Page 26 of Crowned by the Shadow (Bound by the Veil #5)

“We’ve faced him before,” Thorn cut in. “And we’ll face him again if necessary. But right now, we need to move.”

We turned back toward the entrance, Van and Volker between us. But before we could take more than a few steps, an icy voice echoed through the chamber.

“Leaving so soon? After I went to such trouble to arrange special accommodations for your friends?”

Eldric stood in the doorway, his half-dragon form even more pronounced than before. The corruption had spread further across his face, leaving only a small portion still recognizable. Behind him, shadow soldiers materialized from the darkness, their weapons raised.

I pushed Van and Volker behind me, the Moon Blades blazing in my hands. “Stand aside, Eldric. We’re leaving, all of us.”

He laughed, the sound echoing unnaturally in the confined space. “Are you? And how do you propose to manage that? Your last escape was... costly.” His corrupted eyes gleamed with anger.

Rage flared within me, hot and bright. The Moon Blades responded, their light intensifying until the shadows retreated from around us.

“Not as costly as you believe,” Wyn said, stepping forward. Light and shadow danced across her skin as she faced Eldric. “You offered me corruption, but I found balance instead. You failed.”

Eldric’s eyes narrowed as he studied her, head cocked to one side like a confused dog. “Interesting. The Twilight Mage emerges, but not as intended. The Empress will be... displeased.”

“I don’t serve her,” Wyn said firmly. “And neither should you.”

“You think you understand, little mageling?” Eldric’s voice dropped to a dangerous whisper. “You’ve tasted the void, felt its power. But you’ve only scratched the surface of what it offers.”

While they spoke, I felt Ronan shift slightly behind me, positioning himself closer to Van and Volker. Thorn moved as well, angling to protect our flank. We were outnumbered, trapped in a confined space with limited options for escape.

But we had something Eldric didn’t expect, Wyn’s new powers.

I caught her eye, a silent question passing between us. She gave an almost imperceptible nod.

“You’re right about one thing, Eldric,” I said, keeping his attention on me. “I am persistent. And I’m leaving with my friends, whether you stand aside or not.”

His scaled lips curved in a mockery of a smile. “Such confidence. Such delusion. The convergence is days away, Eclipse Child. The Empress will soon walk free, and all realms will know her glory.”

“Or her destruction,” I countered.

“Transformation,” he corrected. “Evolution. The weak call it destruction because they fear what they cannot understand.”

The words were eerily similar to what the Empress had said in my dream. I wondered how much of Eldric’s mind was still his own, and how much belonged to her now.

“Enough talk,” I said, raising the Moon Blades. “Last chance, Eldric. Stand aside.”

He laughed again, spreading his arms wide. “Make me.”

In that moment, Wyn struck. Shadows erupted from around her, engulfing the chamber in absolute darkness. I heard Eldric’s startled cry, felt Thorn’s hand grab mine, guiding me forward.

“Now!” Wyn’s voice cut through the darkness. “Follow me!”

We moved as one, Thorn and I supporting Van and Volker while Ronan guarded our rear. I couldn’t see where we were going, but I trusted Wyn completely. Her hand found mine in the darkness, pulling us forward with surprising strength.

Behind us, Eldric’s roar of rage shook the very stone beneath our feet. “Find them!” he commanded his shadow soldiers. “Bring me the Eclipse Child and the Twilight Mage alive! Kill the others if you must!”

We ran blindly through the darkness, following Wyn’s lead. I could feel the corruption pulsing around us, trying to penetrate the shield of shadows she had created, but it couldn’t breach her defense.

“Left here,” she called softly. “There’s a passage the shadows showed me.”

We turned, stumbling into a narrow tunnel that sloped sharply downward. The darkness lifted slightly, enough to see the outlines of those around me.

“Where are we going?” Ronan asked, his voice tight with tension.

“Down,” Wyn replied. “Then up. The shadows know paths Eldric has forgotten.”

We descended deeper into the mountain; the air growing colder and damper with each step. Volker’s breathing was labored, and I could feel him weakening as we progressed.

“Hold on,” I whispered to him. “Just a little farther.”

“I’m alright,” he managed, though his face was gray with pain. “Just get us out of here.”

The tunnel eventually leveled out, opening into a vast cavern. Crystals embedded in the ceiling cast faint blue light across a subterranean lake, its surface mirror-smooth and black as night.

“We need to cross,” Wyn said, pointing to the far shore where another tunnel entrance was visible. “That leads to the outside.”

“How?” Van asked, eyeing the water with suspicion. “I don’t fancy a swim in whatever that is.”

Wyn approached the shore, kneeling to touch the water’s surface. It rippled beneath her fingers, but not like normal water, the ripples seemed to move in all directions at once, defying physics.

