Page 20

Durin

The gryphon releases me from its tight grip just outside the tree line. My feet thud quietly against the ground as I land, and I quickly turn to Folas and put my finger over my lips. He nods and looks nervously at the intense Alphas in front of him.

The gryphons fly off, but they don’t head back to the castle. They veer toward the shouts and howls outside the castle’s walls. One by one, they dive into the chaos. Screams erupt almost immediately after their descent. Moments later, one gryphon reappears, flying toward the forest with a noble clutched in its talons. His white uniform is drenched in blood. I’m not sure if it’s from the battle or the gryphon itself, but either way, that noble is done for.

With the kelpies, wolves, and now gryphons all working together, the nobles stand no chance. The seer was right. They have it under control. I can finally shift my focus to the queen, free from the gnawing worry for the others.

I turn back and notice a dark path snaking across the lifeless ground, leading into the trees. The bases of the trunks near the path are blackened, and the encroaching darkness seems to claw its way up, reaching hungrily for the branches and leaves above. Inside the castle, colors fade. Out here, it feels like light itself is lost.

There’s no rustling of leaves or roots guiding our feet. It’s eerily still and far too quiet. As we move along the path, the darkness beneath me feels like it’s sucking me in. I move as stealthily as the Alphas, but Lucas has to hoist Folas over his shoulder. His clumsy movements betray his lack of training.

After a few minutes, the ground vibrates beneath my feet. I stop, and the others halt behind me. Peering ahead into the shadows, I catch sight of the queen on her hands and knees beneath a small copse of blackened trees. Dryad trees… or what once were.

Her fingers trace patterns in the dirt as she murmurs to the ground. She’s absorbed in her task, completely oblivious to our presence.

“Is it her?” Vaegon asks, appearing to my right.

I nod and take a step closer. When he and his brothers follow, a loud hissing and shrieking fills the air around us. I don’t have to see to know it’s the lost mixed fae. They immediately begin peeking around tree trunks and crawling out of the underbrush, forming a mob that moves quickly toward us.

I search the shadows for Kahras, but he doesn’t seem to be controlling them. They’re under the queen’s spell, submitting to her power. There’s no recognition in their eyes from the day I met them in the dungeon. They seem to want me dead, just like on my first day in the castle.

Vaegon and I could easily defeat them, but he could have ended up just like them. And Kahras cares for them. They matter. We can’t just kill them and move on. I turn to see Vaegon raising his hands to strike as they close in on us.

“Don’t kill them,” I tell him. “Just disable them.” He nods in understanding and turns to face them.

I raise my hands, trying to work out how to keep from harming them too severely. But before we can bring a spark to our fingertips, the mixed fae freeze mid-step or on their hands and knees. Some close their eyes and sigh, while others look around frantically before stumbling forward.

Straight toward Anders.

If I needed more proof of his elven heritage, this would do it. Anyone else would flee from a hoard of mixed fae coming for them. Not Anders. He stands unfazed, calmly observing them as they approach.

“The spell…” Lucas mutters as the mixed fae gather around his brother. No hissing or growling. They’re no longer violent. They’re emotional, falling at his feet and grasping at his clothes. He lets them, even opening his arms to the ones who haven’t reached him yet.

Folas peeks out from behind a tree and asks, “How is he doing this?”

I don’t bother responding to him. “Anders, stay here with them. If their rage returns, call for us. And make sure Folas doesn’t run off.”

He nods, and his brothers smile proudly at him before falling in beside me. I take one last look at the peaceful mixed fae, hoping Kahras is alive to witness what Anders can do for them.

We move forward without worry of the mixed fae, closing in on the queen in seconds. She doesn’t even glance up as we approach. She’s either relying on the mixed fae for protection or lost in whatever task she’s currently in the middle of. Or maybe both. She’s filthy and disheveled. Her hair is a stringy mess, and her dress and hands are stained black from the ground beneath her.

I missed it before, but now that we’re closer, I notice a body on the ground beside her. My heart sinks when I notice the light blue braid lying beside it, caked with dirt and leaves. It’s Kahras.

