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Elara grips my shoulders and makes me sit back on my heels. My throat must be a mess because when her assessing gaze drops to my neck she curses. “Merciful Mother. Here, close your eyes and breathe.”
The warmth of her magical healing takes hold and I do just that. It’s incredible how much we take breathing for granted.
Until we can’t.
The thundering chaos in the front room is incredible, the snarling between Rune and Sebastian deafening. Every instinct within me screams for me to intervene, to do something to stop them.
But they move like hurricanes and I don’t think I can even stand yet.
Nadine appears at the top of the stairs, supporting Finn as he reaches for the banister. He looks terrible. His skin is ashen and marred by welts and dried blood that make my stomach churn.
The sight of him so weak and hurt fuels a fresh wave of panic and anger in me.
“Help me up.”
Elara helps me to my feet, and I shuffle to meet him at the bottom of the stairs. I hug him for a brief but incredible moment and take strength that he’s alive and we have him back.
Behind us, the sounds of Rune and Sebastian’s battle grow even more intense. The thuds and crashes are punctuated by growls and the sharp, slicing noise of powers clashing.
I want to scream at them to stop, but I can’t tear my eyes away from Finn’s pale, pained face.
“I knew ye’d come, lass.” His hand reaches out, and I grasp it.
“Always,” I whisper back.
Elara and Nadine are at my side now, their faces drawn with worry. “We need to end this,” Elara says, her voice firm despite the chaos. “Before the entire house comes down on us.”
I take in the battle and yeah, if we leave it to them, one of them will meet their final death. “We need to put Sebastian into a deep sleep until we know what Lilian did to him. I’ll help Rune corner him. You two knock him out.”
Elara widens her eyes at me. “Are you sure?”
“It’s our best chance.” I move to step away, but before I do, I lean back and give Finn a quick kiss. “Sit down before you fall down.”
With that, I close the distance to Rune and Sebastian and call on the strength of my magic. After today’s conversation, I’m very clear with my intention. I need to immobilize Sebastian to keep him from hurting himself or others while Nadine and Elara knock him out.
“Rune. I’m all right,” I say, in a whispered hiss. “Don’t kill him, Viking. You love him, remember?”
With my call to Gaia taking hold, my strength is restored and I finally manage to corner Sebastian. When my immobilization spell takes hold, Rune soon realizes the fight is over.
“Just keep him in place, Viking. We’ve got this.”
Sebastian’s wild gaze darts between us, the remnants of his rage simmering beneath the surface. Elara and Nadine chant fervently, their hands weaving intricate patterns in the air as they focus their energies on a sleeping spell.
The room vibrates with the power of their magic, and then Sebastian’s legs buckle. His body hits the floor with a heavy thud, stirring a cloud of dust around him.
For a moment, everything is still.
And then Rune’s arms are around me and he’s crushing me in a hug. “I thought he was going to kill you. When Phi told me?—”
I cup the back of his head and nuzzle a kiss into his neck. “You saved me. I’m okay. Now we need to make sure Sebastian is okay.”
Rune eases off on the hug, his face etched with concern. “I hope I didn’t hurt him too much. My beast got the better of me.”
“That’s understandable. Come on. Let’s check on him.”
I’m used to seeing Sebastian as a pompous, arrogant force. He’s unstoppable and everyone around him knows it. Sure, it took Lilian and then the four of us to take him down, but down he is.
I kneel beside him and see the truth of what so few others see. He fights because it’s the only way he can hold the demons at bay. Pulling up my sleeve, I extend my wrist towards Rune.
