Chapter 24

(Hope)

Hope watched in dismay as Gwyllion vanished, her presence carried away on the wind. She had always suspected that there was an ulterior motive to her assistance, but she had never anticipated it would be the key to defeating Malivore

She turned her attention back to the scroll in her hand, reading the prophecy for what felt like the hundredth time…

"Caught between the orbit of two suns…"

The words leered up at her from the page, bringing on a fresh wave of guilt.

She could still picture the pained expression on Landon's face as Akane held him in her jaws. Not long ago, the choice would have been simple— there would have been no hesitation.

But that was before.

The heaviness of her decision felt unbearable, but it was nothing compared to the knowledge that if forced, she would make the same choice again…

Clarke had knocked at the door to her heart and somewhere along the way she had opened it, only a crack—but it was all that he needed.

He infuriated her, pushed her, tempted her…

She looked to Clarke standing next to her— his presence had felt different since their encounter with Akane. More specifically, since his confession…

Agent Ryan Clarke was in love with her.

The shock of his declaration had yet to wear off—part of her feared that he would take it back at any moment, proving her a fool for caring.

And yet, she could feel his sincerity; it was apparent in his every word, every move he made.

His feelings nudged against her own— Bewilderment, gratefulness, devotion.

"Clarke?" she asked hesitantly, finding herself uncertain of what to say now that they were alone.

"Yes?" he asked, still studying the scroll over her shoulder.

"Do you know what the rest of this means?" she asked, trailing a finger down to the last paragraph. "The part about what was taken being willingly given?"

"I'm not sure," he admitted with a frown. "But, based on everything else, I have a feeling we're going to find out."

Hope reached for her pendant, rubbing it between her forefinger and thumb, pulling anxiously at the chain.

After a moment, Clarke reached out to stay her hand, gently covering it with his own.

"It's going to be okay," he said softly, meeting her eyes. "You're the strongest person I've ever known."

She closed her eyes, nodding weakly. It was up to her. She would bear it all, she had to…

"But," he interjected, releasing her hand to gently lift her chin. "You don't have to be. I'm here for you— you won't have to do this alone."

She took a shaky breath, amazed at how well he seemed to know her. Even with Landon it had never been like this—they had risked life and limb for each other, but it was never what she wanted, never what she needed. She didn't want to be the protector or the protected—all she ever wanted was a partner.

"Thank you," she said quietly.

He nodded, giving her a small smile—the imperfect, lopsided one that she loved.

"I know you feel responsible for what happened to Landon. I know you carry the weight of the world on your shoulders… but none of this is your fault," he said, a surprising fierceness in his eyes.

It wasn't her fault—

It was something she had told herself so many times, about so many things…

But hearing someone else say it like this, without sympathy— only conviction, made her actually dare to believe it.

She suddenly felt unsure of what to say, but it felt wrong to let his words go unanswered…

"Well, dragging you here was my fault," she blurted out.

Oh God— Why the hell did she bring that up?

Clarke just stared at her for a moment, the strangest expression on his face; it was something between confusion and shock.

For a horrible moment she feared she had made a huge mistake, but a second later he burst out laughing.

"Alright, that was very much your fault," he said, still smiling.

"You always make me laugh," he had told her— There was something exhilarating about the knowledge that there was more to him, something that only she was able to bring out.

"So does that mean you forgive me?" she asked.

"Help me destroy this dimension forever and we'll call it even," he said with a wink.

"Deal," she agreed.

(Ryan)

Ryan kept turning the words of the prophecy over in his mind as they walked ever closer to Malivore's misshapen fortress in the rocks.

"Union both threatens destruction and promises salvation… What was taken is now willingly given."

He knew his father had planned to use possession once he escaped from the pit, but now he feared that his plans may have moved ahead.

Hope walked alongside him in companionable silence, but he could feel the anxiety and guilt that clung to her.

At least she knew she wasn't alone…

He was so lost in thought that he almost tripped when she held out an arm to stop him.

"What?" he asked in surprise, looking over to her.

"It's a moat," she observed, pointing out ahead of them. Sure enough, there was dark river of Malivore's quicksand stretching out before them, completely surrounding the foreboding, rocky fortress.

"It's the same sand that blocks my magic," she noted ruefully.

"It's the same sand that almost killed you," he added pointedly. The memory of pulling her limp form out of the sand caused him to shudder.

"How do we get across?" she asked.

There was no obvious solution—the dark sand turned the fortress into its own island, virtually inaccessible.

"Need a ride?" a sarcastic voice asked from behind them.

Ryan and Hope spun around, a shared sense of panic jolting through them.

It was Huan.

Of course it was.

"You're too late," Hope said. "Akane already betrayed you."

Huan laughed, sounding every bit the unhinged monster her knew him to be.

"Actually, I'm here for you," Huan said pointing at Hope. "I just had a funny feeling that you'd be showing up here…" he finished with a nasty grin.

Ryan could feel Hope's magic crackling in her veins—his hyper awareness of her power felt strange.

"And hey, it looks like you and the suit made up— too bad it looks like someone is missing… " he said.

