Page 10 of The Princesses of Ruin (The Princesses of Ruin #5)

Chapter nine

Reina

S weat trickles down my back and I’m reminded of the days I spent with Jasper on the desolate beaches after our shipwreck. Those days feel so long ago, yet it’s only been a few months. So much can change in just a handful of moon cycles.

Blue light courses down my arms and fills up the twisting scars I earned from banishing an avatar of the wicked goddess Ashai.

I focus my attention on the crystal pinned to the table by metallic clamps.

It’s eksteinvas merged with the ipsain coral through works of Adrik and Zane’s alchemy.

Incredibly destructive, and when infused with my power, the perfect weapon against the dark goddess.

I open the chute of my arm and let the magic culminating in my chest to flow.

A beam of power spears from the tip of my finger and lights up the dark gem, scattering rays of light throughout the dungeon.

Lily stands nearby, her hands poised to activate a containment rune at the draw of a finger.

I don’t let my attention wander to her, keeping my focus on the crystal and the intent to imbue it with my power.

When the crystal doesn’t immediately explode like many of the others, Lily begins her own incantation. Her hands flow through the air, etching away at the surface of the crystal with invisible blades. A precise rune for stability on the base fills with my blue magic.

“One down,” Lily says. “We’ve got it this time.”

I nod, only able to grunt acknowledgment for fear of losing my focus. The next rune for containment, something of Adrik’s design, is sliced into the opposing side of the gem and begins filling with blue magic. Hope swells in my chest. Perhaps this time we’ve finally gotten it.

A bead of sweat rolls down my back and settles at the base of my spine, tickling me. I push the needs of my body away and narrow my focus on the magic flowing out of me. I bear down on the sucking feeling in my chest, refusing to let my weariness affect the procedure.

Lily moves onto the next etching, a rune to direct the flow of magic at the command of an associated tool of Kazimir’s design. The simple-looking metal cylinder with a button on top begins to hum with amethyst, and the twinned rune on the tool glows.

Lily’s green magic splits, connecting the gem and the cylinder. The runes on each flare with green, blue, and purple, like an aurora of the icy northern planes. My heart thunders in my ears and my vision narrows to the two objects clamped to the table.

Lily curses beside me as the runes flicker. “Come on. You’re almost there.”

Her hands tremble in my darkened periphery as she maintains the delicate connection between the three of our magics, the eksteinvas crystal, and the device. I’m panting, my upper body slouching and my shoulder burning. My mind and eyes strain to stay focused on the task before us.

“That’s enough.” A voice comes to me distantly.

“Just a little more,” Lily groans. “Almost.”

“She’s fading. ”

My magic stutters and the containment rune shatters. My knees give out, and I crumple to the ground as the eksteinvas crystal flashes a bright warning. Lily roars in fury, changing the flow of her magic until an Eng sphere of green light encircles the table.

Blinding blue light fills the room as the eksteinvas crystal discharges all my magic into the restraint of Lily’s shield. I close my eyes, my hope dying just as quickly as it came.

My arms shake and I surrender to the faintness overtaking my body. I splay out on the cold dungeon floor and fight the burn of tears in my eyes.

I’m too weak.

I’m not good enough.

“You’ve made incredible progress in a few months of training,” Alyse says in my mind.

Her words ring true but don’t alleviate the knot growing in my throat.

“Perhaps I should try,” Scarlett says.

The knot moves aside for fire. “And what makes you any better at imbuing eksteinvas crystals?”

“I’m not saying I’d be better, just that I could try.” Her tone softens, placating. It worms under my skin and brings more heat to the surface.

“ Breathe, my soul ,” Jasper says in Selkie.

I don’t want to breathe. I want to throw something, but my arms are too weak.

The cold dungeon air flows into my nose and I focus on the feeling, the sound, and the scents. The musk of damp stone and wood. The moisture clinging to my face. The beat of my heart.

Scarlett wants to try? Fine. She can try.

“Have at it, then. ”

I roll to the side and push myself up on trembling arms. Jasper doesn’t dare help me and become the target of my wrath.

Scarlett’s eye follows me as I move out of the secondary containment circle and into the periphery of the room where the others stand.

Alastair is here to support Lily, Kazimir lingers to ensure that his machine doesn’t malfunction somehow, and of course Jasper wants to observe and ensure I don’t wear myself to exhaustion… as I just did.

Scarlett reaches out with a scarred arm, her palm up, asking for my power. She could take it from me at this distance, just siphon it straight through the air. I’ve seen her do it with others, but she’s asking.

