Private Tales Relentless

[Zaire]

It hadn’t taken the goblins long to come in waves, for every few that Zaire killed, he felt twice as many replaced them. His red eye was hot as he enhanced everything from his reflexes to his speed and strength, thinking of nothing but protecting the elves as he tried to herd them to safety. He realized all too late that while he had an advantage in a fight against a Brimstone goblin, maybe even against five or ten of them at once, he was slowly behind overwhelmed.

Their sheer force in numbers was starting to become apparent as more holes began to emerge from the ground with even more goblins climbing out of them and screaming out their war cries. The smell of sulfur was heavy in the air, but also the smell of decay and blood and gristle.

Worst yet was that whenever Zaire began to make some headway, could feel like he was thinning their numbers, a elf would cry out for help and how could he not help? He was in charge of the evacuation, his only job seriously given to him and he needed to do it as fast as possible to then go and aid Houri.

He could hear her fighting, how could anyone not when lightning seem to fall from the sky at her whim and the screams of goblins were her own personal orchestra? Zaire gritted his teeth. He wished Dak was here, he’d had gotten the goblins under control faster than he could have. Or Lumen who could freeze anything with a blink of an eye. Caeso or Silas or even Leander with his huge-fucking-sword would have been better than him.

But this was no time to pity himself. He had to focus on getting all of the elves to safety, and sooner than later would be preferred.

Houri

 

[Houri]

Houri resented every bit of energy she had to waste on the vile vermin as she cut herself a path towards the mill. Whilst her storms were her favourite facet of her magic, they were the most draining, and she would need all of her strength to conjure the heavy rains later on required to flood this city.

"Just, die already," she muttered to the goblin she had skewered between her feet which held down its slimy, slippery arms whilst it tried to struggle free. Houri didn't remember them being this hard to kill before and yet it took a good few blows with her crackling blades before the thing stopped trying to move. Even taking their heads of didn't seem to be of much use; the bodies just ran around and their claws were just as deadly as their teeth. Begrudgingly, she could understand now how the elves had not managed to contain this issue themselves. Eventually the corpse went still and Houri yanked the charged blade from the creatures desecrated rib cage. Ignoring the goblins occupied with tearing into what stupid elves hadn't found cover, the initiate sprinted for her goal.

She pounded up the steps of the mill and shoved open the small door servicemen used to access the roof where repairs to the sails needed to be made. The wind whipped at her hair as she heaved herself out onto the narrow slats but her feet were sure; Houri was more than used to heights. Up here the noise of killing was muffled and easy to push from her mind as she turned her face to the sky. The sun blazed down and only a smattering of clouds ruined an otherwise beautiful blue autumnal day. It was always easier to manipulate the weather when it was already inclined to what she wanted. With a resigned sigh she lifted her hands and began to focus on the desire for rain.

 

[Zaire]

By the time Zaire had managed to at least get the elves to safety, and himself within the halls of the building that seemed immune to the goblins attack, Rhorothomir was already barking orders in elvish. There was just as much chaos as there had been outside, with some elves unable to come to safety despite Zaire’s best efforts.

He ignored the smell of burning flesh as wounds were cauterized as he began making a path to Rhorothomir, ignoring even the screams and cries of agony. He had to look away when he saw a hand being cut off to get past the infection caused by the goblins saliva so the healing magic could be successful.

“Hey, Rhorothomir!” Zaire shouted, casting away his reserved nature to be heard. The elf glanced over, at first confused and then his eyes narrowed when he saw Zaire.

“You!” He said. Zaire had no idea that not being called by his name was a insult. He couldn’t pick up on the disrespect although the elves nearby did and they sneered at the initiate. “You’re supposed to be helping but you’re hiding here! Where’s the other one.”

“She’s getting started on our plan.” Zaire was calm. He had to be. It was the only thing he was truly good at in times of distress, being able to stay calm. “I know it looks bad but we have a plan. Houri knows exactly what she’s doing.” He hoped she did, but whether or not it was the truth or a lie worked as Rhorothomir, while not looking pleased, did seem to take a step back from his accusations.

“We’ve already counted ten, dozens are injured, many haven’t even been accounted for.” He jabbed a finger right in between Zaire’s eyes. “I had expected this to be solved before another attack happened.” Zaire held back the retort that the two of them hadn’t even been in the city for more two hours, but kept his mouth shut. There was a pang of guilt knowing that him and Houri had stopped for breakfast. Could they have done something in that time to prevent this much loss from happening.

