Page 22 of Crowned by the Shadow (Bound by the Veil #5)

Chapter

Fourteen

Thorn

I watched Senara from across our small campsite, her fingers tracing the outline of the Moon Blades as she tried to go back to sleep.

The blades had disappeared for a while, but when she woke up they reappeared, right next to her, as though they’d never left.

Even in rest, they emanated a soft silver light that cast strange shadows across her face.

The glow highlighted something that made my stomach clench. Thin threads of darkness spread through her Moon Mark like ink in water. For a while I thought the corruption that had marked her was cast out, defeated by the sun and moon magic that resided within her, but I was wrong.

The corruption was growing.

Sometimes it was beaten back by the sun and moon magic that was within her but it remained nonetheless. Thin tendrils of void energy that wove through the silver patterns of her mark, following the spiraling designs like parasitic vines.

Senara hadn’t mentioned it, but I knew she felt it. Sometimes I’d catch her examining her arms with a furrowed brow, or rubbing at the marks as if she could somehow scrub the darkness away.

Through our soul bond, I sensed her discomfort. It wasn’t quite pain, but a persistent cold sensation that seemed to spread with the corruption. When we touched, I could almost feel it myself, an alien presence threading through the warmth of our connection.

“You should rest,” I said, moving to sit beside her. “We have a long journey ahead.”

She looked up, attempting a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “I’m fine.”

“You’re not,” I replied, keeping my voice low so the others wouldn’t hear. Ronan had finally fallen asleep after taking first watch, and Wyn was meditating nearby, her transformed appearance still jarring to behold. “I can feel it, Senara. The corruption...”

“Is spreading.” She finished my sentence, her voice flat. “I know.”

I reached for her hand, turning it gently to examine the mark. The silver patterns that had once glowed with pure moonlight now contained streaks of darkness. Not enough to be immediately obvious to others, but unmistakable to me.

“Does it hurt?” I asked, tracing the patterns with my thumb.

“Not exactly.” She hesitated, searching for words. “It feels... cold. Like something foreign is flowing through my veins. And sometimes I hear whispers...”

My heart clenched. “Whispers? What do they say?”

“Nothing clear. Just... impressions. Promises. Temptations.” She withdrew her hand, clenching it into a fist. “I can ignore them. For now.”

For now. The unspoken implication hung between us like a storm cloud. What happened when she couldn’t ignore them anymore? What happened when the corruption spread too far?

I thought of Sebastian, the father she’d only just found before losing him again. His sacrifice had bought us an escape from the capital, but at what cost? He’d never even had the chance to truly know his daughter. And she’d barely had time to process finding him before watching him die.

Yet she hadn’t broken. She’d channeled her grief into determination, focusing entirely on rescuing Wyn. Even now, with corruption threading through her mark and the weight of an impossible task on her shoulders, she remained steadfast.

It humbled me. And terrified me.

“I should have protected you better,” I said, the words escaping before I could stop them.

She looked up sharply. “This isn’t your fault, Thorn.”

“Isn’t it? I’m supposed to be the warrior.

The protector. That’s what I was trained for, what I’ve spent centuries becoming.

” I gestured at the Moon Blades hovering near her.

“Yet you’re the one wielding ancient weapons, channeling power beyond mortal comprehension, fighting battles I can barely understand. ”

“We’re all fighting this battle,” she said firmly. “Each in our own way.”

“But you’re carrying the heaviest burden.” I couldn’t keep the frustration from my voice. “The Empress touched you, Senara. Her corruption spreads through your mark while I stand by, helpless to stop it.”

She was quiet for a long moment, her gaze drifting to where Wyn sat in meditation. The transformation had changed her friend profoundly, not just her appearance, but her very essence. Shadows and light now danced across Wyn’s skin in perfect harmony, neither overpowering the other.

“Maybe it’s not about stopping it,” Senara finally said. “Maybe it’s about balance.”

I frowned. “What do you mean?”

“Look at Wyn. The darkness tried to consume her, but she found equilibrium. She embraced the shadow without surrendering to it.” Her fingers traced the corruption in her own mark. “Perhaps that’s what I need to do as well.”

The suggestion sent a chill through me. “That’s different. Wyn was already dying when we transformed her. We had no choice.”

