Chapter 14 Kade #2
“I believe it came out again when Elisabeth was dying in my arms and I wanted to heal her.” She swallowed, steeling herself.
“Kade was there. Next, when my father was dying, and Kade was there again.” She twisted her braided hair in her fingers.
“And finally, it seemed to flare briefly at the Festival of Swords.”
I stood up straighter and connected her thoughts. “So what you’re saying is that I’m to thank for your magic?”
She scowled, clearly unimpressed by my joke, and continued processing. “Those were just small flickers of my light revealing itself. But what allowed it to finally break free?”
Jax and I looked at each other, while Ian put his hands up in the air, indicating he had no idea. Jax replied, “When we were battling Dargan. When Kade was in danger?”
She shook her head no, and now we were all confused. “That was when it happened, but it’s not why it happened.”
The three of us stared quizzically at Lana as she stared right back at us, like we should know what she was thinking.
“My magic came to be when I accepted Kade as my mate. When I made that realization and accepted it to be true, my whole body filled with light that exploded out of me. Clearly something about my magic is tied to Kade, since my prophecy stated, ‘with lover’s touch she shall ignite’.”
Chuckling, Ian came and placed both of his hands on Lana’s shoulders. “The prophecy isn’t so bad now, huh? Mates haven’t existed for over a thousand years, and yet the one person who still believed in them ended up finding her mate and getting one-of-a-kind magic.”
“I told you they still existed.” Lana stuck out her tongue at Ian and moved to stand before me. “So I think I need you to be the one to help me.”
I tucked a wisp of hair that broke free from her braid behind her ear. “Of course I’ll help you.” Tilting my head to the side, I asked, “How about you give us some space, guys?”
Ian and Jax nodded in agreement and moved back to the campfire. Jax took over tending the stew.
My focus shifted back to Lana, and my shadows pooled at my feet.
They seemed happy, giddy. They couldn’t wait for Lana to be near them once more.
As if those mere moments where she paced alone were too much separation.
They swirled around her ankles and circled their way up her legs.
She grasped my hands and the shadows continued up both of our bodies.
“Where is your magic, Little Rebel?”
Lana closed her eyes, and I could feel the beads of sweat forming on her palms. The shadows continued growing around us, creating a cocoon.
“Focus on wherever that feeling of home resides. Somewhere that light stems from.”
Her brows furrowed. “That’s what Storm said.”
I huffed as she gripped my hands tighter. “Well, at least I know he gave you good advice.”
My shadows around us swirled faster, practically pleading for Lana’s magic to come out.
Please, come play with us. We promise not to hurt you. Come out, light. We’ve been missing you for so long. We must be one again.
Slowly, and with hesitancy, a glow emitted from Lana’s entire body. The shadows became frenzied with their excitement, filling every crevasse within me. I could barely contain the anxious energy thrumming through me at their anticipation.
Lana’s eyes grew wide. “It’s working.” She couldn’t stand still, and she hopped back and forth on her restless legs as more and more of her light magic radiated out of her. Together, swirling in perfect harmony with my shadows, Lana’s light shone brighter, reaching beyond her frame.
Suddenly it disappeared and Lana looked over her shoulder toward Ian.
“What is it?” I asked.
She worried her lip between her teeth. “My magic was always inside of me. If I had found a way to harness it sooner, Ian could have been spared so much.”
“What?” I took her chin between my fingers.
She clenched her fists. “I’m angry,” she admitted.
“Angry that it didn’t help him. Help us with Andras.
Now it’s out and I should be ecstatic, not weighed down with guilt.
Sometimes, I wish it hadn’t come. Then I wouldn’t have to live with knowing I should have been able to do more back then.
” She inhaled sharply before finally meeting my gaze.
If she expected to find reproach there, she’d be wrong.
Instead, I softened toward her, feeling my shoulders slump as I took in this beautiful, selfless woman.
“No, Lana. If Ian heard that, he’d correct you immediately too.
For some reason your magic was trapped. Yet even so, it protected you from the darkness Andras wanted to inflict on you.
” I brought my fingers up to her side to where her scar lay, tracing it over her clothes.
My shadows continued to caress her even as I pulled my hand away.
“Your magic came when it was ready. When you were ready for it.”
She unclenched her fists slowly.
“Fighting against your magic will prolong discovering your strength.”
My shadows flared. Like you did.
I released her chin from my grasp. “Are you ready to try again? Try to accept that your magic was limited, but now it’s here to help you. Help Ian. Fates, help all of us.”
She nodded, a new resolve dawning on her features.
“Now, my shadows and I may help you by being there, but each of those moments you remember were times when you pulled yourself together from the depths of emotional despair. They were moments that could have paralyzed you, and instead you fought through them.”
She searched my eyes and let out a small sob. “When I accepted you were my mate, I also…” Her lip trembled, and I brought my hand to rest at the base of her neck, running my thumb along her jawline. “I told myself I was worthy. That I was worthy without magic. I accepted it.”