“We’re going to flood the city.”

“You’re… no. I told you two, we’ve already tried that! By the gods!” Rhorothomir went into a string of elven words, and the small semi-circle around them of other elves began to shout their displeasure as well. One of them went to grab Zaire by the shoulder and he sidestepped from the elf’s spindly grasp.

“You all need to evacuate to higher ground. Or get on the roof.” Rhorothomir’s nostrils flared. “We don’t have time to argue. You either march your asses up onto the roof or drown with the goblins.” Now the shouts were directed at Zaire, hands and elves coming his way but he was already turning tail and running away to Houri. If the elves decided to go out with the goblins, there was nothing that he could do.

But these brimstone goblins were a threat, and could very much be a threat to Vel Anir if they moved away from the elves to another village. The threat had to be contained. As much as Zaire wanted every elf in this city to survive, he had to put Houri and himself first. Something told him that Houri wouldn’t be pleased in failing a mission.

---

It was raining as Zaire fought his way to the mill, using the trail of dead goblins to lead him to Houri. He felt hot from all the exertion in his fights with the goblins. As he crested up to the top of the mill, he looked over his shoulder to see the elves taking his advice. While city hall did have that bed of limestone lifting it up a solid three feet, Zaire wasn’t sure how fearsome Houri’s storms could be.

He could only hope that with the magic the elves did have that they would be able to protect themselves from the onslaught of storm and goblins sure to buffet them.

“Sorry I’m late.” Zaire’s chest heaved and his mouth was dry. “You ready for me to give you a little boost?” He could hear the goblins below, already making their way to the two initiates when realizing they couldn’t reach the elves.

Houri

 

[Houri]

As Zaire stepped out onto the small dias that set them above the city he would find himself at the very centre of the brewing storm. Up here the wind was at its strongest, buffeting at him and threatening to throw him from the mill which was now slick with the heavy rainfall. The rain itself had already gone beyond the simple storms this part of the world was used to. Instead it was more akin to the hurricanes and great ocean storms that could bring a whole armada down when fireballs had failed. At the very centre of the brewing maelstrom stood Houri.

The initiate stood with her face tilted to the sky and her hands stretched palm upwards out by her sides as though she were calling the storm forth with a song only the element could hear. If the wind and rain bothered her at all it was hard to tell by how calmly she stood. As Zaire spoke her eyes turned from the skies towards him. White mists obscured any hint of the gold and hazel of her natural gaze making it hard to tell if she was looking at him or through him. In an almost lazy gesture she moved her hand and the skies above shattered as a bolt of lightning speared down to turn one of the Goblins who had attempted to enter the mill into a pile of ash.

Thunder boomed a moment later shaking the floor beneath their feet.

"What do you require?" she asked with a voice unlike her own.

 

[Zaire]

He swallowed hard, pausing when she turned to look at him. There were lots of initiates who controlled nature or lightning. He had never seen someone with such mastery of the skies however, no one could compare to her in this moment. Coming face to face with a force of nature was as frightening as it was thrilling. Still, Zaire stepped forward, doing his best not to slip.

“Just open yourself up to this.” Zaire said, taking a deep breath, his resonance reaching out. Zaire inhaled before Houri would exhale, and when she inhaled then Zaire exhaled. They would blink at the same time and other small things that humans did that they didn’t have to think about would become in sync as Zaire sought Houri’s soul.

It was easy to find, standing so close to her, there weren’t any others to distract him. Zaire craned his neck back, looking up into the sky. The raindrops falling on his face didn’t bother him, a calmness emanated from him. Then came the amplification boost, slowly at first, waiting to see how Houri would take it. Aelita hadn’t done well with it but Marci had.

He hoped Houri would be like the latter.

Houri

 

[Houri]

Open yourself up?

Here we go.

Buckle up kid.

One of the first things Houri had been taught when she had woken in the damp confines of her padded cell was how to shield her mind. The Handlers had worried over the possibility that an enemy magic wielder might discover that some of the weapons Aniria used were broken and thus had a weakness. A deadly one in Houri's case. So the Handlers had been especially brutal in their methods to ensure her shields were iron tight. There were high ranking Dreadlords who were unable to pry into her mind by the end of their instructions. She couldn't remember when in the last few years she had let her mental shields down unless around her family or places she felt safe.

He was asking a lot for a man who didn't seem to like her.

