Accepted

The Aftermath

You're not finished. Wake up child.

I groaned, ignoring the voice as I succumbed to the darkness. It was so enticing, so peaceful. I never wanted to leave. Not now. Not ever.

Saron, wake up

Oreres? I asked, recognizing her voice.

SARON!

I jerked up into the upright position turning to see Star looking down at me. I winced, hearing her explosive voice echoing in my mind.

I scrambled to my feet, looking around at the scattered bodies as I remembered what happened.

"What happened?"

"You fell out of the sky. Zion caught you."

"How long have I been out?" I asked, looking at her with wide eyes.

"An hour."

"What happened?" I said, looking around. I felt a wave of guilt crash into me looking at the bodies. This was my fault wasn't it? I wasn't strong enough, even with all the magic. I went unconscious in the middle of the war. What if the giants regained consciousness and killed them all?

"They're dead. Thanks to you. You held on long enough for us to kill them."

"I did?" I asked incredulously. The last thing I remembered was a searing headache and falling.

"What about the rest?" I said, remembering the giants, running off with their tails between their legs.

"They're gone," she replied.

"Fuck."

I shot up in the air, remembering Esat.

"Where's Esat?"

"I don't-"

I released my wings, soaring up and through through the air swiftly. My heartbeat began to quicken as time elapsed and I struggled to find any hint of her. The ground was covered with huddled crowds, dismembered bodies, messy trenches, scattered weapons and supplies for miles. Seconds stretched into minutes and I was starting to lose hope when I spotted something black, barely poking up out of a gaping trench. It was immersed more than halfway in dirt and blood and I had almost missed it. I plunged downwards, causing the crowd of people surrounding it to scatter.

I landed on my feet, immediately laying my hands on the dark shield which melted under my touch. It cracked open wider and wider, the dark magic reentering my body through my palms.

I fell backwards as I felt something shove me back. I scrambled back up, Esat crawling out of what was left with pure anger written across her face.

"I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!"

"I'm sorry, I-" I started to apologize.

"SAVE IT! YOU LEFT ME IN THERE FOR HOURS! I HAD NO IDEA IF ANYONE WAS DEAD OR ALIVE. WHAT IS THAT EVEN MADE OUT OF?!! DO YOU KNOW HOW STRONG THAT IS? MY KNIFE THAT YOU FILLED WITH DARK MAGIC DIDN'T EVEN PUT A DENT IN IT!"

"I'm sorry I didn't get you sooner, I passed out. But I'm not going to apologize for keeping you safe."

"She's right. You were better off in there."

I whipped my head around, running my eyes up and down my ravishing mate. His clothes were tattered, revealing his sturdy abdomen and protruding muscles. There were cuts and scratched on the entirety of his body, but none life threatening. His eyes were drooping slightly, his exhaustion evident. His eyes lit up behind his dark, damp curls that were falling over his face and his mouth curved upwards. I jumped into his arms, wrapping my arms around him tightly as as a droplet managed to escape my eyes. He was okay.