Page 24 of The Obsidian Curse

“We’re here,” I whispered to Keeran. “And I’m ready to break the curse.”

18

niara

Ancient fire sparkedin long-dormant torches flanking the entrance, as if recognizing the return of Ignis’s son. I gently deposited Keeran at the threshold of the temple. Exhaustion crashed through me like a tidal wave, and I collapsed to my knees beside him. My chest heaved with labored breaths as a torrent of emotions threatened to overwhelm me.

Fear and hope battled within my heart as I looked down at Keeran’s immense, dark form. Worry for him consumed me. He was breathing, thank Morros, but he hadn’t stirred since we’d left the shore. I pressed my palm against his thick skin, wincing at the heat but unwilling to break contact. The bond between us thrummed with life, reassuring me that he still fought.

With one last concerned glance at him, I summoned my remaining strength and pushed against the ancient door. Itswung open with surprising ease, as if it had been waiting for our arrival. I climbed to my feet again and entered.

The interior of the temple stole my breath away. Like the Obsidian Oculus, it was a vast chamber, its walls etched with flowing script that gleamed with an inner fire. But instead of housing a sacred pool, the center of this space was dominated by a great pit that plunged deep into the earth. No water filled this chasm—only darkness that seemed to swallow light itself. I plucked a small pebble from the ground and dropped it into the abyss. No sound returned to mark its landing.

My gaze drifted upward to the ceiling of the temple, where, now that the waters had been pulled back, the structure opened to the sky above. Ignis and Morros were visible, nearly in alignment with Lyra.

Panic and excitement surged through me. We had only moments left.

I rushed back to the entrance where my mate lay motionless. “Keeran!” I called his name, shaking him gently. The rational part of my mind understood he needed rest to heal—most of his wounds had healed over, leaving angry red lines that scored his thick hide—but to break this curse, he needed to awaken.

Inspiration struck. I channeled a stream of water from the lake surrounding us and splashed his face. He groaned and wiped at the liquid with his large, clawed hands. His beast form was terrifying, yes, but also oddly familiar to me now—precious in a way I couldn’t have imagined days ago.

Eyes like pools of molten lava snapped open, fixing on me with an intensity that would have once made me shrink away. His mouth—filled with jagged, obsidian teeth—parted, but no sound emerged. Instead, his voice resonated directly in my mind.

Niara?His mental tone was weak, but alert.

“We’re here,” I whispered, relief washing through me.

He surveyed our surroundings, and awe transformed his fearsome features.It’s beautiful, he murmured.

“The eclipse is beginning,” I urged, glancing anxiously at the portal above. “We need to start the ritual. What must be done?”

With painful slowness, he rose to his feet, towering above me, and entered the temple. He moved closer to the edge of the pit and peered into its depths, then backed away.

I must make my vows to you, he explained, his mental voice growing stronger.Do you know what’s involved in the twining?

I nodded slowly, memories of forbidden stories and ancient epic sagas surfacing in my mind. “Only from fairy tales and old poetry. It’s... beautiful, I’ve always thought,” I said, my cheeks heating at the admission.

He smiled, and what should have been a terrifying expression seemed tender to me. The monstrous face was gentle and affectionate, and my heart swelled in response. He dropped to one knee, his massive form somehow graceful as he extended a clawed hand toward me.

Niara Waterborn, Tidemaiden of the Order of Morros,he began, his voice in my mind rich with emotion.I vow to share my fire with you, to warm your nights and light your darkest times. I pledge my strength to be your shield, my heart to be your home, and my soul to be forever entwined with yours. Through flame and shadow, I bind myself to you for all eternity.

I stood transfixed, unsure what response was required.But just as I started to fidget, some forgotten ancestral memory and knowledge flowed into my consciousness. A combination of vows I’d heard many times at Water Mage ceremonies and those I had never learned yet somehow knew by heart came to mind. Perhaps this was a gift of that Ember Fae ancestor whose blood had given me my fire magic. I spoke the response as if it were being channeled through my very soul.

“Keeran Flameborn, Prince of the Ember Fae, I vow to share my water and fire with you, to warm your nights and cool your days and for us to ever flow as one. I pledge my loyalty to be your protection, my love to be your vessel, and my soul to be forever entwined with yours. Through drought and deluge, ember and ash, I bind myself to you for all eternity.”

As the final words left my lips, a deep rumble emanated from the pit, shaking the very foundations of the temple. A golden light began to rise from the depths, growing brighter with each passing moment until it rivaled the glow of the suns themselves. The rumble intensified, and Keeran moved protectively in front of me, shielding me with his massive form.

Above us, through the portal, the celestial dance reached its culmination. Ignis and Morros both slid before Lyra, their combined shadows casting the daughter sun into momentary darkness. For these precious minutes, they would cover her, protecting her from the other moons who eternally sought her favor and from whatever other threats might lurk in the vast expanse of the heavens.

Far away on the coast, High Priestess Valya would be performing the Day Seven ritual—a ceremony that I hadstudied and practiced for years but had never hoped to master. Now, as I felt the dual powers of water and fire burning within me like twin stars, something profound shifted within my spirit.

The convergence of the celestial bodies—the brother moons both embracing the daughter sun—triggered a transformation deep within my being. It was as if a dam had broken, releasing a torrent of magic that filled every fiber of my existence. The rumbling from the pit grew louder, the light shining brighter, until the entire temple was bathed in a red-gold radiance that seemed to penetrate flesh and stone alike. It washed over Keeran and me, enveloping us in its warm embrace, scouring away all that we had been and revealing what we were meant to become.

When the light finally receded and I blinked my vision clear, my breath caught in my throat. Standing before me was no longer the beast of obsidian and flame, but Keeran in his true Fae form—powerfully built, with skin the color of rich earth and eyes that still held that hint of eternal flame behind their depths. My heart soared at the sight of him restored, his curse shattered by the power of our bond.

Along his hairline, a circlet of golden intertwining curving lines was imprinted on his skin. I raised my hand to it, watching it subtly glow. He brushed his fingers along my forehead as well, and I knew I bore an identical marking. Our twining marks.

My protective barrier, which had kept the lake at bay, began to fracture, allowing water to pour through the high windows of the temple. Yet rather than flooding the sacred space, the water danced midair above the pit, meeting the fire that rose from the depths—the underground volcanoupon which this temple had been built so long ago. The elements twisted and twined around each other in an elaborate, breathtaking dance, neither conquering nor yielding, but creating something entirely new in their union.

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