Proven (Daughters of the Sea #1) (42 page)

The crux had grown. The beach we stood on no less than an hour ago was no more. The monstrous life force churning once more in the center of the island had risen and filled the whole belly of the island. The angry waves were infinitely closer to the rim, where we stood in awe. Undeniable energy pulsated from its depths and the constant wind it blew up danced over my skin.

"Nadia disappeared," he informed us. "I'm sure she's back in the Underworld whining to Persephone because she couldn't get her way."

"I'm sure that's one hell of a temper tantrum," Blythe muttered. Finn's gaze hadn't left the crux, and the way his shoulders were slumped forward told me he was thinking about her. Stasia.

"She's in there," Finn claimed evenly. I met his desperate gaze and faltered at the sorrow that confronted me there.  Without a word, I embraced him in a hug. I felt several more pairs of arms wrap around us as a sob escaped from my chest.

"She saved us," I whispered to him, but it sounded empty in the wake of what we'd lost in her.

"She saved me first," he sobbed, his tone heavy with meaning.

F
INN

I felt like a fraud. I looked strong. I looked powerful. I looked like a lot of things, but none of them were the truth. None of them portrayed the aching void eating at my soul, and none of them hinted at the cancerous anger and hopelessness that chained my heart. I had been afforded one night; one night to grieve; one night to put myself together enough to appear in front of thousands and give them a look at what the Prime of the Sons Order should be.

On this day, we would honor them. We would gather in the Games Metropolis in remembrance and we would go through the motions that were supposed to bring peace and hope. But there was nothing this world could offer to bring me peace; especially not the fifteen burning pyres that represented each soul we'd lost. Ten Auras. Four Tydes. Fallon. Selene. A much grander ceremony would be held for Anastasia in the coming days, the details of which had been put upon Amphitrite.  I dreaded it already.

I felt as if my soul was burning; ignited by the wood pile that was a woeful representation of the lives lost. My mind seared with the knowledge that I'd taken three of those lives during the fight with the Aura army. I didn't know if my inner fire could ever be tamed. It would burn until I was relieved of my station and could retreat to the Underworld...and Stasia.

As the embers detached, brightened, and lifted into the air, pieces of me did the same; flaking away into oblivion, never to be made whole again, destined to be only a scant whisper of what I once was. My eyes locked onto Liam's solemn gaze and I felt his essence reach out to me. My eyes dropped to the ground in shame. In the span of one night, I was sentenced to the same plight as him. The promise of a bleak future stretched before us, barren and scorched with the death of our soul mates.

Olivia sniffled next to me and I was pulled back into the present. At her request, Sebastian and I were invited to stand with Stasia's Council members and the remaining Tyde Captains, Blythe and Ruby. We were all shells of our former selves; grasping at the strings of what used to be and avoiding the question of what would come to be.

The thousands of Games participants who crowded the seats sat perfectly still, listening intently to the speaker at the middle of the floor, surrounded by the dancing fires of death. Maera's arms moved in cadence with her words, but all I heard were sounds; the rise and fall of her tone, the soothing rhythm of her gentle voice. I couldn't discern what they meant and I didn't particularly care. They wouldn't bring Stasia back. No amount of words in the universe could tackle that impossible feat.

I concentrated on the flames instead, allowing them to mesmerize me and take me away to a place that didn't include a world without Stasia. Unfortunately I didn't get very far. A gasp echoed across the crowd as a newcomer was introduced and made her entrance onto the Arena floor. She gracefully made her way to Maera, her body winding elegantly with regality and purpose.

Stark, white-blonde hair crisscrossed its way around her head in braids, and her long white gown flowed behind her on the arms of the wind. Her startling lavender eyes sparkled as she glanced up to meet Maera's adoring gaze. Her newfound freedom must be liberating yet heartbreaking, because it came at a high price. Her daughter freed her by overthrowing her sister, but in the end she lost them both.

"My dear Auras," Luna began, facing the west stands where the majority of Auras were seated. "We have suffered a great loss. The passion in their souls drove them to fight for what they believed; to fight for what they felt was right, and to fight for you."

I followed Olivia's dismayed gaze and noticed several Auras had stood and were exiting the coliseum in protest of their new Leader. Luna continued, unfazed.

"Our Order has been segregated for many centuries. We have a hard road ahead of us, but I believe we can honor those lost by coming together and creating a stronger Aura Order we can all be proud of. We will honor Selene, Fallon, and our fallen brothers and sisters by moving forward as one. Today I grieve alongside you. I grieve for my sister. I grieve for my daughter. But I am not alone! And neither are you! We are one. We are brave. We are true. We are the light of the moon and the light of the moon is us. Allow it to strengthen you in your time of sorrow, and know that I will be the best Leader I can be. Blessed be."

More sniffles sounded from Olivia, Phoebe, and Carmen, and I ran my hands through my hair in an effort to keep my composure. Luna would make Fallon proud. She would lead the Auras to a better life and a better Order. She would bring them together. It may take time, but if anyone could do it, she could.

During the applause that followed, Maera escorted Luna to the opposite side of the Arena to meet the Aura Captains. She walked down the line and spoke to each one, gently placing her hands on their shoulders. Only one refused to look her in the eye. It was a start.

