Mara
Her fight or flight kicked in the moment he said to run. Mara couldn’t leave him behind. She wouldn’t leave him to die. Not when she was the one to accidentally foil their plans. Self-sabotage was a skill that she unfortunately excelled in. Never had she expected to bring Vareck down with her. She screamed out as the spear pierced his body, seeing the king fall to his knees. Mara slammed her elbow back into the Okalri as hard as she could, spinning to kick the creature away.
Every impact of her soft flesh against the hardened rock stung, but it didn’t stop her from the attack. Mara turned to see the guard approaching the dazed king, and she cried out once more, hoping his name was reaching through to him. Mara vaulted forward, slamming her shoulder into the guard that tried to retrieve a spear. She dared to look back, gasping as she saw Vareck stand, any recognition gone from his eyes.
Shock and horror consumed her as she watched black wings unfurl from his back, the king roaring before the slaughter began. Mara breathed in sharply, watching as the Okalri shattered before him. Slash by slash, he was brutal, heaving in air as he looked upon the defeated enemies that crumbled before him.
“Vareck,” Mara yelled again, her voice almost caught in her throat. The rocks on the ground began to rumble, the earth trembling with it. Whatever magic was held in them was calling out and sending a message . . . Mara grabbed his hand. The king whipped his head back, about to strike when he looked into her eyes. His hand lowered, and he breathed out slowly, pupils returning. “We have to run.”
“Mara!” a voice called from the edge of the forest. “Over here!” She grabbed Vareck by the forearm, pulling him in the direction before letting go. She could hear his heavy footfalls next to her as they scrambled in the direction Sadie had been calling. A loud cry shrieked into the night, the rumbling ground forcing the trees to shake.
Sadie stared at Vareck, her face in awe. “What the shit? You have wings?”
“Not the time, Sadie,” Mara shouted and kept moving.
“What did you do?” Sebastian demanded as he kept pace with them.
“I think they’re calling for reinforcements, but I’m not sticking around to find out,” Mara hissed, taking the lead as she tried to tap into her natural sense of direction. The group ran as fast as they could, trying not to trip over the roots of overgrown trees as they approached the sound of rushing water ahead. Mara skidded to a halt as she saw they were standing at the edge of a cliff. “Shit.” The forest rustled, trees snapping as some mammoth of a creature approached them from behind.
Vareck’s wings folded in behind him as he tried to return to his former self. She watched as he flinched while they pulled inward, tensing his body as they worked their way back into . . . into his back, she assumed.
“Are you alright, Uncle?” At least Sebastian had the courtesy to ask. Mara had to give him some points there. Besides, she was curious of the answer herself, but not now. As the monsters approached, only one path made itself clear, and her instincts had never been wrong before.
“We need to jump,” Mara interrupted the conversation. “We need to jump. Now.”
“You cannot be serious,” Vareck hissed, barely catching his breath. Mara watched as the wound in his chest had already begun to patch itself up. So many questions formed now that he had made his true nature known, and yet so many answers were given as well. No wonder he had been able to heal so quickly from her knife wound the night of the ball.
“If you think I am going to jump off a cliffside, you are crazier than I thought,” Sebastian began, pausing in horror to see Sadie sprint forward and take the plunge without waiting. The Wicked Prince cursed under his breath as he backed up a few steps, following the redcap off the cliff.
“Mara, we are both injured—” Mara didn’t wait to hear the end of his doting, knowing very well that if she jumped, he would follow. She sprinted and went over the edge, feeling the chilly air whip around her. She plunged into the icy depths of the river; the water shockingly cold to her body. She had to fight herself not to breathe in at the impact, struggling to get to the surface.
The river’s current was fierce; rapids wild and turbulent as it pulled them down its winding path through the forest. The shrill cries of their enemies echoed into the night, mourning the loss of their prey. Mara never got the chance to see how many more they had summoned, but if she never had to see another rock creature again, life would be okay.
Her thoughts were broken by her sister’s sudden laughter. Mara glanced over as she looked for the rest of the group. One, two, three—the headcount held true, but her eyes widened to see what Sadie had been manically cackling about. As Mara tried to keep her head above water, the rushing sounds of the river took over her senses as the group approached a waterfall.
“Let’s do it!” Sadie called out, letting the current take her toward the edge. Mara swore her sister was even moving her arms to help her go faster.
“I swear, Sadie, this is not the time,” Mara coughed through the bits of water that tried to enter her mouth. “Somebody stop her!”
Sebastian and Vareck yelled something incoherent in return, Mara seeing that they were both too far behind her and realizing she was the closest to her sister. She tried to move to the side of the bank, but bit back a cry. Her ribs sparked a sharp flash of pain as she helplessly watched her sister go over the edge. Knowing there was nothing she could do to fight it, Mara closed her eyes as she let the water take her away, accepting this was to be her death.
She felt her body slip over and the feeling of being airborne consumed her. This was it. She would crashed into rocks if the impact of the water didn’t break her body first.
She plunged into the water once more, waiting for something to crush her body. But nothing did. Her arms flailed around her as she tried to swim away from the roaring water above her. Struggling through and breaking the surface, Mara gasped for air. Her hair stuck to her face as she whipped it back, hazily trying to piece together the world around her. How am I alive? The water was calm as a pleasant bubbling sound reverberated in her ears, a nice change from the roaring river rapids that had swept them away. She turned to observe Vareck and Sebastian surfacing with ease. The waterfall itself was only a measly ten feet or so, and it emptied out into a lagoon.
Exhausted beyond comprehension, the group swam toward the shore. As Mara crawled onto the wet sand, she turned and tilted her head back, inhaling the fresh air. Her own bubble of laughter left her lips as she finally connected what was so funny. Their fragile state mixed with blow after blow of luck was the only thing to keep them alive. A ten-foot waterfall? Really? She rested her head back as the boys dragged themselves out of the water, Sadie already sitting somewhere near her side.
“That fucking sucked,” Sebastian hissed, already starting to drone on with complaints. Vareck coughed out some water, letting out a long sigh as he ran his finger through his long, tangled hair.
“Let’s all agree to never do that again,” Vareck mused. He pulled himself up from the sand, offering an unsteady hand out toward Mara.
“Agreed,” she sighed. She turned to him, seeing the gesture before her. Even through all the fighting, the running, searching for Sadie, how was it that he had always put her first? He saved her life tonight, didn’t he? Mara licked her lips, eyes slowly making their way up to meet Vareck’s. Keeping his gaze, she lightly placed her hand on top of his.