Page 45

Tentatively, she stretched her hand, then wrapped her fingers around the pommel, its surface warm. A current shot up her arm and through her body. Dropping to her knees once again, she threw her head back as the same white light burst from her and illuminated the cave.

A strangled scream escaped her mouth as the magic set each of her nerve endings alight.

Her body convulsed as if every inch of her skin burst with flames.

Her vision blurred, black spots formed, and once the searing pain in her core dimmed, she fell forwards, crippled over the sword she held in her hands.

“You c-could have w-warned me.”

“I mussst caution you,” he said deeply, ignoring her prior scorn. “Thissss weapon issss powerful.”

I was kind of relying on that.

“You mussst tread carefully,” he continued. “For Filip will know.”

“How?” she said, overlooking the jelly like sensation in her limbs.

“You are two halves of one soul,” he said. “A part of both of you now lives inside this sword.”

Lowering her glance, she stared at the engraving along the blade—a foreign language she couldn’t understand.

“He will want it assss much assss you.”

“Are you serious?” She scoffed. “After everything I’ve gone through to get this sword, you tell me he will want it? I made it easy for him to take it from me?”

“There issss much to tell you sssstill,” he said—his voice as calm and soft as before.

“Tell me.” She couldn’t refrain from injecting a sense of urgency into her words.

“Assss you were the one to forge the ssssword, it will only ansssswer to you for now. But the closssser you are to Filip, the more unpredictable itssss loyaltiessss will be.”

“You have got to be kidding me.” She laughed hysterically. “I need to save my sister and my husband—if he hasn’t already been murdered. Many other lives hang in the balance, but now I cannot go near him?”

“There issss one other thing.” His gaze lowered to the talisman around her neck. “Remove your necklacsssse. Let your magic free.”

Her hand clasped the pendant. “This is the only thing ensuring I have control over my magic. If I take it off, I have no idea what could happen.”

“The connectionssss you have with Filip meanssss you will alwayssss be each other’s equal, thussss alwayssss looking for a way to be sssstronger than the other,” he said. “You abssssorbed the magic from the pocket watch, did you not?”

“Yes, but…how did you know?” She arched a brow.

“I am a god.” He grinned, revealing sharp teeth.

“You have the collected astral power of countlessss generations, and the Ssssword of Light in your possession. But you cannot fathom your true capabilitiessss until you remove the one thing hindering you.” Although he was tempting her into something she hadn’t even considered, his voice remained soft and gentle. He was someone she could trust.

As if compelled to do so, she unfastened the talisman from around her neck, then placed it into her pocket. A chill shot down her spine, a welcome contrast to the blazing fire she’d previously endured.

“I hope you’re right,” she said. “I’m trusting in you, God of the Sun.”

“And I am trussssting you too, Adelina Orlova, wielder of astral power,” he said.

As she turned on her heel, a memory resurfaced in her mind.

‘Somewhere deep underground, enclosed away from the world by a river with deadly currents, the God known as Veles ruled.’

“Do you know much about Veles, God of the underworld?” she asked. “I read about it. Filip and his father are shapeshifters. Their souls were reborn in the real realm—the living realm—weren’t they?”

Svarog lowered his head, and something flashed in his eyes. From the drooping lines forming around them, she determined it to be sadness. “Yessss.”

“How?” A sickly, icy sensation rippled through her body, making her shiver.

‘The entrance to the underworld was guarded by a Zmey—a dragon.’ “I don’t understand.

Why would Veles allow them to be reborn—what is their bigger purpose?

And what about Zmey—the dragon guarding their lair?

Surely, he wouldn’t let them leave without a reason.

” She wrapped her arms around her, and her mouth dried.

The threat loomed over her like a giant shadow, and she clung to the thought that she was the light .

“If I knew all the ansssswerssss, I wouldn’t need a warrior.” He tipped his scaled head towards her.

“Why did you choose me?” The question poured from her mouth without thought. “What is so special about a small-town girl? I was young, na?ve, and held such small knowledge of the world. How could you be certain I would be good enough to become a wielder?”

“You have a pure heart,” he said simply, as if there was no argument on the matter.

