There was just something about staring at Talamayas' broad back as the vampires ahead turned on him. Not once had she feared for her life when he'd been by her side. Mer would say that he'd been protective even, and she felt good about having him there to fight with them, despite how things had appeared a moment ago and how brutal she knew he was.

"This party needs fireworks," Talamayas said in a dark cackle as his magic formed a spell beneath his feet and he lit the battlefield aflame.

Vampires shrieked as they went up, and they darted forward for Talamayas who just continued to cast flame spells without a care in the world. The ground ruptured in front of him before his enemies could reach them, and Mer leaned into Damien as Light magic hissed from the gash in the ground. A giant spined bramble emerged to grab the first vampire who made it through and crushed him in crunch of bone, popping him like balloon full of blood. Mer covered her mouth as a mage rose from the earth on his vines.

Forest Copse.

With him rose a wall of spiked vines, some as thick as phone poles, and the vampires were left with only two options. Burn up in Talamayas' flames or rush head first to be torn apart by the copse of death. Some chose one, some the other, but they all fell, one by one, with cries of agony, until there were none left. It was horrendous to watch them dwindle until moans of death were the only sound, but it was better this way than if the mages and their allies lost more of their own.

When Forest dropped his spell and leaned on his knees with a wheeze, Talamayas stepped forward and clapped him on the shoulder so hard that he nearly fell to his knees. The man would have if Talamayas had not pulled him up by his elbow, and to Mer's relief, Forest smiled weakly up to him, his face shaded by his long brown hair, disheveled from the fighting. They knew each other, it seemed.

The light of the rising sun crawled over the city and the charred corpses, easing the dark magic that permeated the area and the pressure in her chest. Further ahead, Mer could see the Arcs returning, side by side with the Cascades, some groaning in pain and others whistling or laughing as they advanced from the fight.

The night was over, and they'd won.

Mer was elated, and she jumped from the growl that sounded next to her father. There, stood Rush, bleeding from his temple and with a gash down his arm, impatiently demanding that Damien give her to him. For once, Damien didn't fight, but instead turned and released her into Rush's arms. Dark magic pressed to her face along with sticky blood, but she didn't care about the latter as she wrapped her arms around Rush's neck and squeezed him to her.

"I worried ceaselessly about you," Rush rasped, a moment away from kissing her when he seemed to realize he was spattered in people's blood. With a low groan, he kissed her hair and then slid her down to her feet to stand by his side, his dim viridian eyes looking over the area around them.

"I'm good, but you don't look so hot," Mer said, touching the skin around his wound to point it out.

"I'm naturally cold, Meredith," Rush replied with his normal dead serious stare, and she shoved him as the smile curled his lips. The wince of pain made her regret it, but Rush replaced it with the low hum of his voice that she loved. "Tanya Zehir didn't go down easily, but my wounds are superficial. Nothing blood won't heal," Rush assured her.

"You finished with the Zehirs faster than I expected," Damien's voice drove her and Rush's attention over to him as Neil dropped down in front of them with Silvia Copse in his arms. Whenever Mer saw Silvia she seemed to be not far from him.

"Jesse Zehir turned on them, made it easier for us," Neil said, setting down Silvia. "Saved a lot of lives on our side and shortened the fight exponentially. I sent him back to my territory with some of the mages help as its better he isn't here."

Jesse Zehir? That was the man Neil had beaten to a bloody pulp, wasn't it? Why would he help them? Mer remembered seeing him sitting with Silvia, so it likely had to do with her, but still, to put aside the cruelty Neil had shown him and turn on his own family was something.

"Ares and Shan are seeing to it that no stragglers are still living," Neil said as he came up to them. "The Cascades have already sent most of the Shades and my people home, and it's best that we clear out before the prying human eyes wander in. There is no way they missed all this, and it is best handled diplomatically by the mages."

"I instructed the Copses to get the Sols and Fleurs out of here as quickly as possible after as well," Forest said as he went to his daughter's side and wrapped an arm around her shoulders to hug her. "There is a lot to be discussed and handled, but for now it's best we return, recuperate, and mourn those we lost. The battle was not without casualties for the mages as well."

The Cascades and Copses cast so many large transportation spells that the light magic was blinding, but after they were done, all that remained was Neil, Talamayas, Rush, and Lorenzo. Damien was there of course, watching her and helping the mages into the complex who needed care. Other mages came out, ones who had not fought to help the wounded, the last of which was Kopje with Wren half dead on his shoulders but conscious somehow.

