Disclaimer: The High Lord is a fiction owned by Trudi Canavan. I am merely fantasizing what could have been the ending I hope for. No offence to you, Trudi. I truly admire your work.

Chapter 39

Note: I wish Akkarin to live. Hell, I think majority of the readers do. Most importantly, we want to see Sonea happy (or perhaps a few of us cause others might want Akkarin for themselves, lol).

Sonea reached into Akkarin's mind and it was empty. She was terrified and refused to believe that she had lost someone she loved when she had just discover her feelings not long ago.

A week? Or two weeks, maybe. She had lost count and losing her sanity as well.

Rothen and Dorrien hurried towards her. She knew people are coming but she doesn't seem to care because the attention is paid to the one man lying on the ground lifeless.

NO! Realization hit her.

I have to try!

Removing herself from the ground, she ran to the Arena. Rothen and Dorrien were surprised and they hurried after her. Lord Balkan was the only one crounching over Akkarin.

When Sonea reached the Arena, she began to absorb the power from the shield. Rothen and Dorrien stared at her in horror.

"What is she doing?!" Rothen asked worriedly.

"I... I don't know..." Dorrien couldn't find an explanation for her behaviour for simply using black magic on the Arena.

Sonea stopped and ran past them without even acknowledging them. They felt hurt but they understood the reason behind her ignorance. Akkarin is her concern now. Again, they followed her.

Lord Balkan was still crounching over Akkarin when Sonea came back to the scene.

"Lord Balkan, please excuse me. I need some space." Sonea's voice was lace with desperation and panic. Lord Balkan did as requested and went to stand with Rothen and Dorrien.

Sonea pulled the knife out from Akkarin's chest and healed his wound from the inside to the outside of the skin. Dorrien looked at her with astonishment.

Akkarin's wound is actually closing up! Dorrien said.

Unbelievable... Rothen replied. Lord Balkan was quiet and contemplating.

Sonea reached into Akkarin's mind and started to form a source of magical power like hers in the empty space. She slowly poured more energy and tried to shape them into place. She created doors in Akkarin's head and tried to put memories of their time together into one of the doors.

The audience outside were lost of what Sonea is trying to do.

Akkarin? Sonea called out in her mind.

What is she doing? Dorrien asked his father.

She is trying to... Rothen couldn't managed to explain to his son.

Revive Akkarin. Lord Balkan finished Rothen's sentence.

Akkarin!! The mind calling was louder this time.

Sonea's eyes flew open when he felt a heartbeat.

"Dorrien! I need your help! He's alive! He has a heartbeat!" Sonea was shouting at Dorrien incoherently.

Dorrien quickly crouched next to Sonea to feel Akkarin's pulse.

A few seconds have passed. I can't feel anything...

Try harder! Sonea wasn't going to give up

There you go!

Dorrien jerked when he felt the heartbeat. It was very slow. He decided to pump Akkarin's heart. There were more heartbeats by now but he wasn't sure it was him or Akkarin himself.

Thirty seconds later, Dorrien decided to stop pumping Akkarin's heart. Amazingly, the heart was pumping by itself now.

Dorrien! He's breathing!

Yes, yes, I know! Dorrien was excited as well.

Lord Balkan and Rothen heard what they said to each other. They were so surprised that eventually they too crouched down to feel Akkarin's pulse. Theye were equally amazed.

Sonea was smiling with tears.

Sonea...?

Sonea heard the soft and weak calling and she recognized the voice she could never forget.

Akkarin! You're alive! She was laughing mentally. And she saw Akkarin smiling at her as she felt him connecting to her mind.