Chapter 26
Chapter Twenty-Six
Senara
The oppressive darkness lifted, leaving me breathless in its wake. I took a moment to steady myself, the pulse of magic still thrumming through my veins. The air tingled as it brushed against my skin, almost as though it was charged, alive with the remnants of our battle against the shadow that had taunted me. I could hear Thorn's labored breathing nearby and caught sight of Wyn, her eyes wide with a mixture of awe and relief.
"Senara," Thorn said, his voice low and steady as he stepped closer. "You did it. You faced it down."
"I couldn't let it win," I replied, shaking off the remnants of doubt that still lingered at the edges of my mind. "We need to keep moving."
"Is anyone hurt?" Volker asked.
I looked around, feeling slightly guilty that I hadn't thought of the question.
"Nothing a stiff drink won't cure," Van mumbled back.
Thorn grunted an agreement, and Wyn just shook her head.
"Thanks, Volker, but I'm fine." Physically I was, but I also knew that the shadow's words would haunt me for a long time to come.
Together, we shuffled our way out of the room. In my mind, I imagined each step putting another barrier between us and the negative feelings and thoughts the shadows had tried to instill in us. Each step felt like a victory, a declaration that I would not let fear hold me back again.
The corridor ahead beckoned with an eerie glow. We followed its soft light until we reached an archway framed by intricate carvings, symbols I didn't fully understand but felt deeply resonant within me. As we crossed beneath the arch, a warm breeze washed over us, swirling with hints of starlight and moonlight alike.
"Look!" Wyn exclaimed, pointing ahead.
In the center of the next chamber lay a luminous altar, a pedestal rising from the ground like a beacon in the night. Atop it rested the Veilshard Pendant, radiating powerful celestial energy that pulsed with an almost sentient rhythm. The light danced around it as if celebrating our arrival.
Hesitantly, I stepped closer, captivated by its beauty, though also terrified that some monstrosity would guard this, just like the mirror had been.
The pendant shimmered in shades of silver and gold, weaving patterns reminiscent of constellations and celestial bodies. It called to me in a way I couldn't quite articulate; there was an ancient magic woven into its very essence, a promise from gods long forgotten.
"Can you feel that?" Thorn whispered beside me.
"Yes," I breathed out slowly, extending my hand toward it. My fingers tingled with anticipation as I brushed against its cool surface. The energy coursing through me surged to meet the pendant's power, harmonizing into something profound, an echo of my duality as Eclipse Child.
"It feels alive," Wyn added, her voice barely above a whisper as she gazed at it in awe.
I reached for the Veilshard Pendant, drawn by its pulsing energy. The moment my fingers closed around it, my Moon Mark flared with searing heat. Magic surged through my veins like wildfire, a blinding rush that knocked the breath from my lungs.
"Senara!" someone called, but their voice sounded distant, underwater.
My vision fractured into a thousand shards. Darkness swept over me, not the comforting darkness of night, but something ancient and hungry. I saw lands withering under a shadow that blotted out sun and moon alike. The Void Dragon Empress rose before me. Again. This time though, her form was shifting between dragon and woman, between darkness and nothingness.
"You are already mine," she whispered, her voice like ice cracking. "Look."
I glimpsed myself standing at her side, my Moon Mark corrupted with tendrils of void-black. The once golden light that had mingled with the silver was completely gone and replaced with veins of black ichor that stretched out over my skin from the mark, making me look exactly like the monster she had made me.
She pointed and my corrupted self ran forward, but she didn't see me standing there. Instead of fighting as I had expected, I watched as armies fell before us, most of which was at my hand. The courts burned. Fae blood coated my shadow's face and Thorn's body lay broken at my feet.
With each breath I took, the visions sped up, crashing through me, too fast, too much. The boundaries between realms tearing like paper. Stars blinking out one by one. My power growing, twisting, and feeding on the void rather than moon or sun until the moon and sun were nothing but withered husks that eventually fell from the sky onto the broken land below.
