The red sky disappeared behind writhing limbs of fire, rough and hoary. My skin crawled—heart pounding, light-headed. Grant began to sing, but the tentacles wrapped tighter around his body, burning him, squeezing his voice to silence. Squeezing even more, until a muffled cry escaped him, like he was screaming in his throat. The sound cut right through me. Our bond flickered, weakened.
And in its place, I felt the darkness rise. I felt the heat of the wyrm encircle my heart, and it felt so good and safe—for once, for the first time, it felt like me.
I’m yours, I said to the darkness, and I meant it, with all my soul.
I grabbed that fire with my good hand, and the flames burned, lit me up like an oiled match. I heard the whumpf as my body ignited, felt my hair rise, smelled my flesh cooking. I felt the pain, but I didn’t care.
I was too hungry.
The fire was food, and so was the light. Power roared through me, over my skin. Fire flickered out, turned to ash. More tendrils swept down to grab me, but I soaked them into my body.
Still, the Aetar did not die.
A stout figure appeared at the corner of my eye. Jack. He ran toward us, holding the crystal skull. Shouting at the top of his lungs. I felt the entire weight of that flaming monster shift and turn.
“Wolf,” whispered the Devourer, and the hunger in that one word almost rivaled mine. Grant and I were tossed down. Small hands wrapped around my arm as I flailed through the sky.
Zee, hugging me so tight I could hardly breathe.
We hit sand. Grant lay on his back, chest heaving. Zee was small and strong, bracing me against his shoulder. I followed his gaze, watching the fire hover over Jack, its writhing body sprawled across the red sky like a thundercloud, as far as the eye could see. An enormous face made of fire pushed free: cold, expressionless eyes staring down at my grandfather.
I heard nothing but my heartbeat in that roaring silence—and my heart pounded and my blood roared, and I sensed a great weight bear down upon my soul, as though I were the door holding back a heavy storm that railed against me, howling in my ear.
“Wolf,” whispered the monster again. “How I’ve waited for you. I have such pleasures planned. A just gift for the one you gave me.”
Jack didn’t seem to be listening. He looked across the distance at me, holding my gaze, pouring into it grief and love.
“My dear girl,” he whispered. “Follow me.”
And on those words, he raised the crystal skull, and light poured from it, cutting through the other Aetar. I heard no cries of pain, but I imagined a cutting sound, like a saw. Light, slicing through the shell.
I tried to stand and almost blacked out.
Grant began dragging himself toward Jack, half on his hands and knees, pulling his bad leg behind him. I tried again to stand, half shut my eyes against the blinding pain, and breathed through my mouth. I stumbled toward my grandfather.
A tentacle batted at my grandfather, sending him flying. The crystal skull tumbled from his grip. The creature struck at it.
Raw reached the skull first, wrapping his body around it and rolling. The beast hit him, so hard his little body cracked the earth. I heard him cry out.
I started running. I forgot my wounds. I didn’t feel them. All I could see was Raw and his body—so small, like a child.
My child. My boys.
The fire towered and smashed toward Raw, fighting for the skull. Zee and the others dove through flames, protecting their brother. I was right behind them. I forgot that my right arm was gone, but it didn’t matter. Shadows gathered where it had been; a darkening pulse throbbed through my absent limb: a ghost.
Black light flickered in my eyes. The wyrm uncoiled in my chest, but when it began to rise through my throat, I stopped it.
Not like that, I said, and wrapped my heart around the presence, opened my heart, opened it so wide that I swallowed the darkness into my soul. Accepting it, taking it, possessing it in every way it had tried to possess me over the long years. I overwhelmed it with my embrace, and the darkness yielded.
I am yours, part of me whispered. You are mine.
We have waited so long, it replied, softly. Only light can hold the darkness. And we have been hungry for a home.
My heart was big enough. My heart, with room for demons and daughters, and old men who were crafty and silly—and even younger men who loved me—and my mother, and my father, and all who were yet to come. My heart was big enough for them all.
And ready to kill for them as well.
We will devastate stars for what is ours, said the darkness.
Yes, I replied. But let’s start with fire.
I walked into the blaze and swallowed the heat into my skin. It was as natural as breathing. I dissolved the architecture of the flame, and this time, the Aetar could not escape.