Chapter 53
Chapter fifty-three
Esmeray
Keerian had not taken his eyes off me since my abrupt arrival to this fucked up little party Adara had thrown. It emboldened me. It centered me. I could feel our soul tie strengthen and bloom bright and fast now that we were finally reunited. Or at least close enough to being reunited.
“Hello, finally, my love,” I purred to Keerian, directly through that black onyx embedded in our rings.
The direct link to my mate’s mind. Sparrow had waned the second we stepped through the portal, slipping the ring onto Keerian’s finger without Adara noticing, since I was busy blinding the room with golden magic, hiding her own burst of green to appear back at my side.
Then I activated wards to restrict the court from waning.
Keerian’s voice had immediately filled my mind, roaring at me to kill the spell that was weaving around the throne room, and my second burst of magic stifled it completely.
Adara had muted our connection with those almost impervious wards. After we slipped past the barricade using Laurent’s brilliant portal, I felt our soul tie clear and sing out to me.
My mate, my mate, he was here.
My heart had felt heavy, foggy, until I took that first step out of the portal and into this throne room. Now, my heart felt light, beating in rhythm with Keerian’s own.
I had never felt more powerful, as if my acat grew stronger within me. As if it had also been leaden and slumbering in Keerian’s absence.
Nothing would stop me from being reunited with him.
I just needed to deal with my twin first. Changing the succession to myself so publically had been a gamble, and I'd hidden my surprise when I felt Irridessen's own magic swell around me, marking me so quickly as the one True Queen Absolute.
Now, I needed to tear this traitor off my throne.
Sparrow’s body was half-hidden behind my wings, and I noticed the sheer shimmer of her own gifts projecting translucent shields of protection around the assembled court to keep them safe in case Adara realized they were all under Lenna’s influence.
And to keep them contained in the throne room until the memory finished.
No magic in, no magic out.
I kept pacing, diverting Adara’s full attention to me as my own illusions pushed, unseen, against the spell she used to hold Keerian to that throne.
Sparrow’s and my magic searched for any kinks in the cast spell.
Thinking of what Hale told us about Adara mirroring my power, I reversed my methods, using my own illusions to mimic the essence of the spell, aiming to release the hold she had on Keerian.
“What’s the plan here, my love?” Keerian’s husky voice filled my mind, eliciting a thrill down my spine. I fought the urge to look at him, my eyes only on Adara, luring her into a false sense of security. So far, Adara hadn’t noticed the Oracle, or Sparrow’s shields around the assembled court.
“I’m working on it.” I shot back down our connection. “You just hang tight until you feel that hold on you loosen.”
“So, sister, what exactly were you trying to accomplish with this theatric?” I asked my twin. “Because we both know the outcome. You aren’t strong enough to kill me. Even with your spells.”
The baiting worked. Maybe a tad too well. The air in the room began to hollow out and thin, rallying into Adara’s spell enhanced battle magic. Feeding her power. Silver tendrils slipped from underneath her lace dress, rearing their eyeless heads, readying to attack.
Adara bared her teeth in a snarl. Her nails began growing long and jagged, glowing that unearthly silver.
I braced myself, rallying my acat around me, golden light flaring from Goldriel.
Ready to block and dissipate the impending attack.
Sparrow’s green battle magic formed out of the corner of my eye, snaking out of her hands like vines. I crouched–
“Murderer,” the faint voice whispered behind me. I blinked, losing my focus. My power winked out at the same moment Adara’s did.
“Murderer!” Another voice shouted, as the court assembled began coming out of the Prism’s thrall, their renewed anger centered on Adara. Hate filled their eyes, hate that I had become so accustomed to, now rightfully focused onto their False Queen.
Adara flicked her eyes from me to Merrick, finally noticing Lenna, hidden behind him. Her eyes dropped to the Prism, still faintly glowing in Lenna’s white-knuckled grasp.
“Oracle,” she breathed, her eyes glowing silver, “you are an unexpected nuisance.”
And then Adara struck.
Faster than a viper, silver power snapped from her hands, barreling directly toward Lenna–a kill shot.
“NO!” Merrick shoved Lenna out of the way with his wing, throwing himself into the full path of the blow. Lenna tumbled to the ground and rolled, hastily snatching up the Prism that flew out of her hands before scrambling back.
