Page 36 of Heavenly Bodies

Sofia smoothed Elara’s hair. ‘Just try it. See if it helps.’

Elara woke up with a jolt. Her heart still beating fast, she clambered out of bed and hurried to the balcony, as was becoming her habit, breathing in the thick perfume of night-jasmine on the air.

Her emotions were spilling out of that damned box; in fact, the last few weeks it had become harder and harder to keep the lid on at all.

Squeezing her eyes shut, she took a deep breath in and out, as she tidily folded her feelings away, just like Sofia had taught her.

She was sick of these nightmares. Sick of her fear following her every step. She’d made progress, yes, but it wasn’t enough.

When she opened her eyes, she saw Enzo standing on the balcony outside his own room, staring at her across the way. Like he knew. Like he’d been waiting.

She nodded at him.

He nodded back.

Tonight, her shadows would be free once more.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

It was the middle of the night, and Elara was on the same cliff that Enzo had nearly careened them off weeks before.

The sky glowed burgundy, bathing the cliff in streaks of red. Enzo had slipped out just one palace horse, much to Elara’s chagrin at having to share with him after last time.

‘Are you sure?’ he asked, clenching and unclenching his fist. Light splayed and dimmed from it, and Elara nodded.

‘I want you to attack me with your light.’

‘And if the shadows don’t come?’

‘I’ve been turning it over in my head. That night, why my shadows became trapped. When my magick truly thought I was going to die, it fought. My shadows tried to protect me from that zealot’s light. After that night, I wasn’t able to summon them, but I’d never been placed in a position where I believed I was going to die. Even with Ariete—my prophecy had just been told. I knew I wouldn’t die, so my shadows never came.’

Enzo raked a hand through his curls as he drew his sword, tossing it between his hands.

‘So I have to try and kill you?’

Elara smirked. ‘It shouldn’t be hard. I’m sure you think about it every day.’

Enzo stuck his tongue in his cheek, a resolve settling over him. ‘Fine. But we need a safe word, if it gets too much, or you change your mind—’

‘No,’ Elara replied. ‘No safe word, no way out. You have to try and kill me. And mean it.’

She raised her own sword easily, and pointed it to the cliff. ‘Even if I beg, even if I plead, drive me to the cliff. Make me think you’re going to throw me over it. You forced me to tell the truth before. Tonight, I want you to force me to use my shadows.’

Enzo cricked his neck, and a veil fell over him. Flames ignited in his eyes, and fear began to pound in her heart.

‘This had better work,’ she muttered to herself, and then Enzo struck.

Light poured from his blade, bathing the entire cliff as it battled the deep scarlet night. Elara grunted as she parried his strike. Enzo had been going easy with her in training. Here, she was no match against the brute force of Prince Lorenzo, all-powerful son of Light. Her arm was wrenched down, no defence as her sword fell. Her survival instincts set in as she threw a swarm of illusory bats at Enzo. She lunged for her sword as Enzo blasted the bats into nothing, advancing again. Elara dropped to the ground, hands splayed as she forced her illusions over it. Enzo staggered as he saw a roiling, shifting sea of grass, just as she had willed it.

But he jumped deftly towards her, and struck her to the ground, making her lose the thread of her illusion.

She flung her sword up to block his blow, but he wrenched her wrist, and she cried out as he forced her to drop it.

The point of his blade pressed against her drumming heart, as Elara heaved. And then light burst from its point.

She screamed as it enveloped her. She shook, muscle memory taking over as it put her right back in the place she’d been eighteen years before. She wailed, but Enzo only gritted his teeth as more light poured through her.

But there was no heat in his light. No pain.

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