Page 124 of The Dark Mage

The Void obeyed herwill.

Death recoiled, collapsing inward.The shades dissolved into nothing, frost melted, and the shadows around them softened, returning to the natural darkness of the night.

Fael didn’t release her, his body still flickering with fire.His skin glowed golden, flames licking along his arms and shoulders.He was a mountain of heat and strength, unyielding behindher.

She let herself relax intohim.

Fire trickled down her skin, the flames recognizing her, caressing her like a lover.Sweat prickled at her hairline from his heat, but her cool skin soothed him in return.Slowly, his flames ebbed, and the tension in his body eased as his power subsided.

His voice was a low murmur against her ear, as warm as his skin.“You are strong, Ren’wyn, and you aremore,” he said, echoing her own earlier words.“And you’re faster.More adept with that blade.Goodwork.”

He said nothing about the destruction she had caused, his tone casual as though nothing extraordinary had happened.

Walking to the blankets, he brushed off the remaining frost, the flakes steaming against his golden skin.Ren’wyn smiled faintly despite herself as he relit the fire with a flick of his magic, winking at her over the cracklinglogs.

But guilt clung to her like a secondskin.

She walked to the nearest tree, a massive oak, and pressed her hand against its trunk.Bark crumbled under her fingers, flaking away in dry sheets to reveal the cambium beneath.Black veins ran through the wood like dark tattoos, deep and unyielding.

Above her, leaves fell, each one disintegrating into dust before it hit the ground.One drifted onto her arm, crumbling into black ash against herskin.

She shivered.

The asters and goldenrod that had once brightened the clearing were now skeletal remains, fragile and lifeless.Guilt and sorrow burned behind her eyes, the destruction she caused sinking heavily into her chest until she dropped to her knees, staring at the devastation.

What if I hurt my friends like this?What if I lose control and destroy everything Ilove?

Her throat tightened, and she swallowedhard.

Fael’s steps were soft but deliberate as he crossed the clearing.His hands rested firmly on her shoulders, hot and steady, grounding her once again.

“Breathe, Ren’wyn,” hesaid.

His voice was a dark command, and she was powerless to resist.She drew a shuddering breath and opened her eyes to a swirl of mist.Black and blue tongues of fire licked at her shoulders where their powersmet.

“I’m a monster,” she groaned, hands covering her face.“A monster that steals lives to feed myrage.”

Fael’s hot anger rose, flames flickering farther down her torso.“No, Ren’wyn,” he replied, his tone hard.“You are not a monster.You were abused and torn down your entire life.You are good and gentle, but now you are stronger.You have to fight those memories, but you can do it.I believe inyou.”

Her body shook as he gripped her, brushing her braid over her shoulder onto her collarbone.

“Feel your magic, Ren,” he whispered, his voice coiling around her skin and slithering over her bones.“Feel your goodness and your strength.Hold it.Wield it.”

Shadows spiraled up the dead oak’s trunk, shaking loose the crumbling leaves.Ash fell on them like black snow, and she summoned a cold wind to blow it away.Drawing on the red heat of Fael’s magic, Ren’wyn let the shades awaken again.They approached her silently, watching and waiting.

Fael’s words tickled her ear.“They respect and trust you, like I do.You are free, my love—free—and no one will control you again.Vair and Erst are not here, but even if they were, you are strong enough now to stopthem.”

She beckoned the shades closer, opening her hands to feel their spirits.Some were tired and sad, others older than she could fathom, and a few were wild and angry.They reached for her, seeking solace in hercare.

It was suddenly so much, and exhaustion slammed into her.Fael’s warmth enveloped her, and she motioned the shades to rest.Darkness and shadow melted, mist and smoke turning to nothing, and Ren’wyn buckled forward.

For a moment, she was back under the pines in the Dark Forest—but this time, Fael was neither desperate nor afraid.Instead, he lowered her gently, pulling her head to his chest.

The two of them moved slowly to the bedroll, curling up beneath their strange, smallnet.

“I love this,” she whispered, running her hands over the rough netting hanging less than a foot above them.“I love you,” she continued, her fingers threading through Fael’s soft curls.

A quiet breeze brushed through the clearing, and the dead plants crumbled in itswake.