Chapter 10 #2
“Of course not—never, my lord. I was his prisoner,” I insisted, wincing at another sharp wave of pain from my ribs. “I saw you burning my home, my family. The villagers, too. Are they…?” The question burned off my tongue, tasting of ash. Are they dead?
Mithras made a sound of disappointment. “Don’t sound so pitiful.
As an Absolver daughter, you should know better than to question your Light Bringer.
To burn is to purify. If their souls aren’t purified, they’ll be reborn in the Shadow Bringer’s domain as his demons.
” Mithras held himself very still. “But perhaps you are right to be afraid. After all, you have been consorting with our kingdom’s greatest enemy.
” He raised a hand, light simmering, and I flinched.
The shadows nearest to me mimicked the movement, and Mithras cocked his head.
“And manipulating the darkness yourself, no less.”
“I-I’m not manipulating anything,” I said, voice cracking. “My sister was killed by the Shadow Bringer. I want no part of this.”
But the Light Bringer was not swayed. His hands glowed bright, drawing closer to me like flames on the pyre—and the shadows around me shot forward, slamming him to the ground.
Oh hell.
Mithras rose, eyes glinting. Golden, light-flecked blood dripped from his mouth, staining the top of his armor. “Well, well, well. I don’t think you were held captive, Esmer. I think you sought him willingly.”
“I didn’t mean to hurt you, my lord. That wasn’t me.” I said, equal parts shocked and distressed.
“I beg to differ,” Mithras snapped, making a point to raise his burning hands.
To my horror, the serpentlike shadows flared up, sensing my alarm.
They hovered by my waist and looped around my arms, ready to strike.
“The worst of humanity pulses through you, wicked girl. And to think I was prepared to bestow mercy upon you.”
The light in his hands burned brighter and hotter just as his eyes began to glow, aflame with unspent fury. His mouth curled up, showing bloodstained teeth. A predator’s tell before landing the fatal blow.
Mithras raised his fist and charged, sending a powerful blast of light at my head.
The shadows around me threw themselves into the light, but they were instantly destroyed, shattering as soon as their bodies met the Light Bringer’s blinding flames.
A serpent on my wrist tightened, yanking me down one second before the blast could touch me.
I quickly rose to sprint toward what was left of the Visstill Forest, but the serpent pulled me back, almost as if it was tied to something—or someone—else.
The Shadow Bringer.
He looked as horrified as I felt, trying to pry from his wrist the serpent that tied us together like some unholy rope.
It was clear he wanted to charge forward—to attack the Light Bringer—but I refused to let him.
The Shadow Bringer and I grabbed the serpent rope at the same time: I yanked left; he yanked right.
He was glaring daggers at me, clearly distracted, but managed to simultaneously blast darkness at Mithras, sending him flying.
Taking advantage of the momentary chaos, I hurled my weight toward the woods, desperate to break the bond that tied me to him. Unfortunately, the Shadow Bringer was dragged along, plummeting into my side. I kicked him, but the shadow bond only tightened, bringing us closer together.
“He’s within my reach. For the first time in five hundred years, he’s within my reach,” the Shadow Bringer breathed, chest heaving. “Let me go, Esmer.”
It was the first time he’d said my name, and it ignited something strange in my chest.
Disgusting.
“I can’t.” I tested the shadow again, but it didn’t budge. It sat tight on my wrist, looping up and around my forearm in the same manner it clung to the Shadow Bringer’s. “But maybe this binding will make you easier for the Light Bringer to kill.”
“If I die,” he said darkly, “your beloved Light Bringer won’t forgive you. He’ll simply chain you to the dark like a prisoner. Just as he did with me.”
“He’d never make me inherit your darkness, Shadow Bringer. This is all just a terrible misunderstanding.”
“You think so?” The silver in his eyes flashed.
I had clearly struck a nerve. “Then know that your version of reality is built on lies and deceit.” His riotous gaze fell to his gauntlet-covered arms. He flexed them, anxious to be rid of the serpent.
Nevertheless, it clung on. “But I suppose that doesn’t matter.
Soon I’ll be rid of you—for good. Mithras wouldn’t have it any other way. ”
The darkness began to rush back to the Shadow Bringer, surging to his hands.
What remained rose behind us in a threatening tempest, filling half the sky with a pit of starless night.
The sudden influx of shadows left the clearing in front of us empty, void of anything but the Light Bringer, his legion, and—
Demons. Dozens of them.
Mithras pointed a deadly charge of light our way, screaming at the legionnaires to strike us and the demons—just as the Shadow Bringer brought the tempest down, swallowing us all.