Page 17

The moment we step inside the confines that were once so hidden in the depths of the forest, the weight of the stronghold’s magic wraps around me like an iron veil. The air is heavy with the scent of burning herbs and decay, a nauseating mix that churns my stomach. Shadows flicker across the walls, twisting in ways that make my skin crawl. The corridor stretches ahead, narrow and suffocating, and each step feels heavier than the last.

I’m getting tired. My body aches to rest. We all knew a week wouldn’t be enough time to get my stamina fully built up to handle this, but we had no other choice. The longer this goes on, the more danger Lara—and the vampires and witches I’ve come to love—are in.

“Stay by my side,” Lucian murmurs, his voice low and edged with concern and his blade drawn and ready.

I nod, gripping the edge of my cloak to steady my trembling hands. Every instinct screams at me to turn back, to run, but I force myself forward. This is what I’ve been preparing for—what I’ve trained for, albeit not nearly long enough. Lara’s face flashes in my mind, and I steel myself.

Ravenna steps to the front, her hands glowing faintly as she scans the corridor. “The wards in here are layered over centuries,” she says, her voice sharp. “They’ll be harder to detect and dismantle. Everyone, stay vigilant.”

“We’ve got movement up ahead,” Viago calls out, his tone clipped. He gestures toward the far end of the corridor, where faint shadows shift against the stone walls.

The group tightens, instinctively falling into a defensive formation. Dorian and Vada move with precision, their weapons at the ready, but the shadows ahead seem endless. The tension thickens, and just as I draw a shaky breath, they strike.

The first wave of Solstice members strikes fast and without mercy. They’re clad in black robes, their faces obscured by masks etched with glowing sigils. They move like phantoms, their attacks precise and unrelenting. One of them hurls a bolt of dark magic toward Ravenna, but Nicole deflects it with a shimmering barrier, the force of the impact rattling us all.

“Don’t let them pin us down!” Lucian shouts, his blade slicing through one of the attackers. The sharp clang of metal against metal echoes through the corridor as the vampires engage in close combat, leaving Solstice members slain on the ground before us. Their movements are a blur, faster than the eye can follow, but some of the Solstice members match their ferocity with crafty dark magic—others aren’t so lucky.

A masked figure lunges toward me from around Lucian, a dagger glinting in their hand. My breath catches, but I manage to conjure a shield in time, the blade skidding off the glowing barrier. I retaliate with a burst of energy that sends them sprawling, the force of it leaving my hands trembling as Lucian finishes them off, slicing their head completely from their body and causing blood to splatter the front of his body.

“Good work,” Ravenna says, her voice strained as she fends off another attacker.

The corridor erupts into a chaotic blur of magic and steel. Lucian kills another robed figure with a ruthless efficiency, his blade a blur of silver streaked with blood. Vada and Dorian fight back-to-back, their strikes deliberate and unrelenting. Vada takes down one Solstice member with a blade to the throat, only to spin and evade a strike aimed at her side. Dorian disarms his opponent before slamming them into the stone wall with a sickening crunch.

Rebecca screams as a masked figure grabs her arm, but Kristoff intercepts, his blade slicing cleanly through the attacker, the hand still clinging to Rebecca’s cloak as the arm is cut clean off. Blood sprays across the stone floor as another Solstice member falls to Nicole’s magic, her hands glowing with a fiery intensity.

The air vibrates with unbridled power as Ravenna launches a spell that slams three enemies into the far wall. Their bodies crumple to the ground, lifeless. But the Solstice members keep coming. One charges at me, their robes whipping around them like shadowy tendrils. I stumble back, barely managing to send a pulse of energy that knocks them off their feet. They hit the ground hard, but another takes their place.

A tendril of dark magic snakes out from the floor, wrapping around Lucian’s ankle. He growls, severing it with his blade, but the ground beneath us feels alive with enchantments.

“We’re being overwhelmed!” Viago barks, his blade dripping with ichor as he carves through two attackers. “We need to move forward, or we’ll drown in their numbers!”

Ravenna doesn’t hesitate. “Push ahead!” she commands, her voice ringing out above the chaos. She hurls another spell that creates a temporary barrier, forcing the Solstice members back. “Sylvie, stay close!”

