To Kill a God by C.S. Wilde

Chapter 6

Azinor nodded at the queen,and the bitch sunk into the crest of the wave, her shadow swimming down the wall of water in the way of a Great White ready to feast.

Mera’s magic surged forward, slamming against the wave as she attempted to shove it back. A sound that belonged to a wounded animal escaped her throat, but no matter how hard she tried, the tsunami didn’t buckle.

Shadows of runes suddenly bloomed on her skin, forming words she couldn’t understand. They tingled her flesh, buzzing with a gentle hum.

“Gachun!”declared a faint voice in her head; no, her own voice, but Mera had no clue what gachun meant.

“Push.”She couldn’t tell how she knew, she simply did.

Her veins began to burn, as if lightning crackled inside of her, and Mera pulled from that heat, channeling the energy. Snarling, she rammed her renewed magic against the water wall.

The wave receded, but only by a few yards.

Damn it!

She couldn’t send it back; she could barely freaking move.

The queen swam down to her eye level. Her head poked out of the tsunami’s wall, breaking the flow of water. Ariella stretched a bony hand at her, and her emerald eyes shone with a hint of pity.

Mera must have been seeing things, of course. Mother had never pitied anyone. Ever.

“Come, child. Do not provoke him.”

“Rot in hell!” she spat.

Hurt flashed behind the queen’s eyes, but that too must have been an illusion. Ariella Wavestorm didn’t care about Mera; she didn’t know the meaning of the word.

Jumping from the water wall, the queen landed on the sloshy sand below. Once again, she offered her arm, even if Mera couldn’t—wouldn’t—reach for that monster.

Desperation gnawed at her gut. This was the end. Mera couldn’t move, couldn’t attack or defend herself. Every bit of her power was diverted into holding back the wave.

The queen knew that, of course, and she drew out Mera’s agony by stepping slowly toward her. Once she reached the backshore and the stairs that led to the promenade, the game would be over.

“Damn you!” Mera barked, knowing the battle was lost.

From the crest, Azinor pointed his chin toward her, a clear sign for the queen to hurry. Just as the bitch boosted forward, a comet of darkness hit the ground next to her, sending a wall of wet sand flying upward.

Ariella halted as sand rained down on her, glaring at the spot near Mera, the spot Bast now occupied.

An aura of night and stars wafted around him, his eyes pitch-black and his fangs sharp. His silver wings spread wildly, roofing over Mera. “Touch her and you’ll regret it,” he growled.

The queen stepped forward, ready for the challenge, but Azinor called her from the top of the wave. Begrudgingly, she jumped back into the tsunami, quickly rising to the crest.

A sphere of thundering night enveloped Bast’s hand as he lifted it, his wings disappearing behind him. With his free hand, he touched Mera’s arm.

“You’ll explode into a billion pieces before you winnow her out of here, nightling,” Azinor stated calmly, his voice clear around them. “Even a powerful fae like you can’t block my macabre.”

Bast was one of the strongest Sidhe Mera knew, but there was a fair chance that the asshole was right. And if he was, she wouldn’t be capable of blocking his attack. She was too weak to defend Bast.

“Let’s go,” her hart whispered next to her. “I’m faster than this suket.”

It was too much of a gamble, and she couldn’t risk Bast’s life. Couldn’t risk the rest of the borough, either. “I can’t bet on that, partner.”

He chuckled without any amusement. “Not your choice, is it?”

“Actually, it is. I can block your winnowing. I saw Ariella do it with Corvus once, and I’m pretty sure I can do it, too.”

“Mera—”

“Has Tir Na Nog been evacuated?”

A mournful look captured his expression. “We did what we could.”

“I’ll stay for as long as I can.” Her body shook from the effort of holding the wave. “You have to go.”

Bast stared at her as if she’d gone mad. “Kitten, please.”

“I have to buy your people time. Sidhe might have wings, but most faeries don’t.” Her attention turned to Azinor, even if her head felt too light, her thoughts blurring.

Hell, she might pass out soon.

“I’m not leaving you,” Bast countered, his jaw set as he acquired a fighting stance. “If you stay, I stay.”

Mera panted as if she’d ran a marathon. Droplets of sweat fell in her eyes, her muscles shaking. She was about to pass out, and she would doom Bast, along with so many innocents… She had to pull through, had to keep standing, even if she wouldn’t last long.

A portal of night and stars suddenly opened through thin air, right next to Bast, and out came Corvus.

“Just in time, broer,” Bast smiled. “With you here, we might just make it.”

The queen raised her hand, and Mera knew what she was about to do. She would try to macabre Corvus.

“Wait!” Mera bellowed, stopping her.

“Danu in the prairies!” The Night King gawked at the queen. “Won’t you stay dead, you slatch?”

Mera had a tsunami to hold, and she couldn’t protect two faeries from those assholes’ magic. Sure, the three of them might have had a chance of beating Azinor and the queen, but only if Mera had been in good shape.

Maybe she was putting little faith in Bast’s and Corvus’ magic. She’d seen what they could do, should trust their abilities, but she’d also witnessed Azinor’s colossal power.

Mera stared at Corvus, every inch of her body shaking. “Do you understand why I asked you to come back? This is my battle.”

“But—”

She shook her head. “I can’t hold on anymore.”

The Night King faced the tsunami, watching as it began inching forward. He swallowed dry, a heavy resignation shining in his eyes.

Bast frowned. “What—?”

Turning on his heels, Corvus wrapped his arms under his brother’s shoulders, then opened a portal behind them.

Horror shone in Bast’s wide, blue eyes as he tried to reach for Mera, but he was already falling back with Corvus into an endless night.

“No!” he bellowed as the portal blinked out of existence, taking both of them to safety.

Hoping she’d bought enough time for the people of Tir Na Nog, Mera let out a long sigh.

“Get her!” Azinor thundered.

Ariella dropped through the wave again, and Mera knew there would be no offered hand this time. It didn’t matter. The queen would never reach her in time.

Mera’s arms dropped, and she let go of her last bit of magic. The giant water-wall rushed forward, towering over her.

In those last seconds, she wondered if she would see Ruth again. She didn’t believe in an afterlife, but the thought brought a smile to her lips.

The tsunami roared as it crashed upon her, but Mera didn’t feel a thing. Just like a forgotten dream, she was gone.