An explosion of dazzling blue light pulled me back from the brink of oblivion, lifting me back to the light, back to myself. I willed my eyes to reopen, blinking away tears.

Another woman limped out of the fractured sepulcher, her hands blazing with blue magic. Aria! At once, joy swept away my terror. She appeared the same as in my dreams, yet with paler face, dark hair matted and stringy, and thinner with her rumpled silvery dress hanging loose to her curves. But to me, every bit as beautiful.

Naamah thumped on the sandy ground some distance from me, apparently pushed back by the magic pulse. Aria drew down her eyebrows and lifted her hands, then shouted at Naamah, "Hands off him, bitch!"

Before Naamah could answer, Aria fired off bolts of blue in rapid succession, each blasting against her foe, shoving and tumbling her across the ground. Naamah rolled aside, dodging the last bolt, then spun and fired her own in red. Aria deflected it away with a shield. Back and forth, they fired, filling the scene in flashes of blue and red.

While the battle ensued, Hawyn lifted her paled face, pulling raspy breaths. She caught Obeus' eyes and extended a wavering hand. A ribbon of blue passed from her fingers, circling Obeus, then cutting at the gray and red web that imprisoned him. She freed only a hand before collapsing.

"Avenge me," Hawyn whispered with her last breath.

Obeus glanced at me, then he caught Aria's eyes. She returned a subtle nod. With that, a plan came into motion. For the briefest moment during the fight, Aria's eyes turned to me and she smiled.

Obeus circled his freed hand, letting out blue threads of magic from his fingertips. They picked and prodded at the web that encased me, snipping and pulling off the red strands, one-by-one. I only hoped Aria could hold on long enough until I became free.

Naamah chuckled when twin blasts upended Aria to land with a thud. Aria jumped up and to the side, avoiding the next bolt.

On one knee, Aria grimaced while forming a single orb between upturned hands until it blazed like a blue sun. She launched it, guiding it with an outstretched hand on a circular path, converging on her target from behind. Naamah jerked as the orb struck her, melting into her body. Red eyes widening, she gazed at her arms as rays of blue light shown from within.

Aria clasped a fist, and the orb exploded with a thunderous flash of blinding blue light. Pieces of Naamah's body splayed across the area, settling like black ribbonss.

I dared hope. Is it done?

But the pieces lifted, fluttering through the air and swirling around each other, reforming Naamah, dashing my hopes. Aria gasped, turning wide eyes to me, apparently having her hopes dashed as well. Beads of sweat formed on Obeus' forehead as he continued the tedious task of freeing me, now nearly complete. As the bonds dropped away, strength of mind and body returned.

Returning to her form, Naamah thrust her head back, cackling laughter rolling from her lips. "All magic flows through me, Aria. It is the way of things. As long as the magic exists, so shall I. You cannot defeat me."

As Obeus plucked off the last few strands, the Fury within awakened in a rage, roaring and bucking violently at the bars. I stood upright and pulled a deep breath, firming my resolve.

Aria smiled at me, then turned to Naamah. "True. I cannot defeat you. But he can." She pointed at me. "Are you ready, Tomas?"

Naaman snapped her eyes around to me, widening them. The Fury within me howled with indignation at the presence of so much dark magic. Narrowing my eyes, I unbarred the mental gate and gave the order it most desired.

Feed.

The beast burst out, arcing through the air, swirling in a tight band and roaring like a tornado, and pounced on its prey. Turbulent coils of opaque gray wrapped Naamah in a constricting embrace. Screeching, she lashed out with bolts of magic like red lightning, but that only fueled the Fury's gluttonous desire. It feasted.

One arm of the monster swirled around Obeus. He gasped as it licked at the dark magic strands that held him, consuming them.

Writhing, the swirls squeezed in on Naamah, tighter and tighter, until prey and predator became one. The churning stopped, then the gray mass dissolved into the air as if mist in the late summer sun. Naamah was gone. But so was the Fury. After so long as a part of me, its absence felt odd, yet somehow liberating. Winded, I dropped to a knee.

At first frozen, Aria rushed into her father's arms. Tears traced her cheek as she embraced him. Obeus openly cried, whispering over and over, "My Willow Song..."

The burden on my shoulders now felt as light as the gentle breeze that swept through the valley. I stood, wavering on my feet. After parting from her father and wiping her eyes, Aria came to me, looking up with big amber eyes in a pensive gaze. I opened my arms with a smile. "Aria, I--"

Allowing no more words, Aria jumped into my arms and pressed her soft lips against mine. The kiss lingered, connecting heart to heart, soul to soul. Joy flooded my entire being. She giggled as I picked her up and spun around.

Obeus gawked with narrowed eyes at such an open expression of passionate affection from his daughter, but for these few moments, I did not care.