I nod, my heart pounding as we surge forward. More attackers pour into the corridor, their weapons and spells tearing through the air. Lucian stays by my side, his blade cutting down anyone who gets too close. The corridor feels narrower, the walls pressing in as the bloodshed escalates.

Out of the corner of my eye, I watch Kristoff bite into the neck of a Society member, yanking his flesh from his bones and discarding him to the side.

Nicole sends a streak of fire racing down the hall, consuming two masked figures who scream as they’re engulfed. Rebecca deflects a spell aimed at Dorian, her quick reflexes saving him from a fatal blow. The floor beneath us shifts again, tendrils of dark magic lashing out, but Ravenna and the elders work quickly, their combined magic holding the chaos at bay just long enough for us to push through.

As we press on, the Solstice members begin to falter, their numbers thinning. The corridor feels alive with the echo of their screams and the metallic scent of blood. For a moment, I think we’ve won, but the oppressive energy in the air reminds me that the worst is yet to come.

“Keep moving!” Viago barks, his blade dripping with dark ichor. “They’re trying to stall us!”

We push forward, but the stronghold itself fights against us. The floor beneath us shifts and cracks, tendrils of dark magic erupting from the ground. One wraps around my ankle, cold and unyielding, and I cry out as it pulls me down. Before I can react, Lucian is there, his blade severing the tendril in one swift motion.

“All right, love?” he asks, his voice tight with worry.

I nod, scrambling to my feet. “Thanks.”

“Stay focused,” he says, his eyes lingering on me for a moment before he turns back to the fight. “I’m right here with you.”

Ravenna and the elders work together to neutralize the dark tendrils, their magic weaving a protective barrier around us. “Sylvie, we need your strength here,” Ravenna calls, her voice steady despite the chaos.

I step into the circle they’ve formed, adding my power to theirs. The energy surges, bright and blinding, forcing the tendrils back into the ground. The corridor stabilizes, but the reprieve is brief.

“We’re close,” Ravenna says, her gaze fixed ahead. “The relic’s magic is stronger here. I can feel it.”

The corridor opens into a vast chamber, its walls lined with flickering torches. At the center stands a pedestal, and atop it rests the Mirror of Thorns. I’ve only seen it in pictures since the witches at the Guild told me about it, but it’s unmistakable. The relic glows faintly, its surface swirling with shadows and light. The air around it crackles with raw power, a tangible force that sets my teeth on edge.

“There it is,” Viago says, his smirk returning. “The key to everything.”

Ravenna's voice cuts through the air, her words tight with urgency. “It doesn’t make sense,” she says, her gaze scanning the chamber. “The Mirror should have been surrounded by more defenses, wards layered like the forest outside.”

“They relied on intimidation and the strength of the stronghold itself,” Lucian murmurs, his blade glinting in the torchlight. “The creatures, the figure, and the weight of the magic were meant to do the rest. Few make it this far alive.”

Viago smirks, a sharp, humorless expression. “Overconfidence. They thought their dark magic was impenetrable. A fatal mistake.”

“It’s not overconfidence,” Ravenna counters, her eyes narrowing. “It’s arrogance tied to something more sinister. There’s a chance this isn’t their strongest bastion. Perhaps they didn’t think we’d come for the Mirror—or perhaps they wanted us to.”

Her words send a chill down my spine as I stare at the relic glowing faintly on the pedestal. Even with the beasts and the figure guarding it, there’s a hollowness to their defense, a sense of something waiting just beyond this moment. The power thrumming through the air is undeniable, but Ravenna’s suspicions cling to me like shadows.

Before we can approach, a new figure steps from the shadows. They’re taller than the others, their robes more elaborate and their presence suffused with a dark, commanding energy. The air grows colder as they lift a hand, and the torches dim.

“You fools. You shouldn’t have come here,” the figure says, their voice echoing unnaturally. “The Mirror does not belong to you.”

Lucian steps forward, his blade at the ready. “It doesn’t belong to you either. It belongs to the witches, and they’re here to get it back.”

The figure laughs, a cold, hollow sound. “Beasts. You think you can simply take it? Prove yourselves, then.”

