Page 35

Korrin lets out a guttural roar, struggling anew. “No—Alpha, spare her!” he shouts, voice cracking with raw anguish. My soul lurches, but the Alpha ignores him, staff swirling with lethal brilliance. I’m going to die. My final thought is of Korrin, battered, unable to save me.

But at the last instant, the Alpha falters, glancing at the stunned gargoyles around me.

Perhaps he wants this to remain Korrin’s responsibility, a twisted test of loyalty.

He lowers the staff, features contorted in a sneer.

“Bind her. She tried to awaken her magic. She’s dangerous. Secure her properly.”

A swarm of gargoyles lunges, wrestling me to the ground.

My brief surge of magic is gone, leaving me dizzy and powerless.

They clamp new metal shackles on my wrists, ignoring my whimper as the collar tears fresh burns into my neck.

My face presses against cold stone, tears dripping. All is lost again.

Korrin is forced to watch, pinned, helpless. Our eyes meet. I see heartbreak there, and a flicker of hopeless rage. The Alpha addresses the clan. “We shall reconvene at day’s end. Korrin must carry out the execution or face a traitor’s demise. Let the purna reflect on her final hours.”

My breath shudders. The crowd roars in approval or condemnation—I can’t distinguish.

My mind spins, everything a blur of fresh tears and throbbing pain.

Gargoyles drag me toward a side exit, presumably another dungeon cell.

I catch one last glimpse of Korrin, pinned on the dais, eyes raw with sorrow. I can’t do this again.

They lock me in a cramped alcove off the arena corridor, heavier bars forming a claustrophobic cage.

My arms remain shackled, the collar chain threaded through an iron ring in the wall.

I slump against the bars, body trembling.

The faint heat of my attempted magic still hums in my veins, but it’s ephemeral, impossible to grasp again.

I can’t replicate that wave, not without control or guidance.

Hours pass in a haze. Outside, I hear distant roars from the crowd, presumably other events or preparations.

The pungent reek of gargoyle musk seeps in.

My entire being aches with the knowledge that come nightfall, I face the final stage: a forced execution at Korrin’s hands.

My chest quakes with a silent sob. He won’t kill me.

But if he doesn’t, the clan rips us both apart.

I realize with a sick twist: the Alpha might want to torture me further, forcing Korrin to watch. Maybe they’ll chain us in the arena again. My breath hitches, nails biting my palms. The chain rattles whenever I shift. What can I do? Wait passively for death?

Despair weighs like lead. I recall Korrin’s vow, the nights we spent forging a bond deeper than fear. He’d never willingly slay me. But the clan’s brutality is unmatched. If he tries to defy them a second time, we both die. Is that the best outcome? Dying together? My throat burns at the thought.

I feel a gentle tug at the frayed edges of my mind.

A swirl of memory: the half-buried monastery, the archive scroll describing High Purna lineage, the faint illusions of unstoppable power.

If I truly am that scion, should I not be able to fight back?

To break these chains? Yet the collar, these runes… they stifle me, or maybe my fear does.

I close my eyes, tears leaking down my cheeks. My lips shape a silent prayer to any spirit or star that might listen: Give me a miracle. But the cold, empty halls answer with nothing.

The fortress’s cyclical routine intensifies as dusk falls.

I hear gargoyles gathering once more, stomping in unison.

Firelight seeps through the barred window high on the corridor wall.

My guard stands watch, occasionally muttering about the “grand finale.” They want a spectacle.

My veins run cold. I cling to the bars, forcing my stiff body upright. The chain drags.

At last, a squad of gargoyles arrives, unlocking my cell.

They yank me out, ignoring my pained whimper.

My ankles drag on the stones, wrists shackled.

The lead gargoyle sneers, tail lashing. “Time to fulfill your role, purna. If the traitor fails, you both die. If he obeys, at least he is spared. You? Not so lucky.”

I can’t muster a reply, only trembling breath.

My eyes burn. They drag me through a labyrinth of corridors, then down a narrow passage that leads to a side entrance of the arena—different from before.

The roars of the assembled clan echo ominously, a savage chant.

Adrenaline spikes, my heart in my throat. No escape, no second chances.

At the threshold, they pause. My hands shake uncontrollably. Another guard grips my chin, forcing me to meet his gaze. “You’ll kneel in the ring. Don’t try that magic trick again. We’ll see how far it gets you when the Alpha intervenes.”