“But I musssst clarify it is not as simple as me—or any God—choosing you. Before you were born, your ssssoul was but a twinkle of life waiting for a chancssssse to blossssom. We do not undersssstand how or why, but wieldersssss are born one half of each other.”

“Are you saying my life was predetermined? I already shared a soul with Filip before I was even born? How is it possible?” Her head pounded from the dozens of questions spinning inside her mind.

“Can we ever travel through time? Is thissss universssse the only one to exisssst? What exactly is a conssssciousnessss?” He smiled. “Thesssse are all big, unansssswered questionssss.”

“But you’re a god. You know everything.” She narrowed her eyes. “All the gods and goddesses we know, love, worship, or even hate—are you saying no one decided astral and nether wielders would be one half of the same soul? No one chose to link them?”

“While I may have exissssted for thoussssandssss of yearssss, I wassss not the beginning of time.” He chuckled.

“Insssstead of focussssing on riddlessss you may never solve, turn your attention to what you musssst do on behalf of the Godssss you love. For every light, there issss darknessss, and Filip is your darknessss. You musssst overcome him.”

“He’s going after my sister,” she said through gritted teeth.

“My astral powers let me see things. I’m not sure how, but I saw Filip and Pyotr.

They were with Damir, and he looked exhausted.

Filip ordered to have him killed and I don’t know if he lives, or when the conversation took place, so he could have my sister already in his clutches. ”

“Try to reach out to them again through your powerssss,” he suggested. “Let them guide you through thesssse dark timessss. You musssst go now, young warrior.”

As soon as his last words left his mouth, the sparkling form dissipated.

“Wait. I still have questions.” She stepped forwards, stretching a hand in front of her.

“Trusssst in yoursssself as we trusssst in you,” he said—his voice whisper thin on the breeze.

He disappeared, and she was alone.

∞∞∞

Filip relaxed into his chair, propped his elbows on the cushioned arms, then created a steeple with his fingers. He’d sent Pyotr and a dozen armed guards to capture Tihana, and in about four weeks, their carriage would come barrelling through the palace gates.

A burst of pain shot through his core. He jolted forwards, slamming his body into the table, almost knocking him out of his chair.

His vision filled with black dots, and the world spun on its axis.

Gripping onto the edge of the table, he fought to steady himself, not at all sure he wasn’t about to collapse. What in the realm was going on?

The furniture in his office tapered into a fuzzy image in front of him. A vision formed. He rubbed his eyes, forcing his gaze to focus on the scene materialising. Adelina.

He jumped to his feet, then stumbled backwards. Every muscle in his body turned to jelly, aching and throbbing from the earlier burst of pain.

Supporting himself against the wooden desk, he watched as she held a golden, glowering sword in her hands. Her surroundings were dark. Where was she?

Fighting against the dizziness flooding through his body, he forced one foot in front of the other as he stepped around the desk.

Stretching his hand, reached for her, but his fingers fell through the empty space between them.

Scanning the vision, he sought something—anything—to hint at her location. But the shadows cloaked her.

The image dissolved, and when the ache in his body subsided to a dull throb, he arched a brow.

Well, that was new.

His train of thought shifted to the weapon she’d wielded. A strange sensation urged him towards his shelf of personal books. Wrapping his fingers around the spine, he drew his copy of A Practitioner’s Guide to Ancient Magic, Astral Edition, Volume I positioned beside its partner for nether magic.

Flipping through the book, he halted on a blank page.

Strange. From his knowledge of magic, charms and spells were only cloaked if they were of significant importance.

And to his advantage, he had experience with such wards.

It took him a matter of minutes to solve the pitiful riddle, and ink materialised on the parchment. The Sword of Light.

“Huh,” he breathed. “This has got a whole lot easier.”

He carried the book back to his desk, then settled into his chair, keeping his gaze fixed on the writing—a guide Adelina must’ve followed in order to obtain the sword.

She’d gotten her hands on the one thing that would’ve given her an advantage against him, but he knew such a powerful weapon possessed a mind of its own.

It was loyal to its wielder, and if he could take possession of it, no one would ever challenge him again.

∞∞∞