The chamber erupts into anarchy as the figure summons dark constructs—hulking, shadowy beasts that lunge toward us with inhuman speed. The beasts are massive, their forms shifting and writhing like living shadows, their glowing red eyes fixed on us with predatory intent. Each step they take shakes the ground, and their guttural snarls echo through the chamber.

The first beast charges at Dorian, its claws raking the air with a sound like tearing metal. He ducks and rolls, slashing upward with his blade. The creature howls as the steel bites into its form, but instead of dissipating, it lunges again, faster and angrier. Vada joins him, her dagger flashing as she plunges it into the beast’s side, the enchanted blade burning its shadowy flesh.

To my left, Ravenna and the elders unleash a barrage of magic, their combined spells weaving through the air like threads of light. One of the constructs staggers as a bolt of energy strikes its chest, but it quickly recovers, retaliating with a swipe of its massive claw. Rebecca deflects the attack with a shimmering barrier, but the force of the blow sends her stumbling backward.

Nicole screams as another beast leaps toward her, its jaws snapping. Lucian intercepts it mid-air, driving his blade into its neck. The creature roars, its body twisting unnaturally as it tries to shake him off, but he holds firm, wrenching the blade free in a spray of inky darkness that splatters the ground.

“They’re drawing power from the figure!” Ravenna shouts, her voice strained as she fends off another beast. “We need to cut off their connection!”

Another construct charges at me, its glowing eyes locking onto mine. My heart pounds as I summon a burst of magic, hurling it forward. The beast stumbles, its form flickering, but it doesn’t stop. It swipes at me with a massive claw, and I barely dodge in time, the force of the blow sending me sprawling to the ground. Before it can strike again, Kristoff appears, his blade flashing as he drives it into the creature’s back. The beast howls, collapsing into a puddle of shadowy discharge.

“Sylvie!” Ravenna calls, her voice cutting through the chaos. “We need you to disrupt their connection to the Mirror!”

I nod, forcing myself to focus. My hands tremble as I channel my energy, reaching toward the Mirror. The figure notices and turns their attention to me, their magic striking toward my chest. I barely dodge in time, the force of the attack sending me sprawling.

“Stay on her! Protect her!” Lucian shouts, blocking another creature as it lunges for me.

I gather my strength, my heart pounding as I reach for the Mirror again. This time, I feel it—a connection, faint but growing. The relic hums in response, its surface flaring with light as I pour my magic into it. The moment my fingers brush the Mirror, a surge of raw energy shoots through me, powerful and unrelenting. My knees buckle, and I collapse to the ground, clutching the relic tightly in my hands as the world spins around me.

The figure screams, their control over the creatures faltering, and I push harder, the strain nearly unbearable. My limbs feel heavy, like I’m being pulled under water, but I refuse to let go. The Mirror’s power pulses through me, wild and chaotic, filling every corner of my being. My vision blurs, and a sharp pain pierces through my chest, but still I hold on.

“Sylvie!” Ravenna’s voice is distant, muffled, like she’s calling to me from the end of a long tunnel.

The connection shatters with a deafening burst of light. The constructs dissolve into nothingness, their forms unraveling like smoke in the wind. The figure staggers, their strength drained, and collapses to their knees, defeated. My body goes limp, and the only thing anchoring me to reality is the cold surface of the Mirror pressed against my palms.

Hands grip my shoulders, steadying me. Lucian’s voice cuts through the haze, soft but urgent. “Sylvie, are you all right?”

I nod weakly, unable to speak. My breath comes in shallow gasps, and every muscle in my body feels like it’s been stretched too far. The Mirror’s power still hums faintly in my hands, subdued but potent, like a storm waiting to be unleashed.

“We have it,” Ravenna says, her voice tinged with relief as she steps closer. She looks at the Mirror, her expression unreadable. “But the cost...”

Lucian’s hand lingers on my arm as he helps me to my feet. “You did it, love,” he says softly, his eyes searching mine for some sign of reassurance.

I manage a small nod, my fingers tightening around the Mirror. The chamber falls silent, save for the crackling of the torches and the sound of our labored breathing. And as I look down at the relic in my hands, its surface swirling with shadows and light, I can’t help but wonder if we’ve won… or if this is only the beginning.