Houri took a deep breathe and turned her gaze back to the sky as she opened up a crack in those shields for Zaire who was about to learn that the storm raging around them was far less deadly than the one encompassing her mind.

 

[Zaire]

He didn’t like intruding, but sometimes he had to. It was easy when it had been his twin. Even before he had magic, he felt like he knew what Dak was thinking and how to best follow after him. Zaire himself had never led anything, never felt much of a desire to do so but more importantly was never given the opportunity. Even at the Academy with magic as weak as his, if it weren’t for Dak’s protection, Zaire would have been dead.

Pushing away the negative thoughts, Zaire focused on Houri. On the arcane reserves, her reflexes, and most importantly, making this moment and the next, effortless. He hoped she felt it, a lightness to her being, not just physically but mentally. He’d take all the strain and fatigue, all the worries and fears, anything bad and push all things good into her.

Houri could take as much as she needed or wanted. It would make the return journey home brutal for him, but for the sake of the mission, it had to be done. Zaire trusted Houri wouldn’t be like some other initiates who abused this boost that magnified every ability and skill they had, even giving them clearer focus.

“How you feel?” He had no idea what she suffered, regardless of the mental blocks or not. There was no reason to probe but more than that, he wasn’t telepathic. It was all emotional residue; they could be lingering scars or brand new wounds and he wouldn’t be able tell, only know that they were there.

He could infer more with Dak, though. Not with anyone else. Even if he wanted to with Houri, it would require a level of trust that both of them didn’t have for each other.

“Good I hope.” Zaire was already starting to feel like shit but he stood tall regardless.

Houri

 

[Houri]

"I don't want to feel good," Houri scowled as she desperately delved back down into that seemingly endless pool of rage and despair that lay just beneath the surface of her mind. She had had years to fill it. The beatings, the near burn out use of her magic, being thrown away like some forgotten, unwanted toy. It was why the storms came so easily, why the smallest thing seemingly set her off, and why the Proctors insisted she see that stupid student counsellor once a week.

"You need to do the opposite," the magic was beginning to make her feel uncomfortable warm beneath her skin but the storm was already nowhere near strong enough. The dark grey clouds had swirled out to cover the entire city now and rain was falling thick and constant. Those that ran through the streets sent up sprays of water as they splashed through giant puddles. "The storms are linked to my anger, Zaire. You need to piss me off not calm me down."

 

[Zaire]

“But I don’t want to piss you off!” He objected. “All I’ve done this whole entire mission is piss you off.” He must have attuned to her too much to be saying all of this aloud instead of keeping it in his head. Zaire shook his head with a huff, that calming energy he emitted did little for him.

He should’ve known it wasn’t going to be like how it was with Dak. He didn’t know why he had been so hopeful that it would be seamless and effortless, but he had. Now he was standing in the middle of a rainstorm. His hair was wet and would be messed up once it dried. He hated going back to the Academy looking like a grungy poodle.

Zaire could have put up with that if things had just gone differently. But no, the goblins had to attack in the middle of their nice breakfast, just when they had finally started getting along.

“Just be angry at the stupid goblins! They ruined our breakfast, they’re killing little kids, they’re ugly and smelly and want to eat you. Doesn’t that make you angry enough?” He tried to control this side effect of his magic. No one had ever complained before Houri. “This is stupid.” Zaire grumbled, rubbing both of his temples with his fingers as if there was a migraine. The proctors knew of his side effect, wouldn’t they know Houri needed to be angry to make a storm if she were supposed to drown them?

“This is exactly why Lumen should be here instead of me.”

Houri

 

[Houri]

What is he droning on about?

He hasn't pissed us off, has he?

Not at all, if he prefers Lumen then that's up to him isn't i--

NONE OF THIS IS HELPING.

Houri squeezed her eyes shut as another series of lightning bolts crashed down from the heavens. There was little she could do to direct it at the size the storm was now. It was on the cusp of having its own dangerous mind, Ahdvi's mind, and if she were to lose that tiny bit of control she had it could rampage over half the continent before blowing out to sea and dissipating. Two beats of her heart later and thunder rattled the breath in her lungs. It was a welcome distraction to thinking about how Zaire would feel if he knew that the goblins attacking these elves didn't upset or anger her, that she was as ambivalent towards the killings as she was to whether she wore black or grey.

"What is your obsession with Lumen?" she snapped and the rain grew quicker.

Yes, focus on that. Hate her. Hate him if you want to.