I can see his chest rise and fall with his breath. Thankfully, he’s still alive. His eyes snap open and meet mine as a tear rolls down his face. He stayed with the mixed fae until the very end, and I’ll stand by him now. He has the missing piece to his cure. I’ll make sure he gets to use it.

I start to shout for Lucas to get Kahras out of here, but I freeze when I see strange shadows sprouting out of the ground all around him. The black wisps snake over his body and tighten around him, holding him in place as the queen continues to murmur to the dirt.

Kahras quickly grows pale, and his eyelids droop. But the queen seems to flourish. She rises to her knees and stretches her arms out to each side. Her eyes flick open, and tiny shadows spill out and begin swirling around her. The weight of her magic presses against us, growing stronger as her dark ritual continues.

Kahras is her sacrifice. The darkness is draining his life to fuel the queen’s power.

“We need to kill her while she’s distracted!” Vaegon growls.

His power surges through his arms, sending sparks from his fingertips as he awaits my order. But a chilling realization strikes me... the queen isn’t the real danger.

This dark force—whatever it is—is the source of the queen’s magic, making it far more powerful than she is. I don’t think it accepts her sacrifices as mere offerings, bestowing a fraction of its own power in return. I think it siphons the very life from her victims and transfers their essence into her, hoarding its own magic for itself.

All while slowly leaching power from everything around it.

It seems to be anchored beneath this spot, but its reach is spreading–the dead trees, the blackened path, the lifeless gardens and unfamiliar thorny vines creeping up the castle walls, even the servants’ hair... The darkness is a predator, stealthily draining the life out of the very realm itself.

I can’t see Kahras well enough to figure out how to help him, so I send a ball of light into a tree just past him, giving me a second to find my aim. But as soon as the glow passes over his body, the whisps recoil and dart back into the ground. Kahras is free. He coughs and rolls onto his stomach to catch his breath.

Folas’s cry rings out from the shadows, jerking my attention behind us. Lucas shifts into his wolf form and races over to the large tree where he’s been hiding. Seconds later, a loud growl and piercing shriek fill the air. Lucas emerges with Folas’s arm in his jaws, trying to wrench him free from thick gray vines that have coiled around his ankles.

Vaegon blasts the vines away with an irritated huff then directs his hands back toward the spellbound queen.

“Forget her!” I shout. “Go for the source!”

Vaegon responds without question, aiming at the darkest patch of ground in front of the queen and waiting for my signal.

I thought he’d return as a baby. That I’d have to tear myself away from him to walk into this danger. But here he is, by my side, looking to me as a leader. He really is the key. Not only because of his power but also the strength he inspires in me. I feel invincible right now, and I intend to transform that feeling into a reality.

“Now!” I shout, and we strike together, unleashing a torrent of magic into the ground.

The air vibrates with our combined power as an explosion of fire and energy pours out of our fingertips. The blast hits whatever lies at the bottom of the pit, sending a shockwave that shakes the ground beneath us.

A cloud of charred roots and blackened dirt billows into the air. The ground trembles violently and shifts beneath us as the darkness continues to reel from our attack. Fissures splinter the ground, widening under the pressure. More shadows creep over the forest, leaving only the blue glow from our magic to guide us through what comes.

I glance down at the queen, relieved to find her still murmuring to the ground. Hopefully, she stays entranced long enough for us to defeat the darkness. Facing them both at once could be disastrous, and I’m not sure how much magic she managed to draw from Kahras before he got away.

“Again!” I yell, gathering as much magic as my hands can hold.

We send another powerful blow into the gaping crack. The hit sends a sheet of debris flying into the queen’s face. Unfortunately, it’s enough to snap her out of her trance. Her eyes widen in surprise at the turmoil happening around her.

Ignoring Vaegon and me, she zeroes in on Kahras, who is crawling away to safety. “No! It’s not enough!” she growls, jumping to her feet and charging at him.

With the ground laid open, the darkness is unbound. Gray, thorny vines erupt from the cracks, grasping hungrily at anything close by. A thick one grabs the queen and slams her violently onto her back.

