Chapter 124 Queen of Water

Nikolai

The only voice ringing in my ears was Avalyn's cries and sobs. They were barely audible but my ears bled at the sound. My heart broke. My soul felt like it was being ripped apart.

Xillian smirked, thankful pulling away from Ava. Anger burned in my chest as I saw Ava's blood dripping out of his mouth.

"Finally." He gripped her from the back of her neck and pulled her upright, making her look at me. "Look at him. Kneeling before me like the little bitch he is." He hissed in her ear and then glared at me. "They kept saying that Adrik was the King and that you are 'the offspring'. Liars. The whole lot of them." A sardonic laugh escaped him. "Look at this—'the saviour of the world' kneeling at my feet."

My eyes were on Ava. She had her tear-filled eyes on me. Xillian had his hold on her as he went on and on about some bullshit I couldn't bother to pay attention to. I needed to find a way to get her out of his grasp.

But Ava was under his control. I had figured out that it was because of the unusual looking collar. And the ring in his middle finger he hadn't stopped fiddling with. I needed to get a hold of the ring.

"...now it is time for you to die." That caught my attention. "How poetic will it be to die at the hands of your own soulmate?" His mouth twisted into an ugly grin. "Avalyn, use your powers and rip his heart out of his chest."

Ava's eyes widened. She began sobbing, mouthing 'no' over and over again.

There were times Ava's magic worked on me. And there were times it didn't. But Xillian didn't know that. I wanted to take advantage of that.

And then I remembered that Javier was in the room as well. Behind me somewhere. But he was too injured to do anything. And as far as I remembered, he had collapsed on he floor. Goddess knows why he even came in here. He can't fight in this condition.

'Distract him.' I mind-linked Javier, hoping and praying he was conscious and could do something.

Ava's trembling hands rose to use her magic on me. Thousands of emotions flashed in her eyes, the most prominent of them was heartbreak and self-loathing. For allowing herself to even try to hurt me.

It's not your fault, Love.

The next moment, the floor we were standing on began rocking. Things started falling, crashing on the ground. The marble of the floor began sinking in and uprooting itself from the floor.

The foundation of the palace was shaking. Somehow, I knew it was Javier's doing.

"What the fuck is this?" Xillian snarled as he looked around.

The second he took his gaze away from me, I took my chance.

Hot, red rage was all I had been feeling sine I had stepped on the main Island of Ovzdusia. And it had felt too much to hold in. Now, I decided to let go of my ironclad control. The angry fire consumed my whole body once again. The energy that had been building inside of me for so long demanded to let out. I couldn't hold it in anymore.

I lifted my palms up in the direction of Xillian and just... let go.

All the energy, the angry fire I had been controlling all this time burst out of my of my hands and shot him straight in the chest. A scream loud enough to drown all the other noise—of the people fighting outside, the sound of the rough, gigantic waves obliterating everything in it's way as it came closer and closer towards us, the sound of the destruction that the earthquake was causing—escaped from deep within his belly.

I watched with heavy breaths and deep satisfaction as he was burning to his death.

"Help!" His eyes were wide as he screamed for help. The silver in his eyes reflected the angry red fire he was helplessly burning in. Avalyn still somehow in his hold. But she was immune to fire.

She watched me with relief in her eyes as I walked to them, easily pulled Avalyn out of his hold and then pulled out the green ring from his finger and wore it.

I saw him open and close his fists, most probably to exercise his power over the oxygen that gave life to fire. But for some reason, it didn't work. Good for me.

His burning hand caught mine and he collapsed to his needs but his blood red eyes were fixated on me. Pleading. "P-please." And then I intensified the fire, with a cruel smirk, drawing another ear-shattering painful roar out of him before he finally burned to his death.

I drew Avalyn in my arms and my soul finally breathed again.

She was still mute and she was shivering in my arms. "You can do as you wish. But first, hug me, Love." I needed to feel her arms around me. I needed to hold her just as much she needed to be held. My need to protect her was just as strong as her need for me to be her saviour.

Her arms came around me and her cries intensified. The sounds of them filling my ears painfully.

The ring was definitely something that controlled her. And when we were finally one again, I realised the extent of her injuries. She was weak. Too weak to make it back home without significant help.

"I love you." A tremulous smile slid on both out faces. As long as we were together, we could win against anything.

"Nikolai," There was urgency in Mikhial's voice. "We need to leave. The island is drowning." I heard him say. My eyes snapped to my brother.

