Page 28 of Crowned By the Shadow
Ronan squared his shoulders resolutely and met my gaze head-on. “I should have protected everyone from those creatures instead of leading them straight home.” His voice softened slightly then as understanding dawned on him further; an undercurrent of regret bled through each word spoken: “My parents…they aren’t among those who escaped. They fought bravely to keep everyone safe, but in the end it’s my trail that they followed here, so maybe it will be my trail that leads them away. Besides, they have my uncle.” He turned and glanced over his shoulder at a bolder of a man who had to be a blacksmith or something. The man gave our little trio a curt nod before continuing his discussions with the other villagers. “They just have to get to the next town. There’s no evidence of the corruption that far south. For some reason, it’s all gone north.”
“Toward the capital,” I grumbled.
“Toward me,” Senara added in a whisper.
After a moment’s hesitation, where I thought Senara might lose her mind I said, “We need all hands if we’re going after Wyn. I’ll brief you on the road, and if you want to turn back, we won’t be offended or think any less of you.”
“As if I’d abandon that little mageling to the dragons,” Ronan snorted with derision.
“You haven’t heard the full situation yet,” I replied, my tone grim.
Ronan looked at me for a long moment before he nodded sharply. “Then let’s get to walking and explaining.”
As we set off toward the Obsidian Keep, I felt the weight of corruption spread like a physical burden on my shoulders. The feral fae attacking Ronan’s village were just symptoms of a much larger disease, one that seemed to follow Senara wherever she went. Not because of anything she’d done, but because of what she was: the Eclipse Child, destined to face the Empress.
I watched her as she walked ahead with Ronan, explaining our journey so far. The silver patterns of her Moon Mark glimmered in the fading light, but I could see the subtle darkness threading through them, corruption taking hold despite her resistance. Each time she used her power, the darkness spread a little further.
She was changing under the pressure of our quest. The frightened girl hiding her mark was gone, replaced by a woman who wielded ancient weapons and faced cosmic forces without flinching. Her confidence had grown alongside her power, but so had the burden she carried. Sometimes I caught her staring into the distance, a haunted look in her eyes that she quickly masked when she noticed my attention.
I admired her strength, her determination to save Wyn despite the personal cost. But I feared for her too. How muchcould one person endure before breaking? How much power could she channel before it consumed her?
And then there was our soul bond, the forbidden connection that had made us fugitives from both courts. I could feel it growing stronger with each passing day, our energies intertwining until it was hard to tell where I ended and she began. In quiet moments, I could sense her thoughts, her emotions, as clearly as my own.
As night fell and we made camp in a small clearing, I volunteered for first watch. Ronan and Senara needed rest more than I did, or so I told myself. In truth, I needed time alone with my thoughts.
Sitting with my back against a tree, sword across my lap, I watched the stars emerge one by one. Somewhere out there, cosmic forces were aligning, preparing for a convergence that threatened all realms. And here we were, three individuals against powers beyond comprehension.
I decided then, in the quiet darkness. If it came down to a choice between Senara’s life and mine, I would not hesitate. I would step between her and whatever ultimate sacrifice the coming battle demanded. I would break our soul bond myself if it meant she would survive.
She would hate me for it, I knew. Would rage against my choice, would try to stop me. But better her alive and angry than lost to the corruption or sacrificed to cosmic forces beyond our understanding.
I looked over at her sleeping form; her face was peaceful for once in slumber. “I’ll keep you safe,” I whispered, too softly for anyone to hear. “Whatever it takes.”
The vow settled in my chest, a weight and a comfort both. I didn’t know what awaited us at the Obsidian Keep, what horrors Eldric had planned, what price the artifacts would demand. But Iknew with absolute certainty that I would pay any cost to ensure Senara survived.
As the night deepened around me, I kept my vigil, watching over the woman I loved and the friend who had joined our impossible quest. Tomorrow would bring us closer to danger, to Wyn, to the confrontation that had been building since Senara first crossed into the fae realms.
But tonight, at least, they could rest under my protection. Tonight, I could be the shield I was trained to be.
And when the time came to face our destiny, I would be ready to make the ultimate sacrifice.
Chapter
Ten
Senara
The landscape transformed as we traveled north, lush forests giving way to jagged terrain that seemed to reject life itself. A day and a half of hard travel using the magic of the pendant to speed us along had brought us to the edge of Shadow Dragon territory. It was a place of myth and nightmare made real before my eyes.
I halted at the ridge, my breath catching in my throat.
The Obsidian Keep hung suspended between two colossal mountains, connected by massive chains that defied comprehension. Black crystal spires reached toward the perpetual twilight sky, their surfaces absorbing what little light existed rather than reflecting it. No bridges connected it to the surrounding cliffs—it simply existed in impossible suspension, a monument to power that was never meant to be approached.
“By the gods,” Ronan whispered beside me, his hair whipping in the bitter wind. “The stories didn’t do it justice.”
Thorn’s hand found mine, his warmth a stark contrast to the icy dread settling in my bones. “We’ll find her, Senara.”
I nodded, unable to tear my eyes from the fortress. After everything Thorn had explained to Ronan during our journey, from the Void Dragon Empress to the corruption spreadingthrough the courts, along with my birth parents and powers, I half expected him to turn back. But he’d remained steadfast, his loyalty and trust in Thorn outweighing his fear.