I bare my teeth in a last flicker of defiance. “Let Korrin go,” I whisper, voice raw. He snorts, shoving me forward. The doors open, torchlit columns framing the ring. The crowd’s roar intensifies, hitting me like a physical wave.

I’m shoved into that same circular arena, the crowd overhead jeering and stomping.

Torchlight illuminates every corner, gargoyles perched on the stone tiers, hungry for violence.

My legs nearly give out, but the guards drag me to the center.

My chain is fastened to a metal ring in the floor, ensuring I can’t run or hide.

I see the dais again, the Alpha looming in regal menace, staff in hand.

Varzak stands behind him, arms crossed, wearing a triumphant sneer.

And there… Korrin, flanked by two gargoyle enforcers, stands to the side of the dais, unshackled but battered.

He clutches that same black-hilted blade, knuckles white.

My eyes lock on his. His breath catches, heartbreak written on his face.

He has to do it. My chest stabs with agony.

He’s forced to kill me or watch them tear us both apart.

My lips quiver with unspoken pleas. Don’t do it, but if you don’t…

The Alpha raises his staff, commanding silence. The crowd hushes, an expectant hush that makes my skin crawl. He gestures to me, kneeling in chains. “Behold the purna, a threat to our clan’s survival. She dared awaken her magic in our midst. Now she faces final judgment.”

A cheer of bloodlust rises. My stomach lurches, tears welling. My gaze flicks to Korrin once more. He steps forward, sword trembling. The Alpha’s gaze pins him. “Korrin, we grant you this last chance to redeem your betrayal. Take her life, prove your loyalty.”

Thunderous silence. My heart hammers so violently it drowns my hearing. Korrin… please.

He exhales a shudder, stepping into the ring.

The guards holding me release their grip, stepping back to watch.

The chain still tethers me to the floor, enough slack to stand or kneel.

I manage to push myself upright, though my wrists remain bound.

I look into his eyes, searching for some sign, any sign.

He lifts the blade, lips parted, tears glistening. He’s crying.

His voice emerges, shaking. “Alpha, I beg you?—”

“Silence,” the Alpha hisses. “Perform your duty.”

Korrin’s chest heaves, wings twitching with nerves. Then his gaze falls on me, and I see that same heartbreak from our first near-execution. He lifts the sword over my head. The crowd leans in, breathless. I can’t stop trembling. My lips shape his name in a silent plea.

He hesitates, tears rolling down his cheeks. Time stretches, tension thick as pitch. The Alpha snarls from the dais, lightning crackling around his staff. “End her!” he roars. “Now!”

Korrin’s face contorts in agony. He raises the blade higher. My own tears blur everything. The entire clan leans forward, a monstrous hush. I brace myself, half expecting the blow to land. Either he kills me, or the clan kills us both. My mind reels with final acceptance: I love you, Korrin.

Suddenly, at the last second, he roars, twisting the blade away from me. “I can’t!” he bellows, voice breaking. The clan explodes in fury. Gargoyles leap from their seats, roaring curses. My breath seizes. He refused again. Relief and terror crash over me.

The Alpha snarls, power flaring in a swirling red glow around him. Varzak lunges from the dais, wings beating. “Then die together,” he snarls, brandishing a spear. The crowd surges, gargoyles dropping into the ring, claws bared. My chain rattles as I scramble to Korrin, tears soaking my face.

He grabs my shoulder, pulling me behind him. The sword trembles in his grip. “Elyria,” he gasps, pressing his forehead to mine in that split second of chaos. “I’m sorry. I can’t— I won’t?—”

“We stand together,” I whisper, voice shaking with love and dread. “One last time.”

He nods, tears shining. We turn as the first wave of gargoyles converges.

Swords glint, claws slash. The Alpha’s roar echoes in the cavern, promising slaughter.

We brace, hopelessly outnumbered. My wrists are shackled, the chain fixed to the floor, limiting my range.

He can fight, but we can’t outrun them all.

We’re truly doomed. My heart clenches: At least we’re together.

Korrin brandishes the sword. He slashes at the nearest gargoyle, a savage blow that forces them back.

Another tries to divebomb from above, but Korrin spins, wincing as his wounded side bleeds anew.

My chain tugs me, forcing me to remain within a few steps.

