CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE #3
Hearing the worry in her tone, Deckard’s heart managed to overpower the compulsion within him. He met her amber-brown eyes. They reminded him of the shadows cast from the green and blue nebulae above them. He smiled and brushed a tender hand along her cheek. “Everything,” he said.
She gaped up at him, confused. “What?”
“I feel everything.”
Auden swore and rushed forward, pushing Thom out of the way.
He grabbed Deckard’s collar to get his attention, but Deckard could only stare at the sky around him.
“Jonn, listen to me,” the Day Mage ordered.
“You can’t give in to it. If you access your magic now, it’s going to take over, and you can’t sustain that. Not in here.”
A chorus of concerned questions filled the air like the stars that pieced the sky around them.
Deckard couldn’t understand their worry.
Why weren’t they as mesmerized as he was?
The sky was overwhelmed with galaxies, the power within compelling him.
He couldn’t stop what was happening to him any more than he could act.
He was locked in a stalemate of everything and nothing.
While the others pressed Auden for answers, Evylin yanked Deckard’s collar, forcing him to look at her.
“I need you to focus, Jonn,” she whispered.
“I don’t know what’s going on in your head right now, but you need to clear it and focus on me, understand?
Don’t think about the Keep. Think about me. ”
Deckard blinked. Flares of starlight reflected in her eyes.
He cupped her face, grasping for the clarity she offered.
It was easy to think about Evylin. She was all he wanted to think about anyway.
Her cleverness, her beauty, her smile, her strength, her perfection: She was everything. What else could he think about?
A calm descended over Deckard with a renewed weight. It slid like a lock into his mind, shutting out all other thoughts or worries. The bar slid down so tightly he couldn’t feel anything but the love he had for Evylin, its assurance whole and serene. Fondly, he ran his thumb across her cheek.
Evylin smiled, and a wash of relief filled her. “That’s it,” she said. The others were talking over one another, but he could only hear her voice. “Just focus on me.”
A hum started in the distance, an echo of emptiness that couldn’t be defined.
“They’re coming,” Deckard told her.
Her expression tightened. “The Shades?” she asked, but Auden called out before Deckard could answer.
“The Shades are coming,” Auden cried. “Get ready.”
Brea, Isla, Ilain, and Auden rushed to the front. Thom, Rafferty, and Vayden raised their weapons, following behind. Ethenn lifted the Wind bow, ready but waiting near Deckard and Evylin’s side. Only the couple remained still, gazes locked on one another.
“Jonn,” she said, holding the Night sword at her side. “Stay focused on me, all right? Don’t use your magic until absolutely necessary.”
The humming of the Shades grew louder, joining the whispering in his head. Their combined refrain was like the drone of the ocean, but one where the waves never crashed. It stayed constant and endless, urging him to think about Evylin. Only Evylin.
She took his hand, guiding him down the stairs. He watched her every move. Why had he been so worried about losing control? He had control. He had her.
Before them, the Shades formed from clay and crystalline shards. Their shapes were familiar. Those reflective black prisms looked like Deckard’s magic. Transformative and sharp. Deadly.
“Don’t let them touch you,” he warned Evylin.
She gave him a playful grin. “Wouldn’t dream of it.”
A soft yellow and light blue explosion broke out behind the glassy obelisk in the distance. Deckard looked up to appraise it. It reminded him of the frosted countryside of Wayford under the winter sky. His body warmed, a burning sensation rising in his veins. His heart leaped.
“Jonn,” Evylin said with obvious worry, “focus on me.”
With a gentle smile, Deckard met her gaze once more. “I am,” he promised.
And then the never-ending sky crashed down on him with its power, and his vision narrowed to black. Ethenn let off a single arrow as the Shades took a step forward, but no one else had the chance to attack.
A sense of total focus overcame Deckard.
His mind became a vacuum of thought, focused only on the woman at his side.
Her strength. Her goodness. Her safety. The silhouette of space erupted around him, black shards glittering in the vibrancy of infinity.
Everything and nothing ruled his mind, and his emotions leveled with a singular aim.
He heard Evylin’s voice call out to him, but her words were unclear as the voice of magic filled his ears.
Evylin.
Deckard didn’t bother to raise his hands. With a single thought, the crystalline shards erupted behind him like a supernova, flashing through the air to crash into the first wave of Shades. He was solely focused on defending his love. And he would stop at nothing until she was safe.