The vines come for us, too. Thorns whip through the air, barely missing my face as they thrash around us. Some wrap around my legs, piercing into my flesh. The shadowy whisps spill out of the cracks and slide over our boots and ankles, and I can feel some of my stored magic being drained away. Vaegon and I have to switch from attacking to defending ourselves. The darkness can’t be allowed to consume our power.

The light from our magic seems to push back the shadows, just as it did for Kahras. As long as we’re shooting it outward, the shadows retreat. They writhe and twist like they’re alive, reluctant to leave but in too much pain to stay. Each time they creep closer, reaching for us like desperate fingers, they falter against even the faintest glow of our hands.

The queen screams in frustration at the vines, her aged voice suddenly full of life and power. She splays her fingers wide and digs them into the ground. Each joint strains and trembles under the weight of her magic. All sound and air seem to be sucked away, replaced by a low, growing hum.

She takes a breath and unleashes a blinding surge of white from her fingertips. The light floods the darkness, overwhelming my senses and throwing me off balance. The air slams back into my chest in a violent wave, and the hum transforms into a piercing shriek that leaves my ears ringing.

I don’t think the blast itself touches us, but the sheer force of it shakes the ground and causes me to stumble further. The vines around her explode into a cloud of gray dust, and the surrounding shadows retreat back into the darkness.

She immediately sets off for Kahras again. I throw my hands up to protect him, but Lucas rushes in and pulls Kahras out of her reach. The queen snarls and hurls a flash of magic at him.

I react quickly, throwing out my own to redirect hers up into the trees.

It’s enough to finally get her full attention. To her credit, she doesn’t waste time questioning how there are two of us. Instead, she cuts through a new vine that has coiled around her wrist and whips her hands in our direction.

Two bolts of bright magic hurtle toward us, but Vaegon deflects them with two of his own. He sends one of hers into the ground, but the other veers off course and pierces deep into my thigh.

The searing pain rips the breath out of my lungs, and I drop to my knees. My magic instinctively envelops the wound and staunches the flow of blood, keeping me in the fight. I use my position to my advantage and drive another blast of magic into the chasm we created.

More quakes rumble beneath us as I push myself to my feet. The queen loses her balance and falls right into the grip of a whipping vine. She remains calm this time, locking her eyes on us as her body begins to glow. The shadows slink away, but it casts an eerie light on the wicked grin slowly spreading across her face.

Her magic flares out around her, blasting the vines away. I throw up a wall of blue flames, forming a barrier between us, but she just laughs and directs her attack at the darkness.

“I don’t need you anymore,” she taunts it.

With a flick of her wrist, she sends a surge of magic into the gash at her feet. The ground moans and shudders. The queen takes a step back as the edges of the crack crumble, leaving a narrow canyon in its place.

Without turning to face us, the queen sends a frigid gust of wind, snuffing out my flames and paralyzing us in an icy grip. I strain to break free, to fry it away with my hands, but I can’t move at all. Vaegon growls as he struggles against it, too. But we’re frozen, bound by a hidden layer of ice.

She chuckles and takes a sultry step toward us. My magic flares in response, illuminating my arms and hands as it presses against her trap. The icy bindings begin to heat up, and I can sense them weakening. I can feel the heat at my side as Vaegon does the same.

The queen steps over cracks and severed vines as we push back against her magic. But we aren’t quick enough. She grabs our faces and smiles up at us like we’re treasures. There’s dirt stuck between her teeth. Her light hair is a tangled mess, woven with black and grey debris. She looks like she just stepped out of a violent windstorm. For once, her crazed exterior hints at what lies within.

“What gift do you two have for me, hmm?” she asks, digging her fingers into my cheeks.

I can sense her probing around, searching for my power. But I’ve already poured what I’d grown into the ground. What remains is mine, even what she shared with me. My magic accepted and absorbed it. There’s no separating what has become one.

I move my eyes to the side and see the faint blue tint of her fingertips where they press against Vaegon’s skin. She’s siphoning the magic he’s been growing for so many years. Her eyes roll back into her head as she grows more powerful by the second.

I pour everything I have into the cold cage around me, and I can feel its hold begin to weaken. Vaegon growls and manages to move his body again. My heart races, and I gather my power to strike as soon as I’m released.

