Page 58 of King

His power surges through his arms, sending sparks from his fingertips as he awaits my order. But a chilling realization strikes me... the queen isn’t the real danger.

This dark force—whatever it is—is thesourceof the queen’s magic, making it far more powerful than she is. I don’t think it accepts her sacrifices as mere offerings, bestowing a fraction of its own power in return. I think it siphons the very life from her victims and transfers their essence into her, hoarding its own magic for itself.

All while slowly leaching power from everything around it.

It seems to be anchored beneath this spot, but its reach is spreading–the dead trees, the blackened path, the lifeless gardens and unfamiliar thorny vines creeping up the castle walls, even the servants’ hair... The darkness is a predator, stealthily draining the life out of the very realm itself.

I can’t see Kahras well enough to figure out how to help him, so I send a ball of light into a tree just past him, giving me asecond to find my aim. But as soon as the glow passes over his body, the whisps recoil and dart back into the ground. Kahras is free. He coughs and rolls onto his stomach to catch his breath.

Folas’s cry rings out from the shadows, jerking my attention behind us. Lucas shifts into his wolf form and races over to the large tree where he’s been hiding. Seconds later, a loud growl and piercing shriek fill the air. Lucas emerges with Folas’s arm in his jaws, trying to wrench him free from thick gray vines that have coiled around his ankles.

Vaegon blasts the vines away with an irritated huff then directs his hands back toward the spellbound queen.

“Forget her!” I shout. “Go for the source!”

Vaegon responds without question, aiming at the darkest patch of ground in front of the queen and waiting for my signal.

I thought he’d return as a baby. That I’d have to tear myself away from him to walk into this danger. But here he is, by my side, looking to me as a leader. He really is the key. Not only because of his power but also the strength he inspires in me. I feel invincible right now, and I intend to transform that feeling into a reality.

“Now!” I shout, and we strike together, unleashing a torrent of magic into the ground.

The air vibrates with our combined power as an explosion of fire and energy pours out of our fingertips. The blast hits whatever lies at the bottom of the pit, sending a shockwave that shakes the ground beneath us.

A cloud of charred roots and blackened dirt billows into the air. The ground trembles violently and shifts beneath us as the darkness continues to reel from our attack. Fissures splinter the ground, widening under the pressure. More shadows creep over the forest, leaving only the blue glow from our magic to guide us through what comes.

I glance down at the queen, relieved to find her stillmurmuring to the ground. Hopefully, she stays entranced long enough for us to defeat the darkness. Facing them both at once could be disastrous, and I’m not sure how much magic she managed to draw from Kahras before he got away.

“Again!” I yell, gathering as much magic as my hands can hold.

We send another powerful blow into the gaping crack. The hit sends a sheet of debris flying into the queen’s face. Unfortunately, it’s enough to snap her out of her trance. Her eyes widen in surprise at the turmoil happening around her.

Ignoring Vaegon and me, she zeroes in on Kahras, who is crawling away to safety. “No! It’s not enough!” she growls, jumping to her feet and charging at him.

With the ground laid open, the darkness is unbound. Gray, thorny vines erupt from the cracks, grasping hungrily at anything close by. A thick one grabs the queen and slams her violently onto her back.

The vines come for us, too. Thorns whip through the air, barely missing my face as they thrash around us. Some wrap around my legs, piercing into my flesh. The shadowy whisps spill out of the cracks and slide over our boots and ankles, and I can feel some of my stored magic being drained away. Vaegon and I have to switch from attacking to defending ourselves. The darkness can’t be allowed to consume our power.

The light from our magic seems to push back the shadows, just as it did for Kahras. As long as we’re shooting it outward, the shadows retreat. They writhe and twist like they’re alive, reluctant to leave but in too much pain to stay. Each time they creep closer, reaching for us like desperate fingers, they falter against even the faintest glow of our hands.

The queen screams in frustration at the vines, her aged voice suddenly full of life and power. She splays her fingers wide and digs them into the ground. Each joint strains and tremblesunder the weight of her magic. All sound and air seem to be sucked away, replaced by a low, growing hum.

She takes a breath and unleashes a blinding surge of white from her fingertips. The light floods the darkness, overwhelming my senses and throwing me off balance. The air slams back into my chest in a violent wave, and the hum transforms into a piercing shriek that leaves my ears ringing.

I don’t think the blast itself touches us, but the sheer force of it shakes the ground and causes me to stumble further. The vines around her explode into a cloud of gray dust, and the surrounding shadows retreat back into the darkness.

She immediately sets off for Kahras again. I throw my hands up to protect him, but Lucas rushes in and pulls Kahras out of her reach. The queen snarls and hurls a flash of magic at him.

I react quickly, throwing out my own to redirect hers up into the trees.

It’s enough to finally get her full attention. To her credit, she doesn’t waste time questioning how there are two of us. Instead, she cuts through a new vine that has coiled around her wrist and whips her hands in our direction.

Two bolts of bright magic hurtle toward us, but Vaegon deflects them with two of his own. He sends one of hers into the ground, but the other veers off course and pierces deep into my thigh.

The searing pain rips the breath out of my lungs, and I drop to my knees. My magic instinctively envelops the wound and staunches the flow of blood, keeping me in the fight. I use my position to my advantage and drive another blast of magic into the chasm we created.

More quakes rumble beneath us as I push myself to my feet. The queen loses her balance and falls right into the grip of a whipping vine. She remains calm this time, locking her eyes on us as her body begins to glow. The shadows slink away, but itcasts an eerie light on the wicked grin slowly spreading across her face.

Her magic flares out around her, blasting the vines away. I throw up a wall of blue flames, forming a barrier between us, but she just laughs and directs her attack at the darkness.

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