Next, Amphitrite made her way to the center of the Arena and I gasped for breath as my heart slammed shut. I couldn't listen to her speech. I couldn't allow her words to filter into the recesses of my mind, because then my carefully crafted facade would crumble around me and my sanity would be lost. I closed my eyes as hot tears burned behind them. I took a deep breath, and then another. It wasn't working. As she turned and addressed the crowd, a single tear escaped my left eye and I bit my lip as a sob climbed its way into my throat.

Giving in, I pulled my cloak over myself; not only hiding me from the eyes of the crowd, but from Amphitrite's words, laced with the attempt to bring understanding to an impossible tragedy. I simply couldn't hear her name spoken. It was too sacred. She was too sacred.

"Stasia," I whispered involuntarily and finally allowed a sob to overtake my resolve. Olivia glanced in my direction, but returned her attention to Maera once she realized I was hiding like a child. But I didn't care. Although my heart was breaking and my world was falling down around me, under the cloak, with only the sound of my breathing to keep me company, I actually felt closer to her. We always had a secret life together. Whether in her reveries or in the ocean beneath the moon, it was always us. Only us.

I dropped to my knees as waves of emotions sent a cascade of tears careening down my cheeks. How was I supposed to live without her? How was I supposed to muddle through this life of obligation and shackles without her calming presence and boundless strength? The bubble of decay in my chest that grew with each passing moment would soon kill me anyway. I would be a physical body without substance. Without a soul. Without essence. Without purpose. Without love. Without Stasia.

I wiped my eyes, only to make room for more. Then I noticed a slight tingling sensation along the ring finger of my left hand. I flipped my hand over, but saw nothing out of the ordinary. The tingling intensified and began to burn ever so slightly. I watched in bewilderment as a thin black line appeared and snaked around my finger, expanding and twisting into a beautiful, interlocking pattern. It continued to move, now spinning as one entire band circled my finger.

I was about to attack it with a cloud of essence when it suddenly halted, shrunk to the size of my finger, and etched itself permanently onto my skin. I was left with only confusion and a new... trace? I turned my hand over several times before deciding it resembled a ring. On my ring finger. As if I were marrie-

I uncloaked myself and clumsily climbed to my feet. I stumbled forward on legs that weren't ready to walk, just as I was hit by a wall of something that could only be described as a miracle. It whirled around me, playfully brushing my skin. Its cool touch enveloped me and permeated my body with a feeling of overwhelming salvation and refreshing fortitude. My head spun from side to side with desperation, only to find the eyes of everyone in the Arena following my every move. Amphitrite had stopped her speech and the tense silence was deafening.

But I wasn't concerned with anyone else; my only concern was the essence I thought I would never feel again. As I walked around aimlessly, it transformed. It became saltier, more robust, and filled my entire body with wave after wave of unabated power. The smell of a thousand oceans crashed down on me, blasting me with the salty, briny taste of high tide and the smell of dew-kissed sea grass at dawn.

My mind reeled with possibilities as the roar of rushing water began to build in the lagoon surrounding the Metropolis. I jumped when someone touched my arm, twisting around to lock onto the wide eyes of Olivia. She felt it too.

F
INN

Without a sound, Olivia painstakingly held up her palm and I gasped. Her trace was back; the Paladin's all-seeing eye. It shimmered blue in the afternoon sun, hinting at a possibility I hadn't allowed to enter my mind. Instead, my eyes instinctively shifted beyond the Arena wall, past the beach court, and into the water of the lagoon. It was bubbling.

Like a glass of freshly opened soda, it fizzled and popped as bubbles continued to rise to the surface with fervor. My mind was catapulted back to a time when Stasia was just learning her abilities, once when I stood beneath the moon with her, teaching her how to make bubbles with her palms. Anger spiked through my chest at my moment of weakness; a moment of vulnerability that allowed my mind to wander. As I suspected, sadness berated me next and I felt as if I'd been punched in the stomach.

"Look!" Olivia pointed to the corner of the Arena wall where the lagoon had risen to the point of funneling over the wall and onto the Arena's floor. Maera and Luna were directing the Auras to our side of the Arena as everyone watched the river of water snake around the blazing pyres with unnatural exactness, as if it was avoiding them.

I shot forward and reached out with my essence to determine if it was simply water or something more sinister, but the warmth of my essence was immediately cooled by the same essence I felt moments before. I faltered momentarily at the familiarity of its aroma and the shock of its presence. Maera announced something to the apprehensive crowd in the coliseum, but no one moved. My entire world slowed to a pace that allowed me to breathe and my legs lost their ability to hold me upright.

For the second time that day, I fell to my knees. I vaguely noticed the river of water making its way towards me. I sensed it collecting in front of me, changing shapes, and the gasps behind me confirmed that assumption. It rose above me and began to twist into a human form, but I couldn't convince my eyes to look up. I wasn't sure my heart would be able to bear what waited for me there.

"Finn." 

A violent sob escaped my throat and my head hung lower as the gift of her voice appeared in my thoughts. It whispered into my mind like a breath of fresh air and I allowed the tears to flow in earnest. As the watery figure above me finally thickened and clarified into an angel, I could hear the gasps of the crowds and the squeals of those closest to me. But I still couldn't look up.

I felt a feathery touch on my cheek and was finally able to lift my head with tremendous effort. My eyes flowed up a shifting dress of blues and greens, draped over the body of a Goddess. A long train created from brine and foam trailed behind her elegantly, while bare arms shimmered with power and a lock of turquoise hair fell from her shoulder. I lost the ability to breathe as I fell into her eyes. My heart shattered with happiness and collected in my tears as I tried to understand how the person gazing back at me was real.