I was strong, powerful, but there was nothing that made me me in my shadow self. It was obvious as I watched her that all of that had died long ago.
"Stop!" I tried to scream, but no sound emerged.
Strong hands gripped my shoulders, yanking me backward. Thorn's face swam before me, his features contorted with worry as he seemed to fade in and out of existence in front of me.
"Senara, come back. Feel our bond. Follow it back. I love you. You're stronger than she is."
I struggled to focus on him, but the visions kept pulling me under like I was stuck in a riptide. The pendant burned against my palm, its magic fighting mine.
A sharp sting across my cheek snapped my head sideways. Wyn stood before me, hand raised, eyes wide with fear.
"I'm sorry! Thorn said to?—"
"I'm here," I gasped. The world rushed back into focus, leaving me gasping. "I'm here." I heaved a great breath and from the sting of the air in my lungs, I knew I must not have been breathing while the visions washed over me. As I took another deep breath, a cough raged through me, like the sudden influx of air was too much, and then the trembling started. I coughed harder, and tasted blood. I leaned away from Thorn and spat, a mixture of blood and ichor splattered on the floor.
Thorn didn't care as his arms encircled me. He pulled me against him once more, his warmth anchoring me to reality. "Our bond is stronger than her visions," he murmured against my hair. "Whatever you saw, we face it together."
I nodded, still shivering, but gradually steadying. The pendant's magic settled, no longer fighting but flowing with my own, becoming an extension of my power rather than opposing it. I clasped the pendant around my neck and tucked it into my tunic, hoping that would keep it safe.
"We need to leave," Volker urged, glancing nervously at the shadows gathering at the edges of the chamber.
"Can you walk?" Thorn asked, his eyes searching mine.
"Yes." I straightened, though I couldn't stop myself from patting the pendant that now securely rested against my chest as though I needed to make sure it was there even though I just put it on. "Let's go."
We fled the temple, my hand pressed against the pendant beneath my tunic. I couldn't seem to tear it away even though I knew that there was nothing wrong, nothing magical forcing me to keep my hand there, but the fear of losing the pendant as well as the mirror? It was almost too much to take.
The magic that had nearly overwhelmed me had now settled into a steady hum against my skin. Despite the shadows that seemed to reach for us, our escape proved surprisingly easy, almost suspiciously so.
Thorn and Van led our group through winding corridors, his warrior instincts and Van's music somehow guiding us toward daylight. Wyn's magic occasionally flared, illuminating our path when darkness threatened to swallow us whole. I gave her some side-eye, and she just mouthed that she was okay. All I could do was trust her, but now that we had the last artifact, I was going to have to talk to her about it.
As we approached the entrance, Thorn abruptly halted, raising his hand in warning. I nearly collided with his back.
"What is it?" I whispered.
"Movement ahead." His voice was barely audible. "Could be another ambush."
We pressed ourselves against the cold stone walls. Shapes shifted in the distance, not quite solid, not quite shadow. I gripped the pendant through my tunic so hard that I could feel the edges digging into my skin and making me bleed, but I couldn't seem to stop myself.
"This is ridiculous," I hissed, frustration bubbling up inside me. "How does everyone seem to know exactly where we are? We can't take a single step without being followed or ambushed."
Van turned to me, his expression one of confusion before it went oddly gentle as though he was talking to a child. "Because you shine like a beacon, Senara. To those who know how to look."
"What are you talking about?"
"To me, your energy is a song that flows on the air." His fingers mimicked ripples moving outward. "A melody so distinct, I have to actively tune it out when I'm near you. You'll never be able to hide, not completely."
I stared at him, dumbfounded. "A song?"
Volker nodded in agreement. "When I use my spirit sight, you glow like nothing I've ever seen before, like what I imagine a celestial being would look like. Silver and gold energy pours off you in waves so bright it's difficult to look directly at you. But it makes finding you remarkably easy."
"I imagine it's similar for other mages," he continued, glancing toward the entrance. "Fenvalur likely tracks you the same way."
The realization hit me like a physical blow. "That's why we got the Crescent Diadem without interference. Fenvalur's men couldn't enter the Twilight Gardens."