I huddle close to him, useless in these shackles.

A gargoyle leaps in from behind, fangs bared.

I shriek, stumbling aside. Korrin whirls, parrying with a grunt, the ring of steel on steel filling my ears.

We can’t last. More gargoyles close in, spurred by the Alpha’s wrath. My heart twists with raw despair. We’ll die here. Yet a numb calm settles. Better this, fighting together, than me executed by his blade. The tears on my cheeks burn. I love you, Korrin, even in death.

A gargoyle lunges at me, ignoring Korrin’s slash.

My chain prevents me from dodging far. He rakes his claws across my arm, tearing cloth and skin.

Pain flares, a ragged scream escaping my throat.

In that instant, my magic flutters, responding to mortal terror.

I feel a spark of white heat swirl inside me.

But it flickers, no more stable than before.

If only I could unleash it fully. My eyes clench shut, tears and blood mingling.

Korrin roars, cleaving the attacker’s wing.

The gargoyle collapses, shrieking. Another pair move in, unstoppable.

The crowd roars for blood, the Alpha’s laughter cold above us.

My vision dims. All is lost. I sag, one hand pressed to the fresh wound.

My magic flickers and fails. I can’t harness it.

Korrin stands over me, shielded by savage defiance, but he’s battered, bleeding from multiple gashes. This is the end.

He tries one final surge, blade raised, but a gargoyle from behind slams a club into his knee. He buckles with a cry, losing his grip on the sword. Another cracks him across the back, and he collapses, chest heaving. I scream his name, tears blinding me. The chain yanks me down as well.

The Alpha steps forward, staff crackling with arcane energy.

The ring around us hushes, gargoyles pulling back to let their leader deliver the final blow.

My entire body trembles with heartbreak, eyes locked on Korrin’s battered form.

We’re about to die. The alpha sneers, staff raised, red lightning dancing.

Korrin tries to push upright, but Varzak’s foot slams him back to the floor.

Hot tears streak my face. I lurch forward on my knees, ignoring my shackled wrists. “Korrin,” I sob. He meets my gaze, lips mouthing an apology. Everything slows, a hush in my ears except for the rapid thunder of my heart. The alpha aims the staff at him, raw hate etched on obsidian features.

No. I won’t watch him die. My chest constricts, rage and desperation surging.

The leftover flicker of magic in my veins sparks wildly, responding to my raw emotion.

I grit my teeth. I can’t let them kill him.

My limbs quake as I fight to channel that swirling power.

Sparks crackle around my fingers, swirling silver light that reflects off my tears.

The collar chain vibrates ominously, but I force the energy forward. I must try again.

The alpha’s staff glows, ready to unleash a killing bolt.

My mind screams: Now or never. I let out a raw shriek, pouring everything into that flicker.

Pain explodes in my chest, the collar heating white-hot.

A wave of silver flame bursts from my hands, colliding with the alpha’s red lightning in a flash of blinding brilliance. The entire arena gasps.

Agony rips through me as the collar resists my power.

My vision whites out. But I sense the alpha’s staff sputtering under the collision, the recoil forcing him to stagger.

The crowd roars in confusion. My magic surges beyond my control, ripping free in a blazing tide that scalds the ring’s floor.

A High Purna’s spark. Gargoyles recoil from the searing wave.

Varzak snarls, flinging Korrin aside to avoid the arcs of silver-white energy.

I collapse, screaming, as the collar sears into my flesh, choking the magic’s release.

Sparks dance across my body, but the runes on the collar hamper me from unleashing full devastation.

My arms quake, shoulders burning as the wave dissipates, leaving only a haze of scorched stone and panicked gargoyles.

I pant, tears streaming, vision dimming.

I can’t sustain it. The collar holds strong, leaving me half burned, half broken.

Elders rush to the alpha, who regains his balance.

His eyes glow with fury, staff raised again.

The crowd seethes. Korrin lies near the dais, struggling to move.

My body is spent, magic drained. We’ve delayed doom by seconds.

The alpha brandishes the staff, a killing blow aimed at me for sure.

My chain hangs, partially melted but still intact, the collar fusing with my scorched neck. I can’t even raise my arms.

Time slows as the alpha roars, summoning a final storm of red lightning. My mind shrieks: This is it. I glance at Korrin, our gazes locking one last time, love shining in the heartbreak. We can’t save each other.