Laila.
I reach for her, to shield her, to take her away, somehow.
But she doesn’t reach back.
Her eyes sharpen. And, just as my arms are about to grasp her—she disappears.
No. She doesn’t disappear, sheturns. With half a breath, she’s a bat. I think she might fly away, leave this place, but then I feel it.
A cold surge of determination. Ruthless, targeted focus as she hurtles right toward me, fangs aimed at my neck.
I should have known. Laila has spoken for years about killing me. We’re the last two heirs standing, and she has wanted this for her entire life.
What did I think would happen? I’ve felt her emotions. She cares for me as much as she can care for anyone ... but she cares about power more. Just like Father.
I drop my hands. I do not portal away or reach for my sword. My father’s disappointment smothers me with the heaviness of tar, but I don’t care. I don’t fight back. I would never fight her.
Her bladelike teeth meet my jugular—and something happens. The deep-rooted mine of power within me awakens.
Shadows explode from my skin, sharp as knives.
They all stab through her at once, and I watch those catlike eyes widen. She’s thrown back by the force of my shadows. By the time she hits the floor, she’s herself again.
And her body is in mangled ribbons.No. What have I done? I lunge toward her and am hit by a tidal wave of pain and panic that hasme sinking to the floor. I crawl to her, and cradle her body, her blood streaming everywhere.
“I’m sorry,” I say, trying to stop the bleeding. Trying to keep her awake. “I don’t—I don’t know what happened, I—”
Her eyes.
They are filled with betrayal. With shock. With bone-withering sadness.
Then, nothing.
She’s dead.
I roar, clutching her body. No. This can’t be real. There has to be—there has to be a way for this to be undone.
I’ve read some of the ancient books. I know something exists ... a dangerous way to share power. To save a life. Totransferit. But it requires care on both sides.
I know better than anyone that Laila never truly cared for me at all. I try. Still, I try. I try to give her my own life, my own powers, to make up for the fact that Ikilled her.
But she grows colder in my arms. Her eyes remain open and blank. Her shade, her aura, is gone.
Gone.
Pain. True pain.
Shadows burst forth, destroying everything in their path, ripping open even the floors. They tear through the castle, a raging storm of darkness. My siblings’ bodies become ash before me. Laila’s body falls into the crevice, and I bellow.
Only my father and I remain.
For minutes, I just stand there, panting. Looking at what I have done.What have I done?
Then, Father walks over to me. He puts a hand on my shoulder, and I flinch. It’s the first time he’s ever touched me. It’s the first time he’s truly acknowledged me.
“Pain is power” is all he says. He leaves, and my body finally gives. I sink to what’s left of the floor.
She’s dead because of me.