"Exactly," Van confirmed. "The Gardens exist in a space between realms and there's only those specific times you can get into the city as well. Your signature was masked there, or at least confused the lot of them."
I pressed my palm against my forehead. "So I'm basically announcing my presence to every magical being within miles?"
"Not to everyone," Thorn said quietly. "But to those with the right abilities..."
"Wonderful," I muttered, the weight of this new knowledge settling heavily on my shoulders.
"We need to keep moving," I said, straightening my shoulders. "If I'm so easy to track, standing still just makes us easier targets."
Thorn nodded, his eyes scanning the entrance ahead. "The shadows are thinning. I think we can make a run for it."
I glanced at Wyn, who looked exhausted but determined. Volker stood ready, and Van's fingers twitched as though already playing a melody to aid our escape.
"On my count," Thorn whispered. "Three... two... one..."
We burst from the temple entrance into blinding daylight. I blinked rapidly, trying to adjust to the sudden brightness after hours in shadow-filled corridors. The pendant pulsed against my chest, as though it was trying to reassure me.
"This way!" Van called, veering toward a dense copse of trees to our right.
We sprinted across open ground, vulnerable. My lungs burned with each breath, but I pushed harder, keeping pace with Thorn's longer strides. Behind us, I heard shouts, but they weren't voices calling orders. Oh no, these were the shouts and snarls of feral fae, of those poor corrupted souls that hadn't been able to fight against the Void Dragon Empress's influence.
"They're coming!" Wyn gasped.
I risked a glance backward. Figures poured from the tree line, at least a dozen of them. At their center stood a mage in a silver mask. No. I'd trusted him. I knew that Eldric and I had only had what was probably a temporary truce, but I hadn't expected it to be quite so temporary.
The pendant grew warm against my skin, responding to my fear and anger. I wanted to lash out, but I still wasn't convinced that it was Eldric. Maybe this was another mage who had a penchant for silver masks? I silently begged the Moon Goddess to let it be so, but there was no reply, not that I'd really been expecting one. Still, betrayal hurt, but I couldn't let it distract me. If we could just escape, then at least the pendant would be ours, and we would only need to worry about our next steps.
I whirled around, following Thorn's sudden sharp intake of breath. His eyes had narrowed, fixed on the silver-masked figure directing the corrupted fae.
"Eldric!" Thorn shouted, his voice carrying across the clearing. "Face us yourself, coward!"
The silver mask tilted slightly, but Eldric made no response, merely gesturing forward with one elegant hand. The corrupted fae snarled and advanced, their movements jerky yet purposeful.
"I know it's you," Thorn called again, drawing his sword. "Or have you become so weak you need these poor souls to fight your battles? One on one, Eldric, winner takes all!"
A bitter laugh echoed across the space between us, distorted by the mask but unmistakably Eldric's. The sound sent chills down my spine. This was no temporary ally anymore, but something else entirely.
"It's definitely him," I muttered, readying myself beside Thorn. "But what does he want?"
"The pendant," Van hissed. "It must be."
We had no more time for speculation. The corrupted fae lunged forward, their twisted bodies moving with unnatural speed. Thorn met the first one with his blade, slicing through corrupted flesh. I channeled power through the Crescent Diadem, creating arcs of silver-gold light that cut through our attackers.
"There's too many!" Volker shouted, defending himself with a short blade.
Beside me, Wyn's face contorted with concentration. Her hands traced complex patterns in the air, shadows gathering around her fingertips. "I can help," she whispered, her voice strained.
Before I could warn her to be careful, darkness pooled at her feet, rising and solidifying into shadowy constructs, wolves with gleaming eyes that leapt to our defense, tearing into the corrupted fae.
"Wyn!" I called, alarmed by the darkness swirling around her.
From across the battlefield, Eldric raised his hands, void-black energy crackling between his fingers. He hurled the spell toward us, not at me or Thorn, but directly at Wyn.
"Look out!" I screamed, but it was too late.