The Fire Between Us- Book Eight

Ch. 17- Death is Everywhere

"Is there another life? Shall I awake and find all this a dream? There must be, we cannot be created for this sort of suffering."

There was only one second where the world seemed to stop. I heard nothing but my own screams of terror–for it was deafening in my own eardrums. But I could not stop. My husband, my protector, my equal, was close to death at the hands of my enemy.
He always said I was the one to bring us hope in the darkest of times. Never did he realize that he was the one who brought us hope–to bring us all together in every way possible. Because of Sebastian Breevort, we were alive and willing to fight for a better life. Maybe I was the symbol that fought for hell for the ones that could not fight themselves–but he was the embodiment of the dream we all had. The dream to have peace, to live a life without violence or wars. It is what we wanted–what Sebastian wanted for five hundred years. If he did not, he wouldn't have brought me back to life. He would not risk his own life for his Kingdom, his family, or me, for that matter. It is what made him a great King that will be remembered for generations.
Silently, I forced myself to stand up despite the pain in my leg, telling me to rest. Not just yet–maybe in another lifetime. My surroundings were full of despair yet I analyzed it thoroughly, for one of the many things Sebastian Breevort taught me was to understand your battlefield. Let it guide you–to strengthen you and your battle. Piles of marble and stone laid on the ground, pieces of what my home used to be. Ashes and smoke choked the air around all of us but my shield still held strong. A few miles ahead was the palace of Faylinn standing tall–its white marble clear and without a scratch. In front was Eva's army, waiting and watching.
Her army needs to be distracted for me to get Sebastian back. It is the only way for me to get to him without arousing suspicion. But to do that–it would be dangerous. Then, as if my army knew what I was thinking—started marching towards Eva and her enemy. Verena de Blaire and Moros lead the distraction, with Ellie, Grace, and Christian beside them. Jasper led my Fae army whereas Thomas transformed into a Wolf and walked behind them all.
Verena, who wore black armor underneath her crimson cloak and wore her hair into a high ponytail—did not have to follow anyone but herself. She knew what I needed to do before we went into battle and I am forever grateful for her. When she was within distance, she spoke at last, "We finally met Eva Miller. I have to say, I did not expect you to be so weak." She laughed. "I have met many Gods and Kings, Eva, and you are neither."
Eva chuckled. "And who do you think you are?"
From a distance, I smiled. I could not help it—Verena had that kind of power. She was snarky and so much like Ellie in which I adored. "Me? I happen to be the Goddess of Death." she waved her hand to Moros. "He is Moros, the God of Death."
And at that, Eva's golden eyes widened.
In the same second, I spread my wings and soared into the sky. For the longest time, I was afraid of falling. But ever since my wings formed, I loved every moment of flying. The wind was in my face and this version of me, it feels like I have finally found my true form. It took a long time—but I am free.
Her soldiers started yelling and pointing at me—some using their swords to stab me from the sky—and failed miserably. Within seconds, I was beside Sebastian who was still unconscious. My heart rapidly beat against my chest and I could barely concentrate. I needed to focus, I told myself. But all I could see was the blood dripping down his shirt, blood sticking to his hair and golden skin. His beautiful midnight eyes were closed and he had no idea what was happening, what had happened. I took a deep breath and braced myself for the pain to enter my bones once I pull out the wooden stake from his chest.
"I'm sorry, Sebastian." I whispered. Quickly, I pulled out the stake and tossed it before carrying him to the ground. He was heavy to the point where my muscles burned to let him go—but I could not. I wouldn't.
Down below, Verena kept Eva occupied until I was safely inside the shield. "Where is my niece, Verena de Blaire? Why does she have a God trying to change my mind about the war?"
Verena laughed, tipping her head back. Then, she said, "Oh, I am not doing that, darling." She glanced at me for a second as I was setting Sebastian down behind everyone—then nodded. I did the same, a silent agreement between us. "I just needed to keep you distracted."
They silently fell back—surrounding me now. Eva tilted her head at the sight of me and I only smiled—holding Sebastian in my arms now. "You can burn my home to the ground, take my crown off my head and bury me alive—but do not put your hands on him!" I growled. "When I finally kill you, Eva, I will make it damn sure you will suffer every minute of it."
"We shall see, Elora." Eva replied. Then marched back to the palace without a word.
I bowed my head and stared at Sebastian—who was slowly starting to wake up. My healing powers were working quickly on him, thank the Gods. I let out a sigh of relief as he opened his eyes, smiling ear to ear at me. "I knew you would never let me fall," he whispered. "My light."
Tears streamed down my cheeks because Sebastian Breevort was alive. He was in my arms and talking—I could hear the rhythm of his heart, which was the same as mine. "From death to life," I said. A promise. "Sebastian, I'm so sorry I was not here when everything happened."
He was sitting up now, his hands gently placed around mine. "There is nothing to apologize for, Elora. We did not see it coming and you needed to help Kalama. Where is she, by the way?"
I breathed hard, trying to control my grief. "She found them. The Phoenix army is getting ready for battle, which is why we need to wait until they get here." I paused, glancing down at the rubble below me. Then, at the clouds in the sky. Lastly, I glanced at the Werewolves, where I saw Kassandra and her Mother in their wolf forms. His family. From their eyes, I knew they were thinking about him. I nodded and then focused on Sebastian again. "Jesse Davenport died. He—sacrificed himself for Kalama. He's a hero." Sebastian's jaw clenched but did not say anything. "Vivienne is still missing in the rubble. Aeson and Dakota are looking—but there hasn't been any word from her. Half of the Werewolf army is gone and a lot of the Vampires died when Ambrosia fell."
Before he could speak, I pulled out his armor and swords. "But I made sure you had your armor before I came."