“It’s not water,” she whispered. “It’s shadow given form. I can guide us across.”

She stood, extending her hands over the lake. Shadows gathered around her, stretching out across the surface. They solidified, forming a narrow bridge that extended to the far shore.

“Quickly,” she urged. “I can’t hold it for long.”

Thorn went first, testing the bridge with cautious steps before helping Van and Volker across. Ronan followed, then me, with Wyn bringing up the rear. The bridge felt solid beneath my feet, but bone-chillingly cold in a way that seeped through my boots and into my skin.

We were halfway across when the cavern entrance behind us exploded inward. Eldric stood framed in the jagged opening, his corrupted form silhouetted against the dust and debris. Shadow soldiers poured in around him, their weapons drawn.

“There!” he bellowed, pointing toward us. “Take them!”

“Run!” Wyn shouted, her concentration wavering. The bridge beneath our feet trembled, beginning to dissolve back into shadow.

We abandoned caution, racing for the far shore as the bridge disintegrated behind us. Van and Volker stumbled, nearly falling, but Thorn and Ronan caught them, half-carrying them the rest of the way.

I reached the shore just as the last section of the bridge collapsed, turning to see Wyn still several feet from safety, the shadow path vanishing beneath her feet.

“Wyn!” I screamed, reaching for her with both hands.

She leapt, shadows gathering around her feet to give her one final push. Our fingers connected, and I pulled with all my strength, dragging her onto solid ground as the last of the bridge disappeared into the dark water.

“Go!” she gasped, scrambling to her feet. “Into the tunnel!”

We fled as Eldric’s roar of frustration echoed across the cavern. The tunnel beyond was narrow and winding, climbing steeply upward through the heart of the mountain. We moved as quickly as Van and Volker’s condition allowed, the sounds of pursuit growing fainter behind us.

“Almost there,” Wyn encouraged, her new senses guiding us through the darkness. “I can feel fresh air ahead.”

After what felt like hours but was probably only minutes, the tunnel widened, opening onto a narrow ledge on the mountainside. Night had fallen, the twin moons casting silver light across the landscape below.

“We made it,” Ronan breathed, helping Volker lean against the rock face.

“Not yet,” Thorn cautioned, scanning our surroundings. “We’re still too close to the Keep.”

I turned to Wyn, who was breathing hard from the exertion of maintaining her shadow powers for so long. “Can you sense if we’re being followed?”

She closed her eyes, reaching out with her new senses. “They’re still coming, but slowly. The tunnels confuse them.” Her eyes opened, concern evident in their starlit depths. “But Eldric is another matter. He knows these mountains better than anyone. He’ll find another way out.”

“Then we need to move,” I said, reaching for the pendant at my throat. “I can open a passage to take us farther away.”

I grasped the Veilshard Pendant, feeling its familiar weight settle in my palm. The connection to the realms buzzed beneath my skin, a low hum of energy that urged me to act. I had no time to waste.

“Stand back,” I instructed, turning toward the mountainside. The moonlight glinted off the pendant, casting ethereal shadows around us. I focused on the image of safety, of being away from Eldric, away from the Obsidian Keep, and felt the energy of the pendant surge in response.

As I channeled my magic through it, the air shimmered before us, bending and warping as a portal formed. Wisps of silver and shadow danced around the edges, creating a threshold that flickered with promise.

“We’re close to the river,” Wyn said, her voice steady despite her exhaustion. “It’ll lead us away from here.”

“Then we’ll go there,” I replied, glancing back at Thorn and Ronan as they helped Van and Volker along. Their faces were etched with determination, but fatigue threatened to pull them under.

The portal expanded into a gaping archway, pulsing with energy. “Now!” I shouted, gesturing for everyone to move through.

Thorn helped Van step forward first, followed closely by Ronan and Volker. I felt a pang of anxiety as they disappeared into the shimmering void. Would this lead us to safety? Or deeper into danger?

“Go!” Wyn urged me gently, her hand resting on my shoulder for reassurance.

I took a deep breath and stepped through just as Eldric’s voice echoed behind us. “You can’t escape! You belong to me!”

The world twisted around me, a rush of light and shadow collided with my senses. A moment later, I stumbled onto solid ground again, gasping for breath as reality snapped back into focus.

We emerged at the edge of a riverbank beneath a starry sky. The water flowed smoothly past us under silvery moonlight; its gentle sound was a balm against our racing hearts.

“Did we lose him?” Ronan asked, scanning our surroundings.

“I think so,” Wyn replied breathlessly as she steadied herself against a nearby tree trunk. “For now.”

Volker sank down onto a mossy patch by the water’s edge, clearly exhausted. “We need to regroup and plan our next move.”

I nodded, but felt an unsettling weight in my chest. Eldric wouldn’t give up easily. We needed more than just escape; we needed to stop him for good.