A shuddering breath left his body. He nodded. The war outside was won.

I nodded. The earthquake had stopped but I could hear the sound of the waves hitting the coast with a vigour. The tsunami was here. We had very little time till the water would reach here. It was time to go home.

The moment I released Ava, her knees buckled and she was about to collapse. My hands instinctively shot out to catch her. And that's when I realised that her injuries were much graver than I had realised. I hadn't been able to feel her since a while now but it was becoming more evident with every passing second. She had lost a lot of blood. Too much to survive. Her heart rate was slowing down. Her eyes were growing hazy by the second. The sound of blood flowing through her veins was slow too.

No. No. No. No.

She can't die. She just can't.

"Avalyn," I cried. "Stay alive. Please." Her eyes opened slightly, forcefully. I knew it was the collar's doing. Thank Goddess. I'll take what I can get.

"Nikolai." Javier called and I turned my head to see him look at us with tears in his eyes. "Bring her here, son." He was lying on the floor, barely conscious. But his eyes were resolute. He is an old, knowledgable vampire. He must know what to do.

I didn't fear for his life for a second. He's immortal. He'll live.

I picked up Ava and ran to him, crouching by his side.

Javier hissed as he tried to sit up. Mikhail was by his side, helping him up. Javier rested against the door and looked at his daughter with tears in his eyes.

He put his hand to his mouth and bit his wrist deep enough to bleed. And then he put it against her mouth. "Drink, baby."

Ava heaved at the taste of blood and pulled away.

"She's a werewolf, Javier." Vampire blood doesn't help us much. It does but not nearly as much as it helps humans. Our own recovery is faster. But Ava is far past that point. She'll die before her body will be able to heal her.

Javier shook his head. "She's not. She's a Faye. Their body works differently. Tell her to drink, Nikolai." He looked like he knew what he was talking about. Of course he did. Because of Valerie.

"Drink, Avalyn." I ordered and hoped and prayed that the power of the ring will work and she'll have the strength to do it.

She let out a groan and shook her head but she grabbed his hand and began drinking anyways. She cried and gagged but she drank.

I saw pain and love in Javier's eyes as he watched his daughter suck him dry.

And then he looked up at me. "She has very little blood in her body. So do I. She'll have to drink all of mine to survive. Don't let her stop before that."

My eyes widened and Ava began crying and shaking her head. But she didn't stop. She couldn't.

"Don't. I'll get another vampire." I said and Mikhail was on his feet, ready to get someone. We were on a vampire island for god sakes. And I had the Neos army at my command. Javier didn't need to die.

He shook his head, the blue in his eyes glowing. "It's my time." His voice was low but strong.

"You're a fucking vampire, Javier, you're going to live forever." I said. Ava will never forgive me if I do this to her. She already thinks she killed her mother. I can't let her carry the burden of thinking she killed her father too.

"I don't want to." His eyes slid shut and a lone tear fell down his cheek. "I've heard more than I ever wish to."

He looked up at me and his eyes watered. "I heard her, Nikolai."

"I heard her scream and cry out for help every fucking day for the last decade." His lower lip trembled.

"That was the only reason Emmanuel kept me alive. So I could hear the screams of my daughter when his son raped my daughter over and over, only three storeys above, while I was locked up, helpless and useless." A tear slipped down his cheek.

"What kind of father was I that I couldn't protect my own daughter? For thirteen years, I entrusted the wrong man with my daughter, countless times I had him babysit her, let that bastard's son play with her. I thought he was a good man. And for a decade I did nothing while Ava's life was an endless cycle of nightmares. And when I stopped hearing her, I thought she was dead. And you know what? I thanked God for her death. Because it meant that she escaped this cruel world. That she will finally find peace and happiness with her mother." He heard his daughter be defiled for almost a decade. And now, he almost did again.

"I've seen more than these eyes can bare."

He saw his mate die in front of his eyes.

"I've lost more than my soul can carry the burden of."

And Goddess knows what else he's went through.

"I want to be with Valerie again, Avalyn." His eyes filled with tears as he looked at his daughter. "I love you. So much. And I tried so hard to live for you. But I failed. I can't do it anymore. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. Nikolai will take care of you. He already has more than I ever could. I trust him."

Ava was crying hysterically now.

"I've lost control of my powers, Ava," he said calmly. "This island in going to drown in ten minutes with everything and everyone on it. Give me your hands."