“And you think we have a choice now?” Her eyes met mine, suddenly fierce. “The convergence approaches, Thorn. The Empress grows stronger with each passing hour. We’re running out of time and options.”

I wanted to argue, to insist there must be another way. But I had no alternatives to offer. No brilliant strategy to defeat a cosmic entity, no secret weapon to drive back the corruption.

All I had was my love for her. My fierce, stubborn, impossible love, and the growing fear that it wouldn’t be enough.

“I can’t lose you,” I said, the words raw with honesty. “Not to the corruption. Not to anything.”

Her expression softened. She reached up, her palm cool against my cheek.

“You won’t lose me. No matter what happens, no matter what I become, I’ll always be yours.

Without you, the corruption would have claimed me as soon as it touched me.

I know that to the marrow of my bones, just like I know we were always meant to be together.

There is no escaping this, no escaping me,” she paused, giving me a cheeky grin as she added, “no matter how much you may want to in the future.”

“I would never want to.” Words that I didn’t realize had been welling up within me spilled forth. “You are my everything, every breath I take, every beat of my heart…It all belongs to you. Every day I thank the goddess that I went to the human lands and stumbled into you in that old tavern.”

I turned my face into her touch, pressing my lips to her palm in a gentle kiss.

Through our bond, I felt her certainty, her determination, and beneath it, a fear that matched my own.

She was putting on a brave face, but the corruption and the idea of facing the Void Dragon Empress terrified her, too.

“When I was training to become a Sun Court warrior,” I said quietly, “they taught us that true strength lies in knowing when to fight and when to surrender. For centuries, I believed that meant surrendering to duty, to the hierarchy, to the greater good.”

I took her hand in mine, entwining our fingers. “But now I understand it differently. Sometimes surrender means accepting what you cannot change so you can focus on what you can.”

She tilted her head, studying me. “And what can we change?”

“How we face this. Together.” I squeezed her hand. “There may be nothing I can do to stop the corruption, but I can help you carry its weight. I can be your anchor when the darkness pulls at you. I can remind you who you are when the whispers try to make you forget.”

A small smile touched her lips, genuine this time. “My anchor,” she repeated softly.

“Always.” I leaned forward, pressing my forehead to hers. Through our bond, I poured every ounce of my strength, my love, my unwavering faith in her. I couldn’t fight the corruption directly, but I could fortify her against it.

We stayed like that for a long moment, our breath synchronizing, our bond humming with shared purpose. When we finally separated, something had shifted between us. There was a new understanding, and a deeper trust than ever before.

“You should sleep,” I said again, but gently this time. “I’ll keep watch.”

She nodded, suddenly looking exhausted. The Moon Blades dimmed as she relaxed, their silver light fading until they were barely visible.

She lay down on her bedroll, and I draped my cloak over her for extra warmth.

I was beyond grateful for Ronan grabbing things we needed before we had left his village.

As she drifted toward sleep, I remained sitting beside her, my hand resting lightly on her shoulder. Through our bond, I could feel the corruption’s cold presence, but also the warmth of her essence pushing back against it. The battle continued even in her sleep.

I looked around our small camp. Wyn had finished her meditation and now slept peacefully, her transformed appearance somehow less jarring in the dim light.

Ronan lay nearby, one hand still on his weapon, even in slumber.

They were all counting on us, well, mainly on Senara, to find a way through this impossible situation.

The responsibility she carried was immense. The Eclipse Child, born of sun and moon, destined to face the Void Dragon Empress. It was too much for any one person to bear, yet she shouldered it without complaint.

And what was my role in all this? I was no Eclipse Child, no wielder of ancient artifacts. Just a Sun Court warrior who’d fallen in love with the one person he was forbidden to love. Our soul bond was powerful, yes, but was it enough to make a difference against cosmic forces?

I had to believe it was. Had to believe that my presence at her side meant something, that our connection gave her strength she wouldn’t otherwise have.

Because the alternative? That I was merely a witness to her struggle, powerless to truly help? That was unbearable.

The night deepened around us, stars emerging one by one. In their cold, distant light, I made a silent vow. I might not be able to stop the corruption, might not be able to defeat the Empress alone, but I would stand with Senara until the end. Whatever she faced, she would not face it alone.