Page 17 of Shadows of the Lost Relic (Vanguard of the Ancients #1)

Chapter 17

Evan

T hree days later, I woke up early, and just like any other day, my mind was already racing through the tasks that needed to be done. The tension in the Vanguard was palpable—Caspian’s struggles, the ever-present threat of the Shadowborn, and the prophecy that hung over all of us like a dark cloud. But we were managing, holding it together, if only by the thinnest of threads.

Well, most of us were.

There was going to be a meeting this evening with the Vanguard Council to discuss performing the ritual for Caspian. We were all decided, but it was the sort of thing we really needed to get permission for, in case something went wrong.

And with all of that going on, I still hadn’t had time to talk to Lyra. I had seen the looks she kept casting in my direction, and I knew she wanted to talk about what had happened in the infirmary, but I wasn’t ready. I wasn’t ready to admit to myself what I had done. How did you tell someone that you had bound their fate to yours, even if it was to save their life? Focusing on work was an excuse, but it was an excuse that I was going to use to avoid a potentially upsetting conversation.

I found Theo in the training room, practicing with his sword. His movements were precise, each strike and parry calculated with the discipline that came from years of practice. I watched him, admiring the way he seemed to control not just the weapons, but the space around him. It was his way of staying grounded, of keeping the chaos at bay.

“You’re up early,” I said, leaning against the doorframe.

Theo didn’t pause in his movements, but he glanced at me with a wry smile. “So are you.”

I shrugged. “Couldn’t sleep. Too much on my mind.”

He nodded, understanding with no need to ask. We’d all been on edge lately, waiting for the next disaster to strike. It was only a matter of time before the other shoe dropped, and I think we all knew that when it happened, it was going to be catastrophic.

“I’m heading to the archives later,” I said, pushing away from the door and crossing the room to where he was practicing. “There are some old texts I want to go through again. Maybe there’s some information we missed about the artifacts—or the ritual.”

He nodded, sheathing his blade with a practiced motion. “Good idea. I’ll join you after I’m done here.”

We didn’t need to say more. The bond between us, between all three of us, was stronger than words. We knew what was at stake, and we knew what needed to be done.

The day passed in a blur of research and training. I lost myself in the old texts, searching for anything that might give us an edge in this ritual. This sort of magic was dangerous, and there were so many things that could go wrong. The ancient prophecies were frustratingly vague, full of riddles and metaphors that only seemed to make things more confusing. But I was determined to find anything that could help us get through it unscathed.

What was even more frustrating was that any time Theo and I tried to look at what happened in the future, the lines got so tangled there was no making sense of any of it.

It was late afternoon when I felt the first twinge of unease, like an icy hand pressing against the back of my neck. I straightened from the table where I’d been poring over a dense tome and looked around the room. Everything seemed normal, but the feeling persisted, a low thrum of tension just beneath the surface. When the feeling wouldn’t go away, I closed the book; something told me I needed to make sure the others were okay.

I found Theo and Kane in the common room, talking quietly with Lyra. Caspian was there too, looking more haggard than usual, his eyes shadowed with exhaustion. They all looked up when I entered, and I could tell from their expressions that they’d felt it too—the sense that things were about to go very, very wrong.

“You feel that?” I asked, keeping my voice low.

Theo nodded, his gaze sharp. “Yeah. It’s like the air just got thicker.” Kane frowned, glancing around the room in confusion. “What is it? Another artifact?” He was the least sensitive to changes in fate compared to me and Theo. He was too focused on the present to see what was coming in the future.

Lyra shook her head, her brow furrowed in concentration. “No… this feels different. Like we’re being watched.”

Caspian stood up, his body tense. “The Shadowborn?” Before anyone could respond, an alarm blared through the headquarters. The piercing wail sent my heart into overdrive. We all shot to our feet, instincts kicking in as we grabbed our weapons and rushed toward the source of the commotion.

As we burst into the corridor, I could already hear the sounds of battle—shouts, the clash of steel, and the unmistakable hum of dark magic. The air was thick with the scent of ozone and burning metal, a telltale sign the Shadowborn had finally made their move.

“Damn it! They picked the worst possible time,” Kane muttered, his jaw clenched as we sprinted down the hall.

