The air on the mountain was thick with the scent of magic and moisture that settled upon the landscape. The trees flowed with the wind, disrupting the sweet, rotten scent, churning it back up into the air like dust. And it was dark — very dark. The girls dashed through the night sky, hand-in-hand, brushing the tree line with their ethereal glow.
The feeling of flying came so naturally that neither Maren nor Cora truly recognized how extraordinary what they were doing truly was. To them in that moment, it came as naturally as breathing, as easy as walking, talking or eating. They were so full of magic that it practically came spewing out of them, sparking at their feet and all around them.
And as they finished their ascent of the mountain, the stronger the presence of the core of the Darkspirit became.
***
Thirteen and Ethan stood beside one another, gazing out the window, watching something spectacular unfold. Once the princesses concluded their midnight dance in the sky above the palace, they shot into the air like shooting stars, ascending the mountain. Thirteen knew they were now heading toward the Darkspirit, to finish this battle once and for all. In all her years, she had never seen anything so otherworldly.
Behind them, Thirteen heard the creak of the door.
"My Lady," the Commander said through breathless pants, likely from running back to report. "Princess Maren has somehow found a way to use her powers to heal the palace! Those who were once monsters have fallen into a deep slumber and are human again, their wounds completely healed. Some have awoken, seemingly with no memory at all of what transpired."
Thirteen did not look back at the Commander. Her eyes stayed glued to the scene outside. The thrashing trees, the howling wind, and the glow of the Princesses as they settled at the peak, disappearing inside the cave.
"Ethan," she said, her tone serious. He turned his head to look up at her. "We must prepare the castle. If half the palace populace remembers something horrific and the other half remembers nothing at all, there could be grave consequences." She turned to face him. "I trust that Twelve still keeps that book in her room."
Ethan hesitated for a moment, his breath catching slightly in his throat. Then, he nodded, meeting her gaze with full understanding. He knew the book she meant. He knew the exact chapter — the spell inside she needed.
"Good," she whispered, her expression blank as she turned toward the Commander. "Commander, gather your Knights. They deserve a drink."
***
Cora's instincts sent shivers down her body. The cave was cold and damp, but her body burned hot like never before. She crouched behind a corner, knowing deep in her core that she'd never stood this close to a true Darkspirit. The creatures that inhabited the people of the palace were Darkspirits, but not nearly as strong as this one. Those creatures were a problem but little more than imitations. This creature — this Darkspirit — was what her instincts had been craving all along. And what those imitations did to her instincts shocked her even then. But now, even after absorbing them, she felt that ravenous hunger that she did before. Cora could hear every twitch of the bony host that it inhabited, allowing her insight into its movements. It was driving her mad.
She glanced at Maren, who stood further down in the cave so that it would not sense her healing glow. Maren was giddy, wearing a bright expression but Cora knew instantly that they did not hunt similarly at all. Maren didn't feel the incessant hunger that Cora did. Whatever hunger she felt didn't pull at her instincts, pressuring her to run full force at the creature that stood just a few feet away.
There was no plan. Not even a brief discussion of what they were going to do. When they'd entered the cave, she'd been so drunk on magic and the moment that she hadn't considered a plan of action. And as Cora tried to force her chest not to heave in response to the adrenaline that coursed through her, she realized her own will wasn't enough — she had to move.
Cora's body flared with heat as she made her move. She was so hot, she thought she might burst into flames. Noticing her glow, the creature turned fast and that's when Cora met its gaze. She could see it within the empty sockets of the corpse — a darkness like void, outlined in scratchy lines of red, purple and black, like someone drew it. The spirit did not have a face like anything physical from their world but Cora knew the moment it turned that it could see her.
And just as her sword was about to make contact, the creature jumped, stumbling back clumsily. That hammer it carried was heavy — likely too heavy for a rotting corpse held together by magic.
Cora pivoted on her heel, twisting her body through the air with the momentum of her sword and brought it down harshly upon the Darkspirit.
Only, it dodged that movement as well, rolling away. Her sword sunk into the dirt, clanging on stone just beneath the surface. Cora gritted her teeth in frustration. For a literal bag of bones, it moved much faster than she anticipated. She turned toward the Darkspirit, steadying her sword at the ready. As she breathed, steam seemed to exhale from her body, warming the room. The Darkspirit stood there, holding its mighty hammer above its head. Cora analyzed its behavior, unsure why it didn't make its move closer. She thought that surely —
Then, she knew why.
Behind her, she felt its presence.
Another Darkspirit.
She hadn't seen it in the shadows. She hadn't felt its presence. The host hadn't moved an inch, clicked or made any indication that it was there. Cora jerked her body to the side and when its blade pierced through her shoulder, she knew why the Darkspirit hadn't been attacking.
