CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
Thom stumbled and would have fallen if Evylin hadn’t held him so securely. He gaped in awe at the empty space where the Guardian had been only moments before. They’d never killed one so quickly. Never.
A collective shock seemed to roll through the room. Deckard and Rafferty approached from the dais as the rest joined them from the back.
Brea stepped over, checking to be sure Thom and Evylin were all right before saying, “It wasn’t that easy in the Fire Keep.”
“It’s never been that easy for us either,” Evylin said, her eyes on Deckard.
Thom didn’t like the tense expression on her face. Nor did he like the placid one on Deckard’s. It startled him, seeing his brother so completely vacant of his humanity. He was empty. Void. Infinite. They’d feared the Deep. But whatever this was . . .
Thom worried the consequences of this vacantly terrifying display would be much worse.
As their troop huddled together, Auden held his hand out toward Deckard, who stared at it blankly. “The Relic,” Auden prompted.
Deckard didn’t move, allowing the Space Relic to hang at his side. He turned to Evylin, practically dismissing the Day Mage. “It will be more powerful in my hands,” he said matter-of-factly.
Distress flashed across Evylin’s face. “You’ve already used too much power, Jonn. We can’t risk you blacking out.”
Deckard’s expression remained eerily unmoved. “Remember the Day Keep?” he asked.
They all paused, exchanging curious looks.
“What does that—?”
Deckard cut Thom off. “In the Day Keep, when Auden wore the Day Relic, he was able to control the Shades.” Understanding passed through the troop while Deckard concluded, “When the Mage and Relic match, they can control the Keep.”
“We don’t know that to be true,” Auden objected. “We are attempting to take the Relic from the Keep, not returning with it. The Shades will likely still try to stop us, and we have no way of knowing how much of your energy remains.”
Though Deckard showed no outward signs of irritation, Thom frowned.
Those magical shards still hovered around his brother’s form, undulating gently as though waiting on his command.
No other Mage had behaved that way in Thom’s experience.
Not even Ilain—the strongest Mage in two centuries—wore her magic like a cape.
Deckard had truly lost himself to his power, and he was bleeding magic every second he left it alive around him like that. How long could he keep that up?
Deckard didn’t bother fighting a battle of wills with Auden.
He turned back to Evylin, waiting for her command.
She blinked and glanced at Thom. He knew she felt the same concern as he.
But she also trusted Deckard. She wanted him to keep the Relic, to test the theory and see if they could simply walk out of here unchallenged.
Thom held no such quandary. He knew the danger. They’d seen Ilain lose consciousness after similar grand displays of power. Though Deckard wasn’t showing signs of fatigue, letting him access the power of the Relic would only speed his exhaustion.
“No,” Thom said suddenly, the word emerging with powerful force.
Everyone looked at him, but he didn’t flinch. This was his moment to prove himself, to show his dedication to his new purpose. He’d get Deckard and Evylin through this Keep; he would protect them, even from themselves.
Thom turned to his brother. “Jonn, give Auden the Relic,” he ordered. “Now.”
A curious expression drew Deckard’s brow down, but he didn’t act.
Thom sent Evylin a commanding look. She raised her chin in understanding, then reached across and took the Relic from Deckard’s hand. Immediately, she placed it in Auden’s.
The corners of Deckard’s lips twitched downward, but he didn’t argue.
“All right,” Thom said, wasting no time in taking control of the potentially perilous situation.
“We’ve got a Keep to fight our way back through.
Vayd, Raff, and I can’t do much, but we can keep an eye on the group.
If anyone starts to falter or is in danger, we’ll intervene. Otherwise, we’ll remain in the center.
“Auden, Isla, you two take the front with Brea,” he instructed. “The Shades will await us at the top, so we’ll need you to knock them back initially. Ethenn, Ilain, you take the left flank. Evie and Jonn, you’ve got the right. Keep the attacks ranged unless otherwise necessary. Agreed?”
Each of them nodded except for Deckard, who merely stared down at Evylin stolidly.
“Great.” Thom curled his fingers tighter around his sword, his heart thumping with nerves. “Let’s go.”
The others moved into formation, with Auden, Isla, and Brea leading the charge, but Deckard and Evylin remained frozen.
Thom skidded to a halt, wary of their exchange.
