I could feel Elena’s breath catch beside me, her shoulders tense as she watched him reach for the door. He was close now, his hand lifting toward the handle, his fingers brushing the wood—and that was when I moved.
My shadows surged forward, wrapping around him in an instant, pulling tight against his arms and legs, binding him in place before he could even turn to react.
He let out a sharp, startled cry, struggling against the dark tendrils that held him, but it was useless. My shadows tightened their hold, pulling him away from the door and into the street, where Elena and I waited.
“Well, well,” I murmured, stepping forward, letting my voice drip with a calm, quiet menace. “You seem to have lost your way.”
The mage twisted in my hold, his eyes wide with fear as he took in the sight of me.
Now that his hood was down, I could see that this was not the mage who had hurt Meryn.Hehad had two different eyes, but this man had two cornflower blue eyes.
Elena gasped.
“He serves the Elders,” she said quietly, heartbreak in her voice.
Despite it all, it seemed my priestess had still hoped that the Elders were not involved. She had suspected, but seeing it confirmed, knowing that her own temple harbored the darkness we’d been hunting—it was a harsh blow.
A moment later, she took a deep breath, and visibly pulled herself together. She stepped forward, her powers flaring as she looked over our prisoner. I could feel her resolve beside me, steady and fierce, and it lent a strange thrill to the shadows thatwrapped around my arms, linking our powers in an unspoken pact.
“Who sent you?” Elena’s voice was sharp, cutting through the quiet with an authority that left no room for defiance. “What do you want with this boy?”
The mage sneered, his lips twisting in a defiant smirk, and I felt my shadows tighten around him, responding to the flash of irritation that surged through me.
He would speak, one way or another. I had ways to make certain of it.
“I’ll tell you nothing, High Priestess,” he spat, his voice laced with bitter contempt. “Do what you will. I’m not afraid.”
I watched him, assessing, and then glanced at Elena, my gaze questioning. She met my eyes, her jaw set, her expression unreadable.
For a moment, I wondered if she would step aside and allow me to do what was necessary.
“Elena,” I said quietly, my voice laced with a warning. “Step back. Let me deal with him.”
Her gaze narrowed, her expression unyielding. “No,” she replied, her voice calm, steady. “If you’re going to do this, I’ll be here. I won’t turn away from what has to be done.”
I felt a faint surge of admiration, a thrill that I couldn’t quite suppress, at her resolve. She didn’t flinch, didn’t retreat.
She met my gaze, and for a moment, I found myself wondering what it would be like to share my darkness with her.
“Very well,” I murmured, letting a faint smirk tug at the corners of my mouth. “But don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
I turned back to the mage, my shadows coiling around him, tightening, pressing against his skin, cold and unyielding. He gasped, his defiance wavering, and I could see the flicker of fear in his eyes as he realized that I was not bound by the same principles as Elena.
I was the Shadow King, and I had no qualms about using every ounce of my power to get what I needed.
I leaned closer, my voice low, laced with a quiet menace. “Youwilltell us what we want to know,” I said, my tone calm, assured. “Or you will learn exactly what it means to cross me.”
The mage shuddered, his resolve faltering as he met my gaze, and I could feel his fear radiating through the shadows, fueling my power.
I tightened my hold, letting the darkness press against him, suffocating, inescapable. He gasped, struggling against the pressure, his face pale as he realized that there would be no escape, no mercy.
His pleading eyes looked at Elena, but she simply looked back at him, her expression hard and unyielding.
“Help me,” he cried, when she made no sound. “We are doing this for the Temple! You’re supposed to be onourside!”
Elena flinched. “I am not onyourside,” she snapped. “I am here to protect the people. Not the Temple.”
The mage gaped at her. “But—but—you’re the High Priestess!”