He lifted his other hand and Ava immediately grasped it. And then suddenly, Avalyn's eyes turning electric blue. And both their eyes began glowing.

"I love you, Avalyn. Your mother loved you too. Remember that. I'm giving you my powers. Use them wisely. Take everyone home with you safely. Win the war for me. Kill Adrik. Protect your people." And then his eyes flashed a sharp blue before they began dimming.

The light in them was dying...

When one transfers their power to someone else, it takes a lot out of them. The stronger the powers, the more difficult the transfer.

Ava was shaking her head and sobbing as she sucked on his blood. She begged me through our mind link. 'Please, Nik. Please let me stop. He'll die.' She tried to thrash, to move away but the power of the ring kept her in place. I felt guilty to do this to her.

"Don't fight it, Firefly," Javier said softly, a tear slipping down his cheek. "The powers are in transition, stopping now can be fatal for both of us. And if you stop drinking my blood, you'll recover only half way and suffer for a long time before succumbing to your death. Let me do this for you. Please. This one last thing."

This caused her to cry harder.

Javier only held her hands tighter and looked at his daughter calmly, a strange sense of peace in his eyes. The only way I knew he was in pain was because his jaw was clenched. He wasn't showing it for Ava's sake.

I've never met someone as strong as this man. He was the father I never had. The father I wished I always I had.

"I'll give Viktoria your regards, son." He told me. "Promise me that you'll always take care of her, that you'll never give up on her."

Tears swam in my eyes. "I promise." I understood his reasoning. I wouldn't want to live in a world without Ava, my mate either. Life was worthless without my mate. But he tried to be alive for Ava. And he was ready to die to protect her too.

Slowly, I saw her body regain it's colour. The blood in her body increased and her blood flow got stronger along with her heart beat. She'll live now. I let out of relief.

And that's when I noticed that Javier was growing weaker. She looked away from Javier when she watched his worsened state.

'I hate you both. I will never forgive you for doing this.' She told Javier and I through a common mind-link. My eyes slid shut in anguish. I know she would hate me after this. But I hoped that she would find the strength to forgive me with time. That she'll still love me. Because she had too much love to give. And she didn't deserve to die just yet. This world needed more of her love. I needed more of her love.

"Don't l-let these be your last words to me, Ava. You k-know you'll regret it."

Avalyn was sobbing now, her eyes on her father again. His blood was dripping down from the sides of her mouth as she drank it. "Don't cry, m-my Firefly." The strain in his voice was palpable as it cracked. Tears grew in his eyes. Not of pain. But of finality. "I'm going to finally reunite with Valerie. I'm going to be at peace after so long. An-and you're old enough to take c-care of yourself. You're a strong, co-confident woman. A true Queen. I love you." The life in his eyes dimmed further and his skin started turning green. Purple veins started popping out of his skin.

Ava's eyes slid shut and she nodded. She understood. She had finally accepted his noble decision. "I love you, Papa. Tell Mama that I love her too."

He managed to crack a last smile.

Mikhial, Ava and I watched as Javier took his last breath before he laid his eyes to rest and his soul finally met it's other half on the other side of the moon.

His hands went limp and Ava remained strangely silent. Calm.

It was the calm before the storm.

I could see the hurricane churning in those electric blue eyes, the brown gone forever now.

"Avalyn?" I asked fearfully. I was worried for her mental health. She had gone through so much in the last twenty four hours. And she wasn't letting her emotions out like she normally did. She was holding it all in, filling all her emotions in a bottle and closing the lid tight. I was worried for what will happen when it gets too much and the bottle shatters.

She might break.

And I'll be right there to mend her.

Her eyes met mine before they grew hazy, rolled back and she fell limp in my arms. I picked her up. Her heartbeat was consistent and strong. This was a way for a body to cope. To rest. She has been through too much.

It's my turn to take charge and bring her home.

I stood up too. "Take Javier," I told Mikhail and he nodded, putting him over his shoulder.

The moment we stepped out, I realised how bad the situation was. I could hear the water approaching. The Neos army stood in attention, waiting for my command. They didn't care about the Tsunami that was approaching us. Nor did they care about the thousands of dead bodies lying by their feet.

"What is the plan of action?" Mikhail asked.

The sound of waves crashing and destroying everything in its way got louder.

I looked in front of us, right behind the army. I saw the three storey high wave come towards us ferociously, threatening to drown us all. The entire army stood straight, not even turning to look at what could potentially kill them. Just because they hadn't been ordered to.