 

[Zaire]

“I don’t have an obsession with her.” Zaire was quick to throw back, taking a step towards Houri as he faced her now. He ignored the wiggle in his ankle as he almost slipped. He had raised his voice to be heard over the storm and was surprised that it carried so well despite the commotion. Zaire was the shortest boy in their class but it turned out his voice was mightier than his stature appeared to be.

“I’m just saying she could freeze them!” Zaire said and pointed out a group of brimstone goblins that were beginning to come their way. “That’s more useful than me just boosting you.” Before he had even come up to the mill, the storm had already formed and as far as he knew, he hadn’t added much to it. Was he even doing anything or was this just Houri’s anger and magic doing it all.

He didn’t know how she could even wield so much arcane might in her body and he felt even more bitterness for it. Zaire hissed in pain, his free hand going to cover his red eye. A sharp pain that traveled from his eye to his brain, like a arrow had just been shot through it.

The ground began to shake before Zaire had a chance to adjust to it. There was a rumble and a crack as if Houri had commanded more thunder and lightning but instead it came from the earth. Zaire looked up, seeing a small house and the chicken coop next to it fall into the earth. A large hole, the size of one of the Academy’s training rings, formed despite the mud and rain that turned the debris and some of the goblins not quick enough to escape into a dark slurry.

A roar echoed as a brimstone goblin brought it’s gigantic head up. It’s orange snake eyes weren’t bothered by the rain as it looked at Houri and Zaire.

Houri

 

[Houri]

A likely story, he's just covering--

STOP SPEAKING.

Houri took another deep breathe as she focused on that narrow doorway that opened her to Zaire and the unusual magic beyond. She had only ever touched another persons magic in this way once before and it had done the opposite to what Zaire now did to her. Then, the Archon had siphoned off her magic and drained her to the point that she thought she might lose her magic altogether. Zaire's made her magic feel... infinite. It was a hard task not to pull on it all at once.

"What good is freezing them? If you want an ice storm I can--" The ground beneath the mill shook and Houri cursed as it began to slant to one side. She had never seen a goblin - if that was still what it could be called - so large. Was this what had been driving the Goblins to act so outside the norm? Fear of one of their own? "What the fuck is that," Houri hissed. "I don't think rain is going to do more than piss it off."

 

[Zaire]

The monstrosity began to lift itself out of the hole, fists the size of small tool sheds and each gangly finger easily the length of Zaire. He was silent as he stared at the size of the monster. How could the elves not know that this thing was underneath their home?

The giant goblin blinked one eye then the other, using it’s hands to drag itself from the hole but the process was slow and not fruitful as it dug it’s claws into the earth. Only it’s massive head and chest could be seen, it’s lower body still in the ground. Some of the normal minion goblins were trying to pull the big goblin up but failing. The giant slammed its hand down, flattening two of the grunts into sticky red stains.

“Something has to be wrong with it’s legs.” Zaire said as he continued to watch it struggle. He glanced at Houri. “Right? So you can just, fry it can’t you?” The giant screamed and Zaire doubled over, dropping his lance to place both of his hands over his ears. When he looked up the giant had just finished its gurgling before lobbing a glob of acidic spit at Houri and Zaire. It didn’t hit them but hit the top of the mill right above them and a hiss and groan could be heard as the wood began to disintegrate.

Houri

 

[Houri]

"You don't just fry something that bi--!"

Houri threw herself at Zaire as the creature spat. She hadn't known what exactly the spit would do, only that nothing coming out of a creature that size could be good. Her intuition proved to be wise for as soon as the spit landed not far from where they had stood, the wood began to spit and hiss. Sprawled on top of Zaire, Houri only had a moment to curse and roll off him in one breath before she began shoving him towards the door.

"MOVE," the wood groaned again as she tried to get her feet beneath her. The rain made her boots slip just as the wood gave one final groan and collapsed beneath her.

 

[Zaire]

Everything was happening too quick for Zaire to process anything other than reacting. He felt like he was standing still, everything around him happening so fast because one moment he was on his feet, the next on his back, and then once again on his feet and being shoved to the door. He looked back at Houri, vaguely aware that she had been on top of him and he had felt her against him but it all disappeared as the wood fell away.

“No!” He shouted, lunging towards her with an outstretched hand, amplifying his speed, his reaction time, his strength. It worked, at least it felt like it when he managed to take hold of her hand with both of his. Flat on his stomach, he looked down at Houri and tried to ignore the fact that people were heavy. His back and shoulders ached, even as he amplified all of his muscles.