The breath left my lungs as Adara’s magic hit Merrick directly in the chest, ricocheting him into the base of an opal pillar near the throne room’s doors.
Merrick hit the marble tile with a sickening thud.
Blood trickled down his face, red rivulets flowing into his beard before pooling onto the floor.
His grey wings crumpled around him at an unnatural angle as he slumped over.
And went still.
Sparrow screamed, launching herself at Merrick’s limp body, throwing herself atop him.
She slammed her palm down on his unmoving chest. Bright green light flashed and dissipated.
With a cry, she hit Merrick in the chest again, harder, green light flaring brighter, enveloping them both.
I threw out my hand, Goldriel flaring bright as golden power wrapped them in a shield a split second before another sharp burst of silver streaked across the throne room.
It hit the shield and exploded against the pillar, raining chunks of opal down. Sparrow ducked, but my shield held, the rubble bouncing off and rolling onto the floor.
Laurent ran over to Lenna, scooping her up and pushing the Oracle through my protection magic with Sparrow and Merrick.
Lenna immediately fell to Merrick’s side with panic etched into her features.
Whirling around, black robe billowing, Laurent bolted towards me as bright blue and white flames curled around his fists.
Rage clouded my vision.
I only saw her.
Standing on the dais.
The disgust on her face as she watched Sparrow’s green light flash again.
Goldriel hummed with power in my hand. I slashed the staff across my body, magic shooting out, hitting an invisible shield around Adara. She didn’t even flinch. Her gaze landed back on me. But it was like she was looking into my soul. Not me.
In my mind, Keerian opened up our ring connection, roaring at Laurent and Sparrow to assure him that Merrick was alive. Neither answered. He thrashed against the invisible hold binding him in place, as if strength alone would break their nefarious grasp.
I whipped my staff again, hearing a satisfying crack as Adara’s shield weakened against my onslaught of rage-edged power.
Laurent jumped skyward, raining fire down atop Adara’s barricade, resulting in a sheen of silver appearing around her.
Her shield was weakening. He landed at the base of the stairs, readying himself to strike again.
“Laurent, stay there,” I shouted the words into his mind, Keerian still bellowing at Sparrow to tell him if Merrick, if his best friend, was alive.
“If we rush her, Adara could wane Keerian out of here to complete the spell. We cannot lose them. My wards will not hold her here if she has a spell to break through them.”
I could feel Laurent’s anger palpating from him. The flames around his fists grew.
“Go. But, if this looks like it is going sideways, I am roasting her,” he growled back.
I pumped my wings, flying up the marble stairs at breakneck speed, hitting Adara’s shield head on.
My horns absorbed the brunt of the impact, and Adara staggered as her shield flickered and died out.
Blood ran down my nose, filling my mouth at the hit, and I spat it out as I landed–almost hitting the hem of her dress.
My twin. No more.
I took two steps up the stairs. Adara stood still, though dull blue eyes tracking my every move. Her silence made this all the more dangerous. She was acting like a wary, caged beast as I approached. How much of her soul had she given over to the spell book?
And that brought me to a crushing realization.
I couldn’t kill her at all if she was under the influence of that spell book.
If she wasn’t in control of herself. If somehow, Adara had gotten entangled into this accidentally, if she had killed and murdered under the duress of the spells in the book…
Her planned imprisonment and execution was potentially a rescue mission instead.
“Yield,” I snarled, pointing Goldriel directly in her face.
“Do you know what I uncovered in my research?” Adara whispered, taking a step away from me as I moved up the remaining stairs. She completely ignored the deadly weapon aimed at her face.
“Enlighten me. When you yield.”
Adara smiled, her thin, colorless lips curling into a smirk. She waved a hand and the beings still behind Sparrow’s barricades began screaming in pain. Two fae females close to the dais began clawing at their eyes as blood poured forth–before slumping over, dead.
“Sparrow, drop the shields now!” I screamed down our mind connection.
The shield she had created–effective against regular magic–was useless against Adara’s ancient spell magic.
Something neither Sparrow nor I anticipated.
We had inadvertently trapped the court, leaving them defenseless.
My mind eddied out as panic threatened to overtake me.
I whirled Goldriel away from Adara, aiming at and breaking the wards I put in place with a bolt of gold, allowing beings to wane once more.