In the Land of Fae 2: Return to Ice ♔ (gxg)

19. down in flames

"Unless...you join me."

Eira was so close to Al that one flame from her wing could have set the ice fae on fire. Alastair looked at Eira's blue eye which glistened softly, and her red eye where the pupil was large and the iris dull, as if it were dead. Everything came rushing back to her—their younger selves laughing, holding each other in times of hardship, the kiss—

But it was nothing to her now, even if all those memories felt achingly fresh. There was no friendship, no love between her and Eira anymore. She mentally poisoned her. She killed Nikolaus. She killed all the fire fae. She most likely killed her mother and sister. She killed thousands of fae. She killed Aerwyn. She tried to kill Nyx. She had indirectly drove Al crazy. Her hand of tyranny and murder had touched all those that Alastair loved, and even herself. All because of a moment on a cliff nearly two decades ago.

Hot hands pressed against cold shoulders, and Eira fell onto her back, her cane rolling a few feet away. Tall, winged, graceful Alastair towered over the ice fae who caught the breath which was knocked over her. She crossed her hands then splayed them out beside her, flames encompassing her palms and fingers. Orange hues glowed in her eyes as she spoke, "I never loved you, and I never will."

Eira sat up on her elbows and tried to scoot away, staring up at Al's blinding eyes. An orangey-scarlet hue seemed to glow from the fae's figure as she stepped closer.

"You have taken everything from me," continued the fire fae in a low, grim voice. "All because your pride is too big for your body." Her large wings stretched out behind her, the few delicate red feathers mingled between the black ones glowing with flames that lapped like strings of orange thread.

The sound of wings overhead caused Alastair to look up to the sky right as a white figure came swooping down, grabbing Al by the neck and lifting her off her feet just to throw her back into the ground. Al rolled in the dirt with a grunt, but wasted no time in catching her heels in the dirt and landing on all fours. She looked up to see Praen landing beside Eira, handing her her cane and helping her off the ground.

"My Queen," Praen whispered in a respectful tone before turning to Alastair, a look of haughtiness washing over his face. "The stray's found her way back, has she?"

Steadying herself on her cane, Eira looked up to Al. It was obvious that she was physically weakened by her injuries no matter how much Mabuz had helped them to heal. Pausing for a moment, the mask of vulnerability that had once been on Eira's face washed away, revealing her truest form of a carnage catalyst. She almost looked animalistic—like she was hungry for Al's blood.

"Praen," she said in her velvet tone, turning her head slightly to the taller boy while still eyeing Al who had stood up. "Let the dog out, would you?"

Praen looked to Al with a sickening grin before flapping his wings and hoisting himself into the air, launching straight towards Al.

Lifting out her hands, Al sent a large flame towards the boy who blocked it by conjuring a shield of ice. He dove straight into Al's hands, the ice breaking over her knuckles before she could dodge out of the way. Making a sprint towards Eira, Al let out a choking gasp when Praen grabbed her blouse from behind and yanked her, causing the collar to tighten around her neck. Sharply, she turned and smacked Praen across the face with a flaming hand, a burn mark immediately etching itself on the boy's previously blemish-less cheek.

Praen hissed from the pain but recovered quickly, shooting daggers of ice towards the fae who raised her fiery hands and melted each dagger before it could reach her. Huffing, Praen conjured a long sword of ice in his palm and swiveled it around himself, obviously having been trained in dueling as he sprinted closer to Alastair and swung the sword down over her.