Theo didn’t say anything, but his expression was grim, his eyes focused on the path ahead. Lyra was right beside him, her face set with determination. Caspian lagged slightly behind, his steps heavy, but there was a fire in his eyes that told me he wasn’t going to let his exhaustion hold him back. Maybe a fight would do him some good, let him burn out the fire that was building inside of him.

We rounded a corner and skidded to a halt as we came face-to-face with the enemy. The Shadowborn were everywhere, their dark forms twisting and writhing as they moved through the shadows. Their eyes glowed with a malevolent light, and their weapons pulsed with a dark energy that made my skin crawl.

I ran my eyes over the scene, counting at least a dozen, maybe more, as they tore through the Vanguard’s defenses like paper. Our comrades fought valiantly, but they were outmatched, and the Shadowborn had the upper hand.

Without hesitation, Theo and Kane charged into the fray, their blades flashing as they cut through the nearest Shadowborn. Lyra wasn’t far behind, her movements fluid as she fought alongside them. Caspian and I followed, and soon we were all locked in battle, fighting for our lives.

The first Shadowborn I faced was fast—faster than I expected. He lunged at me with a snarl, his blade aimed at my throat. I barely blocked the strike, the force of it sending a shockwave up my arm. I twisted, using the momentum to throw him off balance, then brought my dagger up in a swift arc, slicing through the tendons in his wrist.

He hissed in pain, but before he could retaliate, I followed up with a quick thrust to his chest, my blade sinking deep into his flesh. He let out a gurgling cry before collapsing to the ground, his body dissolving into shadow.

I didn’t have time to catch my breath before another Shadowborn was on me, his sword whistling through the air as he aimed for my side. I dodged, but not fast enough—the blade grazed my ribs with a sharp burst of pain that nearly knocked me off my feet.

Gritting my teeth, I countered with a quick series of strikes, forcing him back. His movements were erratic, his eyes glowing with a crazed light that sent a shiver down my spine. These weren’t just soldiers—they were zealots, consumed by their desire to claim the artifacts we protected for themselves.

He lunged at me again, but this time, I was ready. I sidestepped his attack and brought my dagger down on his exposed back, the blade cutting through muscle and bone with a sickening crunch. He screamed a high-pitched, unnatural sound, before collapsing to the ground in a heap of shadow and smoke.

Taking advantage of the moment of reprieve, I turned to check on the others. Theo was a whirlwind of motion, his sword slicing through the air with deadly precision. He moved with a grace that was almost mesmerizing, each strike landing with lethal accuracy. Kane was just as formidable, his heavier blade cleaving through the Shadowborn with brute force. Lyra was holding her own as well, her agility and quick reflexes allowing her to stay one step ahead of her enemies.

Then I saw Caspian.

He fought with a ferocity I hadn’t seen from him before, his hammer glowing with the power of the forge as he swung it with wild abandon. The Shadowborn recoiled from him, their dark forms twisting and writhing as they tried to avoid the hammer’s deadly arc.

But Caspian wasn’t in control of himself. I could see it in the way he moved—his strikes were too aggressive, too reckless, and his eyes… his eyes were filled with a dark, burning intensity that made my stomach twist with fear.

“Caspian!” I shouted, but he didn’t seem to hear me. He was lost in the fight, lost in the forge’s power, and I knew that if we didn’t stop him, he would burn himself out—or worse.

Before I could reach him, a Shadowborn lunged at me, his blade aimed for my heart. I twisted at the last second, the blade grazing my shoulder instead of piercing my chest. The pain was sharp, but I forced it down, focusing on the fight.

I countered with a quick thrust of my own, my dagger sinking into the Shadowborn’s side. He hissed in pain, but I didn’t let up, driving the blade deeper until he dissolved into smoke and shadow.

I turned back to Caspian, but he was gone—lost in the sea of battle, his hammer flashing through the air as he fought off the Shadowborn with a wild, desperate fury.

My heart pounded in my chest as I fought my way toward him, the sounds of battle ringing in my ears. The Vanguard was holding its ground, but we were hanging on by a thread. It was clear we were losing. The Shadowborn were relentless, their numbers overwhelming us at every turn.