The urge to slap her hand away is strong. I know I’m being irrational. I know I need to cooperate and play nice for the good of our kingdom.

“Yes, Alyse, I know ,” I growl out loud.

Her presence recedes from my mind, but the truth is left behind. I am being irresponsible. If Scarlett can succeed where I fail, we’re all better off for it.

But if she does, I’ll hate her.

I close the distance between us and touch her palm with mine. There’s no sensation associated with Scarlett absorbing the essence of my magic. She’s not taking anything from me, but rather copying it.

The half-healed runic scars on her arms shift from glowing teal to my darker blue. She drops her hand and sighs.

“Better stand back.”

I purse my lips. “Why?”

She gives me a wry smile. “Don’t want to get any blood on you when I blow myself up. ”

I can’t help the snort that comes out of me at the image, then I shake my head. “Don’t blow yourself up with my power. Zane would kill me.”

“And then I’d kill him,” Jasper says.

“And then we’d be fucked,” Lily says. “Can we get to it? I’ve got limited power and patience left for this.”

“My apologies,” Scarlett says, putting her hands up in mock surrender as she rolls her eyes. “I didn’t realize we were short on time.”

We all know what’s at stake, and how little time is left. The raid is tomorrow night. If we can’t get this eksteinvas crystal working the way Kazimir has designed it, we’ll have to use our fallback plan, which is loaded with unknowns.

Can a goddess be bound with magic-blocking restraints? I’d never seen her in cuffs before, but I know that what the palace uses to detain dangerous criminals couldn’t be broken by even some of the strongest magi.

But that’s like comparing the power of an ant to that of a dragon.

Perhaps something even smaller than an ant.

Scarlett takes a wide stance, her shoulders pulled back and elbows tucked into her sides. Little gaps in the back of her shirt reveal ancient scars that are but white wisps on her skin—something she earned from mother long ago, I’m sure.

“Load it up,” she says.

Kazimir puts another crystal in the containment clamps. He takes a moment to align the activation device, then steps back.

“Fire when ready,” Lily says.

Scarlett takes a deep breath. Power flows down her arms like water and pools in her palms. She thrusts her hands forward and throws the magic at the crystal.

A zigzag lattice like a spider’s web threads between her hands and the crystal, each line of power connecting to a different facet of the gem.

Power flickers inside the vessel, and Lily begins her runic incantations. A twisting feeling tightens around my stomach as Lily hits the second rune without issue.

“I’m not able to cover the entire surface. Reina…” Scarlett grunts, sweat glistening through the open slits of the back of her shirt. “Do you have anything left? Can you get to the other side?”

I push the feeling in my gut away and seek out my power. It’s low, but not empty.

I move to the opposite side of Scarlett and step up to the containment ring. Alastair’s magic parts for me and I slip through into the arena. It’s hotter than I’d remembered when I was the one blasting this stupid rock.

With a steadying breath, I raise my arm and let loose my power. The crystal whines under the strain of my fiery magic, and I can almost feel the fracture.

“Spread it out!” Scarlett yells.

“Hearths and chutes, my love,” Jasper calls from outside the circle.

I envision each of my fingers as little chimneys for the heat to flow through. Slowly, I open my hands and point them toward the crystal. Each new beam of light decreases the strength of the one from my index finger until my power is sputtering.

My head is already woozy, but I keep breathing, determined to see this through. Lily hits the fourth containment rune, then the fifth. She initiates the connection with Kazimir’s device, and my knees buckle .

An arm bands around my waist, and I smell the sea. Jasper presses a kiss to my temple as his other hand slides under my arms, holding them up.

“Let me help.”

I lean into him, letting him hold my weight, trusting he would never drop me. His pearly magic flows through my chest and reignites my fire. Strength warms me through, and love fills my heart.

The blue light pours from my fingers and into the crystal.

The aurora of green, blue, purple, and silver white shimmers around the gem.

The rune etchings glow brighter, blindingly so.

I close my eyes and pray that Zephrom is watching over us—or maybe she should be watching over Eyzanth, ensuring he’s not getting in the way.

A sudden rush of air sucks the breath from my lungs. There’s a noise unlike anything I’ve ever heard, like the low ring of a bell that vibrates in my soul. And then it’s done. The light behind my eyelids fades, and I open them.

There stands the intact crystal, all six runes glowing with an ever-changing spectrum of our colorful magics, all contained inside.

Scarlett grins at me, and I can’t help but return it. My body is weightless, floating on the high of our success.

“We did it!” Lily screams, throwing her arms around Alastair’s neck.

I stare at the skull-sized gemstone, hope soaring.

Soon, the dark goddess will meet her end.