Chapter 59

Adeena's heart was in her throat as soon as Arloerin appeared on the horizon. Even though it had only been a few days, this arrival was different. Now, she had Odanth with her, not to mention Malik and Kav.

And she was going to see her sister for the first time since that fateful night when they were torn apart.

Seeing home, Odanth let out a roar that shook the very air around them. Malik tightened his hold on Adeena's waist, feeling the tension in her back as he was pressed up against her. It was a comfort having her friend with her, knowing they shared the same goal in getting to Cleo

"We'll get there in time," he said in her ear over the rush of wind around them.

Adeena held his hand tight in hers, words stuck in her throat.

Arloerin was getting closer.

Screeching unlike Adeena ever heard before sounded in the same direction.

"Oh, shit," Malik cursed then, immediately knowing what created those noises. "Go, Odanth! Go now!"

"What?" Kav called out from behind his brother. "What the hell was that?"

"Oskurreia. The same damn dark creatures we fought against in Escarral during the war," he answered through gnashed teeth.

Heart in her throat, Adeena urged Odanth to go faster, breaking through the wall of protective shadows Cleo had put over the city. With only one place to land without taking out several buildings, he headed for the palace courtyard. The screeching continued along with the screams and cries of those fighting below. She couldn't bare to see the carnage...

Until they were right in the middle of it as soon as Odanth touched down.

The usually beautiful and pristine Arloerin palace was on lockdown and surrounded by dark creatures Adeena could barely comprehend. She'd never seen anything like it before – skeletal creatures with blacked skin, bright red eyes, lengthened limbs, and talons that flashed even in the darkened sky. Sharp teeth glittered as they screeched again, every single one of them turning in their direction as soon as her, Malik, and Kav's boots touched the ground. The bodies of three guardsmen were torn to shreds and unrecognizable. The ones still alive were dripping with sweat and blood, their armor in tatters.

And then there was her grandmother Renna right in the middle of it all, still in her dress, sword in hand, and frozen as soon as she laid eyes on Adeena.

Adeena was hyper focused then, her magic humming inside her, even if she couldn't do anything with it against the dark creatures. They had no minds of their own to control, but they had souls she could latch onto, ones that were screaming for peace and rest.

But what they could do was bring her to the one who controlled them all – a familiar death god who she'd met once before, one that was nothing but a nightmare of her past.

Right now, though, she had to clear the palace courtyard and save her grandmother.

Before anyone could make a move, Adeena was running, her sword easily cutting through each of the creatures. The one problem was they couldn't die, now when they already were. That was her power, though, wasn't it? Her power over death, the very magic that had the dark god raging when she escaped him?

These were his creatures...but Adeena could make them hers, too, and free the souls inside.

Her magic whipped outward, tendrils of darkness that raced toward every single creature still left standing. Their screeching sounded almost...frightened...as the darkness curled around their blackened bodies, smothering and choking them, latching onto the trapped souls within them. Death held no power over her as she freed them one by one, those bodies disintegrating into piles of ashes swept away by the breeze that whipped through the courtyard.

And though she couldn't see the souls she freed, Adeena and everyone around them still heard the cries of joy and peace until they were nothing but whispers.

Chest heaving with every breath, Adeena stumbled forward and fell to her knees, hands catching her before she fell face first onto the cobblestone. Malik was there then, his hands on her shoulders, making sure she was all right. But it was Renna who stepped forward, dropping to the ground in front of her just as Adeena lifted her face to meet her tear-lined gaze.

Her grandmother reached forward just as she managed to sit up, taking her face in her hands, eyes roaming over every inch of her features until realization lit up.

"Adeena?" Renna choked out in a whisper.

Just hearing her name, her true name, on the lips of her grandmother had Adeena choking out a sob, her own tears streaming down her cheeks. She reached up to cover her hands with hers, nodding as she managed a broken smile. "It's me. I promise it's me."

Her grandmother was at a loss for words, seeing a familiar yet brand new face, her blond hair braided back, the white leather of her Lady in White attire.

All Adeena needed from her in that moment, though, was a crushing hug, one she could barely remember the feel of from when she was little. The last of which had been the night she and her grandfather had been killed, their bodies hauled off before Adeena brought them back.

Renna gave her exactly that, pulling her into her embrace, one arm tight around her shoulders as her other hand cradled the back of her head. Being in her grandmother's arms had Adeena sobbing as she clutched the back of her dress and buried her face in the crook of her shoulder.

"I don't understand...how...?"

There was no time for explanations, not shadows appeared just behind where Adeena and Renna knelt, holding each other as tight as possible.

And a stunning, dark-skinned mage and her familiar appeared in the middle of the courtyard, both bloodied and crying out.

"Help her!" the mage screamed, tears streaming, sweat and blood covering her skin and leather armor.

Several guardsmen lunged toward the leopard, who's body was all but crushed, gashes along her side bleeding red. But the mage fiercely shook her head, pointing in the direction of the main square.

"No! Go to your queen! Help her!"

Every head turned in the direction of the sky, seeing Ollyn taking off over the buildings, climbing higher and higher.

Until an obsidian bolt shot up from below, piercing his wing, lodging into the joint in his back, and making him plummet to the ground below with a screaming Cleo on his back.

The impact rattled the whole city of Arloerin.

Wide-eyed, Adeena looked back at her grandmother. "I have to go. I have to help her."

Renna nodded and pulled her forward to give her a quick kiss on the forehead. "Go help your sister. I've got Janan and Shamira."

"Will you...?"

"Go," she told her.

There was no need to tell her twice.