But she replaces the cage with a mere thought.

Vaegon roars in frustration. The queen chuckles, but the grating sound is cut off when Lucas rushes forward and dumps Folas on the ground beside us. Her gaze snaps to the movement, and she watches in horror as black wisps begin to swirl around his feet and creep across his body like serpents.

Folas screeches and tries to run, but a long vine coils around his knees and pins him to the ground. Shadows slither across his face and body, tightening around him like they had with Kahras.

“No!” the queen croaks, releasing our faces and falling to her knees beside him. “You can’t have him!”

A chilling whisper rises from the ground to answer her. It seems to circle around us a few times before crawling into my ears. “You promised him to me.”

“I never promised him!” she screams.

“He’s mine,” the voice hisses, wrapping vines around her arms and dragging her away. She breaks free, blasting the restraints and running back to the only remaining piece of her lost love.

I’m surprised she doesn’t offer up Vaegon or me instead. She obviously figured out who Vaegon is. Knowing her, she sees him as her property and feels she has every right to. Maybe she sees that it’s already after us, too. Or maybe she’s too greedy to part with any of us.

Instead of responding to the darkness again, she drops to her knees beside Folas and continues ripping off the vines that hold him. Her fingers claw at the shadows but pass right through them.

“Mother, please!” Folas gasps, choking as the dark whisps slip into his mouth. “Use your magic.”

“No!” she growls as the shadows close in around them both. “It could kill you.”

She stands and stomps on the vines, then tries to lift Folas off the ground. It doesn’t help. The shadows have their hooks in him.

Her grip on me loosens as she struggles. I push against it, managing to free my hands. But before I can strike her, she tightens it back around me again. She’s distracted but not distracted enough. We’re trapped and defenseless, and the shadows have begun creeping toward us again. If I could just get one finger free, I could use my glow to drive them away like before.

The light… I don’t think the queen has noticed that the shadows retreat in the glow of our magic–and of her own. She doesn’t realize how easily she could free her son.

“Release us! We can defeat it together!” I yell, grasping at our only chance to get out of this.

She ignores me and pitifully tries to blow the shadows away.

“You can save him!” I shout, relaxing against her hold.

She pauses and looks down at Folas’s pale, tear-streaked face. He looks up at her and sobs, pleading for her to listen to me. She glares at me before looking back down at her weakening son.

I feel more power draining from me as the shadows creep up my legs. I doubt she has a soul left to save, but perhaps her obsession with Folas’s father will compel her to act. “He’ll die if you don’t let us help!” I yell.

With a gentle touch, she wipes away his tears, then suddenly leaps to her feet. The cold grip falls away, and my hands immediately illuminate. The shadows release me, but the queen raises her hands toward Vaegon and me in warning.

I nod, letting her know I got the message, then turn and channel my magic into the source. Vaegon follows, showing her that we’re no threat. She watches us suspiciously before glancing back at her crying son. Wisely, she turns back to the ground and unleashes a powerful strike into the source, joining our magic in the assault.

The ground around the fissure crumbles, leaving behind a gaping, black hole. Vaegon and I continue directing our magic down into the abyss while the queen steps closer and unleashes another massive blow.

The vines wither and break apart. The binding shadows around Folas dissolve into swirling wisps before disappearing back into the ground. He lies still, free, but remaining at his mother’s side like a youngling waiting to be comforted after a fall.

The queen collapses beside him and pulls him into her arms. She cradles him like she cares for him, but she doesn’t give a shit about Folas. She only cares about what she lost. Folas is an ass, but I’m starting to see that he has a good reason to be.

If only I could forget about this darkness and incinerate her where she kneels. But we have to destroy the biggest threat first.

“Bursts seem to work better!” Vaegon yells, and he’s right. The direct hits have done more damage than us pouring our magic into the abyss. We pull back together and gather our power.

“Now!” I shout, and we send a lethal blast down into the chasm.

A hiss shoots up out of the hole. Some of the oppressive darkness in the air begins to lift, and all the remaining vines and shadows dissipate into nothing.

“Again!” I yell, and we send forth another barrage of our magic down into the darkness.

