Page 18 of Crowned By the Shadow
A corrupted fae leapt at me from above, dropping from an overhanging branch. I didn’t have time to raise my weapon. Instead, I thrust my hand forward, channeling the pendant’s power through my palm. The creature exploded mid-air, showering me with ash.
I wished I knew how to channel my power the way I had done a few times before, when I had thought I might lose Thorn and was able to wipe out a whole group of enemies in one breath, but I couldn’t seem to figure it out.
All I could do was fight until I reached Sebastian’s side, back pressed against the stone fountain. Thorn joined us seconds later, blood streaming from a gash above his eye.
“What are they?” Sebastian gasped, struggling to catch his breath.
“Fae,” Thorn spat. “Or at least they were at some point. The Void Dragon Empress’s corruption takes many forms.”
The corrupted fae circled us now, moving with unnatural synchronicity. Their black eyes fixed on us with hungry intensity.
“The pendant,” Thorn said between breaths. “Can you use it to get us out of here?”
I clutched it tightly. “I’m still not really sure how.”
“Focus,” Sebastian urged. “Feel the connection to the realms. Picture where you want to go.”
“How do you know this stuff?” I mumbled.
“King, remember? I studied the histories of our court so I could better serve it in the future. Joke was on me though, since I will never be allowed to serve the Sun Court.”
I shook my head at the foolishness of these fae as I closed my eyes, trying to concentrate despite the sounds of the approaching horde. I thought of Wyn, of the Obsidian Keep where she was held. The pendant warmed against my palm.
“They’re coming!” Thorn warned.
My eyes snapped open to see the corrupted fae charging as one.
“Now or never,” I muttered, gripping the pendant with both hands.
I poured every ounce of will into it, imagining the pendant creating a doorway between the maze garden and the Obsidian Keep. For a heartbeat, nothing happened.
Then the world tore open.
A rift appeared before us, a jagged tear in reality that revealed swirling darkness beyond. The corrupted fae shrieked in what sounded like fear, backing away from the pulsing portal.
“Is that—” I started.
“The Void,” Sebastian confirmed, eyes wide. “Not what we wanted.”
The rift pulled at us, its gravity increasing with each passing second. The corrupted fae nearest to it were dragged screaming into the darkness.
“Close it!” Thorn shouted.
I tried to release the pendant, to sever the connection, but the power had taken on a life of its own. The rift grew larger, hungry and insatiable.
“Senara!” Sebastian grabbed my shoulders. “You must control it!”
I focused again, picturing the rift closing, willing the pendant to obey. Slowly, painfully, the tear shrank.
The remaining corrupted fae fled, vanishing back into the maze as the rift collapsed in on itself with a sound like thunder.
I fell to my knees, exhausted. The pendant went cold against my skin.
“That,” Thorn said after a moment of stunned silence, “was not in the plan.”
I stared at the scorched ground where the rift had been, my hands still trembling. The pendant hung lifeless against my chest, its power momentarily spent. Around us, ash drifted on the breeze, all that remained of the corrupted fae who we’d defeated.
“We need to move,” Thorn said, helping me to my feet. “That display will have drawn attention.”