“Houri,” Zaire breathed, “I’m gonna pull you up.” He said bravely enough. But the wood, weaken from years upon years of weather and age, creaked and groaned. A crack and Zaire cursed as the planks began to slant down. “It’s gonna be alright, I got you.” His voice wavered and with a grunt of exertion, he tried to pull her up using his back, shoulders and arms alone. Another crack and the planks lowered further, causing Zaire to slide off and letting the two initiates fall to the bottom of the mill.

Houri

 

[Houri]

I'm going to pull you up.

"No, don't--"

The roof bowed beneath their combined weight. Desperately, Houri kicked at thin air trying to think past her panic to conjure the wind which might cushion her fall.

It's going to be alright, I've got you.

"Zaire you need to let go or we're both goi--"

Houri wasn't sure which was worse; the sound of the Goblin King's mighty roar or the screeching of the final planks of wood giving way. Suddenly Zaire's strength was gone and they were plummeting through the darkness only worsened by her conjured storm. Debris followed them into the mill pelting them from all angles.

Think girl, think! We can't do anything if you don't think!

Wind, wind, she needed wind!

Block out the fear.

"Shiva!"

An irritated sigh whispered through her mind. They crashed through another beam and she knew there was only the floor to come. Houri could only blindly tug on the hand still clenched in hers, yank Zaire's body as close to her own as she could, and prepared for--

Foolish girl.

Wind ripped through the workers door below and just before their backs could break upon the mason floor, the wind snatched them up in a frenzied swirl to slow their descent.

 

[Zaire]

He didn’t let go of her hand, not because of his hopeless romantic heart but because of the fear coursing through him. If anything, he squeezed Houri’s hand tighter than he had before and closed his eyes. He hoped a fall from this height actually killed him instead of just paralyzing him from the neck down so he could be the easiest meal ever for the brimstone goblins.

Zaire opened his eyes when he was pulled against Houri, his wet hair flying up and around his head, the outer edges drying and frizzing up. He felt the rush of air bite at his face, he could hear the scream as it softened their fall.

“Houri.” Zaire wheezed, surprised he could even speak. Slowly, he opened his eyes. Slowly, he tried moving. There was some soreness, a small sharp pain or two— but he could move and as far as he could tell there was no blood. It could’ve been a lot worse but Houri had saved them, had saved him, even when he had tried to save her again. “Thank you,” Zaire said, ready to say more to try and express his gratitude of still being alive despite failing her. The bloodcurdling roar of the monster just outside kept the words clogged in Zaire’s throat. They had to get up.

“We need a plan.” Zaire said the obvious, trying to collect his own thoughts. “We gotta get rid of the big guy as soon as possible.” The fact that it could spit acid was worse than its enormous size. He got to his feet, went to search for his polearm and found that it wasn’t here. He cursed, looking about the mill to only settle with an old broomstick. Something was better than nothing.

Houri

 

[Houri]

Houri groaned when the wind set them none to gently on the floor. Her right arm throbbed where they had crashed through the upper beam and when she carefully experimented with moving it the shooting pain told her something was broken.

Just. Great.

You could have avoided it if you had only listened.

HOW ABOUT WE THROW YOU OFF A MILL AND SEE IF YOU ARE THINKING RIGHTLY?!

We're living here too Shiva - for Kress' sake!

Houri tuned the voices into background noises and pushed herself to her feet with a grimace.

"Don't mention it," she coughed some of the dust from her lungs and then shrugged carefully out of her soaking leather jacket. With one hand she quickly fashioned it into a sling to bind her arm in place. She could wield her magic without her hands though it was a lot harder; her hands acted as an anchor between her and that enormous power. This was going to be... interesting.

"I think I might take one of that bastards teeth when he's dead," Houri said with deadly calm then marched back out into the rain.

A tooth for an arm felt fair.

 

[Zaire]

It took him too long to notice that she was hurt. He hadn’t realized it until she even had the makeshift sling already over her shoulder. Still, she moved forward, unable to be deterred from her wounds. Houri was on the right path to being a true dreadlord while Zaire was still so far behind— and he wasn’t even as injured as her. He dashed after her, reaching for the shoulder he hoped wasn’t going to lead to more pain or injury for her.