I flick my eyes over to the queen, who has forgotten about us while helping Folas to his feet. Even if the darkness is as close to death as it seems, we still have her to deal with. I growl in frustration as we send another blast into the depths.

No wisps escape this time, and the vines have given up. The ground beneath us cries out, but I can still faintly sense its energy. One more solid hit should be enough to end this. But before we can send one, the queen traps us in her icy cage again.

I strain against it, but she’s too powerful. My magic boils inside, hot enough to give me some space, but it’s not enough to fight her.

That’s it. She used us then bound us again before we could touch her. She could easily finish off the darkness on her own. She just needed us to get Folas free. We traded our freedom, and the freedom of the entire realm, for his.

I wish I could warn Lucas and Anders to run, but my chest is squeezed too tightly to speak. All I can do is close my eyes so I won’t have to witness what she might do to them if they attempt to save us.

The queen lets out a ragged shriek, and I jerk them back open. I look over to see her clutching Folas’s tunic with a vice-like grip. Her movements are jerky and unnatural as she stumbles backward toward the void. Folas struggles against her bony fingers, but he’s weak. The queen easily pulls him along with her.

“There!” Vaegon grunts, pointing into the deeper forest.

A figure stands silently between two trees with his hand outstretched. In the dim light, I can just make out the glint of his yellow hair tied up in a distinctive knot. It’s Phen, the telekinetic.

I left him with his family, hoping to shield them from the pain of losing him. But here he stands. I don’t know how he knew to come, but I’m so damn thankful he’s here.

The queen is oblivious to him. She probably assumes the thing in the dark pit is behind what’s happening to her. Even if she could move, she wouldn’t know where to direct her anger. The dirt crumbles at her feet as she teeters on the edge. The only thing keeping her from falling in is Folas, fighting back against the pull of Phen’s magic.

Vaegon strikes beneath her feet to force her into the pit. But she’s still clinging desperately onto Folas. As much as I loathe the little bastard, I don’t think he deserves to die. Especially not alongside his heartless mother.

I slice through her wrists with a blue bolt of my magic, severing her hands from her body. Her fingers release Folas, and her hands fall to the ground at his feet. He stumbles backward and falls onto his ass, then scrambles away to safety.

The queen screams, flailing her arms wildly as she falls backward into the abyss. She can no longer use her hands to attack, but she’s not defenseless. She has to die.

I rush to the edge of the crater and send her down in a shroud of blazing fire. I gather all my hatred and fury and pour it into the flames. They dim slightly as she pushes against them with her mental attack, but my will is too strong.

My magic rains down on her as she plummets. Flames wrap around her face, blistering and cracking her skin. Her eyes seem to widen in shock as the burning flesh peels away from the gaping sockets. Her lips curl back in a grotesque semblance of a grin as her face sizzles away from her skull.

Her mental push crumbles as her body turns to ash. I withdraw my power and watch her descend, enveloped in a raging blue inferno. As she sinks deeper into the darkness, the flames flicker out, and her hoarse cries fade into silence.

She’s gone. There’s no coming back from that. All that remains is what’s left of the darkness she’s been swallowed by.

Vaegon joins me, and we drive strike after strike of our magic down its depths until the ground stops quaking and the sun streams through the trees like it should.

In the natural light, the scene loses the eerie feeling, but it remains profoundly sad. More trees are charred or split, many toppled from the magic that had been unleashed. The ground is full of wide cracks, gaping like open wounds. The evil that had infected the soil has been removed, but chunks of Faerie are just... gone. Nothing can grow here in this state.

I remind myself how much worse it would be if no one had intervened and put a stop to the spread of death. Still, the damage to this once beautiful forest weighs heavily on my heart. It will take a lot of work to truly heal this place.

I look around in disbelief that it’s really over. I want to thank Phen and ask how he knew to come here. I want to celebrate with Vaegon and his brothers, and with the mixed fae and Kahras. I want to check in with the kelpie and shifter soldiers and see the nobles lying dead at their feet. But above all, I want to let my mate know that I survived, our son is safe, and she’ll never have to worry about anything ever again.