse, a vow of revenge, a wish for my suffering. As the frost Minax spouted invective, I forced the fire Minax to snuff out its last spark of life.
As the echoes faded, the fire Minax hovered there, confused, filled with extra energy stolen from its twin. It struggled with something deep and irrevocable, something unfamiliar that confused it. The confusion turned to anger. I called it back to me before it could take its anger out on anyone else.
Return to me.
I staggered as the Minax, doubled in power, slammed through the barrier of skin.
Be silent, I told it. Sleep.
It railed and fought. I repeated the order. It whimpered, an inhuman keening, and finally, reluctantly, curled up in a corner of my mind and went silent.
The room pulsed with quiet.
The pounding in my head eased. Blood prickled behind my eyes, and I opened them. The room came into focus.
Arcus was covered in rivulets of shining blue blood, still standing, tense and angry. With surprise, I noticed Kai, breathing hard but alert next to him, his hair mussed, his robes burnt, his hands raised to defend.
They faced Eurus, who stood some yards away near the spinning portal.
For a moment, I wondered why they’d all stopped fighting. Then I noticed that Eurus held Marella in his arms. A human shield. Her white gown trailed to the floor like a sparkling waterfall, one limp arm also hanging down. Her honey-rich hair had come loose from its pins and spilled over his arms. Her face was bone white, her eyes closed.
My heart lurched to see her so still. “Is she dead?”
Eurus’s gaze shifted to me, then back to Arcus. “Make any sudden moves, and she will be.”
“Leave her,” said Arcus roughly. “You don’t need her.”
“I do need her. To make sure you don’t attack again. The death of my Minax has weakened my bond with this frail mortal body. If I had my own powers, our battle would have turned out very differently.”
“If you weren’t hiding behind an unconscious girl,” Kai chimed in, his roughened voice lacking its usual verve, “things would end very quickly.”
“Hence my reluctance to put her down,” Eurus conceded. He kept his eyes on Arcus, but turned his head to me. “Ruby, you’ll come with us.”
I clenched my fists. “No.”
“Then I’ll kill this Frostblood girl,” he threatened. “Snapping her neck will be like breaking the stem of a flower.” He glanced down at Marella, then refocused on me. “I’ll leave her here if you come with me.”
I started forward. Arcus’s arm snaked around my waist, hauling me back against him.
“Ruby won’t trade her life for Marella’s.” He bent to whisper in my ear. “Don’t trust him. He could just take you both—kill you both.”
“Put Marella down and then I’ll consider it,” I said firmly.
A look of stark rage contorted Eurus’s features into a frightening mask. “So your friends can kill me? I don’t think so.”
I recoiled, my heart kicking at my ribs. Just as quickly, his face smoothed back into amusement. “Unfortunately, I’m in no position to force you. Alas, even gods must retreat when confined in inconveniently breakable bodies. However, denying me now will cause you… deep regret in the future. You have already destroyed one of my Minax. I will consider waiving your punishment if you cooperate now.”
“I’m not going.” As Arcus had said, there was no way to know Eurus wouldn’t kill Marella the second I complied. And if I went with him, he’d have the Minax, too, which he needed to open the Gate of Light. He would hold all the cards.
The portal contracted. His nostrils flared. “As you wish. I’ll be back for you.” He grinned, Eiko’s green eyes glinting with a god’s haughty malevolence. His attention shifted back to Arcus and Kai, who stood tense and ready. I noticed for the first time that Eurus was bloodied and battered, breathing heavily. His legs trembled. Arcus and Kai had given him a beating. The thought gave me a moment of satisfaction before he spoke again.
“This Frostblood lady won’t last more than a few hours as a host for the remaining Minax, poor thing.” There was no sympathy in Eurus’s tone. Only amusement. “Why don’t you keep my creature, my daughter? Consider it training—a lesson to prepare you for your future.”
The blood drained from my face. He was going to leave the Minax with me. I was hosting the creature, and I had nowhere to trap it. No way to destroy it.
Eurus grinned fiercely. “Until next time, Ruby.”
He turned and leaped into the portal with Marella in his arms. I rushed forward, trying to grab her at the last second, but before I could touch her, the light flickered and contracted to a pinpoint. A rushing noise filled the air, a sucking hiss that echoed off the stone walls and faded into silence as the light disappeared.