“Houri, wait, we need a plan.” Rain was splattering against his face. “We need to find that thing’s weak spot.” He swallowed hard. Or else, he’d have to let her go completely crazy, wouldn’t he? But what would be the repercussions of allowing her to go past every limit she ever felt? What would it do to his own body, his own mind and soul? A part of him was scared to take on such a task with how powerful she already was.

Besides, there was still the problem of her needing to be angry. She sounded like she wasn’t angry at all.

Houri

 

[Houri]

The storm was an odd comfort as they stepped outside into the onslaught of wind and rain. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, filling her lungs with its wildness. Like calls to Like, her sister was always fond of saying. She'd been born in a storm just like this one and if today was her day to die, she would be happy it would be in the wildness into which she had been born.

"My plan is simple: kill it."

Houri liked simple plans. Simple was adaptable. When people started coming up with convoluted plans, that was when the trouble began. Though she supposed trying to find its weak spot was a smart idea. She watched the beast hammering at the earth in an attempt to free its lower half. It seemed not to care if it pummelled one of its own by doing so.

"I don't think drowning it is going to work, it's too big. I could try frying it but..." She took another deep breath. "I've never done a strike that powerful."

 

[Zaire]

It was the first time that Zaire realized Houri had a flaw: he was a planner and she wasn't. He pushed that and what that would mean their compatibility to the side. Now was not the time to fret about their zodiac signs and personality traits that might cause fights. It wouldn't matter if they ended up dead.

"Okay," he said slowly, wondering if a massive strike of lighting would be enough to finish off the brimstone goblin or if it would only make it angrier. "How well can you control these lightning strikes?" A plan was slowly beginning, but first, he had to assemble the pieces. "And how fast can you make one happen?"

Houri

 

[Houri]

"To hit something that big? Easily," it was the smaller targets that were harder. Lightning didn't want to be controlled, it was the definition of wild. Her control over it depended almost entirely on that fact her nature was the same as a storms. Tuning to it helped her to guide it where she wanted the chaos to properly take shape. Smaller targets was less chaotic and thus harder to control. A big old goblin king though...

"I would need a few minutes - maybe half an hour to really get it strong. The storm is growing but it needs to reach its peak to get enough energy to take down something that size. Unless... you can boost me?"

 

[Zaire]

Zaire did his best to stabilize a shaky breath. Houri had already figured out most of his plan, of course she would, all the pieces were there. There was one thing she hadn't said though, the one thing that Zaire knew would be risky and perhaps a death wish.

"I'll boost you." He confirmed, confident in his ability to supply that power, less confident in how she'll take to it. It was invasive, intimate-- it was why with Dak, it was seamless. They were twins, had grown up together, and sometimes thought exactly alike despite having different experiences. In case it didn't work, there was more to his plan.

"When it opens its mouth, get the lightning down its throat. You'll need a vantage point." The mill was destroyed, where was the second-tallest building? "Just try not to hit me when I distract it." How he was going to do that? That was still forming. He had a little bit of time to figure it out.

Houri

 

[Houri]

"Distract it?" Houri stared at him as though he had suddenly sprouted a goblin head of his own. "How are you planning to distract it and get its mouth... Oh. Oh," she blinked the rain from her lashes sending them cascading down her cheeks like tears.

The boy is an idiot.

A fool, there was a murmuring of agreement.

But it's a worthy sacrifice to complete the mission.

I thought we were meant to stop killing the other students for the good of the Republic?

They couldn't possibly blame us... could they?

Houri shifted uncomfortably. Elves or an initiate - who would Aniria really care about?

"The highest point aside from the mill was where they were all hiding. If it comes after me, I could put them all in danger."

 

[Zaire]

“You don’t have to worry about that, Houri.” He took a deep, steady breath. His fingers still trembled, but he stood up straighter, brows lowering over his eyes. Now determination mingled with the fear. “You got enough to worry about so I’ll handle the rest. It’s my plan so I’ll take the blame if anyone gets hurt.” Zaire couldn’t smile when he knew the disaster could be one of his gravest mistakes if things didn’t go according to plan.

But if his plan didn’t work, that would be his fault, not Houri. He’d have to distract that brimstone monstrosity— and getting killed by it wouldn’t be the distraction they needed. He’d have to stay alive for as long as Houri needed, and keep that goblin’s attention on him.

Zaire went to grab Houri’s hand, the one that was closest to his. He didn’t think much of it, didn’t even ask for permission. But to boost her with a significant amount of distance between them, he’d need to touch her, to start the soul resonance.

“Just keep yourself safe as you make your way there.”

Houri