Chapter 208

The two that had tried to help Estella staggered among the earth spikes, leaving smears of blood everywhere. They fell under the weight of vampires pouncing on them, biting them. Another roar shook the air, and a burst of wind rushed through the area, shoving the vampires back into the wall. Spikes shot out, impaling them all as Candido struggled further through the crowd. None of the other bodies moved, but at this distance, I could still see Estella moving, trying to get her bearings against the wall. She slipped and light rippled over her skin again as she started to fall.

Why wasn’t she dead yet? He stopped and tried to catch the other two, but he didn’t stop for long, leaving them and heading towards Estella. He gathered her close, cupping her face and cradling her to his chest.

“Candido, come back!” I cried, letting the tears stream down my face. “Forget about her! She’ll get you killed!”

He didn’t turn back to me. I didn’t even think he could hear me. I heard more vampires running through the canyon toward us. One of the vampires from Peter’s team came down to join them as Candido cradled her close. He fought the oncoming vampires off with big sweeps of his blazing sword. It wasn’t like Candido’s, but it cut through them quickly. He pushed and shoved them back, cutting a small path from where they were to where I was.

He lifted his hand to his mouth and stopped. His head lifted sharply to look at the vampire nearby. I wish I could hear what he was saying. Wish I could see his expression, but I couldn’t. The man shook his head in reply as he cut through another vampire. I couldn’t hear them at all, but Candido shook his head, his shoulders bowed inward, and I heard him screaming even though I couldn’t make out the words. Estella raised her hand to Candido’s face. He took her hand and looked down at her.

I tried to get closer, to hear what she was saying. Whatever it was, Candido didn’t want to accept it. She pulled off her belt and gave it to him. In her hands was a dark object I couldn’t see clearly. Candido shook his head again and tried to pick her up. She shoved at his chest and shook her head again. Candido shook his head. It seemed like that was all he could do. He scooped her into his arms and tried to stand, but she kicked out of his hold. He sunk back to the ground before she could fall.

“...can’t!” I heard him yell before I couldn’t hear his voice any more.

A few moments passed. Thunder rumbled in the sky. The clouds gathered as if a storm had just rolled in. Lightning flashed, and the rain began to fall. I looked back over to Candido, and my heart stopped.

“No!” I screamed as he lowered his head. “Stop!”

He was kissing her. I knew he was. Their faces were too close to be anything else. I could almost feel it as I pushed away from the cliff and headed toward them.

He couldn’t do this to me. He couldn’t do this to us. How could she have tainted him so much? The earth shook again, tossing me back a few steps. The earth started to move like water, shoving me back. Was this Candido doing this?

“Stop!”

Candido lifted his head. Estella slipped her hand into his hair, and for a few more moments he didn’t move. Then, he turned his head back to where the vampire who had been fighting and started to put up a wall. There were more vampires coming toward us, but the barrier would buy some time.

“We have to go now! Just leave her!”

Candido put Estella against the wall. He stroked her hair back and pressed their faces together. I screamed across the clearing as the vampire finished putting up the barrier and turned towards the cliff. Candido stroked her hair one last time as I screamed at him. Then, he turned away, and triumph filled me. He was leaving her to die the way he should have before.

He and the vampire hurried toward me, but he didn’t look at me. He didn’t look up. He moved slowly. I felt someone grab me. I turned away, but the person yanked me back around. I looked up into Peter’s face. His expression was stern, almost angry. There was dirt on his cheek. He pulled me along.

“Climb,” he said. “Now!”

I turned toward the wall and started climbing as I heard Candido and the vampire getting closer. I could barely keep the smile off my face. After all that talk about not letting me kill her, she was going to end up dead because Candido was by my side, not hers. It might not be snowing in hell, but it was at least lukewarm.

I reached the ledge to find everyone else trembling and waiting. I looked down as Candido started climbing up. He stopped a few feet up as the vampire reached the ledge, his eyes glowing with fury. He wasn’t that far up when he stopped climbing.

“Candido?”

Candido stayed still for several moments before he jumped back down and turned away. My heart lurched as he rushed back toward Estella. The barrier the vampires had put up to buy us time was starting to crack.

“Damn it!” The vampire yelled, turning back. His eyes were glossy. “Don’t!”

Estella had pushed herself off the wall and onto her feet. She staggered away from the wall, closer to the base of the cliff we were on. Candido was just a few feet away from her. She turned back and held out a hand to him. I couldn’t see her face, but as Candido hurried towards her, I could imagine what she was saying as he reached her. She didn’t move. She didn’t push him away. She just looked up at him. I could imagine what she was saying. She was bewitching him, I know. Using magic on him.

Stay with me, Candido. Die with me. We can be together forever. Leave Hedy behind.

“Candido, don’t listen to her!”

Estella cupped his face and stepped back, but Candido didn’t let her go. I could only imagine what he was saying, how he was bending to her will.

“They’re coming!”

The golden wall trembled again, and a large crack spread through the wall. Estella turned around and looked back at the wall. Candido started to pull her towards the cliff again. Estella turned away from Candido. I glared at her.

“Candido!” I yelled. “Leave her!”

Another stroke of thunder filled the air. Lightning flashed through the air. Then, a familiar figure stepped out of the wall nearby. It was Wren, draped in a blood-red cloak and dressed like he was from Lunae. He seemed to glide across the way. Estella pushed back from Candido. Wren rushed towards Candido, grabbed him, and hauled him towards the side of the cliff. Candido struggled, reaching for Estella, screaming something.

I heard him roar as thunder boomed and the barrier started to give way. I felt a gush of warm, dry air behind me as the cave’s darkness lightened a little, as if there was another opening on the other side. I could almost hear trees swaying in the wind through the cave. Mostly, I just heard people rushing away from the ledge and people screaming for them to hurry up.

“The barrier’s giving in!”

“Estella!” Candido yelled as they reached the ledge. I tried to reach for him, but Wren kept moving, sweeping past me. I couldn’t even see Candido’s expression. “We can’t leave her!”

My heart went cold. Even now, all he was thinking about was Estella, and she was as good as dead. Would it end with her death? The enchantment had to end then, didn’t it?

“I’m sorry, Candido,” Wren said stiffly. “I can’t lose you too.”

Candido tried to dig in his heels, but Wren all but lifted him off his feet and dragged Candido through the opening. I followed just as the barrier crumbled. Vampires rushed through the opening, and Estella lifted something over her head. Then, the scene of the rain vanished, leaving us in a different cave facing a warm, quiet forest.

Silence fell around us as if the stone had cut off everything. Candido went silent behind me. I heard people shuffling and felt the wind from behind me. I placed a hand on the cold stone wall and smiled, imagining the pain she was going through, being ripped apart by vampires or being blown to bits if that’s what was happening. I hoped she hadn’t had a chance to activate whatever was in her hand. I hoped she suffered to her last breath for everything that she’d done to me and Candido’s relationship.

Whatever was happening in that gorge didn’t matter now.

Estella was dead, and finally, the biggest obstacle between us was gone.