I finally reached Caspian, just in time to see him take down another Shadowborn with a single, powerful swing of his hammer. The force of the blow sent a shockwave through the air, knocking the other Shadowborn off balance. But Caspian didn’t stop. He raised his hammer again, his eyes blazing with the power of the forge. Heat spilled out of him as he turned on one of the Vanguard members.

“Caspian, stop!” I shouted, grabbing his arm as he raised the hammer for another strike.

He turned to me, his eyes wild and unfocused, and for a moment, I wasn’t sure if he even recognized me. His chest heaved with each ragged breath, and the raw intensity in his eyes sent a shiver down my spine. This wasn’t the Caspian I knew—this was someone on the brink of being consumed by the very power he wielded.

I tightened my grip on his arm, trying to anchor him back to reality. “You need to stop!”

He blinked, as if coming out of a trance, and for a moment, clarity returned to his gaze. But the moment was fleeting. Another wave of Shadowborn surged toward us, their dark forms twisting in unnatural ways as they closed in. Caspian snarled, his grip on the hammer tightening as he wrenched his arm free from my grasp.

“I have to fight,” he growled, his voice low and strained. “I can’t let them take it. I can’t let them win! I can’t let them hurt her again.”

Before I could respond, he launched himself back into the fray, swinging his hammer with a ferocity that bordered on madness. The power of the forge pulsed around him, warping the air and sending shockwaves through the battlefield. The Shadowborn recoiled, but they kept coming, driven by their insatiable hunger for the artifacts.

I cursed under my breath, knowing that if we didn’t regain control of the fight—and of Caspian—we were all doomed.

With a quick glance around, I spotted Theo and Kane a few yards away, locked in a vicious battle with three Shadowborn. They were holding their own, but there was a strain in their movements that exposed their fatigue. Lyra was a blur of motion nearby, her agility keeping her just out of reach of the Shadowborn’s deadly strikes. She was in her fairy form again, wings beating on her back, her teeth now sharp fangs.

I needed to get us out of this, and fast.

I plunged back into the fight, cutting down a Shadowborn that lunged at me with a swift, brutal strike. My mind raced as I tried to think of a plan. We couldn’t keep fighting like this. We were outnumbered, outmatched, and the Shadowborn seemed to draw power from the very chaos of the battle.

A scream pierced the air, and I whipped around just in time to see one of the Vanguard soldiers—Gareth—get thrown against the wall by a blast of dark energy. He hit the stone with a sickening thud and slumped to the ground, unmoving.

Rage flared inside me, and I lashed out at the nearest Shadowborn, my blade finding its mark in his chest. He dissolved into shadow, but it wasn’t enough. There were too many of them, and for every one we cut down, two more seemed to take their place.

The Shadowborn were pressing in on all sides now, their movements growing more frenzied as they sensed victory within their grasp. We were being pushed back, forced into a defensive position near the entrance to the Vanguard’s vault, where we kept the most powerful artifacts. If they got inside…

“Evan!” Theo’s voice cut through the chaos, sharp with urgency.

I spun on my heel, my rage deepening as I realized he was struggling against a particularly vicious Shadowborn, its claws raking across his arm as it tried to overpower him. Blood stained his sleeve, and I could see the strain in his eyes as he fought to keep it at bay.

Without hesitation, I lunged forward, slashing at the Shadowborn with all my strength. My blades connected, and the creature let out a shriek before disintegrating into smoke.

Theo staggered back, breathing heavily, but he managed a grateful nod in my direction. “Thanks,” he muttered, wincing as he clutched his injured arm.

“Don’t mention it,” I replied, my eyes scanning the battlefield. We were running out of time. “We need to regroup. Where’s Kane?”

Theo pointed with his uninjured arm. “He’s over there—” A sudden, bone-chilling roar cut his words short. My heart skipped a beat as I followed his gaze, my blood turning to ice at the sight before me.

A group of Shadowborn had Kane surrounded, his sword a blur as he fought to keep them at bay. Red threads followed his blade as he weaved fate around his sword, changing probability and trying to keep control of the fight. But there were too many, and he was slowing down, his movements becoming more sluggish with each strike.

