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I felt nothing, no spark or spell. Just the same emptiness I had always known. I rammed my frustration against it. “Give me magic or I might die,” I screamed, begging it to save me. The barrier didn’t budge.

Finally, the crashing stopped. The trolls pressed their advantage, lumbering forward. Ninti and I found an advantageous place amongst the debris. We would have to hold this new line together.

I darted forward, attacking the nearest troll. Like the Shades before, I slashed them with my sword…

Clink.I struck its petrified wood body. The troll didn’t turn to ash. Unlike the fae-turned-Shades, these trolls would not be destroyed so easily. My blade had done minimal damage.

Ninti lunged forward, jumping to attack the second troll. She unleashed a burst of fire.

The troll stumbled as she attacked. Slowly, they turned to ash.

They changed too slowly…

The troll roared before they burned. They swiped the Firewolf, striking her with their hand—

Ninti collapsed. With a second strike, the troll shoved her back, and she slid across the floor. The troll vanished, turning to ash, but the Firewolf did not rise.

“Ninti!” I screamed. My chest tightened.

She didn’t respond.

I resisted my urge to check on her—I couldn’t lose ground. One troll remained, and I was our final defense.

I bounced on my knees, my heart pulsing.

The remaining troll stilled and stiffened, shocked they now faced me alone. Their fallen comrade proved they weren’t invulnerable.

It had taken Ninti’s best attack to defeat the other troll. My swords were like toothpicks.

I spared a glance for Zayne and Eleanor, quietly begging for help. Both remained silent as the dead, so I prepared for my final stand.

Zayne

The shield was down, and Inarus was vulnerable. He still didn’t seem aware of his own weakness. His eyes remained closed.

I needed to strike. Somehow.

The diamond was his source of power, but I was afraid. I didn’t want to touch it—I didn’t want to become corrupted like him. If Inarus was a puppet, the diamond was his string.

Or I could seize the crystal skull, his necromantic focus.

In the distance, I heard a crash. My physical body had been shaken. No time to debate.

I seized the crystal skull, clutching it between my palms and pulling it from the necromancer. My mind reached for necromantic strands, struggling to command the power I had so easily captured.

The Gray Generals and their Shade armies were spread across the isle. Some troops lurked beneath the sea, while others hid in caves. The stronghold servants rested while Inarus focused on the battle.

AndAyla.I saw her through the eyes of a troll. She was clearly fatigued, her reactions slowed. Ninti sprawled on the floor nearby. Now Ayla protected us all.

The undead troll aimed for Ayla. They readied a strike—

“Stop,” I ordered. Not just him. All of them. “Do not move.” My command echoed through the ranks of Shades.

The troll followed my instruction, becoming still.

I couldn’t celebrate. Nausea bloomed in my stomach, bile reaching for my throat. My vision pulsed, a headache forming.

I struggled to keep the Shades under my command, and their threads squirmed, becoming knotted. The crystal skull focused my power, but still, I had no experience. I didn’t have the power of the black diamond.