CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO #2
“Tapping into focus is like a gate for Mages,” Auden explained.
“Once the gate is open, the magic can flow out. But Jonn doesn’t have the training he needs to regulate how much power comes at once.
He has a particularly strong focus, so when he accesses magic, it’s like opening the floodgates.
The magic flows into him with such a force that the gates can’t be shut until it’s all used up. ”
“But he’s stopped before,” Rafferty said, eyeing Deckard curiously.
“He’s not been inside the Space Keep before,” Isla said.
Auden scanned the swirling expanse around them, flares of vibrant color tearing through the darkness. “The Keeps are magic in its purest form,” he explained. “When we entered, it pressed in on Jonn, urging him to access it. Once he gave in to that call to focus, it was too late.”
The Shades arrived then, twisting and coalescing, those black shards glittering in a circle around them, and Evylin realized the mistake she’d made. “I did this,” she gasped, realizing that it had been she who had urged him to find his focus.
Ahead, Deckard’s magic burst into life, cutting through the air.
Ethenn, Brea, and Evylin began picking off the Shades one by one as they tried to surround them.
Ilain, Isla, and Auden used their magic to take down the rest; ruby flames, golden flares, and steely gales burst through the infinity of blackness.
“What do we do?” Thom asked, standing with Vayden and Rafferty in the center, their weapons raised uselessly. “If we attack at close range, we’ll die, right?”
“It appears that way,” Auden called, then sent off another burst of Day.
“But we need to fight,” Thom said. “If we want to keep Jonn from using too much magic, then we have to make it to the obelisk as fast as possible.”
“It would help if you could, yes,” Isla shouted.
“I don’t fancy getting close to those things,” Rafferty said. “Not even for the colonel’s sake.”
However, Thom reset his grip on his sword and began to step forward.
Brea swept in front of him, then drew another arrow from the quiver on her back. “Don’t even think about it, mi’caro,” she said sharply. “Thom, Vayd, and Raff, you three do not fight. Stay in the middle. You’ll be our support. If Deckard goes down, we’ll need you to carry him.”
Though Thom ground his teeth, neither Vayden nor Rafferty seemed inclined to argue about their removal from the battle.
“We need to get to the Chamber,” Ilain ordered.
“Jonn doesn’t seem too concerned about speed,” Evylin noted.
“If you go,” Ilain said, “he’ll follow.”
Though she didn’t relish getting any closer to the Shades, Evylin began a steady walk toward the obelisk.
Deckard waited until she closed the distance and stepped with her.
He had already made good work of the Shades.
The rest of them hardly had to fight at all.
Flashes of Day, columns of Fire, and rushes of Wind tore through the Keep as silver, amethyst, and wooden arrows launched through the air with perfect precision.
“If you start to feel him draw on your energy,” Auden called, “shut him out. We can’t lose both of you in here.”
“I don’t know how to do that,” Evylin called back. A blast of shadow erupted to her right where Deckard walked, drawing her gaze to him. But he wasn’t there anymore. “What—?”
In the split second since she’d turned, another black cloud appeared in the center of the Shades up ahead, driving their numbers back.
“Holy hell!” Vayden exclaimed behind her.
“He can teleport?” Rafferty asked in wild awe.
Evylin’s fingers slipped on the bowstring as she watched Deckard standing amidst the Shades where the shadows appeared.
Her throat tightened at the thought of him surrounded in their midst as they exploded into black, yawning holes.
Yet, she couldn’t deny how impressed she was by the feat of power her husband displayed.
She didn’t know how much magic it took to accomplish such a thing, but she imagined it was far more than he should be using so early in the fight.
“Evie?” Ethenn called from far to her right. “What is he doing?”
Evylin lifted her bow again, forcing herself back to action. “I don’t know.”
“Should he be doing that?” Vayden asked.
“No,” Auden answered tightly. “He’s going to get us killed.”
But as Evylin let loose another arrow, she wondered if Auden was right.
With her steady press forward, they were already within a hundred yards of the Chamber’s entrance.
They’d never moved through a Keep this quickly.
Even if Deckard was using too much magic, they might move fast enough for it not to matter.
The third wave dwindled to the final few Shades, and the troop bolted for the obelisk’s black door. Though Deckard didn’t seem to be in a hurry, when Evylin made it inside, he moved with purpose to join her. They piled into the spiral stairwell, and Thom closed the door with a firm snap.
“Are we safe in here?” Vayden asked.
No one replied. Thom leaned against the wall, running a hand over his face. Evylin chewed on her lip in shared concern. They weren’t nearly as physically spent as they usually were when they reached the Chamber stairs. Yet, their worry for Deckard was proving just as exhausting.
Unaware of their need to rest, Deckard began down the stairs, his stride casual. Evylin caught his sleeve, pulling him to a stop. Two steps below, his eyes leveled with hers. His magic still glittered around him, and his gaze was cruelly soft in its blankness.
“Jonn,” she said gently, “I need you to listen to me. Let your magic go.”
Deckard’s brow pinched together. He reached up to cup her cheek, the shards shifting down his arm as he moved. “Evie,” he said tenderly, “it’s all right.”
“You can’t sustain this,” she warned.
“I can,” he promised. “I have you.”
“You can’t use me,” she insisted. “Do you understand that? I can’t carry us both.”
“You won’t have to.”
“Jonn,” she said sharply, “do not use my strength. You mustn’t.”
The lines in his brow deepened, but he nodded.
Evylin’s heart felt as though it would split in two. She wanted to believe that Deckard was right; together, they were strong enough to sustain whatever magic they needed to carry to fulfill their mission. But she was afraid. Terribly, awfully afraid.
Taking hold of his hand, Evylin whispered, “I can’t lose you.”
“You won’t.” His thumb brushed across her cheekbone, sending a line of tingles across her skin. “Trust me.”
Evylin pressed into his touch. “Always,” she promised, then kissed his palm. She released him, strengthened her gaze, and ordered, “Wait here.”
He dipped his chin in acceptance.
Then Evylin turned back to the others. They all watched with uncertainty, a strange blend of curiosity and fear in their gazes.
“We can still do this,” she told them. “We’ve made it through this far faster than ever before.
Not one of us has grown tired yet. Even if Jonn goes down, we can make it out.
Once we defeat the Guardian, we’ll have the Space Relic.
Auden, you can take it. I fear it will be too much of a temptation for Jonn to channel my power if I have it. ”
Auden nodded.
“We can do this,” Evylin repeated. “We will. Together.”
A smattering of nods and bolstering smiles were passed around the troop. They all trusted her. They believed in her. And in that moment with their fates in her hands, Evylin thought she understood the weight of responsibility Deckard so feared.
At her side, Auden’s fierce green eyes met hers. “We’ll get out of here,” he promised, voice low. “We’ll get him out of here.”
With an appreciative smile, Evylin turned to the others. “Are we ready?”
Their renewed courage emboldened her. They would do this. Together.
At the head of the troop, Evylin and Deckard descended. Even with his strange attitude, her heart began to fill with hope. No matter what happened, no matter how quickly Deckard’s strength waned, the rest of them could make it. And they would all survive this Keep.