One of the Shadowborn slipped past his defenses, slashing at his leg with a jagged blade. Kane stumbled, barely blocking the next attack, but his balance was off, and he was dangerously exposed.

“No!” Lyra’s voice rang out from somewhere behind me, filled with panic. She tried to break free from the fight she was locked in, but the Shadowborn had her surrounded, cutting off any path to Kane.

I didn’t think. I just acted.

I sprinted toward Kane, my heart pounding in my chest as I fought my way through the chaos. The Shadowborn sensed my desperation, and they threw themselves at me with renewed vigor, their dark energy lashing out in waves. I ducked, rolled, and slashed my way through, my focus on reaching Kane before it was too late.

But I was too slow.

Just as I reached him, one of the Shadowborn struck with brutal precision, driving its blade deep into Kane’s chest. He let out a strangled gasp, his body jerking as the weapon pierced through flesh and bone. Time seemed to slow as I watched in horror, helpless to stop it.

“Kane!” I screamed, my voice raw with fear and rage.

He crumpled to the ground, his sword slipping from his grasp as blood pooled around him.

The Shadowborn loomed over him, ready to finish the job, but I was there in an instant, slamming my dagger into its chest with a ferocity that bordered on madness. It let out a gurgling cry before dissolving into shadow, but I didn’t stop there. I turned on the remaining Shadowborn, my strikes wild and desperate as I fought to protect Kane. There was no time for using my abilities, and I couldn’t focus on fate right now, anyway. I just needed to protect my brother.

I don’t know how long I fought—time had lost all meaning in the chaos of the battle. Eventually, the Shadowborn retreated, their forms slipping back into the darkness as they realized they couldn’t overpower us. I didn’t care. All I could focus on was Kane lying motionless on the ground, his blood staining the stone beneath him.

When the last of the Shadowborn attacking me dissolved, I dropped to my knees beside Kane, my hands shaking as I reached out to check for a pulse. It was weak, but it was there. Relief flooded through me, but it was short-lived. The wound was bad—too bad for me to treat here.

“Stay with me, Kane,” I muttered, pressing my hands against the wound in a futile attempt to stop the bleeding. “You’re going to be okay. Just hang on.”

He let out a weak, pained groan, his eyes fluttering open for a moment. “Evan…?”

“I’m here,” I said, my voice trembling. “You’re going to be fine. Just hold on a little longer.”

Even as I said the words, I could see the truth in his eyes. He knew, just as I did, that he might not make it. The wound was too deep, and the blood was flowing too fast.

“Evan,” Lyra’s voice broke through my thoughts, shaky but determined. She dropped to her knees beside me, her eyes wide with fear as she took in the sight of Kane’s injury. “We have to do something. He’s going to die!”

“I know,” I said, my voice tight. “But I don’t?—”

Lyra wasn’t listening to me anymore. I had saved her once, but that had been a Hail Mary. Messing with fate on that sort of level had reduced my power. I hadn’t told the others, hadn’t been able to bring myself to. It was worth it. She was alive, and that was what mattered. Given the choice, I would do the same thing over and over.

Lyra’s chest was heaving as she took desperate gulps of air that broke my heart, her hands shaking as she placed them over Kane’s wound. She was murmuring his name over and over, her voice shaking as she tried to breathe. I wanted to comfort her, but I needed to stand guard over them. We weren’t out of danger yet. The Shadowborn were retreating, but they weren’t gone.

I saw the moment Kane stopped breathing. I more than saw it, I felt it. It felt like a piece of my soul died. The breath was knocked out of me, making me stagger on my feet. Lyra cried out, then pressed her lips to his. For the second time in the fight, time slowed down around us.

This time, though, it was for the better. Red threads burst from the tattoos on Kane’s arms, a physical manifestation of Fate that he had always been better at manipulating than Theo and I had. He could change luck as easily as he breathed, weaving new fates in an instant. It was his view of the present that made it so easy for him.

The red threads bound Kane and Lyra together, glowing where they touched Lyra’s skin and turning into golden ropes. While the two of them were locked in their kiss, I felt my soul heal, felt it become whole again. To my utter relief, Kane’s chest rose, and his hand twisted into Lyra’s hair. It was like watching what had happened between me and Lyra when I thought she was going to die.

