Simeon gathered himself and bought his strength to bear against the weight of the tree. It did not budge. He lifted with all the might he could summon, his legs quivering with the effort, but it lay unmoving before him.

The roots within him came to a frenzy, burrowing to his lower extremities to lend greater support to his knees and back. Some broke through the skin of his feet, rooting themselves into the soil of the grove. He soon felt an unfamiliar energy being drawn into his flesh. When it mingled with the flames of his Qelltalis, Simeon was infused with a fury that defied his human limitations.

Simeon was euphoric as the fury within him slowly lifted the tree from the ground. His muscles burned with a searing fire as his massive arms struggled to push the fallen trunk above his head. The fury led him onward as the roots released their hold, his powerful legs half-stumbling with each step as he walked. When he neared the clearing he altered his pace, allowing the giant he held to shift forward slightly in his grasp. He quickened his pace the last few steps and let it go, the fury within him sending it rolling across the heart of Ignall's Grounding.

The heavy trunk rolled unevenly across the grove, mowing a wide, bloody path through the Dark-Fey as it went. Simeon fell in step behind as it tumbled, rushing toward Chendrelle as quickly as he could through the path it opened before him. Mid-way into the grove, Simeon joined with Tahletha and the sisters who fought beside her. The winged-Fey formed a defensive wall behind him, holding their relentless sisters at bay as best they could.

Tahletha bled from numerous wounds, her willowy wings shred beyond use, but she pushed on, the silver spear flashing like lightning as she fought.

"You must make it to Chendrelle, Simeon Kane," Tahletha shouted.

The winged sisters beside her maintained a protective shield around themselves that deflected the brunt of the dark magics that were hurled upon them, but their strength was waning quickly under the Dark-Fey's renewed assault. Though he was reluctant to leave the protective bubble they held around him, Simeon met Tahletha's gaze once more and nodded.

Turning to the grotesque Fey that piled on top of Chendrelle, Simeon let out a violent roar and threw himself on top of them, kicking and clawing his way to his helpless bond-mate.

The Dark-Fey fell upon him eagerly, their fangs and stingers biting deep into his flesh. His blood began to burn as the venom entered his bloodstream, threading its way closer to his heart. A number of the roots within him reacted instantly, redirecting the toxin outside of his flesh, while others wound themselves around the ligaments of his hands, giving them inhuman strength.

Simeon lashed out at the Dark-Fey before him, grasping its neck in his hand. The glossy-eyed arachnid grappled against him with eight flailing legs, its fangs close to his vulnerable neck. With a quick snap, the spider-Fey's head fell away, rolling into the surrounding fray.

Simeon fell to his knees in pain, as one of the large scorpion-Fey that ushered him to Ignall's Grounding drove its stinger deep into his neck. He latched onto the Dark-Fey's tail and pinched it off, the Fey screaming in anguish as it squirmed away from him. The severed tail dangled in his neck as he crawled, finally coming loose as another wave of Dark-Fey fell upon him.

Simeon was about to stand when he saw Chendrelle's tiny legs through the mass of Dark-Fey before him. He lashed out wildly at the shadowed forms in front of him, crushing anything he could get his powerful hands on. Those foolish enough to stand between them died quickly, torn to pieces in an instant. The others gave way, allowing Simeon to crawl to the Constrictor that held Chendrelle's motionless body in its coils.

Within moments, the lifeless Dark-Fey lay in quivering chunks across the grove, her remaining sisters giving Simeon and Chendrelle a wide birth.

Simeon held Chendrelle's tiny body in his hands, holding her close to feel for her heartbeat. There was none. His Qelltalis pulsed as the roots within him burrowed into Chendrelle's flesh, sending waves of primal essence into her flesh. Simeon held her to his chest, willing his heartbeat to lead the way for hers to return.

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