CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
Evylin forgot to breathe.
Her whole being was locked in shock and awe as Deckard’s magic exploded around him.
The onyx cloud of crystals glittered with shards of vibrant ruby, topaz, sapphire, amethyst, silver, opal, and emerald, reflecting as they spun.
Deckard’s eyes had become so dark they could no longer be called green, yet the expression on his face radiated peace, and she could feel the utter calm within him.
It was as though he no longer exuded any emotion.
His aura was a void, cold and dark like the Space around them.
While his magic tore through the first wave of Shades, Deckard began a slow, calculated walk down the onyx stairs, moving deeper into the Keep.
The shards emitting from him hit the creatures dead on, shadows separating into dozens of sections to pierce through their clay forms. Evylin watched as the Shades burst apart, their own shimmering fragments launching forward.
If anyone had been standing nearby, those shards would have ripped through flesh easily.
Then a single note vibrated through the air around each Shade that had been struck.
It was a hum so deep and low that it echoed in her chest as the shards halted their spinning explosion.
A twisting black hole formed at each Shade’s core.
The vacuum of space caused the crystalline pieces to rotate back in on themselves and into the center of the creatures’ beings, where they were swallowed up into the darkness.
“Don’t get near them,” Brea ordered at the front, seeing the destruction the Shades’ deaths brought. “They’ll suck you in.”
Evylin’s stomach sank as she looked around the group. The rest of the troop had blanched, their defensive postures slackening in horror at the scene before them.
Deckard stepped off the stairs, and Evylin was woken from her stupor. She darted down after him, grabbing his sleeve. “Jonn, stop!” she called.
But only for a moment did he pause, looking back at her with those dark black-green eyes. A small smile lifted the corners of his mouth. He set his hand atop hers, then removed himself from her grip.
Deckard turned and continued on the path.
Evylin gaped after his unimpassioned march away. Every time she’d seen a Mage use magic, they’d always guided their power with their hands. But Deckard’s still hung loosely at his sides while the magic did the work for him.
Once the first wave of Shades was gone, the crystalline shards returned to hover around his body, twisting and refracting like the nebulae around them.
A tremor worked through Evylin’s hand, and she felt the Night sword slip.
She tightened her grip but couldn’t move.
She’d never seen Deckard so void of emotion like this, so consumed by the resource that gave him power.
In their life together, he was so controlled, so reserved.
Now, he’d lost himself to the magic in a way she couldn’t fathom.
It struck her like a devastating blow to the heart.
Auden grabbed Evylin’s arm, worry creasing his brow. “We have to go,” he said. “If Jonn gets too far ahead of us, the Shades will cut us off.”
“He can’t sustain this,” Evylin muttered, eyes locked on Deckard as he continued across the Keep.
“It’s too late,” Auden said apologetically. “He’s gone to the magic. We must go with him if we want to ensure his survival and ours.”
Evylin caught Thom’s worried gaze as they hurried down the staircase after Deckard.
But the moment her feet touched level ground, her stomach leaped into her throat.
Her head spun. The world swirled around her, nebulae and starlight beaming with blinding intensity.
The infinite black sky surrounded her, and the world lost its center.
She floated in nothing, and she was overwhelmed by the everything of it all.
Evylin curled in on herself, unable to tell if she’d fallen to her knees or was free-floating in the Heavens. Her head reeled. She could see no up and no down. There was only everywhere in every direction.
Through the haze, a powerful tug began to pull at Evylin’s core. Peace thrummed within her. Total, unhindered, and restful peace.
Deckard.
Somehow, he was able to walk through this terror of chaos like it was nothing. She knew the pulse calling to her was his way of caring for her, telling her to relax and surrender to the everything and nothing surrounding her.
Evylin closed her eyes against the maelstrom. There was no calm in that expanse. So she turned inward—giving in to the part of herself that felt his gentle, soothing presence.
And there, at the very center of her being, Evylin could sense Deckard—fifty yards ahead of her and a little to the right.
He was moving at a slow but steady pace.
His heart rate was elevated slightly, and his whole body was alight with the heat of his magic.
His vision was tinged black, casting the world in a shadowed hue.
Magic rolled through him, but serenity ruled his thoughts.
No. Not serenity. Focus on one thing to the isolation of all else.
