Page 29 of Crowned by the Shadow (Bound by the Veil #5)
Chapter
Eighteen
Senara
I stood, the Veilshard Pendant, Eclipsed Crown, and Starforged Mirror thrumming with power in my hands, as their combined might opened a shimmering portal into the realm that existed at the nexus of all worlds.
Intentionally going to the void seemed like a bad idea, but it was the only way to get to the Empress and her prison.
Thorn, Wyn, Ronan, Van, and Volker flanked me, their faces set with grim determination. We had come this far, risked everything to reach this moment, the chance to confront the Void Dragon Empress and prevent her from breaking free of her ancient prison.
“Are you ready?” I asked, my voice steady despite the fear churning in my gut.
Thorn’s hand found mine, his fingers lacing through my own. “With you? Always.”
Wyn stepped forward, starlight and shadow dancing in her eyes. “We’re with you, Senara. Until the end.”
I nodded, drawing strength from their unwavering support. With a deep breath, I lifted the artifacts and focused on my will, pouring my power into the gateway.
The portal shuddered and expanded, tendrils of energy lashing out like writhing serpents.
I gritted my teeth, fighting to maintain control as the void beckoned, its pull almost irresistible, though somehow I knew that if we were to get where we needed to be we couldn’t let the void control the portal. I had to be the one directing it.
“Now!” I shouted over the roar of cosmic winds. “We have to go now!”
As one, we stepped into the abyss, leaving the mortal world behind. The journey was instant and eternal, a dizzying rush of light and shadow that tore at the very fabric of our beings. Reality strained around us, threatening to unravel completely as we hurtled through some kind of liminal space.
Visions assaulted my mind, fragmented glimpses of possible futures that flickered past too quickly to grasp.
In one, I saw a world bathed in golden light, where fae and humans lived in harmony under a united banner.
In another, shadows consumed everything, leaving only a barren wasteland of ash and despair.
I saw myself, too, saw different versions of who I could become.
A queen crowned in starlight, a warrior wreathed in flames, a broken shell consumed by darkness.
Each path branched out before me, a dizzying array of choices and consequences that made my head spin.
Some I had seen before in other trials, some were new.
Through it all, I clung to Thorn’s hand like a lifeline, anchoring myself to his solid presence. I could feel the others nearby, their essences brushing against mine in the maelstrom of energy.
Just when I thought I couldn’t endure another moment, the visions abruptly ceased. We emerged into a vast expanse of swirling mists and shimmering stars, a realm that seemed to exist outside of time itself.
“Welcome, travelers.” The voice echoed from everywhere and nowhere, a resonant thrum that vibrated through my bones.
I spun, the artifacts held before me like a shield. From the mists, figures emerged, towering beings of light and shadow, their forms shifting and fluid, but I knew who they were even if they looked different. Aetherweavers.
One of them flicked a hand and an orb of light seemed to emerge from my chest and float back toward them. “What was that?” I asked carefully.
The small Aetherweaver spoke, their voice like water in a burbling brook. “Insurance to make sure you made it here before the prison collapsed entirely. If you had not come of your own accord, the orb would have summoned you here to fulfill your duty as an Eclipse Child.”
I wanted to be offended, to tell them that it was my choice whether or not I showed up, but my voice stilled in my throat, now was not the time.
“You stand at the threshold of the Empress’s prison,” another voice intoned, this one deep and ancient. “Beyond lies the heart of her power, the nexus where all realms converge.”
“We’ve come to stop her,” I said, my voice ringing with a confidence I didn’t quite feel. “To prevent her from breaking free and consuming everything in her path.”
The beings regarded me with inscrutable expressions, their eyes glinting like distant stars. “You carry the artifacts of binding,” one said, its gaze lingering on the pendant, crown, and mirror. “But do you truly understand their power? The price they demand?”
I hesitated, doubt creeping in like a chill fog. “I know they were created to maintain the balance,” I said carefully. “To keep the Empress contained.”
“Yes,” another being agreed. “But they are also a key, a means of unlocking that which was sealed away. In the wrong hands, they could bring about the very cataclysm you seek to prevent.”
Thorn stepped forward, his presence steady and reassuring at my side. “We won’t let that happen,” he vowed. “We’ll do whatever it takes to stop her.”
