I had cloaked myself in shadows, so that I was simply a figure in the darkness, but recognition flickered across her face nonetheless, followed quickly by a mix of anger and fear.
“You,” she hissed, her eyes blazing as she strained against the shadows. “The Shadow King.”
I took another step closer, close enough now that I could see the rapid rise and fall of her chest, the faint pulse at her throat. Her skin glowed faintly in the darkness, like a dying emberstruggling to stay alight.
Her face hardened, her eyes narrowing as she glared at me. “I won’t let you harm my people.”
Before I could respond, she twisted her body sharply, her hand darting toward the dagger strapped to her waist.
The blade flashed in the dim light as she slashed at the shadows holding her, her power flaring briefly as she tried to burn through the restraints.
But I was faster.
The shadows surged around her, coiling tighter, wrapping around her arms and legs like thick ropes. Her power flared as she slashed at my shadows with her dagger, the powers of the sun flaring bright in the dark.
The combination of the moonlight—the reflected light of the sun, diminished though it was, and the power that flowed from her dagger—all of it served to drive me back.
But I was not one to go down without a fight.
This priestess was inmydomain.
Stepping out of the reach of the moonlight, I let my powers surge, and covered the priestess in a shroud of shadows, cutting off all light.
She let out a frustrated cry, struggling against the restraints, but the more she fought, the tighter they became. I watched, my expression calm, though my heart pounded in my chest. She was stronger than I had anticipated, fiercer.
“Stop fighting,” I warned, my voice low.
“Never,” she hissed, her golden eyes blazing with fury as she pulled harder against the shadows. Her power flared again, golden light bursting from her skin as she summoned the strength of the Sun God, but it wasn’t enough.
The shadows absorbed the light, snuffing it out as quickly as it came.
Frustration and exhaustion warred on her face, her breathscoming in ragged gasps as she struggled in vain. I stepped closer, my heart hammering in my chest as I watched her.
She was like a flame, burning so brightly, but I knew she was close to burning out.
“Priestess,” I said again, my voice softer now. “You can’t win this.”
Her eyes snapped to mine, the only part of me she could see. Her gaze was filled with a fierce defiance that sent a jolt through me. She was afraid—I could see it in the way her body trembled, in the way her breaths came too fast—but she wouldn’t give in.
She wouldn’t let herself be defeated.
“I won’t surrender to you,” she spat, her voice shaking but resolute. “You’ll never break me.”
I stared at her, my chest tightening at her words. She was right. I could restrain her, overpower her with my shadows, but I could never break her spirit.
And, strangely, I didn’t want to. Iadmiredher strength, her fire.
The shadows around her loosened slightly, enough to give her some room to breathe, but not enough to allow her to escape. She sagged against the tree, her chest heaving as she tried to catch her breath.
I stared at her, wondering for the first time why I was so desperate to keep her trapped here. She had tried to flee, and instinctively, I had bound her with my shadows.
“Let me go,” she snarled, as she continued to fight me. My shadows tightened around her instinctively, snuffing out her golden light, and though she struggled, they slowly leached away her power, until her hands fell limp, and she fell to the ground, unconscious.
I wasn’t sure what would happen next, but I knew one thing for certain: I couldn’t let her go. Not yet.
“I am not your enemy, priestess,” I said softly though shecouldn’t hear me anymore.
Indeed, if what Nyx had said was true, perhaps this priestess would finally be able to help me break the curse that had kept me confined to the shadows for nearly a century.
