Page 34 of Celestial Shadows

Cambion forces his power into my spell as I weave a cocoon of destructive magic around Elioth. My eyes blacken like the mirror’s surface and blood drips from Cambion’s nose. The energy builds to a crescendo. Elioth drops to his knees with a roar that causes my ears to ring. The shadow mirror widens, opening a gateway into the other world. I use the vortex of magic and thrust Elioth through the surface. An explosion of great force knocks me down. My body aches and bile crawls up my throat, causing me to gag, but I hold back. I press my hands to the ground and push to my knees.

Cambion stands in a patch of scorched stone with the mirror in his arms. Elioth pounds against the unseen barrier with eyes burning with a promise of retribution. Though Cambion can’t see the silver vines crawling up Elioth’s arms or the cracks like fractured glass forming on his skin, I know he senses the evil of our father fading. Already, my ability to see into the mirror dwindles.

“How do we destroy the mirror?” Cambion asks weakly.

“What has been forged of shadow, must be undone by light. Use your power, Cambion.”

I stumble back, splashing into a shallow pool of blood. It soaks through my tunic, staining it black, green, and crimson. Cambion sends a tendril of light into the mirror and the darkness recoils. Cracks begin to form along the frame until the mirror shatters with a high-pitched squeal.

***

DRAGAN

Plains of Reckoning

“Fuck yeah! Did you see that?!” Baron’s voice blares through the communication ring as the dust settles around Cambion and Theren. It’s unlike Baron to cheer anyone on, let alone the Sons of Elioth. But even I can’t turn a blind eye to their impressive show of magic. Elioth, last of the dark sorcerers that draw from the Chasm, is no more. His heirs stand victorious where he met his end.

“Yes, I fucking did,” I reply curtly. “But if you haven’t noticed, I have the Knights of Umbria on my tail!”

“I’m sorry, Dragan. If I could fly, I would help.” The line on our communication rings goes silent. I curse under my breath and catch sight of Silvanus obliterating a cluster of shadow demons. He throws one of his mystical axes and it boomerangs back to him, after cutting down another slew of enemies. But as ten fall, twenty more take their place. Abedon’s army is beyond anything we prepared for.

My companions and I spent ages fighting against Variant when the real threat had been building a monstrous army—the likes this universe has never seen.

I call out to Pyre over my communication device, even as I see him in the distance. The necromancer flips onto the shoulders of a stone golem and fires a stream of arrows into a line of orcs. He leaps from the golem and onto a horse, barreling across the battlefield as if the mount itself is possessed by the power of The Veil.

“Pyre!” I yell again.

“A little busy at the moment!”

“Do these things have a weakness? Our weapons are useless against the dark riders.”

I hear the sound of clashing shields and the sickening suction of a sword being pulled out of a ghoul. “The Knightsof Umbra have not risen since the Singularity. They may be conditioned to the…”

“I need a simple answer, Necromancer! If there’s a way to kill them, I need to know.”

“The only being to ever successfully kill a Knight of Umbra without Eilish’s dagger was Variant’s father. You need the Sword of Eternal Flame.” Pyre drops the line and my ears fill with static. I search the scuffle below for any sign of Variant just as he soars toward a cluster of wyverns. He spins mid-air and slices the belly of one of the beasts, causing thick blood to rain down on the soldiers and orcs below.

“Variant!”

The angel turns, changing course until he reaches my side. I can barely hear his voice over the roar of the wind. “What do you need?”

“Your sword!”

Variant unsheathes his sword and the blade sparks to life. Flames engulf the metal in a cleansing fire. He tosses it to me, but a wyvern swipes me with its tail. The sword twirls as it falls to the ground. Variant dives after the enchanted weapon as Myerdoth knocks the wyvern out of the sky. The Knights of Umbra surround Variant. He swings the blade wildly, trying to drive them back.

I use my wings to shield my body as I push through their ranks to cover Variant’s flank, but he stops me with a wall of magic. “I’ve got this. Find Eilish. Make sure she’s okay.”

Myerdoth nods. “Go to the queen. I can cover him.”

My eyes scan the battle for any sign of Eilish, but it’s my heart that finds her. I sense her anger and confusion as she fights her way towards Abedon. Like an angel of reckoning, she slices through anything that stands in her way. Blood covers her armor and streaks of red mar her lovely face. I glide to the ground beside Eilish and block an incoming blow. “Elioth is dead.Cambion and Theren are alive, but their magic is nearly drained. Variant is fighting the Knights of Umbra with Myerdoth, but there seems to be no end to Abedon’s forces.”

“Baron says the souls of those who have fallen can’t cross over into The Veil. The barrier is weakening and we’re running out of time.” Eilish uses her sleeve to wipe the sweat from her face, causing more blood to smear along her cheek. “Baron and Pyre are trying to contain the energy, but the creatures in The Veil are drawn to all of the death.”

“What do suppose we should do?” I ask.

“The only thing we can do: keep fighting.” She braces her feet against the ground and pushes off, leaping into the sky as her wings open. I follow. My shadows spread along the ground, obscuring the orcs’ vision.

Baron’s voice booms in my ear. “Vampires!”

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