It was a trap.
Cora let out a scream of pain as the cold metal burst through the front side of her shoulder. She stumbled forward, the blade sliding out much slower than it went in. Her hand instinctively flew to the wound, pressing against it to slow the bleeding.
"Cora!" Maren screamed, showing herself to the enemy.
"Maren, stay back!" Cora cried out, reaching her hand toward her. But when she did, she saw the severity of the wound. Hot crimson covered her hand, and dread dropped in her stomach. Cora stood motionless, staring in shock at her own blood on her hand. There was a ringing in her ears so loud and quiet at the same time, she forgot where she was for a moment.
I'm hit, she thought. It got me right through the shoulder. Goddess, it hurts. It hurts…but not nearly as much as I thought it would. Why..? Why doesn't it hurt like it should?
"Cora!" Maren's voice broke through the silence.
Cora turned at the sound of Maren's voice, so much closer than it was before. She turned and her eyes flew wide at the scene. The main Darkspirit towered over her, its hammer brimming with magic just waiting to be let loose upon her. The world around them crackled and sparked, like the energy in the room was communicating with the great weapon.
And that's when it came down.
The Darkspirit was so close that Cora didn't have time to react. For a moment, she thought it was all over. She had regrets about so many things. Her father, mother and brother. The way she treated Maren for so many years. She wanted to have the courage to live her life as she wanted. She wanted to be happy, make friends and make Maren happy. In that moment, staring into the empty face of the Darkspirit, Cora realized just how much of her life she spent denying her true self. And now, when she finally had the courage to truly live, she realized it was already over.
Then, suddenly, a flash of sapphire blinded her vision.
***
Maren watched the scene unfold. The moment Cora let out that bloodcurdling scream, Maren's heart sank. She couldn't hide in the shadows anymore. Cora was amazing at the castle and so when they went in without a plan, she thought Coira had one. But seeing how things turned out, Maren realized just how wrong she'd been.
Cora had heard her call her name.
But once her eyes flitted to the blood on her hand, it was like she was stuck in a trance. Even if it was just for a moment, that split second gave the Darkspirit the upper hand. Maren could feel the magic surrounding that hammer, larger than even her own body. She felt as though she'd felt such magic before and when her eyes laid upon the swamp-green sparks, she remembered the memory the Deamstone showed her.
In Elena's memory, Maren saw Nemaine drive the Darkwood Prince out. She saw her gather her wicked, unbridled magic power, aiming to eradicate him. Maren remembered how the moment happened for Elena, as if in slow motion — a moment that so mirrored this one. The moment that hammer came down upon Cora, Maren knew she'd never see her again in this life.
Without thinking, Maren threw her body between Cora and the Darkspirit, thrusting her arms out in front of her, just as Elena did in her dream. Maren focused everything she had — every ounce of power left inside her body and soul — and poured it into a single word to protect the woman she loved. A word that echoed in her dreams, now uttered on her lips.
"TRUEGOR!" Maren cried out at the top of her lungs.
Then, sapphire light filled the room. The hammer came down upon them, just as the magic burst from Maren's body. It encapsulated them in a cool magic that felt like cool mist on her skin but was stronger than a stone fortress. The hammer made contact with her magic, sparkling and crackling and then-
BOOOOM!
Maren had never experienced an explosion of magic so great before, except in that dream. It was almost exactly the same, as if that hammer was imbued with the Swamp Witch's mana.
But...why? She thought. But Maren didn't have the luxery of thinking about that now.
The force of the hit was great, but her spell was stronger. Maren and Cora remained unharmed.
"M-Maren…" Cora whispered behind her, falling to her knees. Maren turned, fast. Cora's white top was ripped, and covered in blood from her wound. The creature had pierced her left shoulder, likely aiming for her heart, had Cora not had the instincts to move. Her eyes were wide and terrified, like she was coming down from the high of their first feeding. "You saved me."
Maren dropped the magic shield, joy filling her chest. Cora was unharmed. Cora was safe.
But just as she was ready to throw herself into Cora's arms, a voice in the back of her mind, like her better senses, spoke to her.
What of the Darkspirit?
Maren's eyes flew wide and she jumped to her feet, balling her fists at the ready. The smoke from the explosion began to clear and that's when Maren saw it. The Darkspirit was wounded by the force of such a blast — from Nemaine's magic. The corpse had completely dissipated into dust around it, as had the already decomposing bodies that hosted the remaining members of the hive-mind. She could feel its existence dissipating from this world. For a moment, she thought perhaps she could allow it to simply wither away. But when she thought how this malevolent being hurt Cora, she knew she couldn't allow it to disappear so simply.
