Page 16

“You as well, my queen.” I retreat from the tent and signal the soldiers to follow.

We reach the horses and ride towards the Plains of Reckoning.

Hooves beat against the ground as trees and hilltops flash through my peripheral vision.

The fields aren’t far from the camp. Lush green pastures fade to scorched earth as we draw nearer.

I see the mounds of bones and armor piled towards the sky from the last battle.

The soil is blackened and still stained with blood.

Clouds conceal the morning sun as lightning streaks across an ashen sky.

Lydia and her Amazons stand with their weapons ready.

She shouts to me, but thunder drowns out her cries.

I look to the sky just as Elioth appears amid the dark clouds.

Behind him is his shadow army, riding in on the wind and black clouds.

A bolt of lightning strikes the ground as the dark army approaches.

The lightning causes the ground to crack and separates the two armies.

I reach for my sword, but before I can do anything, a burst of darkness and fire flashes in my eyes. I feel myself falling from my horse and I hit the ground hard, the breath knocked out of me.

The darkness fades and I find Elioth atop me. We roll to the other side of the ravine. An army of orcs, demons, and creatures of nightmarish origin now stand between me and my allies. In the distance, I see Eilish as she rides to the frontlines with Theren and the others at her side.

“You and your brother have defied me for the last time,” Elioth yells. “Submit to my power and the darkness of the Chasm may take pity on you. Disobey and you will die a death more painful than any torture you have yet endured.”

“Do whatever you wish to me. I came here prepared to die.” My throat constricts as Elioth wraps his hand around my neck. Still, my words sound strong and clear. “Surviving this long has been nothing more than a twist of luck, Father.”

A bark of wicked laughter blares in my ear. “You think you’re ready to die, Cambion? What would Theren say if he knew he sacrificed everything only to have you throw it all away in a fit of foolish bravery?”

“Theren knows the price of freeing the realms from Abedon’s control. We’re prepared to do whatever is necessary to restore the balance. You were weak, you gave in to the forces of darkness and…”

“I followed my destiny! I followed the path laid out by our bloodline,” Elioth sneers, gripping my throat tighter than before.

My gasp slurs into a gurgle. “You and your brother broke the chain. You were born for greatness, for power . But all it took was a woman to sway Theren and the course of the world was changed forever.”

“Theren made a choice to be more than what you envisioned for him.”

“Theren dishonored our legacy.”

“You built a kingdom on weak foundations. And I’m ashamed to admit I once fell down the same well of disgusting uselessness.” I shove back, trying to dislodge Elioth’s hold, but he’s too strong. He forces me to my knees once more.

“Let me show you just what your brother did to me.” Elioth places his hand on my head and images play in my mind like a broken film reel. I see a young Theren. He isn’t a boy and not yet a man, but there’s a wisdom in his eyes that speaks of the terrors he faced in my stead.

Theren eases open the book and presses down on the secret button.

The shelf groans quietly before it opens without even a whisper of sound.

He pushes inside the dimly lit room and stares over at the book resting on the altar.

A bitter chill fills his spirit, a warning from someplace beyond this world. .. he should not be here.

And yet, Theren takes another step towards the black book. The purple stone on the center of its cover calls to him. But he isn’t weak. Theren reaches out a hand and places it gently on the stone. The clasp opens and the pages turn.

“For Cambion,” he whispers.

But the door bangs against the wall with a fierce gust of power. Elioth stands with seething hatred glaring from his red-rimmed eyes. Dark magic swirls around him as he storms over to the altar. “You should not be here! If you think you barely survived the last punishment…”

The words of the Unseelie King halt as Theren slices open his palm and presses his hand onto the page of the open book.

Golden eyes morph into obsidian mirrors that reflect the evil within Elioth.

The Chasm rises, churning like a cloud of ash and smoke that surrounds the Unseelie King.

Theren speaks the dark words of the ancient elves, using every drop of his strength to rip open the fabric of the universe and end Elioth.

“You will never hurt my brother again,” Theren yells.

“Do you have any idea what you’ve done?”

The vision breaks and my chest burns with a raging fire.

My father releases me and I fall to the ground, heaving onto the dirt. I look up to where Eilish and the others ride towards the battlefield. I want to call to them, to tell them to stay back. But we know what’s at stake if we choose not to fight.

I’m not the coward I once was. Eilish’s love has changed me. “You will fail, Father.”

“Don’t you understand?!”

“Understand what?” I spit back.

“When Theren used his blood to send me into the Chasm, he bound us together. If I die, then so does he.” Elioth grips my hair, yanking me to my feet. “Do you want this to end with the blood of your beloved brother?”

“He... knows the price,” I reply weakly, no longer sure what to do. “And he will destroy you.”