It was devotion. Loyalty. Love.
Evylin pressed into that feeling, letting it seep into her soul and overtake her body.
Heat seared her chest, followed by a sudden sting of cold.
Her heartbeat rose in time with his, and her blood pumped in a rush.
The hair on her arms lifted as her body acclimated.
The Keep took on a new form in her mind, the sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and touch shaping its every inch. It was everything and nothing.
And she was one with it.
With a deep breath, calm settled Evylin’s mind.
She opened her eyes to see the world in that black tinge she now knew Deckard was also experiencing.
Her thoughts were open and clear. The infinity of Space no longer swirled around her.
Rather than floating in nothingness, she stood on solid ground, body primed for fighting.
Her heart lurched, seeing Deckard in the distance fighting the second wave of Shades. She needed to be at his side.
Tightening her grip on the Night sword, Evylin sprinted across the Space Keep. Midstride, the sword transformed into a bow. Evylin raised it, pulled back the string, and let an iridescent amethyst arrow fly.
She caught up to Deckard’s casual gait easily, coming to a stop before him, sending off arrow after arrow, ensuring no Shade got too close. His magic took care of the rest.
As they cleared out the second wave, Evylin became vaguely aware of Auden helping the rest of the troop behind them.
Her focus was on the Shades and Deckard, but her Warrior magic sharpened to take in the rest of the Keep as well.
Auden moved from member to member, setting his hands on their heads for several seconds.
They’d all fallen to the Keep’s chaos as she had.
After Auden’s ministrations, they would rise, and he’d move on.
Soon, everyone was standing and hurrying up behind Evylin and Deckard.
Another Shade collapsed in on itself, sucking in its glittering fragments before disappearing with a pop of silence.
It was the last one. Deckard met Evylin’s gaze.
With excitement, her magic surged, and she took an unconscious step forward.
She could feel his gentle pride swell in her own chest. They’d taken on an entire wave of Shades themselves and defeated them all.
Deckard held out his hand as the obsidian silhouette of space coiled around his arm. He didn’t say anything, but the offer was clear. He wanted to walk through this Keep with her, just the two of them.
Evylin’s lips lifted in a smirk. She liked that idea very much.
She raised her hand, ready to take his. Then Auden called out, “Wait!”
Evylin hesitated just long enough for the Day Mage to make it to her side.
“You can’t go with him,” Auden said in a panic. “You’ll die.”
With the magic rushing through her veins, Evylin struggled to comprehend the danger in his warning. Her hand twitched to take Deckard’s. But a glance at the troop now gathered around them made her pause.
Thom’s gray-blue eyes were frightened, his jaw tight. Brea stood at his side, bow in hand and ever watchful, while Rafferty palmed his short swords nervously. Even Ethenn and Ilain watched warily.
Isla stepped around Vayden, her expression serious. “He’s lost himself to Space,” she said. “If you take his hand, if you go with him, you’ll lose yourself to it too.”
Evylin frowned. “But he isn’t lost.”
“The magic is controlling him,” Isla said. “Your husband is gone.”
Deckard’s confession from the previous night filled her mind. “I can’t control my power; it controls me.”
Evylin wanted to deny it. Her magic urged her to give in to the surging pulse of Space. But she knew it was true.
Seeing her hesitation, Auden pressed. “He’s using too much magic. It’s only a matter of time before he blacks out.”
“But we’re Bonded,” Evylin said.
“That’s the worst part.” Auden’s gaze was soft and mournful. “If he begins to tap into your energy, he can take you down with him. Then you’ll both pass out, and we’ll have to carry the two of you out of here.”
She turned to look up at Deckard. In his altered state, he acted as though he couldn’t hear them. He simply watched Evylin, hand extended.
“Come with me,” he offered, his voice both empty and deep all at once.
Painfully, Evylin’s heart squeezed. “I will not let you fail,” she whispered, then took a step back.
Understanding, Deckard let his hand drop. He showed no signs of disappointment or frustration. He merely turned around dispassionately and continued on his path toward the obelisk.
The troop hurried after him.
“What’s happened to him?” Thom asked, watching his brother’s departure, his expression filled with worry.
The hum of the Shades returned—the singular combined note an eerie drone.