Page 113 of Crown of Ashes and Desire

Midas laughed, the sound wet and wrong. "Martha has been quite useful. Her fairy heritage gives her such unique abilities. And her family's little trinket," he gestured to the amulet around her neck, "has been resisting my attempts to analyze it. The protective enchantments are too layered for casual examination—I'll need direct contact to understand its true nature."

From my position, I reached through our binding, letting Ada sense my presence. Her awareness flickered, and she shifted almost imperceptibly—not enough to alert Midas, but enough to show me she knew I was there. Her eyes darted briefly toward Kiraz, and I understood: the magical tethers meant the child couldn't be moved far from the circle without triggering harmful backlash.

I gathered my shadows, preparing to strike. Ada positioned herself as much as her bonds allowed, ready to shield Kiraz when I attacked.

With a surge of power, I blasted the door inward, shadows exploding into the room like a tidal wave. Midas was thrown backward, momentarily stunned by the sudden attack. Martha cried out, dropping her goblet as she clutched her amulet protectively.

"Hakan!" Ada gasped, relief flooding her voice. "Be careful—when I tried to move closer to Kiraz earlier, the golden bindings burned her. The whole circle is designed to keep us both trapped here!"

"Understood," I replied grimly, positioning myself between them and Midas while assessing the magical bindings. The golden chains were more complex than simple restraints—they were designed to channel and contain magic, part of the binding circle itself.

"About time," Martha muttered, and for a moment her natural personality shone through the compulsion. "Though I fear it won't matter."

I moved to break Ada's bonds first, shadows slicing through the golden chains. She gasped as her power returned, though I could sense her magic was still recovering from prolonged suppression.

"We need him alive," I told Ada as she struggled to her feet. "He has information we need."

"After what he's done to Martha?" Ada's light flared dangerously. "To Kiraz?"

Midas recovered, shadows gathering around him in a sickly corona mixed with corrupted gold magic. "The Shadow Lord arrives," he sneered. "How wonderfully predictable. Martha, open the way. Now."

Martha's face contorted in pain as she fought against the compulsion. "I... I can't... don't want to..."

"Do it," Midas commanded, his voice taking on the resonant quality of magical enforcement, "or suffer the consequences of resistance."

Martha screamed, her body convulsing as competing magical forces tore at her mind. The compulsion won. Against her will, her hands began to move, power gathering around her fingers.

I attacked then, hurling myself at Midas with everything I had. The fight erupted in earnest—power against power, darkness against corruption. Behind me, Ada focused her recovering light magic with careful concentration, methodically working to untangle the delicate magical tethers binding Kiraz to the circle. The work required finesse rather than raw power—like performing intricate embroidery rather than wielding a sword.

Martha moved with jerky, puppet-like motions, her fae magic creating the beginnings of an interdimensional portal even as tears streamed down her face. The drunkenness that had dulled the compulsion's edge was wearing off, leaving her more vulnerable to Midas's control.

My shadows gained the upper hand, pinning Midas against the wall. His tainted magic, formidable but increasingly desperate, could not match my fury. But then desperation flashed in his eyes, and he lunged—not toward me, but toward Martha.

With shocking speed, he ripped the blue-eye amulet from around her neck.

"No!" Martha cried out, genuine terror replacing the compulsion's dullness.

Midas's damaged hand closed around the Göz Boncugu, his magic surging into the ancient artifact. It flared with blindingblue light, the pupil at its center expanding unnaturally, seeming to fix directly on me.

I recognized the amulet's power too late. The Göz Boncugu was one of the oldest protective charms in both realms. Legend claimed it could ward off the evil eye, but its true purpose was more specific: neutralizing shadow magic, rendering the wielder of darkness temporarily powerless. Martha's grandmother had passed it down as general protection—she'd had no idea of its specific anti-shadow properties.

The effect was instantaneous and devastating. My shadows withered and dissolved, retreating into my body as if repelled by an unseen force. I gasped, staggering backward as the power that had been an extension of myself since birth suddenly vanished, leaving me hollow, ordinary—human.

"What have you done?" I choked, desperately trying to summon even the faintest shadow and finding nothing responding to my call.

Midas's ruined face split in a triumphant grin. "Ancient protection against shadow magic, corrupted by my gold power to completely blind shadow sight." He held the pulsing amulet aloft. "Your little friend was carrying quite the useful trinket. I sensed its power the moment I saw it—why do you think I kept her alive despite her resistance?"

"Give it back," Martha pleaded, the compulsion forcing her to continue weaving the portal even as she begged. "That's my grandmother's legacy?—"

"I'll return it," Midas said silkily, "after it serves its purpose."

He moved with unnatural speed toward Kiraz, his corrupted magic overriding the binding circle's protections. Ada threw herself forward desperately, but her weakened light magic sputtered against his golden barriers. Gold magic flowed from his hands into the tethers, temporarily severing their hold as hegrabbed the child by her arm. The circle's power flickered and died under his corruption.

Kiraz screamed, the sound piercing my soul. Without my shadows, I lunged forward anyway, but I was merely human now—strong and fast, but nothing compared to Midas's magic-enhanced abilities.

"Martha!" Midas barked, his hold tightening on the struggling child. "Complete the portal!"

Martha's face twisted in agony as the compulsion override her will entirely. "I'm sorry," she whispered to Ada, to Kiraz, to me—then her hands completed the final gestures.

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