Page 19 of Crowned By the Shadow
As if summoned by his words, a chorus of inhuman shrieks echoed through the maze. More were coming. I couldn’t help but wonder if they had sensed the dissipation of the void magic and knew that it was safe to return and try to kill us once more.
Sebastian’s face hardened as he surveyed our surroundings. His eyes, so like my own, calculated distances and possibilities. “The eastern exit is our best chance,” he decided. “If we can reach the outer wall?—”
The hedges to our left exploded inward. More corrupted fae poured through, their movements even more unnatural than before. These weren’t just infected guards, they were something worse. Their bodies twisted at impossible angles, limbs elongated and joints reversed. The corruption had progressed further, transforming them into nightmarish parodies of their former selves.
“Run!” Thorn shouted, grabbing my arm.
We sprinted down the nearest path, the creatures in close pursuit. Their howls raised the hair on my neck. The noise wasnot the battle cry of predators, but the agonized wails of beings trapped between life and death.
We rounded a corner and found ourselves facing a dead end. Towering hedges blocked our path on three sides, with the corrupted fae closing in from the fourth.
“Shit,” I breathed, spinning to face our pursuers. My muscles screamed in protest, exhausted from the previous fight. The pendant remained cold and unresponsive against my skin.
Sebastian stepped forward, placing himself between us and the approaching horde. His posture changed, straightened with purpose and authority.
“I can create a passage,” he said, his voice suddenly calm. “A way out.”
“How?” Thorn demanded, eyes never leaving the approaching threat.
“Old magic. From before the courts divided.” Sebastian’s hands glowed with golden light, tinged with the silver of moonlight at the edges. “Magic they tried to make us forget.”
The corrupted fae slowed their approach, seemingly wary of the light emanating from Sebastian’s palms. He chanted in a language I’d never heard, one that was fluid and musical, yet sharp with power.
The hedge wall behind us trembled, then parted like a curtain, revealing a tunnel of swirling light. Not a rift to the Void, but something else, a passage between points in our own realm.
“Go,” Sebastian ordered, the strain clear in his voice as he maintained the spell. “This will take you to the edge of the capital. From there, you can make your way to the Shadow Lands.”
“What about you?” I asked, already knowing the answer.
The corrupted fae had recovered from their momentary hesitation and were advancing again, their movements jerky but determined.
“I’ll hold them off,” Sebastian said simply.
“No.” The word tore from my throat. “We just found each other. I’m not leaving you behind.”
Sebastian’s laugh was bitter. “Daughter, I’ve been a prisoner for decades. My mind has been broken and remade more times than I can count. But finding you, knowing you survived, that was worth every moment of suffering.”
A corrupted fae lunged forward. Sebastian deflected it with a blast of golden energy, but the effort made him stagger.
“Go!” he shouted again. “The passage won’t hold for long.”
Thorn gripped my arm. “Senara, we have to leave.”
I pulled away from him, stepping toward Sebastian. “The artifacts, the mirror, the pendant. We can use them against the Empress, yes, but I need your guidance!”
Sebastian shook his head, maintaining the passage with visible effort. “None of the artifacts will be of any use until you’re within the cosmic prison itself, face-to-face with the Void Dragon Empress. Their power is tied to her—they were created to bind her, not to fight her from a distance. And I won’t be able to follow you there.” Grief tinged his eyes.
Another wave of corrupted fae surged forward. Sebastian erected a barrier of light that held them at bay, but cracks appeared in the golden shield almost immediately.
“We need a mage who understands dark magic,” I insisted, repeating his earlier words.
“No.” Sebastian’s eyes met mine, suddenly clear and focused. “You need to understand that some sacrifices are necessary. The courts forgot that lesson long ago.”
The barrier shattered. Sebastian blasted the nearest attackers back with a pulse of energy, but more kept coming.
“Thorn!” Sebastian called over his shoulder. “Get her out of here!”
Before I could protest, Sebastian closed the distance between us and pulled me into a fierce embrace. For a moment, I felt the strength that must have been his before captivity broke him, the power of a king, a warrior, a father.
