Page 66 of Up In Flames
“We're mad at him,” Xae added.
“I just told you that Ara isn't at fault.”
“Not Aranren. Death,” Taroc said. “Despite the outbursts from some of us.” He paused to look at Kel and Xae. “We have heard you. We believe you about Aranren. You are the proof, love. You experienced what he has gone through. But this means that we've been fighting this war all wrong.” He looked at the other men. “Ember can end the war by conquering the Corrupter, but not in the way we thought. He needs to free Aranren. Take away Death's weapon. Without Aranren, there is no Corrupter. And the Corrupter is Death's door to our world. Remove it, and he cannot enter.”
I gaped at Taroc, then at the others as they slowly nodded.
“We should attack the fortress as soon as possible,” Rath said.
Xae stood up and said, “I'll speak to Ranor.”
“Wait,” I said. “Truly? You want me to bond with him?”
“Ember, we bonded with you through love, but we did it to end the war,” Rath said. “If one more bond is what's needed, then it must be done.”
“Even if it's with Aranren?”
“At least we'll know he'll be the last,” Keltyr said and headed for the door.
“Where are you going?” I asked Kel as Xaedren faded to find General Ranor.
“To armor up.” He cocked his head. “Unless you need to rest?”
I lifted my chin. “I'll meet you downstairs.”
Chapter Thirty-Four
About an hour later, a Wraith Lord army stood concealed within the forest just beyond the Corrupter's ward. The plan was for me to test the charm by taking my team into the Corrupter's fortress first. If it worked, we'd capture the Corrupter, and I would . . . free him. In private. Hopefully, I could get in the mood.
How would I keep the Corrupter from escaping? I was going to use his own weapons against him. We still had a pair of his magic-suppressing manacles. I would slap them on the Corrupter as soon as I saw him. That would take care of a host of problems, including the ward around his fortress. With his magic suppressed, the ward should go down, allowing our army to fade in. If that didn't work, I could always return and fade in the rest of the army with the pendant.
Of course, our plan relied on Aranren keeping the pendant a secret from Death and the Corrupter. But if anyone could do that, it was Ara.
“Are you ready, Ember?” General Ranor asked as he stepped up beside me. His stare went from me to the misty ward and back.
“Yes.” I clasped hands with my men. I pictured the bedroom I had stayed in and aimed my fade at it.
Seconds later, we stood in the luxurious room.
“Holy shit,” Keltyr whispered. “It actually worked.”
“Now, we just have to find him,” I whispered. “Without alerting Death.”
I crept into the corridor and down to the next door—Aranren's room. I didn't expect the Corrupter to be in there, but I had to be sure. I opened the door and checked if he was inside. To my surprise, I found him lying on his bed, turned on his side, facing away from the door. I widened my eyes at the men and pointed at the bed. They nodded, and we crept into the room. Using Air Magic, I lifted the manacles silently from my hand and sent them hovering toward the Corrupter.
Careful to not make a sound, I followed the manacles while the others waited near the door. A foot away from the bed, the Corrupter turned toward me. But it wasn't the Corrupter. It was Ara. His face was red and puffy, his eyes swollen from crying, and he sniffed, sounding like a child. Then he saw me.
“Ember!” he whispered.
“Oh, fuck,” Xae growled as he and the others spread out around the bed.
Ara sat up, his stare going to the manacles that hovered before him. Eyes widening in comprehension, he held out his wrists. “Hurry!”
I didn't hesitate. Air blasted the manacles forward, and Ara lifted his wrists into them. Seconds after they locked around him, a roar came from all around us.
Aranren shot to his feet. “We need to leave! Now!”
I lurched for Ara, but before I could reach him, Death pulled his shadow-man trick, forming between us.
