Page 35 of Crowned By the Shadow
“The Eldric from that vision didn’t survive. The Empress destroyed you and the corruption consumed you,” I countered. “There’s nothing left of who you were.”
Something flickered across his face. Pain, perhaps, or regret. It was gone in an instant, replaced by icy determination.
“Enough talk,” he said, his voice hardening. “You have a choice to make, Eclipse Child. Join us willingly, help guide the transformation of your friend into the Twilight Mage, and together we can face the coming storm. Or resist and watch her be consumed entirely by the Void.”
As if on cue, Wyn stirred, her head lifting slightly. Her eyes opened, and my heart nearly stopped. Where once there had been warm curiosity, now there were only swirling galaxies of darkness, pinpricks of light swimming in black pools.
“Senara,” she whispered, her voice strangely distorted, as if multiple voices spoke at once. “Help me.”
The plea cut through me like a blade. I stepped forward instinctively, only to be stopped by Thorn’s hand on my arm.
“It’s a trap,” he murmured. “Don’t cross the circle.”
Eldric smiled, seeing my hesitation. “She needs you, Eclipse Child. Only you can stabilize her transformation. Only you can save her from being consumed entirely. One being that touches life and death and one being that touches the darkness and the light, all four points balancing and steadying each other as they become stronger.”
I looked from Wyn’s corrupted form to Eldric’s half-transformed face, my mind racing. There had to be a way to save her without surrendering to the Void.
There had to be.
The Crown on my head grew suddenly warm, and the pendant at my throat pulsed in response. Together, they created a harmony of power that resonated through my entire being. The Mirror in my pack seemed to answer, adding a third note to the chord.
“The key,” I whispered, remembering Fiona’s dying words. “The mirror and the pendant together... the key.”
Eldric’s corrupted eye widened. “What did you say?”
I met his gaze steadily. “I said I’ve made my choice.”
With a swift movement, I pulled the Starforged Mirror from my pack, holding it before me like a shield. The pendant I gripped in my other hand, its power flowing through me, amplified by the Crown on my head.
“I choose to fight,” I said, my voice ringing with certainty. “Not just for Wyn, but for all who’ve suffered because of the Void’s corruption. For Fiona. For the person you once were.”
Eldric’s face contorted with rage. “You understand nothing!”
“I understand enough,” I replied. “The Void consumed you, just as it’s trying to consume Wyn. You’re just as much a prisoner as she is.”
“I am free!” he roared, his dragon features becoming more pronounced as his anger grew. “Free of the lies, the limitations imposed by those who fear what they don’t understand!”
“Look at yourself,” I hissed. “Really look. Is this freedom? Or just another kind of prison?”
For a moment, just a moment, I saw doubt flicker across his face. The human half seemed to war with the corrupted dragon half, as if two souls inhabited one body. Then he laughed, and it sent a chill down my spine.
The air crackled with tension as I stood in the heart of the Obsidian Keep, Eldric’s half-dragon visage glaring down at me from across the dais. The corrupted version of the Starforged Mirror loomed behind him, swirling with a dark energy that felt almost sentient. I couldn’t help but wonder if the Empress was somewhere behind it, watching. Tightening my grip on the pendant and mirror, my heart racing as Wyn hung suspended before us, ensnared in tendrils of darkness, I knew what I had to do.
“Do you think you can save her?” Eldric’s voice dripped with contempt. “You’re merely a child playing at magic. You don’t even understand your own magic, nevermind what’s happening to your friend.”
“You underestimate me,” I shot back, forcing my voice to remain steady despite the fear clawing at my insides.
Eldric chuckled, a sound that echoed eerily in the chamber. “And you underestimate the power of the Void. It will consume everything.”
“Not if I can help it.” My gaze shifted to Wyn. She looked so frail, yet there was a flicker of defiance in her eyes—a spark that reminded me why I fought.
“I’ll free you!” I shouted, stepping closer to the dais, but Thorn’s hand shot out, gripping my arm firmly.
“Senara!” His voice was urgent, but low enough to keep from drawing Eldric’s attention.
“What?” I hissed back, glancing at him while keeping my eyes on Wyn.
“We need a plan,” he insisted, his fiery gaze scanning our surroundings for anything that could turn this battle in our favor. “If we rush in blindly?—”
