The Last Goddess

Chapter One Hundred Forty-Two: Calmed the Fury

Samara

Everything sounded muffled and distant. I felt heat, rage and pain surrounding me. Neri tried to push me deeper into myself. She wanted singular control, and she was getting it.

Through the dampened noise, I could vaguely hear the sound of my familiar calling to me. I reached out, but it was useless. He was only getting farther away, causing an intense sense of defeat to course through me.

I finally committed to fighting for the life I had left, and yet, I couldn't even restrain the curse long enough to stay conscious. Still, though, I tried. I begged my soul to rejoin my body. I did everything I could to will it so, but it didn't work. Not even a little. I screamed into the void, annoyed with my futility.

I flinched at the gentle touch of a hand on my back. It seemed to push me closer to the noise—closer to Aryan. Suddenly, I felt two more hands against my spine. They chilled the heat, calmed the fury.

"Go." They whispered, pleadingly. "Don't let her ruin this."

It took me a moment to realize it was the remaining goddesses. They truly did want to be free. I wanted that for us all.

I reached towards the pinprick of light, allowing their support to strengthen my resolve. The noise was deafening, and the light was so bright I had to shut my eyes tightly before I dared to open them again. But when I did, I could see the eerie green glow from my fairy fire surrounding me. I could hear cries, screams, and the incineration of trunks against my flames and wind against bodies. Lastly, I could feel my foot grinding against something. I looked down to see Aryan. I had stomped my foot against his chest repeatedly. He held my ankle just tight enough to slow me down, but not tight enough to stop me. The corners of his mouth were spewing blood, but he continued to watch me apprehensively.

I gasped, falling to my knees beside him. "Aryan," I called, grazing my fingers along his cheek before laying a hand on his chest. "I-I'm sorry. You... you should have stopped me. You have the strength! You could have just pushed me away."

With the surrounding chaos and the fairy fire acting as a barrier, no one seemed to notice I had stopped attacking. Aryan sat up slowly on his elbows, grunting slightly before he spat out the remaining blood in his mouth.

He smirked rather cheekily as he said, "How could I harm my goddess? I'd be a pretty shitty familiar if I did."

"Stop it." My eyes blurred with tears, and suddenly, I felt a combination I had never felt before. Yes, I was worried and upset and mildly relieved that he was alright enough to joke about this, but strangely, there was something else gnawing at me.

"Wait," Aryan inclined his head at me as a slow grin beamed against his burgundy scales. "You're pissed." He chuckled, wincing slightly with each breath.

"I..." I thought to lie but couldn't bear to tell him another one. "Maybe."

I leaned over to help him and stiffened. With Neri no longer in control, I felt the injury that started all this. My back throbbed from the where Callum's hummingbird Janus stabbed me. I hardly wanted to move, let alone try to lift Aryan, but I didn't have a choice. We helped each other up. Aryan laid his hand against my back, but then, swiftly turned me around.

"What the hell!?" he growled as his fingers pressed around my wound. My dragon familiar looked between the god of flight and his lackey. "Which one?" he punctuated between clenched teeth.

I turned to find the hummingbird Janus was encircled by fire, and his wing was slashed and pierced with a dagger. "I wouldn't worry about him." I noted.

Aryan's amber orbs narrowed on the underling. "Not. Enough."

I sighed, choosing to ignore his bloodlust. "Come on." I softly poked at his side before raising one hand and lowering the fairy fire until there wasn't anything but moonlight illuminating our surroundings.

"Samara!" Ethan and Ailia cheered as they approached us.

"What are you two doing here!?" I wondered, confused. Ailia was tearing up, but before she could hug me, I noticed her hands. "Why are you burned?"

She pulled them behind her, refusing to look at me.

I couldn't comment any further because suddenly, Gale, the sylph from my dreamwalk with Callum, fluttered over. "Lady Brisa!"

"I'm not Brisa." I said, reflexively.

Without warning, Gale leaned in and sniffed me. "Ehh," she tilted her head side-to-side before continuing. "Ok, Not Brisa." The sylph waved her hand and suddenly, the four of us had our feet off the ground. We were surrounded by wind so thick it seemed nothing could penetrate through. I reached towards it but it repelled me. "We must go. My wind magic will not delay Lord Callum for long."

I glanced over, Callum appeared as if he was still fending off Gale and her attacks, but it was merely some sort of wind double—an illusion of sorts.

I started to float away from Aryan, but he grabbed onto hand and guided me back towards him. "Where are you taking us?" He demanded as Gale took off towards the evening sky.

She dragged us along as if we were being pulled by a leash before saying, "To the place you were looking for."