Sapphire Falls (The Lost Realm #2)

54. Chapter 53

Rylo

The icy fog rushed past as Rylo broke through the thick blanket of clouds that ran across the river canyon. Morgan clung to him, crying out that she was so, so sorry. But Rylo didn’t have time to think about her apology. No, he could feel the cold, unnatural presence of the thing that followed close behind them.

Rylo dared to take a look back. The undead creature that had once been Elio was gaining on them. Tattered pieces of flesh slapped in the breeze as he drew closer. “Morgan, I need you to give us some cover.”

Morgan nodded as dark mist began to writhe and billow out of her, blowing around them and circling the sky into darkness. The mass of darkness grew and grew, the power of her shadows plunging not just them, but all of Nephel into night.

“Good girl,” he purred, drawing her against his chest. Her arm held tight to his neck, clinging to him. “Goddess damn me, I love your magic.”

She was looking behind them, past his wings to where the undead fae should be. “It’s gone. Elio—I don’t think he’s there anymore.” Light filtered through the darkness, Morgan’s concentration becoming distracted by their surroundings.

“Keep focused, pet. We need your shadows now.”

They flew forward, hearing the sounds of battle behind them. But Rylo didn’t stop, didn’t go back to the front. All that mattered now was getting Morgan away from the Goldoths. They wanted to take her from him, to punish him through her, and he’d never allow that. First, he needed to get her back to the Tower of the Moon—to safety. Then, he’d unleash the full power of his essence on those bastards.

Rylo screamed out in pain as something tore across his face, ripping the flesh from him. He loosened his grip on Morgan for one moment, just a second of hesitation, but it was enough. A keening screech filled the darkness and he felt Morgan being tugged from him, torn from his arms.

“Rylo!” her scream sent his senses scrambling as he grabbed onto her arms. Another terrifying scream filled the air as Morgan’s shadows thinned. Elio had hold of Morgan’s waist, his jerking movements didn’t stop him from yanking her away with unnatural strength.

This wasn’t actually Elio. It wasn’t his friend that he’d worked for so long to protect. It was just a shell of who he once was, and yet, it was him. His body was twisted into something that should never be possible. Filled with dark magic so unspeakable that Rylo growled in the face of the darkness. The undead fae plunged dagger sharp bones through Morgan’s leathers, stabbing her in her soft midsection. Rylo could smell the tang of Morgan’s blood in the air as she screamed in terror.

“Elio! Let her go!”

The creature hissed in response, beating his tattered wings in as he tried to fly away with Morgan’s lower half.

“Make it stop! Make it stop,” Morgan gritted out, tears streaming down her face.

Hearing her crying out in pain awakened something feral inside Rylo. His pet. His person was hurting. She was crying out for him to stop this threat. Her need for his protection, palpable in the air.

“Concentrate your shadows around you and close your eyes, love,” Rylo said. Her shadows had thinned enough that he could see her do it before she became cocooned in darkness. He could target his essence directly at Elio, but the brilliance of it would leave permanent scarring on such a fragile being’s eyes. He didn’t hesitate to release the full force of his essence, channeling the heat and glow of the sun itself as he struck the creature that had once been his closest friend.

A blazing, screeching light filled the sky as Elio imploded into starlight and sun fire. Tiny bits of dust peppered Rylo’s face and leathers. But he was gone, that shell that had once been his friend was dissolved into nothing.

“Rest easy, friend,” Rylo muttered as he drew his attention back to Morgan.

Morgan, who was plummeting in darkened shadows toward the ground below.

“Rylo!” she screamed, her panic kicking his senses into hyper awareness. He tucked his wings tight into a plunging dive toward her.

Her body flailed as it fell toward the ground, shadows wrapping around her to protect her from the impact. He reached her and tugged her battered body tight into his arms.

“You came for me.” Her voice was raspy from screaming, blood pouring from the punctures in her leathers.

“Always, pet. Always,” he said, pressing a kiss to her lips. He could smell the hot blood from her wounds. So much blood, too much. He needed to get Morgan to a healer.

Below, he saw the Goldoth warriors working to breach the river. Others shot carved stones across the canyon, targeting the Towers. Already, the Tower of the Stars was overrun with Goldoth warriors as Nepheli warriors fought from the skies and ground to protect what was theirs. Priestesses of the Tower of Stars fought side by side with Nepheli warriors. The Goddess of Stars was alight in divine fury, burning stardust crashing and twisting around any Goldoth warrior in her path.

Rylo was almost to the Tower of the Moon. Morgan just had to stay with him a little bit longer. He pressed his mind to the shadowy depths of hers, sliding into her darkness.

Almost there love, stay with me.

Morgan gave no response as her head lolled from his chest into the crook of his arm, blood sticky against his hands.

As he looked to the north, he choked back the emotion that threatened to claw out of him.

Ebony wings shot through the sky, racing toward him.

Farther across the horizon, just below the heavy fog was the faint outline of elk and riders, dashing down the steep canyon trails.

There still was hope in the darkest hour.