“Ah, see? Not just me, Little Rebel. It’s you. Now try again.”
Lana closed her eyes and inhaled slowly. “I am worthy of this light,” she whispered.
I squeezed her hands in mine and let her focus. The light flared quicker than before, and this time, my shadows didn’t have a chance to coax anything out of her. She exploded with light, shining even as she opened her eyes and smiled at me.
She let go of my hands, and even though the light faded enough to see her clearly, her smile remained as she jumped into my embrace, wrapping her arms around my neck.
“I knew you could do it.” I set her down and kissed her cheek. “You never needed magic to be worthy. You were a force before this, but now? My love, you are the light to my dark. The good to my evil. And nothing and no one will ever stand in your way again.”
A faint smile appeared on her lips. “Thank you.”
My shadows weren’t ready for Lana’s magic to recede.
Please stay. We’ve gone too long without you.
“Soon,” Lana whispered back to them.
She really could hear my shadows. Maybe her light would speak to me too one day.
The intimacy of the moment shattered as Jax yelled, “Come eat.”
Lana practically floated back toward the campfire with her head held high. Even in the twilight of the evening, she glowed. My shadows and I would follow her and her light to the ends of Atheria.
The morning arrived too quickly, but as soon as the first rays of sunlight peeked through the trees, we were up and dismantling our campsite.
Last night, Lana lay restless for hours next to me until my shadows helped settle her magic.
Now that it had freely come to the surface, it didn’t seem to want to return to any kind of dormant state.
While it may take years to understand the full extent of what her light magic could do, I knew she could call on it and it would answer.
Her fear about Ian’s reaction to her magic appearing, broke a small part of me.
They’d spent years under Andras’s thumb, suffering, enduring endless hours of torture.
While I was no stranger to torture myself, the thought of my mate repeatedly hurt multiplied my rage and need for vengeance tenfold.
I trotted behind Ian, just like yesterday, as we made our way closer to the border of the Southern Forest. Lana rode beside me, and I couldn’t stop glancing over at her, needing to reassure myself that she was here, and we were still together.
The ride to the Southern Forest only took a few hours. As the tree line came into view, the caws of a strox could be heard echoing in the distance. I’d never forget the sound of the beast from the third and final trial. Ian put up his fist in the air, signaling for us to stop.
“From here on out we are in uncharted territory. No one has entered the Southern Forest before and lived to tell the tale. Weapons out and be on alert,” Ian instructed. “Should anything happen, our priority has to be getting Lana out and to safety.”
I rolled my eyes, saluting Ian. “Aye aye, Captain.”
Lana’s huff of exasperation told me that the reminder of us placing her as the priority pissed her off.
I shot her as stern of a look as I could. “Ian is right. No taking any unnecessary risks. We find the journal and get the hell out of here. I, for one, don’t want to be some beast’s breakfast this morning.”
“Second that,” Jax quipped. “Mysthaven may have had voidlings, but your creatures are horrifying, Lana.” His whole body shivered. “I can’t believe I drew the short straw on coming along just because Storm is a more patient trainer.”
“You would have had everyone sitting around, listening to ridiculous stories instead of training,” Lana said, wrinkling her nose at him.
“Focus," Ian commanded.
I summoned a shadow sword as Lana pulled out the white dagger, turning it in her hand as we entered the forest. The blade glowed the second we passed the tree line, humming slightly in Lana’s hand.
“I’m going to guess that means we’re on the right path,” she whispered.
A shadow passed above us, its cry indicated we weren’t alone.
I tilted my head back and watched three strox circling above us.
Their midnight-blue feathers glittered in the morning light above the canopy of trees.
If even one of them decided to attack, our party wouldn’t last long, but three?
I pushed down the urge to tug Lana onto my horse and ride out of here.
The intense need to keep her safe would hinder her if I didn’t get it under control. She was more than capable. If only this bond would listen.
We know how that feels, my shadows said wryly.
As we slowly edged our way farther into the forest, it became clear why Fae didn’t return after entering. Beady eyes peered out from fallen logs, and a hiss permeated the air around us.
There was a charge in the forest as five creatures slithered out from their hiding spots.
“Razorven,” Lana choked out.
“More make-believe nightmares?” Jax was the only one to answer her.
The creatures’ shining red eyes and the black hairs standing along the spines of their white bodies were enough to make me want to flee. That was before seeing their slitted tongues whipping through the air.
One of them hissed, its tongue snapping out before it moved closer, the others following, echoing the terrifying hissing noise until I almost had to cover my ears. We waited, unmoving to see if the creatures would leave us alone.
The shrill cry from earlier sounded again, only this time, it was much closer.
One of the strox landed with a thud to the side of us, and a razorven tilted its head, as if ready to watch the entertainment.
Two more thuds sounded behind me, and I stiffened atop my horse.
Just like that, we were surrounded, with absolutely zero chance of making it out alive.