Page 45 of The Void

“Why?” Mia asked as tears rolled down her cheeks.

When he moved to just below her, Mia’s eyes darted towards him. He saw surprise and relief flood her face as more tears continued to fall.

“I’ve been imprisoned here long enough,” Feng said calmly. “Only with the combined power of two from my bloodline, including the current djinn, can I become stronger than before and take back what was stolen from me.”

The air started circling around the room, exiting through the hole at the top as the sunbeam and moonbeams collided overhead, far up in the night sky.

When they finally touched, a wide blue streak of light heading directly towards the gold statue. Towards Mia and Lei.

“Let Mia go,” Lei hissed. “I’m the one you needed.”

“No,” Mia shouted back at him.

Lei glanced over at Mia. “It was always my destiny,” Lei said softly. “It’s what the elders saw that day long ago. They saw this moment. The moment of my doom. If I had become djinn, I would have released Feng, Malik al-Ahmar destroyer. She would have drained my powers then gone on to destroy… everything.” He turned and smiled at Mia, then glanced over at Lucas briefly. “Take care of my sister.”

“Lei!” Mia screamed as Lei tried to break free from his restraints.

“Silence!” Feng’s voice boomed in the space as Lei’s body was jerked even higher, his arms and legs spreading farther apart. Lei cried out in pain.

“Leave him alone,” Mia yelled.

“I’ll devour both of you, then turn this world back into what I desire. Mine. For all eternity.” Feng laughed.

Mia’s body shifted and moved higher, much like Lei’s. Both of them were now directly in the beam of light.

Hearing her scream in pain, something snapped deep inside Lucas. He’d never felt anything like it before. Even when he’d been fighting Moros with his sisters.

One minute he was standing below the golden statue and the next he was easily twice the size of the massive thing.

A deep growl emanated from his chest. What form that chest was, he couldn’t say. This felt different. He felt powerful. Strong. Protective.

“Release them,” he growled, shaking the entire cavern.

The air in the room stilled as his head blocked out the light that had been hitting Mia and the statue.

“No!” Feng cried out. “Remove yourself,” she screamed.

“Let Mia go,” he said again.

“I will have my power and be released, beast. You cannot stop me,” Feng cried, and suddenly he felt his hide ripping open in various places on his body.

Still, he held firm and only after almost being tripped by an unseeable force was he able to push the statue out of the way of the light. Then he bit it, scratched it, and pounced on it until it was nothing more than a twisted and scarred piece of shining metal. A large gaping slice slit it right down the middle, leaving a massive hole in the center.

Suddenly, everything went quiet for a split second.

Then both Lei and Mia started falling towards the ground. Lei cried out but Mia rushed over and caught him in the air, then gently set them down on the floor.

“Lucas?” Mia moved towards him with a frown on her face. “Lucas?” she said a little softer. “I’m… we’re okay.”

He took several deep breaths, then closed his eyes.

A few seconds later, he felt her arms wrap around him.

“Remind me to never get you angry,” she said into his chest.

He wrapped his arms around her and blurted out, “I love you.”

“What in the hell was that?” Lei asked, backing away from him.