Chapter Sixty-Six
Skylar Cathal
Thira.
“This way,” I announced as the four of us re-materialized.
The setting sun behind the volcano painted the sky in glorious crimson with kisses of pink and orange. The magnificent spectacle that birthed the Inner Kingdom towered over us as the ground beneath our feet trembled.
As if the dark magic of the wilt sensed our arrival, a veil of fog trickled in from all sides, blinding our approach toward the entrance.
The smell of sulfur coated my nose, the uncomfortable stench twisting my senses and growing stronger the closer we marched toward the base. I tilted my head skyward, scanning the mixture of heavy clouds covering a vast blanket of twinkling stars and searching for any threat from an attack above.
Nothing. As if the night had swept through the area and quieted the land. It was unnerving that we hadn’t encountered any creatures of the wilt.
Be ready, I told myself as my feet glided across the jagged rocks and fallen boulders encased by the blinding mists. Be willing.
The others followed my lead in deafening silence, blanketed by the baritone rumbles of the active volcano.
The tension in our group mimicked the thickening fog surrounding the base, making it impossible to see farther than a body length ahead.
But I wasn’t following the route to the Heart of Valdor with my eyes.
I was following the pulsing magic that trickled across my champion mark, pulling me toward the stone that would heal our world.
“Stay close,” I called out as I came to a stop. “Don’t get lost in this fog.”
Daxton paused beside me, Shaw only a few paces behind, with Castor lingering farther back. I halted our party to make sure he was still with us.
“Don’t stop on my account.” Castor chuckled as he rejoined our group.
I could feel Daxton’s stare over my shoulder as he glared at his brother.
“I’m just admiring this delightful scenery,” Castor said in a false sincerity.
“I’m not planning on losing anyone here today,” I said.
“I’m touched.” Castor winked as he placed a hand on his chest with a cocky grin.
I shook my head, trying to hide a half-hearted smile at his remark. Gods, I needed Castor here, even though I wish I didn’t.
“How are you navigating through this mist, Sky?” Shaw asked, his eyes scanning our surroundings. His animal helped him analyze every sight, sound, smell, and change he detected.
I took a moment to admire Shaw and how much he’d grown in these past months, becoming the brave and powerful leader that I was honored to call my beta. Shaw was a worthy male who deserved happiness and to find peace within himself after fighting for so long.
“The Heart is calling to me,” I said. “I’m following the pull of its magic through my mark.”
“It’s calling to a worthy champion,” Daxton whispered, placing a protective hand on my shoulder.
I turned and grinned at Dax, his unconditional love shining through his softened stare. He never doubted this fate. Never once did he falter in his belief that I would be here as the champion of the trials.
My mate was strong—so gods-damned strong. Valdor would need that strength in the fight to come.
“Dax,” I stammered as my limbs began to shake.
Daxton’s arms looped around me as I swallowed a heavy breath. I buried my face in his neck as I breathed him in deeply, putting his scent to memory, marking his essence as my beacon of light and hope.
“I know,” he whispered against my brow with a gentle kiss. “Everything’s coming together, Skylar. It’s natural to feel overwhelmed when we’re finally here. Lean on me. We’re in this together.”
Without saying a word, I clung to his sturdy frame, focusing on slowing my breathing to match his steady heartbeat.
“I’ve got you, Spitfire,” Daxton said.
“It’s this way,” I announced as I reluctantly stepped out of Daxton’s arms.
Before letting me go, Daxton brought my wrist to his lips, kissing the scar he left on the night we first met, giving me one final push of encouragement to continue.
Finding him, loving him, was a blessed gift I would forever cherish.
I led us to the tunnel entrance, with my animal’s magic rising within me to answer a call that sang to our souls. I could sense Shaw’s magic rising with my own the closer we were to the Heart of Valdor.
The entrance to the rocky tunnel was narrow at first, but thankfully, it widened as we stepped through.
Daxton and Castor conjured fae lights to hover above our heads, illuminating the winding pathway carved from what appeared to be magic.
Steps materialized before us, smooth and unencumbered, starkly different from the uneven ground here and outside the tunnel.
“Finally, an easy path,” Castor said with amusement.
“Thank the Gods above.”
“It’s too simple,” Shaw said with unease. “I don’t trust it.”
“Oh, because reaching this luxurious destination was a leisurely stroll through the palace gardens?” Castor said with a sideways glance.
“I’m not saying that—” Shaw grumbled.
The two of them bickered back and forth while I stared ahead at the inclined steps. My heart raced despite my feet remaining still.
“Skylar,” Daxton whispered as he stepped beside me.
I kept my stare forward, refusing to meet his gaze. “Let’s keep moving.”
The smooth volcanic rocks along the walls seemed to hum in my presence. My animal’s magic rose within my center, pulsating in unexpected waves to match the magic embedded in this ancient dwelling.