Adeena found herself running at full speed down the streets. She'd memorized every twist and turn in those few weeks she'd been in Arloerin. Malik, Kav, and the rest of the guardsmen right behind her, following her lead without any hesitation.

They cut their way through two different hoards of dark creatures feasting on the dead that lay at their feet, their blood splattered on the walls. The guardsmen's weapons held some kind of enchantment that allowed for their swords to cleanly slice through them, making them disappear in a flurry of ash, but it was Adeena who used her own magic to free the souls trapped within them.

The third patrol they came across were having a little more success in getting through the creatures that surrounded them. Their leader, a huge green-skinned orc Adeena instantly knew was Urell, whirled and take down three with his battle ax just as she, Malik, and Kav came to a skidding stop in a few feet in front of him.

The orc's eyes first went to Kav and Malik, narrowing dangerously as he bared his fangs.

Then widened as soon as he saw Adeena.

"No," he choked out, stumbling back a step when he saw her face, how it was identical to the queen he loyally served and was one of his best friends. "How?"

"We don't have time for it now," Kav growled. "Where is she? Where's Cleo?"

His answer came a fraction of a second later as her screams and cries echoed from the direction of the square.

Then Adeena was running.

She ran until she had to slow, seeing the dozens of oskurreia surrounding Cleo and Ollyn.

Cleo, who was crying so hard she could barely see, somehow managed to take care of two dozen of the dark creatures that tried to reach her and her bloodrite bonded dragon.

Urell and the guardsmen were already there, trying their best to get to her as quick as they could.

Five others Adeena barely got a look at were working together seamlessly on another.

Malik and Kav were close to her side, though they immediately ran in Cleo's direction only to be blocked by more, swords swinging and slashing.

And Adeena could only look at one person in that moment where time seemed to slow around them.

One creature made its advance toward Cleo, but Adeena was faster, her sword swinging to cut into its back, the soul inside finally freed.

Cleo had done the same, but instead her blade coming to a halt just millimeters from Adeena's neck.

Eyes still streaming with tears, Adeena swallowed a sob as she gazed at her twin sister. Gods, the portraits she'd seen of her didn't do her justice. She was absolutely stunning, even with her scars and tattoos, her emerald and onyx eyes, her silvery blond hair that was falling from her braid, slick with sweat and blood.

Cleo's eyes widened as she looked down at the white leather, then slowly traveled up to her face.

And as soon as their eyes met, her sword immediately clattered to the ground beside them as she sunk to her knees.

Adeena completely forgot about everyone else, still fighting with both sword and magic. The only person she wanted to be with then was her sister. She dropped to her knees in front of her as Cleo's whole body shook and she stared at her with wide, tear-filled eyes. No matter how much she wanted to, Adeena didn't close the short distance between them.

Cleo blinked, her lips forming her name before she managed to say it. "Adeena?"

Moving closer, Adeena nodded, her smile wavering as she reached up and took Cleo's face in her hands. "It's me. I promise it's me," she told her, repeating the words she'd said to their grandmother.

She swallowed hard, eyes searching her face, hands reaching up to cover hers. "You can't be real. You can't. You're..."

"I'm here, Cleo," Adeena told her, leaning in to press her forehead against hers. "And I'm so sorry. I wish I could have come back home, back to you. I couldn't, not until..."

"Am I dead?"

She choked out a laugh. "No, you're not."

"I have to be. Because you are." This time, Cleo choked on a sob and shook her head, though her fingers grasped onto Adeena's even tighter. "I don't want to go. I don't. Even though I've miss you so, so much, I can't..."

Adeena moved to hug her as tight as she could. Cleo didn't return as her arms hung loose at her sides. "You're not dead, Cleo, and neither am I. I promise I'm here in Arloerin with you and I'm never, ever going to be apart from you again, you hear me?"

And then she did something she told herself she would never do but knew it was the only way to convince her she was really and truly there.

Adeena's magic reached out to grab hold of Cleo's mind, flooding it with every single memory she could manage in just those few seconds – the one of her and her grandfather in the in-between, their resurrection, Adeena's first meeting with Sophea and her training with the Guild of Starlight, her ascension to its leader, and finally to those last few weeks she spent in Arloerin and the short time back in Krahzara with Malik and Kav.

Cleo immediately pulled back and this time she was the one to take Adeena's face in her hands, eyes even wider as realization finally dawned on her. "Adeena."

Adeena choked out another laugh as tears streamed down both their faces. "It's me, Cleo. Adeena. You're not dead and I'm not dead. I'm home and we're going to save it together."

Her sister nodded fiercely once...before pulling her in for a crushing hug. "Oh, gods, you're here. You're here. And I just...I missed you so much."

Brushing her hand against the back of her head, she whispered to her, "I missed you, too."

And even as everyone around them continued fighting, Adeena and Cleo held each other as tight as they could for the first time in so long.

Until a slow clapping sounded behind them from a human male who sat on the edge of the fountain.

Sharp, handsome features, bronze skin...and onyx eyes that were far more sinister than Cleo's ever had been. Adeena knew that face. The same face of the death god she last saw at four years old as he held his hand out for her to take. She hadn't taken it then and never would, which had him raging. Her child mind didn't understand then, but she did now. Because he knew her magic was more powerful than his own over death, so much so that she was able to get herself and her grandfather back.

Adeena and Cleo stood together, fingers intertwined, weapons magically back in their hands, the magics immediately jumping to the surface, recognizing each other even after so much time apart before they combined in a way only they could.

But it was another behind them whose quiet gasp had them pausing – their cousin Lyv's daughter Dessa, whose bright sapphire eyes were locked on the male, jaw hanging open, recognition sparking as she said his name.

"Fin?"