The beings regarded us silently for a long moment, their gazes weighing and measuring. Finally, one spoke again, its voice heavy with finality.
“Know this, then. In order to access the full power of the artifacts, they will demand sacrifice. Should you fail, should the Empress break free...”
It trailed off, letting the implication hang heavy in the air.
“You will not be allowed to return to the mortal world,” another finished grimly. “Your fates will be forever bound to the outcome of this battle.”
A chill ran down my spine at the words, but I refused to let fear take hold. We had known the risks when we set out on this path, known that the price of failure would be higher than we could imagine.
I looked at my companions, seeing the same resolve etched on their faces. Wyn, her power thrumming beneath her skin like a living thing. Ronan, steady and unshakeable as a mountain. Van and Volker, their knowledge and wisdom shining in their eyes.
And Thorn, my heart, my anchor, my strength. His hand tightened around mine, a silent promise that we would face whatever lay ahead together.
I turned back to the guardians, my chin lifted in defiance. “We understand,” I said, my voice ringing with conviction. “And we accept the consequences, whatever they may be.”
The beings inclined their heads, a glimmer of respect in their ageless eyes. “Then go forth, Eclipse Child,” one intoned. “Step into the Abyss Between Stars and face your destiny, and may the balance be restored.”
With those words, they faded back into the mists, leaving us alone at the threshold of the Empress’s prison.
I took a deep breath, feeling the weight of the artifacts in my hands, the power thrumming through my veins. This was it, the moment everything had been building towards, the final battle that would determine the fate of all realms.
“Together,” I whispered, looking at my companions, no, my family.
“Together,” they echoed, their voices a chorus of determination and love.
And with that, we stepped forward into the heart of the abyss, ready to face whatever trials lay ahead, and to fight with everything we had to save the worlds we held dear.
I stepped forward once more, the very fabric of reality bending around me as the cosmic energies swirled and eddied. The Abyss Between Stars stretched out in all directions, an endless expanse of shimmering mists and distant constellations that seemed to pulse with ancient power.
At the heart of this ethereal void, I saw it.
The prison was a massive crystalline structure suspended in the emptiness, glowing with an inner light that flickered and danced like captured starlight.
It was the cage that had held the Void Dragon Empress, but even from this distance, I could see that something was wrong.
Hairline fractures spider-webbed across the crystal’s surface as tendrils of shadow seeped out like wisps of black smoke. The prison was breaking down, its ancient enchantments unraveling under the relentless pressure of the Empress’s power.
As we drew closer, the structure seemed to pulse with malevolent energy, the darkness within straining against its confines. I gripped the Veilshard Pendant tightly, feeling its reassuring warmth against my palm. Beside me, Thorn and Wyn stood ready, their faces set with grim determination.
At the very center of the prison, a figure took shape amidst the swirling energies, a silhouette of obsidian scales and unfurling wings, eyes like collapsing galaxies staring out at us with ancient hunger.
The Void Dragon Empress in her true form, her power growing with each passing moment as the barriers weakened.
“By the gods,” Ronan breathed, his voice tight with fear and awe. “She’s really breaking through.”
I nodded, my heart hammering against my ribs as I stared at the being that had haunted my dreams and visions for so long.
The Empress was magnificent in her terrible beauty, a primordial force given flesh and form.
But beneath that dark majesty, I sensed something else, a hunger that could never be sated, a void that would consume everything in its path.
“We have to stop her,” I said, my voice steadier than I felt. “Before she breaks free completely.”
Wyn stepped forward, starlight and shadow dancing across her skin as she raised her hands. “The prison is failing,” she confirmed, her new senses attuned to the flow of cosmic energies. “But there’s still time. The artifacts can reinforce it. They can buy us a chance to find another way.”
I looked down at the Veilshard Pendant, then at the Starforged Mirror and Eclipsed Crown we had brought with us. Three artifacts of immense power, each one a key to maintaining the balance between realms. Together, they might be enough to hold the Empress back, but at what cost?
As if sensing my thoughts, Thorn’s hand found mine, his fingers lacing through my own. “Whatever it takes,” he said softly, his fiery gaze meeting mine. “We’re in this together.”