Deckard angled down toward Evylin, speaking with a flat, lifeless tone. “I could have carried it.”
“Maybe,” Evylin admitted, though Thom could see she held no more hope than him.
“Evie,” Deckard said, his voice taut, “I could have.”
“Maybe,” she returned.
His brow pinched together in that telling way of his. “Why don’t you trust me?”
Though Thom felt he was intruding on a private moment, he couldn’t look away.
Not when he had to ensure Evylin didn’t give in to whatever hold Deckard’s magic might have on her.
He’d seen her expression when Deckard offered his hand in the Keep above.
She was ready to let the magic consume her, too, and Thom wouldn’t lose them both to this strange, enthralling force.
Evylin took what appeared to be a breath to steady herself. “I do trust you,” she reassured, then gestured to the roiling cloud of crystalline shards around him. “But this isn’t you.”
Deckard looked disappointed, his brow furrowing deeper.
Evylin reached across, grabbed his collar, and pulled him down so their foreheads touched. Thom averted his gaze, listening only to ensure their safety. “I trust you, Jonn,” she said fiercely. “I love you.”
Through his peripheral vision, Thom saw Deckard lean in for a kiss, but Evylin pulled back. She held his gaze, piercing him with a sharp stare. “Which is why I need you to get this under control,” she charged.
Thom grinned to himself, proud of her fierceness.
Not a second later, Evylin was at Thom’s side, Deckard trailing behind. “Let’s get out of here,” she said.
Thom sent her a smirk. “With pleasure.”
The three Deckards hurried across the black marble tiles to meet their troop in the stairwell.
Thom kept an eye on Deckard’s magic, which still drifted around his form.
However, something in his brother’s eyes had lightened, which gave him hope.
And if nothing else, Deckard didn’t appear tired.
At this point, Ilain had needed assistance before she blacked out.
Maybe Deckard really had the strength to see this through.
At the top of the staircase, they readied themselves to continue the fight.
Brea had a hand on the door; Auden and Isla prepared to summon their magic.
“On your word, mi’caro,” she called lightly, though even across the distance, Thom could see the respect in her gaze.
She was a lieutenant, and he was a captain.
In the army, he would be her superior, Warrior or not.
And she was demonstrating that she honored his authority despite her experience over his.
Thom gave her an appreciative nod, then checked the troop once more. Assured they were all prepared, he met her gaze again and ordered, “Now.”
At his command, Brea yanked the door open.
Auden and Isla’s magic leaped forward, a torrent of wind and a strange shard-like flare—his Day magic altered by the influence of the Space Relic.
The first several rows of Shades flew back in the combined explosion of element and existent.
Auden’s power was much more potent than usual, and it replicated Deckard’s in its new glittering form.
Brea’s arrows covered the pair as they pushed out into the Keep. Vayden went next, sword at the ready, followed by Ethenn and Ilain. Rafferty and Thom plunged forward after them, with Deckard and Evylin at the rear. Everyone sprang into action, moving into the formation Thom had instructed.
At the front, Isla and Auden cleared swathes of Shades while Brea laid down cover with her arrows, keeping them safe as they pushed their attackers back.
Together, Ethenn, Ilain, Deckard, and Evylin watched their rear and flank, preventing the Shades from surrounding them.
The non-magical members jogged in the center, watching keenly, calling out warnings when Shades came too close or were attempting to outmaneuver them.
At first, it seemed they were doing well. The Shades were dwindling in number, and they were making steady progress.
Then a fresh wave of Shades joined the fray.
Their clay and onyx forms twisted to life like the nebulae above their heads. Desperately, they charged, pressing toward the front where Auden carried the Space Relic. Thom heard Deckard tell Evylin, “I can stop them.”
“It isn’t worth the risk,” Evylin replied.
He scowled, and Thom knew it was a sign that his brother was weakening. His emotions were growing less stoic, his posture more rigid. Though he could kill the Shades in great strikes of magic, it seemed he’d chosen to pull their impact, perhaps a response to Evylin’s plea for his control.
The Space Keep was alive with whole new stars, clouds, and nebulae. The colors flashed rust, turquoise, magenta, honey, and cobalt. If they weren’t fighting for their lives, Thom would have stood in awe, surrounded by the stunning expanse.
But they were fighting, and he was incapable of doing anything while watching his friends grow tired from the extended battle.