The cavern trail wound over small pockets of bubbling magma, bending and twisting in on itself as we ventured farther into the center, closer to where the Heart lay in wait. We meandered for hours in the tunnel, carefully traversing the passage, not knowing when or where we would reach the end.
Shaw paused on a turn, causing me to glance over my shoulder to see what halted his trek. A hint of green magic shimmered along his back, paired with a wave of unease. He shook himself to try and remain calm. His panther fought against his will, the magic of this place calling for him to shift.
“Let’s stop for a second,” I announced to the group.
“Are you all right?” I asked Shaw.
“It’s hard to explain,” he answered with a growl. “I don’t know how much longer I can keep myself from shifting.”
“I understand,” I answered. “It can’t be much farther. Try your best to remain in your human form.”
“Do you feel the urge to shift, Sky?”
“I do,” I said. “But with the champion’s mark, I can’t.”
“Right,” Shaw grunted as he rolled his shoulders, focusing on regaining control. “Let’s hurry up and get the fuck out of here.”
“Couldn’t agree more.”
“Is he going to shift?” Castor asked. “Do we need to brace ourselves for an overcrowded tunnel?”
“He’ll be fine,” I answered.
Shaw gave me a firm nod in agreement.
Daxton came to my side. “I can feel your magic growing the farther we travel along the pathway, Skylar.”
His scent of cold mountain air granted me a moment of clarity and ease.
“I believe it’s due to our proximity to the Heart of Valdor,” I said. “Shaw’s magic is responding in a similar way. It’s putting his panther on edge.”
I paused and recalled what the basilisk told me before he died. When your kind first sealed it away.
“It’s our shifter magic.”
“So, we’re close then.” Castor clapped his hands, readying himself. “That’s great news. I was beginning to wonder if this passageway led to the dungeons below Aelius. We’ve been walking for hours with no end in sight.”
Daxton scowled and shook his head, turning his attention back toward me. “Are you all right?”
“Never better,” I replied quickly, forcing a smile.
Daxton narrowed his eyes, unconvinced by my answer.
“Are you ready for what happens after we reach the end?” I asked, trying to divert his attention. “When the wilt is gone and—”
“War,” Daxton answered, with a sober look haunting his expression. “War is a sacrifice I’m all too familiar with, but… we can’t turn away when there’s something worth fighting for.”
“Agreed,” I said. “You’re the prince who was promised to unite your people and lead Valdor toward freedom, Dax.” I gazed at my mate, sensing Shaw and Castor intently listening nearby. “Never forget that.”
Daxton tilted his head, looking me over, searching for the hidden meanings laced between my words.
“Let’s keep going,” I said to our group as I forced my feet to continue marching forward.
The closer we ventured toward the Heart, the stronger I felt, almost like the Heart was fueling the blaze of my magic burning in my soul. Our trek continued well into the late hours of the night, but it wouldn’t be much farther. Perhaps one more turn and then—
“Hey, wait a second,” Shaw called out. “Did anyone else notice these markings?”
I froze in place. I’d seen them. I just wish they hadn’t.
Daxton stopped, turning toward Shaw with a fae light glowing overhead. My eyes glided toward Shaw’s hand as he traced over the carvings on the blackened stone wall.
“What is it?” Castor asked, stepping closer to examine the carving.
“It… It appears to be a—”
“It’s the Heart of Valdor,” I whispered.
“How do you know this, Spitfire?” Daxton asked.
“I-I just know,” I answered without meeting his gaze.
Shaw raised his hand to study the markings. “I think our ancestors carved these,” he whispered.
“Likely the shifter who sealed the Heart of Valdor away,” I said.
The depiction showed a male holding a stone in the center of his chest, with radiating lines encircling him and spanning through the edges of the carving.
A protective circle encased him, with what appeared to be his animal’s spirit or magic flowing toward the stone.
A stream of vertical light soared skyward from the center of his chest, cresting in a circular barrier surrounding him and the Heart of Valdor.
“What does this mean?” Shaw asked.
Daxton remained silent, carefully examining the rippling lines from the stone clutched in the male’s hands. “Do you feel it, Cas?” Daxton asked, turning toward his brother.
Castor raised his brows in surprise. “Thought it was just me.”
“Feel what?” I asked.
“Your power is more responsive as shifters,” Daxton said, “but I can also feel mine stirring. I feel stronger somehow.”
“The Heart of Valdor is affecting all of us,” I said, finally understanding what power this object truly held. “We’re all linked to it.”
Castor joined the others and traced his fingers over the markings resembling waves surrounding the stone.
“It amplifies the holder’s magic,” he stated, coming to the same conclusion I did, “but how?” He paused on the wisps of white emitting from the shifter male that drifted into the stone.
“What does this mean regarding…” Castor’s voice trailed off as his eyes turned black.
Without warning, I turned on my heels and began sprinting toward the end of the tunnel.