Holy fucking hell, he was alive. My brother was alive.

Lyra gasped as she pulled back, her body trembling as the ropes became threads and started to fade, starting at her body and flowing into Kane. Her wings faded away, and her fairy features vanished as power traveled between them.

I reached out, steadying her as she swayed on her knees, her face pale and drawn.

Finally, the last of the threads vanished, and Lyra collapsed forward, her breath coming in shallow gasps. I caught her before she hit the ground, pulling her close as she fought to stay conscious.

“Lyra,” I whispered, my voice choked with emotion. “You did it. You saved him.”

She smiled weakly, her eyes fluttering closed as she leaned into me. “I’ll be okay. You taught me what I needed,” she whispered, though her voice was weak, barely more than a breath. “Just… need to sleep.”

I cradled her against me, trying to steady my own racing heartbeat as I looked down at Kane. The wound on his chest was gone, pink skin where there had been a jagged tear. His breathing was steady, his face no longer twisted in pain. He was alive, thanks to Lyra’s bonding with him. We would need to look into what had happened, but now wasn’t the time for that.

The battle wasn’t over.

The Shadowborn hadn’t fully retreated. They still lingered at the edges of the battlefield, their dark forms shifting and blending with the shadows as they waited for their moment to strike again. Their malevolent energy pressed in on us like a suffocating fog that threatened to choke the life out of everything it touched.

Theo was at Kane’s side in an instant, his hands moving quickly to check for any remaining signs of injury. His face was grim, his eyes flickering between Kane and the looming threat of the Shadowborn.

“He’ll make it,” Theo said, his voice steady but tense. “But we need to get him out of here, and now.”

I nodded, my gaze sweeping the battlefield as I tried to assess our situation. We had pushed the Shadowborn back for now, but they were regrouping, preparing for another assault. I wasn’t sure if we had the strength left to hold off another attack.

I gently lowered Lyra to the ground, propping her up against a nearby wall before turning back to Theo. “Can you carry him?”

Theo’s jaw tightened, but he nodded. He reached down and carefully lifted Kane into his arms, his movements deliberate and controlled despite the weight of our brother.

“We need to get to the Vault,” I said, my voice low and urgent. “If they get their hands on the artifacts?—”

“They won’t,” Theo interrupted, his eyes burning with determination. “Not while we’re still standing.”

Lyra stirred beside me, her eyes fluttering open as she forced herself to sit up. “I’m coming with you.”

“Lyra, you need to rest,” I said, worry gnawing at me when I saw how pale she looked.

She shook her head, her expression resolute. “I’ll rest when this is over. Right now, we have to protect the artifacts.”

There was no arguing with her, not when she got like this. And truth be told, we needed every able body we could get. The Shadowborn weren’t going to stop, and neither could we.

“Alright,” I said, offering her a hand to help her to her feet. “Let’s move.”

We made our way toward the Vault, the air around us thick with tension. Every step felt like it could be our last, every shadow hiding an unseen threat. The Vanguard’s halls, once so familiar, now felt like a labyrinth of danger and uncertainty.

We reached the entrance to the Vault just as the Shadowborn launched their next attack. They came at us from all sides, their forms twisted and warped by the dark energy that fueled them. Their eyes gleamed with hunger as they surged forward, their weapons raised to strike us down.

Theo set Kane down gently, his eyes flashing with anger as he drew his sword. “They won’t get past us.”

I readied my weapon, discarding my daggers and drawing my sword instead, my heart pounding as the first wave of Shadowborn closed in. There was no time for hesitation, no time for fear. We had to fight with everything we had, or we would lose everything.

The first Shadowborn lunged at me, his blade flashing in the dim light as he aimed for my throat. I sidestepped the attack, bringing my sword up in a swift, controlled motion. The blade connected with his side, cutting through flesh and shadow alike. He let out a hiss of pain before dissolving into smoke.

But there were more—so many more.

They swarmed us, their numbers overwhelming as they pressed in from every direction. I could hear the clash of steel as Theo and Lyra fought beside me, their movements a blur of speed and precision. Theo’s blade flashed through the air, cutting down any Shadowborn that dared to get too close. Lyra’s agility kept her just out of reach of their attacks, her movements fluid and graceful as she dodged and countered with deadly accuracy.

