Page 53 of Secrets and Starlight
“Please stop,” I begged my magic.
My vision tunneled, my gaze locked upon Ninti, her flames dull, her fur ash gray. The heat grew unbearable, each breath like fire as I crawled forward, squinting at the horizon.
There, a figure appeared.
I’m hallucinating.
Her feet were cast in shadows, her face the color of the setting sun. She was wrapped in a robe of purple twilight. A deity.
The isle herself,Dusk.
“Child of Starlight,”she said, her voice haunting as the wind.“This once, I will help, but do not make a habit of it. It would disrespect me.”
I barely understood, except that when I next exhaled, a stream of starlight fell with my breath. The grip of my magic became a little lighter, a little less terrifying.
“That’s good. Again.”
Under her guidance, I repeated the process, my power loosening breath by breath. My power slowly separated from Ninti.
Dusk watched, standing ramrod straight as I exhaled one final time. My connection to Ninti fell away, and I collapsed at her side, my vision too blurry to check her breath.
“Will Ninti be okay?” I asked, the world tunneling.
“After all this time, the firewolf still hasn’t learned her limits.”The deity scoffed. She glanced at me a final time.“This once, I helped, but for the sake of the Isles, you must learn to control your power.”
She vanished.
Chapter nineteen
Claiming the Shadow
Zayne
Far above me, the earth shook, a rattling sound that caused my breath to catch. The vault surrounding me didn’t stir, untouched by whatever happened above, but the tether…
Ayla is in trouble.
I stared at Inarus, the spirit of my mentor haunting me even after his death. Guardian acknowledged the elder necromancer with a nod before returning to stillness.
Whatever my old mentor was doing here, I had no time for games. “How do I get the shard?” I asked.
“Not even a thank you?”Inarus taunted.“Despite everything you did to me, I left you an entire army, one hidden away from your noble refusal to draw upon the gifts you were given. I gave you my second shard.”
I scowled. It was a pity necromancers were so adept at climbing back out of final death because I had no time for this. Above, something was wrong with Ayla. Maybe I could safely leave this shard behind since no one except a necromancer should be able to reach it…
Inarus crossed his arms.“Claim the army. Accept my gift, and like everything within the vault, the shard will become yours.”
“It’s that simple?” That simple and that terrible. I had no interest in possessing a shade army.
“That’s it.”
Already, the bright light of Ayla’s magic had turned radiant and destructive. Her emotions were riot with adrenaline and… defeat.
Lips tightening, I decided. There was no choice, not when Ayla needed me. No choice when I truly couldn’t risk an unknown entity claiming the shard instead.
It has to be done.
“Fine.”
