Sia wrung his ghostly hands. “That is why I cannot pass on. The one I love was not able to. He was destroyed, even down to his spirit. Every part of him shattered and died.”
Soryn discreetly rose and pulled some clothes on. He eyed Ashiyn then threw a pair of pants to him, ignoring the smirk Ashiyn gave him. “I don’t think that’s possible, Sia. Do you have anything left from him?”
“Yes,” Sia said eagerly, as he vanished.
Ashiyn took the opportunity to get dressed, but he watched Soryn curiously. “What are you doing?”
Soryn finished dressing then closed is eyes and drew his magic. His wings unfurled behind him and his hands started to glow. “No one disappears completely. I’m going to help Sia before we leave.”
“We are leaving?” Ashiyn asked as he raised a brow.
“Yes. But we will never be able to come back. You will lose all of this,” Soryn said, waving to indicate the castle. “If you stay and refuse to let me save this world, you will be an immortal king of a world full of corpses.”
“Where will we go?” Ashiyn scowled as he thought about it. Soryn had a point. Being King of a dead world did not have strong appeal.
“There are other worlds. I will show you. But first I must help Sia. I will not abandon him. He has saved me several times,” Soryn said as he waited for Sia to return.
When Sia reappeared, he dropped an old, tarnished ring into Soryn’s hands. “That was his.”
Soryn turned the bloodied ring around in his hands as they started to glow. “Oh, Sia. You’ve been alone a very long time.”
Sia adjusted his spectacles then shrugged. “Time is different when you are a spirit, but I have missed him. I was told there’s nothing left of him.”
Soryn smiled gently and closed his hand around the ring. Then he held out a hand to Sia. “Take my hand, Sia. I will send you to him.”
Sia’s eyes lit up with excitement. “Truly? You are wonderful. I have waited so long!” Sia placed his hand on Soryn’s and instantly dissipated in a shower of magical sparks.
Ashiyn walked over to brush away the tears that started to fall down Soryn’s face. “It was a kinder fate than Sihtaar. You showed him mercy. Now he is at peace.”
Soryn set the ring down on the table next to Ashiyn’s bed, choking back a sob. “I want to leave this place. I have to give you some of my magic for you to be able to travel between worlds with me.” He held out his hands to Ashiyn.
“What about Illusion?” Ashiyn hesitated. The thought of leaving Illusion behind to be devoured by Sihtaar made him feel sick to his stomach.
Soryn considered the question. “He is bound to you. He exists more as a part of your magic than he does as a mortal creature. I am fairly certain you will be able to summon him no matter where we go, but only if we hurry. If he dies here to Sihtaar there will be no way to save him.”
Ashiyn placed his hands over Soryn’s.
“Brave of you after what I just did to Sia,” Soryn said, clearing his throat and regaining his composure.
“I am immortal. I am not worried,” Ashiyn reminded him. When Soryn hesitated Ashiyn tilted his head expectantly. “You hesitate, why?”
Soryn took a deep breath then shook his head. “No reason, it’s nothing,” he said quickly, then sent his magic through his hands and into Ashiyn.
Ashiyn felt the magic change him. He could see the cosmos and the many planes and worlds within it flow through his mind’s eye. When Soryn stepped in between he kept his hand in Ashiyn’s, but Ashiyn knew what Soryn would not tell him. Ashiyn had been given the celestial power to walk between whenever he wished. Still, he pretended not to know as Soryn called forth the doors that showed the various other worlds and together they chose a new place to start over.
EPILOGUE
When Ashiyn and Soryn appeared out of nowhere, the primitive natives of this world had assumed they were gods. Ashiyn had not corrected them. After all, next to them, he was a god. Soryn took some convincing to accept their worship but he still could not deny Ashiyn. For seven years they had lived comfortably in the remote tropical paradise. Not as large a kingdom as Ashiyn had expected to rule but he rather enjoyed being a god instead of just a king.
Ashiyn half dozed in the breeze created by the giant frond one of his six wives waved to shade and cool him from the afternoon sun on the beach. The laughter of children and the snort of an equine made him crack open his eyes. His two oldest children chased each other across the sand, startling Illusion into trotting through the waves to get out of the way.
The children had different mothers but both looked exactly like Ashiyn, pale hair and golden eyes. He watched them almost stumble over the dark-haired boy building a castle in the sand. Sian, Soryn’s son, waved them away and bent over the castle to protect it from his rambunctious friends. It had taken Ashiyn a year to convince Soryn to take a wife. It had not changed their relationship though and the villagers did not question it.
The sandcastle brought back the nightmares of the previous world and Ashiyn waved his wife away as he rose. This primitive world was free of darkness, beautiful and untainted. A smaller kingdom than he expected, but that was all right for now.
“Daddy!” Shyael ran directly into Ashiyn’s leg, grabbing onto it. Ashiyn swung the little boy up