They're all vampires, they wouldn't die even if they drown. They will simply come alive again. The same can't be said for Mikhail, Ava and I.

"Everyone will swim and find their way to Soare-Luna. Find a boat or any piece of wood to help yourself keep afloat. Help as many people as you can. No one is allowed to die," I said just as the wave crashed against us, immediately pulling us under water.

I tightened my hold on Ava, determined to not lose her. I couldn't feel her emotions like I normally could. Our bond felt extremely weak. I could hardly feel her. I didn't know what she was thinking or feeling but I knew that knowing I was here for her will help her recuperate. So that's what I did— reassured her of my presence by holding her.

It took a couple of minutes for the harsh waves to pass up before the water level went above our heads. I immediately began kicking and rose to the surface, taking deep breaths. I saw that Ava was still resting peacefully. Which made me realise that she can probably breath underwater now, just like Javier had been able to.

I looked around to see numerous floating heads, all swimming in the general direction of Soare-Luna. A few had floating pieces of wood in their hand and the rest were simply swimming.

How will I hold her and and swim too? I can't swim like this. I looked around for Mikhail. I hope he still has Javier. He deserves better than to decompose underwater on a foreign land.

Suddenly, a frown appeared on Ava forehead. And then the water began slowing down till it stilled.

And then I saw the fins. Dozens of them.

Oh Goddess.

Sharks.

Fuck.

I looked around for something. Anything. Fuck. Fuckity fuck.

I saw a wooden plank floating a little far away.

I wrapped an arm around Ava and used the other one to swim towards it. Anything is better than nothing at this point.

I'm not going to die like this. Because of fucking fishes. Ava isn't dying like this.

Something brushed against my leg.

Fuck. I swam harder, barely able to keep my head above water.

The moment I reached the plank, I let out a breath of relief and somehow managed to put Ava on top of it. There wasn't enough place for two. I put my arms on the plank for support and began kicking my legs, swimming with the plank now. This was much easier. And Ava was safer like this too.

We hadn't even swam ten meters when I felt a huge shadow underwater. Dread slid in my heart when I looked down.

A fucking shark.

A shark as big as fifteen fucking meters. And it was swimming towards the surface, towards us.

Fucking hell. We're dead. There is now way we're making out of this alive now.

But then a miracle happened.

It didn't open its mouth and eat us. It turned it's back on us and rose higher. So that I was standing on it and the plank was resting on it. It almost felt like the shark was... helping us?

What the fuck?

I looked down at Ava. She was still resting. But the frown on her face had disappeared. She looked... peaceful. That's when I realised... this was her doing. She's the Queen of Water now. And indirectly, the Queen of all the living beings living in it too.

The plank she was on began slipping from the shark's skin so I grabbed Ava with one hand and held on to the shark's fin with the other hand. The plank fell into the water with a splash and the shark kept moving forward with a commendable speed.

I looked around us. Every single person I saw was on back of one or the other fish. I saw more sharks, a few whales and even a few dolphins.

Holy shit.

I looked down at my silver haired mate in my arms. For some reason, I don't think Javier had all this power. Yes, he was insanely strong. He created so much force under and around he island that it caused an earthquake and a tsunami. Big enough to drown an entire island. But I don't think he was able to communicate or maybe control sea animals like Ava. Some of this was her doing. I'm sure of it. Ava is special. She is magic.

I spotted Mikhail on the back of a whale a couple of meters away. He thankfully had Javier with him. He met my eyes and extended his arms around himself, showcasing the magic that was happening around and with us with a grin on his face.

Things were finally looking up now.

And then slowly, his whale began swimming parallel to our shark.

"This is crazy!" He exclaimed.

I smirked and looked at Ava with a smile. "It's magic, actually." I looked up at him with a shit eating grin. "Dimitri, Andrei and Max will shit their pants for missing this."

He didn't laugh or smile. In fact, his smile dimmed at the mention of their names.

"There is something you need to know." He gulped, turning serious.

I raised a brow in question.

"Dimitri and Natalia aren't back yet so we believe that they are kidnapped from Pythonissam. Silverwitch Bay and Wintercrown Pack are being attacked by Mystic Lupus Pack. The human city Thrane is bombed. Poziarne and Mozog are about to be attacked by Verdura Pack. The zombie witches are attacking Red Moon Pack, Alvar and Imporia."

Fucking shit.