And at that, everyone laughed. "Leave it to Elora to make sure we look cool as we go into battle." Ellie replied. I faced her now and gave her the finger, in which she replied with the same gesture. "I am not complaining, I do look hot in my armor." I looked around me at all the faces I loved. This was my family—one that I built all on my own and that was my greatest accomplishment in my years of living. No, it was not defeating the Devil nor was it surviving death, but it was these people. All of them opened their arms for me and said, "You're safe with me." and I will forever love them with my entire being. No matter how many times someone will tear us down—I know that we will survive because we have each other, even if some of us are no longer here. We survive for years by the memories of those we love the most in the world, that is how we keep on living. It is how we wake up every day as if it was a new day.
We—as a family—give each other hope in a world full of despair.
They stopped laughing, realizing they were in the middle of what they used to call home. It was now a battlefield. We were silent for minutes, recalling our best memories of Ambrosia, how it kept us safe for centuries and gave us warmth in the middle of winter. It gave us everything and now it has fallen. "What do we do now?" questioned Christian, his blue eyes close to tears as he had his arms wrapped around his family. I hope he knows how proud I am that he finally found it. He found a way out of loneliness, just like I did. "Are we supposed to wait until Kalama comes to save us? What about Vivienne? Have we found her yet?"
Aeson grimly stared at his hands that were covered in dirt and blood. It was shaking repeatedly and I quietly placed my own on top of his, to show him he was now alone in that fear. I already lost a boy who I considered to be my own son the day before and I did not dare to think about losing a girl, too. Vivienne had no one but us and a part of me fears that we failed to protect her from everything. "The only thing we can do now is to wait," I announced. "We had a plan but that failed. But we still have an upper hand that Eva does not know and we need to keep it that way. As far as Vivienne goes, we can all take turns looking for her beneath the rubble." I paused, glancing at everyone's tired looks–at the hell they just went through without me. "We have a week to prepare. A week until Kalama and her army comes into battle, a week until the eclipse."
"What are we supposed to do before that, Elora?" Mairi questioned, her arms crossed over her chest. Emrys stood next to her, his expression serious.
I managed to give her the strongest smile I could muster–but it was merely weak. "Eat. Sleep. Help find Vivenna and others who are trapped underneath Ambrosia. That is what we do while we wait." I finally stood up as I held Sebastian's hand in one and Aeson's in the other. The wing brushed the hair away from the face, my powers yearning for more. As though it was screaming at me to do something–to fight the way I did all those years ago. As to what I do now. Sebastian squeezed my hand, silenting telling me that he was there. I cleared my throat before speaking, "Each one of us knows death like our own hearts. Some are powered by it," I glanced at Moros, Verena, and Scarlett de Blaire. "Some were born with it," I now glanced at Ellie, Christian, and Grace then at Kellan Ayelet. Lastly, I quickly glanced at Sebastian, who only smirked. Along with their children. "And some of us know death at the hands of others." I focused on Mairi and Emrys, at Jasper and Charles Breevort, at Thomas Davenport and his Werewolves. Mab and her wife. My parents, Margot and Oberon. "We know death is like an old friend and we met evil like our favorite rival. We know it so well that it was ingrained in our minds the second we were born–it has built us, shaped us, and even destroyed us. I want to say how that evil cannot destroy us this time–but I can't predict the future like Christian." I paused, smiling as everyone chuckled. "We are the creatures that little children read about in their bedtime stories–whether it is a scary story or not. We are myths, a fairytale, a nightmare. But that does not define who we are in our souls. What defines us are the actions we take and how we treat others." I took a deep breath, trying my best to hide my tears. "Eva and I may share a last name and the same red hair, but she is not my blood. Unlike her, I am willing to fight for what is right. She sees me as the enemy because I have the power that she doesn't. I have the life she craved for years until that jealousy drove her mad. Until she willingly decided to kill Jax Collins–a human in which we all grew to love. So let's fight. Fight for those who are no longer with us–for the ones that cannot fight themselves. Fight for a better future. Fight for Jax. For my Aunts and Uncles. For my Grandparents. Fight for Oliver, for Kalama, Alli, and Aeson. Fight for Jesse Davenport. Lastly, fight for our home. Ambrosia means immortal and that alone means everything because even if our Kingdom falls, the people in it will not. We are survivors until the very end."
My family was close to tears, as was I. No one said anything for a moment and I thought that my speech was some kind of joke–that it was meaningless. But then, it was Charles Breevort–the former King of Ambrosia and Sebastian's father, who took a knee and bowed his head. "For the Queen and King of Ambrosia." he said.
The rest followed. Ellie and Christian, followed by Velia and Amelia and her children. Then, Grace and Jasper kneeled, along with their children. My parents and the Fae bowed their heads. Kellan Ayelet and his crew silently whispered the words that Charles said. Finally, it was the Gods of Death bowing for me. For me, the quiet girl who sat in the back of the class. The girl that was lonely all her life and only had books as her source of comfort. Me, who did not deserve this kind of respect. This love that was handed to me. It was all so much.
Aeson let go of my hand as he kneeled beside me. He whispered, "To my parents, the greatest rulers in history."
I was crying now, I realized. Tears slid down my cheeks as they kept their heads bowed. But the greatest surprise was Sebastian Breevort–he always was a surprise. Ever since I met him, he was mysterious and I had no idea what he was going to do next. It is one of the many things I love about him. Sebastian, who was still in pain, weakly kneeled before me and bowed his head. "To the Queen of Ambrosia. To the light. To the one person that loves me for who I am–who would never let me fall. To my wife and mother of my children. To my best friend. To Elora Miller, the Lightbringer."
"From death to life." I promised.
In union, everyone followed. "From death to life.