Page 32 of Prince of the Phantom Sky

Everywhere he looked, death ensued. Endless bodies falling to the ground, their cries of death bouncing off the glass ceiling as their blood soaked into the stone walls. Fear snaked up his spine like tiny pins sinking into his flesh.

“Bastion!”

Erick fucking Cadell charged across the rear wall, raising a sword as Barron rotated within the thick of his web. Like a spider, his power had stretched around him, attaching to walls, floors and furniture, with Kordelia in the centre, tears staining her cheeks.

Aryn fought from the other side of the web, as Skylar battled soldiers to protect his back. Aryn grabbed hold of one of the spirals and Barron roared, his body arching as a golden river shot up it, causing that tendril to disintegrate within Aryn’s hands.

Holy Haizea, what’d just happened?

Kordelia’s gaze whipped in his direction. As their eyes met, the threads of their void ignited, and his breath left his body as the sound, the smell, the gods-damned dread of the chamber faded away. She was all there was. Energy brimmed beneath his skin, his veins pulsating with need as those captivating eyes consumed him.

“I’m here.”

“I didn’t know if you would ever come.” Her chin wobbled and he nearly fell to his knees. The urge to press his thumb to her chin, to stop the tears, to shield her from the darkness spreading overwhelmed him so much he released a flare of power, knocking several guards onto their backs.

“Nothing would ever stop me.” Raiden raised his short sword with a grin.

He briefly assessed the situation, as Aryn continued miraculously burning through tendril after tendril to reach Kordelia. His power dwarfed everyone’s in this room combined, and that fear in Raiden’s back threatened to burst through his heart.

Erick swung for Barron, entering a deadly dance and Kordelia cried out. Raiden nearly fell over with the sheer devastation of fear consuming him. Wait.

It was Kordelia’s fear. Leaking down their bond, saturating it with every ounce of horror that surrounded her. It choked him as Erick continued to fight Barron. Raiden groaned, realising he would have to save the person he hated most right now. But it was all for Kordelia. Everything always was.

“You need to create that dome in your mind again,” he ordered as he fought his way towards Erick. The dome had separated them before, keeping their emotions from drowning the other.

“I’m a bit pre-occupied right now,” she snarked. Blessed Haizea, that mouth.

“Your fear is consuming me. I can’t help him if you don’t control it.” Raiden shook as he advanced towards Erick. Barron was mighty, his power pushing Erick back, peppering his face with cuts that oozed a similar gunk to Theron’s.

Raiden’s legs quivered, unable to support his weight, and his palms sweated. Gods damn it. After a minute of sheer anxiety smothering him until he couldn’t breathe, a wave of blissful relief washed over him. His stare flicked over to Kordelia. Her face was adorably scrunched, her eyes closed as she focused on holding back her emotions from the bond.

Raiden leapt, blocking an attack from Barron as Erick collapsed against the wall, his body shaking with fatigue.

“Raiden Windward,” Barron sighed, as though he were a nuisance. “Just in time to see Kora choose to be with me, always.”

“That’s not what we agreed!” she screamed from behind, wrenching against his magic. Raiden frowned, noticing blackened glasses of water, and dark tears staining her cheeks. His power cried—quite literally. Screams echoed throughout the chamber, rebounding from above, causing vibrations to weigh down. Pirates and guards fell to their knees, covering their ears, all except for mages.

“Semantics,” Barron cooed. He clearly didn’t hear the winds and Raiden saw red. With a yell, he lunged, fighting Barron with all his might, using phantom threads of his power like extra invisible hands to pummel him, pushing him away from Erick.

Erick groaned, shaking his head before joining Raiden, fighting with his sword. Every shadow he sliced through, two more replaced it, a never-ending web of tainted, unnatural magic.

It was impossible.

“Watch out!” Kordelia’s warning filled his mind, but Raiden pivoted too late as a sweep of dark magic flung him back, and he landed in the opposite wall, stone cracking around his back as pain reverberated down his bones.

Barron’s laugh swarmed him as Raiden slid down the wall, wheezing from the impact. His vision tilted as he attempted to stand back up. Time stilled, as everyone continued covering their ears, their faces scrunched tight in agony. Raiden’s ears pricked, chasing the unfamiliar vibrations on the wind currents, but its source confused him as it continuously bounced back and forth from the domed ceiling to him.

“Careful, child.” A weathered female appeared before him, her aged, swollen hands helping him to his feet. Despite her white eyes, indicating her blindness, her gaze pierced his, and she wasn’t affected by the mysterious vibrations he had no control of.

Raiden swayed, shaking his head. Her knobbly hands tightened on his, drawing Raiden’s attention. Her smile curved, and she barely reached his chest in height. Yet she dominated the space, the fight drowning out behind her as Blake and Aerion rushed into the web centred around Barron, a tangled mess of weapons, magic and blood.

“I’ve waited so long to see you, Raiden.” She brushed his cheek lightly, and he flinched.

“Who are you?” Her caress tingled his skin, and she reached up to unbind her braided hair, long grey lengths tumbling around her waist with sparkling silver threads.

“I’ve been many things.” She patted his shoulders, her aged hands gently exploring his arms. “I’ve had many names, many lives. But you,” she drew a shuddering breath, “have been by far my greatest gift.”

“I don’t know you,” Raiden retorted. “I’m not a present for someone.”