Page 92 of Knox

With every ounce of strength, he willed his magic to counter the portal’s darkness. It was agonizingly slow work, each inch of progress draining more of his power, but finally, the portal began to shrink.

Yes!

Knox felt a surge of triumph as the first one sealed shut with a crackling hiss. But his victory was short-lived as he turned to face the next one.

There were so many of them left.

Still, there was nothing for it. He had to close them all.

"Knox?" By his side, Adrian sounded worried.

"I’ll be okay," Knox assured him. "We’ll be okay." Adrian had given him this power, and Knox would not waste it.

One by one, he forced the portals closed, the edges knitting together under the relentless pressure of Knox’s magic. But each portal took more out of him than the last. His limbs felt heavy, his vision blurring at the edges.

By the time there was only one portal left, Knox was leaning on Adrian. His breath came in ragged gasps, his muscles trembling with exertion. But he couldn’t stop now. Not when they were so close.

He focused on the last portal, his magic flickering and sputtering as he tried to force it closed. It was like trying to light a candle in a hurricane, but he refused to give up.

Just a little more…

The portal was almost closed, the edges nearly touching. Knox poured the last of his magic into it, his vision going black at the edges.

And then, just when he was about done, he sensed magic rushing at him.

Too late, he realized his mistake. In his focus on the portals, he had let his barrier around himself and Adrian weaken.

Caelen, despite his defeat, had been waiting for just such an opportunity. With another crazed laugh, the Shadow King hurled the last of his own magic at the barrier.

It shattered like glass, the shards dissipating into nothing.

No!

Knox staggered, his knees buckling under the sudden loss of his shield.

"You’re going down with me!" Caelen’s voice rang out. Two hulking orcs lumbered toward Knox and Adrian, their eyes filled with bloodlust.

Knox’s muscles screamed in protest as he tried to muster the strength to fend them off. He felt Adrian tense beside him, ready to fight but hopelessly outmatched.

Before the orcs could strike, a blur of motion sliced through the air. Zev appeared, his sword gleaming as he felled both creatures with a single, powerful strike. The orcs fell to the ground with a heavy thud.

Zev’s eyes locked onto Knox’s. "Do what you have to do," he hissed.

Knox nodded, feeling a surge of determination. There really was only one thing left to do—to save this world and Adrian. Gathering every ounce of strength he had left, Knox lunged for Caelen.

The Shadow King shrieked as Knox’s hands closed around him. Caelen struggled fiercely, but, physically Knox was stronger, and he held firm, his grip unyielding despite the strain.

With a guttural roar, Knox dragged Caelen toward the still-open portal. Though it had become small, the rift still pulsed, threatening to pull them both in—threatening to take them back where they belonged.

Caelen’s eyes widened in realization as they neared the portal’s edge. "You won’t push me in," he insisted, digging in his heels.

"No, I’ll personally make sure you won’t come back here."

Caelen stilled at that, and then a slow smile spread over his face. "How noble of you."

Knox knew exactly why Caelen was smiling. The Shadow King was happy to see Knox suffer, no matter the circumstances, and Knoxwouldsuffer, stepping through that portal.

Knox turned back to Adrian. "This isn’t?—"