Beneath the Sunless Sky

Chapter Fifty-One

—Velara—

The sky was ripping open. Atop the Minokawa, Ori could see the night sky in its entirety; an endless blanket of stars that had split open, green light rippling along the edges of the tear as meteors descended through the rift. Everywhere the meteors hit, fire spread, scarring the world below. The rift had opened directly above Rynbelle, and the closer they got, the larger the rift grew. Ori could feel it, every minute tear that spread along the night sky. The veil separating this world from the Grave was breaking apart. Soon, the Grave would pour into Velara, destroying everything in its path.

Time was running out.

Behind her, Adix tightened his hold around her waist, both painfully aware of the urgency of the situation. The dragons flanked them, everyone silent as they soared toward the burning city of Rynbelle. She could feel, with every heartbeat, her worst fears being realized.

Too late. Too late. They were too late!

Flying made their journey that much quicker. Yet, even so, by the time they made it over Rynbelle, Ori couldn't imagine that anyone was left alive in the inferno raging below. There were monsters crawling through the burning streets, their vicious shrieks echoing out into the night. It was a nightmare below, one from which Ori wasn't certain she could save them.

Adix directed the Minokawa toward one of the palace's towers, where they could see a pillar of green light ascending toward the rift in the sky. That was where the rift had been opened. That was where they could close it, too. Together, they disembarked onto the tower that was littered with the bodies of Nameran soldiers. Adix cursed as he unsheathed his swords. The group raced along the tower toward the green pillar of light. A robed figure hovered in the air at the edge of the tower, arms outstretched as the light pulsed into the sky. Xaelan stood at the figure's side, turning with a smile as he made to greet them.

"NO!" Ori skidded to a stop at the sound of Kailus' pained scream. The prince fell to his knees beside one of the bodies, weak hands pulling desperately at the bloody blue cape draped over the figure's back. Ori felt her heart leap into her throat even before his face was revealed. She knew who had died here in defense of his city, of his nation, of his people.

Avalas' eyes were still open, staring, unseeing, at the night sky being torn apart above him. Beside him, dozens of his soldiers lay broken and bloodied, not a single one moving. Altara's anguished cry made Ori's fists tighten. She tried to look away from the awful sight, but there, nearby, was The Voice, her old body fractured beyond repair, a copy of The Broken Song clutched tightly in one hand. The pages within still glowed. Not far from her was the Immaculate, his imposing figure covered in blood. They had all died here, defending Namera, defending all Velara, while she lost in the woods. Shaking with rage, Ori turned and met Xaelan's eye. He grinned.

"Welcome home, Aer'Avyn," he greeted, his words dripping with pleasure. "Do you like your present? I made certain to arrange it all just for you."

Eyes fixed on Xaelan, she was ready to strike, ready to end this once and for all. But just as she moved, a tremendous explosion rippled across the sky. Ori and the others all stopped, their eyes trained overhead as the rift tore open the rest of the sky and an endless darkness poured into Velara. It broke over the land like a tidal wave, rushing toward Rynbelle with frightening speed. Without a moment of hesitation, Ori used her magic to pull her friends toward her.

"Don't move!" she ordered and reached for Aldressa's power.

The darkness crested over the palace, curving ominously above them, and then, all of a sudden, it stopped. The rotating spheres and glyphs she had seen in the temple returned, spinning dizzyingly around them as Ori willed time to reverse itself. The others clung to her as she forced time to go back as far as her power would allow. She could not reverse time as far as she would like, but when at last she saw the sky fix itself and the two figures disappear from atop the tower, she let go of the threads of time, collapsing to her knees.