Despite our efforts, the Shadowborn kept coming. Their dark energy filled the air, suffocating and oppressive, and I could feel my strength waning with each passing moment.

“Evan, behind you!” Lyra’s shout cut through the chaos, and I spun just in time to see a Shadowborn bearing down on me, his blade aimed for my back.

I barely blocked the strike, the force of it sending me stumbling backward. Pain lanced through my shoulder as the blade grazed my skin, but I gritted my teeth and fought through it, driving my sword into the Shadowborn’s chest. He dissolved into smoke, but the damage was done—even with adrenaline keeping me from feeling too much pain, the warm trickle of blood running down my arm was distracting me. I could only hope it wasn’t life threatening.

“Stay focused!” Theo shouted, his voice carrying over the din of battle. “We can’t let them push us back!”

It was getting harder and harder to hold our ground. The Shadowborn were relentless, their attacks coming faster and more ferocious with every passing second. We were being driven closer and closer to the Vault’s entrance, and I knew that if they breached those doors, there would be no stopping them.

Then, just when I thought we couldn’t hold out any longer, a powerful surge of energy swept through the room. I staggered, momentarily disoriented by the sudden shift in the atmosphere. The air crackled with power, the very walls of the Vanguard trembling as the energy pulsed through the hall. I looked up, my breath catching in my throat as I saw the source of the power.

Caspian stood at the center of the room, his hammer raised high, glowing with the full force of the forge. The power and heat radiating from him was immense, overwhelming, and I could see the toll it was taking on him. His face was pale, his eyes blazing with an intensity that bordered on madness.

“Caspian, no!” I shouted, but the roar of the forge’s power drowned out my words.

He brought the hammer down against the floor with a deafening crash, and the room exploded into chaos. The ground shook beneath us, the walls shuddering as the forge’s energy ripped through the air. The Shadowborn were thrown back, their forms disintegrating in the face of the overwhelming power. For a moment, it seemed as though Caspian had turned the tide of the battle, that we might actually survive this.

But then he staggered, his grip on the hammer faltering as the power consumed him.

“Caspian!” Lyra screamed, her voice filled with panic as she tried to reach him. But the forge’s energy was too strong, the heat radiating from the hammer too intense. She was forced back, unable to get close enough to help.

The forge’s power had been unleashed, and there was no containing it now. If he let go, the energy would tear through the Vanguard, destroying everything in its path.

“Just drop the hammer, Caspian!” I pleaded, desperation clawing at my chest. I’d almost lost Kane; I couldn’t stand to lose anyone else.

He didn’t respond. His gaze was distant, unfocused, as if he were already lost to the power of the forge. With a final, shuddering breath, Caspian collapsed, and the hammer slipped from his grasp.

The forge’s energy surged once more in a blinding flash of light that filled the room. I threw myself forward, trying to get to Caspian’s fallen body, wanting to shield him from the danger. The force of the energy surge knocked me off my feet, sending me crashing into the wall behind me.

For a moment, everything went dark.

When I opened my eyes, the room was eerily silent. The air was thick with smoke, the acrid scent of burned metal filling my lungs. I forced myself to sit up, my head spinning as I tried to make sense of what had happened.

The Shadowborn were gone—disintegrated by the forge’s power. The Vanguard was in ruins, the walls scorched and crumbling, but we were alive.

I looked around, my heart pounding in my chest as I searched for the others. Theo was on his feet, though he was limping badly, his face bloodied but determined. Lyra was kneeling beside Caspian, her hands trembling as she checked for a pulse.

“He’s alive,” she whispered, her voice thick with emotion. “But he’s not waking up.”

I staggered to my feet, my body screaming in protest as I made my way to her side. Caspian lay unconscious, his face pale and his breathing shallow. The hammer lay beside him, cold and lifeless, the forge’s power finally drained.

“We need to get him out of here,” Theo said, his voice rough but steady. “Kane as well. Both of them need medical care. Now.”

I nodded, my throat tight with emotion as I looked down at Caspian. He had saved us all, but at what cost?