Born of Blood and Ash

Death couldn’t break the bonds of Life’s touch.

I looked at Ash. “I’ll be right back.”

He shoved a god from his sword, and his head jerked toward me. Eather swelled in me as I stepped toward the edge. He shouted my name, and it carried on the wind when I shadowstepped to the field below, near Kars’ body.

Locked in their own fights, no one noticed me as I stalked forward. Dropping to my knees beside the godling, I slammed my hands onto the bloodied grass, eather swelling inside me and combining with all the yawning hopelessness and bitter desperation I’d felt moments ago. But I cha

Then, I let go.

Because no more would die. We would not fail. Our future wasn’t lost.

The edges of my vision turned silver and gold, snapping my head back. “I am done with this!” A scream of rage erupted from deep within me, releasing the Primal essence—unleashing my will as I summoned the fallen gods and dragons. “All of this.”

All across the field, heads turned to me. Soldiers in crimson and dark gray froze as my hands sank through the grass and into the soil, and eather whirled down my arms. Attes turned, and Phanos staggered back, his bloody mouth dropping open when the eather receded from his veins. Silvery-white light drenched the ground, rippling out from my hands.

Beneath me and all around, the ground trembled and then roared. Deep fissures appeared across the sacred land, spreading like veins, opening and spewing soil and rocks into the air.

A heartbeat passed.

Then two.

Thin, bleached-white fingers appeared in the clouds of dust radiating from the fissures. They dug into the disturbed soil, clawing their way free. Fleshless arms appeared from the darkness. Hairless skulls. And they kept coming, a wave of bone and tattered tunics, bearing the sigils of forgotten kingdoms, their bony hands lifting ancient, rusted swords. The great hills deep within the forests shuddered, uprooting trees and shedding centuries of sediment until foot-long, serrated teeth became visible. Wings of cartilage and delicate bones lifted into the air. The wind answered in a whisper, two words that echoed over and over as an army rose.

Meyaah Liessa.