Footsteps crunched the broken tiles at their feet, and Mer looked up to Talamayas striding back toward Wren Song. Lorenzo wasn't doing his best to hide the animosity for the man, and Rush kept his distance, holding her sides firmly to keep her from moving. A moment ago, Talamayas had seemed livid that their allies had not protected Wren, so she doubted he was heading to harm the man, but with their history, that didn't seem possible. Wren had fought until he'd bled from the eyes, and she couldn't help but worry about him.

Talamayas had tortured him for decades.

It appeared she wasn't the only one worried, because every single mage they had outside of the complex made a wall between Talamayas and Wren. The snarl that escaped the Sol leader had Mer hugging Rush closer and remembering how he'd grabbed a man's face and melted it with a look of glee. What would he do to mages who faced off with him when vampires stood no chance?

"Get out of my way," Talamayas threatened, and the line of mages cringed as hard as Mer expected when the air around him ignited. With the man's growl, actual smoke slipped out of his mouth, and Mer swallowed hard. "Wren!" Talamayas called over them.

Wren Song looked up, and when Talamayas lifted his hand to reach to him, Wren cringed back further toward the complex. Sinking into Kopje's arms, he fell into a fit of trembling that had the infiltrator leader struggling to keep him up. The steam from Talamayas' mouth hissed away into nothing, and Mer was surprised to see the man's hostility disappear. He looked hurt more than anything, which just served to confuse Mer even further about who Talamayas was and what his intentions were with anyone.

"We will not give a mage over to you for torture," her aunt spoke first, standing to lead the other mages. The men and women around her strengthened as Luna led with her sheen of moonlight hair and proud Aurion mage attire. "This has been a long battle and we all fought in it. Can't you cast your lust for revenge aside for at least a few moments?"

Talamayas didn't even seem to notice Luna as she spoke, his eyes locked on Wren as the man's knees finally gave out and Kopje held him to his chest protectively. It was as if there was nothing in front of Talamayas but Wren Song, but not for the reason everyone else was perceiving. Did no one else see that Talamayas was being protective of him?

"Wren Song is mine." The area shook with dark energy as Talamayas dropped his gaze and clenched his fists, tightening all of the muscles up his arms to his neck, but his power ebbed as Neil put his tiny frame between Talamayas and the mages.

"Tala, stop," Neil said, and Talamayas lowered his gaze to him. "Look, perhaps you could allow Wren to rest and recuperate here, and we can discuss his return in a few days' time when we convene for negotiations."

"Why would I do that?" Talamayas asked as if the idea was preposterous, like agreeing was the same as severing his own limb, lighting it on fire, and eating it.

"To avoid needless, animosity, Tala. It won't kill you to give him a break. When he is strong enough to stand on his own and form coherent sentences, I'm sure he can make his own desires clear to both you and them."

Talamayas glanced over Neil to Wren where he was struggling to keep his chin lifted, and the snap of Tala's teeth in anger had her gaze ripped back to him. Something bothered Talamayas as he couldn't meet Wren eyes, and he took in a slow inhale, likely reaching for Wren's scent before his dark magic dissipated completely.

"If you hide from me, I will find you," Talamayas said, clearly to Wren, but the man didn't respond as Talamayas turned his back on him. "We will reconvene in a few days' time to discuss this new Alliance, and at that time, if you do not relinquish Wren Song to me, I will wipe you out."

Some creepy magic wrapped around Talamayas, and it made Mer sick to just feel it. It was like the hands of the dead reaching out of hell to grab him and they dragged him away into a transportation spell right before her eyes. It wasn't dark magic so it wasn't blocked by the anti-magic, but it also hadn't been light magic either. As the man disappeared into it, she swore she saw a shadow nest to him, but it was gone just as quickly.

Everyone said tentative goodbyes to their allies, and she was happy to retreat back to the Shade territory with Rush. They met Darius at the doorway, dressed up in his robes again and with two of their guards at his side. In more emotion that she had ever seen Rush show thus far, he embraced Darius and they squeezed each other with all of their relief from the fights. Darius kissed Rush on the cheek and she swore she could see tears in his eyes, but he turned away quick enough to leave them together.

That was likely the greatest kindness he'd ever shown. Darius had always been hanging around and getting in Rush's face about her, and she just wanted some time to go curl up in a corner. The man either new that or cared enough about Rush to give him a break. Either way, she needed to shower and pass out really hard, and rest would be bliss.

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Word Count: 1936