"Lihednat Dolchitni!" Hope shouted, closing her hand into a fist.

Suddenly, Huan was on his knees gasping for air.

It was the same spell she had used on Akane during their fight.

Despite his obvious physical peril, Huan's grin never faltered— Ryan watched in horror as he reached for the pouch around his neck, summoning a single razor-sharp claw to stab his token inside.

Excruciating pain wracked his body, causing him to collapse to the ground. He had never longed so dearly for death…

"Ryan!" Hope screamed, falling to her knees next to him.

Suddenly the pain stopped, but instead of relief, all he could feel was an intense feeling of emptiness.

"Now, let's be civil," Huan said to Hope. "You don't want me to have to do that again…"

"You absolute bastard," she spat at him.

"Guilty as charged," he responded. "And trust me, I'm going to enjoy every moment of this…"

Ryan watched as Huan transformed into his dragon form, emerald scales glowing in the darkness.

Hope reached an arm around him, helping him to his knees.

"What are we going to do?" she asked, panic in her eyes. "He still has the pouch," she observed, pointing to the dragon's neck.

"How did you kill his brother?" Ryan asked.

"I caused a rock explosion—a piece severed his neck," she answered hastily.

Huan was airborne now, clearly preparing to strike.

"Over there," Ryan said, pointing to a nearby rock formation. "Can you use those rocks to crush him?"

"No!" Hope shouted. "I mean, yes, but it could crush your token—what happens if it's destroyed?" she asked, fear shining in her eyes.

He would die—permanently.

"Just a little pain, but it's worth the risk," he lied.

Suddenly, Huan swooped down, claws extended—Ryan instinctually raised an arm in protection, but the blow didn't come…

What felt like an explosion of energy propelled Huan backwards—he turned to Hope who was staring at him in shock.

"How the hell do you keep using magic?" she asked, eyes wide.

Ryan remembered when he had pulled the keys from her hand at the prison house—it had been the strangest feeling.

"I—I don't know," he said. "It's never something I could do before!"

A ferocious roar interrupted their exchange—

"We're going to talk about this later!" she said, jumping to her feet.

"Let me help you," he implored. "If I can use magic, maybe there's something I can do!"

She shot him a skeptical look before narrowly rolling out of the way of Huan's waiting talons.

"Vados!" she shouted, extending her arms outward, sending a similar wave of energy that he had just used.

"I'm going to lure him to those rocks—I'm the one he wants," Hope shouted, already running. "If I can trap him under those rocks, you need to get the token!"

Sure enough, Huan followed Hope towards the rock, coming heart wrenchingly close to her every time he dove down.

Ryan followed the pair, ignoring the protests of his aching body.

When Hope crouched behind a rock for cover, he saw his chance. He held out his hand, the same as he had watched Hope do earlier…

"Vados," he said quietly, focusing his energy on the rock above Huan—he felt ridiculous, he was no witch… But then he felt it, a warmth that he recognized as Hope; this was her power.

The rocks cracked and gave way, falling onto the dragon, pinning him to the ground. For a terrifying moment he feared he had been too reckless—but as the dust settled, he could see that the dragon's torso and his token were unharmed.

The rocks had fallen on Huan's lower half and tail, causing him to shriek in a mixture of anger and pain.

Hope made her way out from behind the rocks, quickly assessing the situation. As soon as she deemed it safe, she ran to him, throwing her arms around him. He relished the feeling, burying his face into her shoulder, holding her as tightly as he dared.

"Your token!" she said, suddenly remembering. "We have to go get it!"

They turned to where Huan had fallen only to find him human once more, seemingly unconscious.

Hope wasted no time making her way to him, snatching the pouch from around his neck, paying no mind to the rubble that continued to rain down on his unconscious form.

"Here," she said, offering him the pouch; "This belongs to you."

She was really returning it to him—

Ryan cursed himself for not trusting her with this information sooner—how had he been so selfish?

"Thank you," he said, trying to hold back the tears he felt prickling at his eyes. He placed the pouch around his neck, feeling an immediate sense of ease.

She smiled at him and in that moment he was sure—he would never love anything more.

They made their way back to the edge of the moat, now exhausted and still lacking a solution on how to reach the fortress.

"Do you remember what Gwyllion said about how she couldn't enter the fortress?" Hope asked.

"She said you had to have Malivore's permission or his blood to enter," he answered.

"Does that mean I won't be able to enter?" she asked.

"I don't know," he said. "But I think I know why you need to have his blood—when we first encountered the sand I didn't drown like you…"

"What do you mean?" she asked, watching him carefully.

"I connected with Malivore—directly. I think having his blood let me use the sand like a portal."

"So that's how you were able to get out of the pit without help!" she said accusingly. "No wonder you were so weird about it…"

"I warned you not to trust me," he said with a shrug.

"Does that still stand?" she asked coyly.

"What do you think?" he asked, quirking an eyebrow.

Before she could respond, he heard the sound of quiet footsteps behind them—he looked over his shoulder to see Huan standing there.

He opened his mouth to warn Hope, but it was too late—

"Delivery complete," Huan said triumphantly as he pushed them backwards into the dark, sandy moat.