Page 112 of Souls We Rip

The Elk moved closer to my aching body. “Here lies my brother, former human, former Goat Man, now dust,” he whispered in my face, a scythe larger than mine, touching my neck.

The cave rattled once. Twice.

A swoosh replaced the whispers, and I knew my inimă was here. Thank God for the ghost and Ana for pulling me from my slumber before meeting her.

“Oh, the human is here!” the Elk announced, his head snapping to the entrance.

“You seem to forget I am not one anymore, Elk.” Her voice came from the darkness beyond the throne, warming every piece of my soul.

“That is right. Then, I shall make this interesting!”

My brother raised his hooves, and in the next second, the trembling voice of Eugen rose from the walls. It was everywhere and nowhere. I frowned. Something was not right.

“Help me, Ana!” the young voice begged.

Turning my head towards Ana’s stone figure, I noticed her hesitation. Her eyes pinned me, teeth sinking into her lips.

“Do you want to choose between the man who dragged you into this godless life and the boy who made your chest ache like a mother’s?” My brother was filled with poetry, but his mind was not so bright.

My eyes roamed over the room, but I couldn’t hear a whistle of breath or a heart beating that should belong to the child. Pain sizzled in my bones as the Elk sent the whip on my skin again. Gritting my teeth, I listened beyond the sounds.

Eugen was not here. The Elk was trying to make Ana doubt herself.

I opened my mouth, but no sound came. Therefore, I did what I could to show Ana that Eugen was not there.

With my remaining powers, I moved the candles next to the throne. Slowly, the splinters from the chair caught the movement of the flames, igniting entirely.

The Elk whirled, the air produced by his cloak, blazing the wood even more. His scythe lingered in the air as he tried to stop the blaze. I grabbed the weapon and cut through his knees, blood pouring over me, drenching my face.

My hand slipped. I lost balance and crashed chin-first onto the stone. A crack echoed through my skull, and pain blinded me. I closed my eyes, keeping the scream inside my chest. The Elk elevated my body and threw it on the rock floor.

From the fire emerged long horns, a skull more majestic than the rest of us, a lean figure covered by a crimson cloak, the heart I was missing.

“You created monsters, Elk. You shall die as one!”

Her scythe came down on the Elk’s neck, breaking the bone in half, small pieces floating to the fire. His head rolled to her legs, and she pushed it aside.

Ana pulled her skull off her face and rushed to my side, helping me stand.

“Come, Tiberius! We need to find Eugen!”

If I didn’t have that much pain in my body, I would have laughed and kissed her.

Her hand grabbed me by my arm and pulled me from the floor. With a grunt, I stepped away from the blazing throne. I walked from Ana to see my brother for one last time.

“I hope you’re free of your torment, brother.”

I pushed his limp body into the flames, a wide smile spreading on my lips. After I saw with my own eyes as his skull caught fire, I grabbed Ana and searched for the boy.

With the corner of my eye, I saw his sleeping form levitating, Andrei right behind him. I took all of them into my arms and travelled outside Elk's former lair.

Once we breathed the fresh air of the night, I watched as the flame engulfed everything.

“What is…,” Eugen’s sleepy voice broke the silence as the night was illuminated by the blaze.

A stag skull flew over my head directly into the fire. I turned to see Ana crying, tears of joy lingering on her cheeks. Rushing to her, I grabbed her shoulders and embraced her as if we were never apart.

My hand touched her chest, feeling the beat of her heart. She mirrored my action, her hand rising slowly with each thump. Laughter bubbled in my chest as if it were the first time I ever drew breath.