No, she thought. You harmed her, so you shall assist in healing her.
Maren inhaled deeply, and reached within herself, searching for her healing light. And when she grasped it, she felt magic wash over her, like dammed water breaking past its barrier, flowing through her like a cool stream. Her Starblessed markings began to glow bright, covering the room in sapphire light. The sensation was thrilling and wild, flowing easily through her body. She felt the Darkspirit and its copies writhe under the force of her magic, tearing them apart until they were completely absorbed by her light. Maren felt that familiar thrill of feeding spread through her entire body, warping her senses. And when it was over, she turned toward Cora, who stared up at her with wide, proud eyes.
They stared at each other for a moment, relishing in the silence. There was no clicking — no screams of terror. They'd done it. They killed the Darkspirit.
"It's over," Cora whispered.
***
When the cavern shook once more, and rocks and dirt rained down upon them once more, Valen instinctively covered Lexi, and Ariel with his body and Darrin covered Twelve. He'd seen strange lights of red and blue through the cracks of the rubble, illuminating the darkness. But he hadn't anticipated what came next.
The explosion in the main room of the cave was so powerful that it eviscerated the rubble that had trapped them in. What was once a large pile of rocks and dirt, was now nothing more than hundreds of stones and dust at their feet. He knew a normal explosion would have spelled their deaths, but that light, that scent told him it was magic.
And when he opened his eyes, he saw Maren and Cora hand-in-hand, enveloped in their brilliant ruby and sapphire light. And then, in a flash, they were gone. His gaze drifted across the empty cavern. Once the girls had fled the cave, Valen could no longer feel the pressure of magic that once swallowed the cave. He knew, without a doubt, they were alone.
"Hey," Valen said, shaking Ariel's trembling body, "get up. We're alright."
Ariel peeked his head up, brushing his curly blonde waves back with his hand as he inspected the room.
"What happened?" Darrin asked, holding Twelve in his arms.
Valen's mouth thinned into a grimace. He wanted to tell them what he saw, but glancing down at Lexi's unconscious face and Twelve's limp body, he knew they didn't have time for that. He stood holding Lexi in his arms, like he would have done for anyone else he went to battle with.
"Can you carry Lady Twelve?" He asked Darrin, who nodded in response.
"She's small and light as a feather," he answered.
"It will be difficult," Valen continued, "but we'll have to carry them down the mountain. Lexi and Lady Twelve both need immediate medical attention."
"What of the trial?" Ariel asked. "Wasn't there something we were meant to collect?"
Valen took one last look around the cavern before he said, "I imagine the horror we met was the prize that awaited us." He moved, walking out into the main room toward the outside. "There is nothing left to do here."
***
The cavern was warmer than Maren expected and illuminated only by their colors. Her gasps were embarrassingly loud as they echoed through the space, carrying across the water surrounding the small, moss-covered island in the center. Even though they were alone on this mountain, hidden in a separate cave altogether, hearing the sound of her own voice was too much for her to bear.
But Cora was not embarrassed.
"You don't…need to be…embarrassed," she said through kisses. With one hand, she pinned both of Maren's palms above her head, searching her body with the other. Cora's body was warm, but had cooled since the fight. Still, that heat was a reminder of her presence. Maren fretted when she closed her eyes, that Cora was in fact not there, and that she was still in that cave, the Darkspirit undefeated. But as Cora's mouth pulled Maren into her gravity once more, that familiar warmth grounded her. It told her that she was right there, safe in her arms. "It's just us."
Cora's free hand gripped Maren, rough and passionate. Maren cried out from the sensation, wanting more but not wanting to seem desperate. Her hand traced the side of Maren's body, feeling her waist, hips and then, once Cora reached her thigh, she released her grip on Maren's wrist and lifted herself up to meet her flesh. Cora kissed her ankle with soft lips, a spot Maren never expected to feel so good from just a kiss. And then, she began tracing along the length of her leg, down her calf, licking the side of her knee with her slick tongue and finally started making her way down the fleshy, sensitive part of her inner thigh.
Cora stopped halfway, allowing Maren's leg to rest over her shoulder as she planted one last kiss on her leg before whispering, "heal me, Maren."
And as they shared passionate kisses, and soft, intimate sounds, reveling in the moment, the exhaustion of the day began to set in, and their light began to dim. Their kisses became slow, and tired and their eyelids too heavy to keep open.
Maren couldn't remember who fell asleep first but she knew that the feel of Cora's hair against her neck, and the warmth of her healed body beside her own felt right. She wasn't disappointed that their night ended early — in fact, she was happy that any of it was real at all.
And when they finally drifted off into a deep slumber, they were still hand-in-hand.