With a pointed look at Fern, who hopped down and wrapped an arm around Lunara’s waist, they were ready.
Shewas ready.
“Remember”—Araxis’s fingers tightened around hers—“let yourself feel it.”
The smallest parts of themselves began to vibrate, shimmying into the spacebetween.Into the invisible pockets and thoroughfares of the ether’s expanse. She sensed Araxis’s control over their particles, his steadfast hold. Sensed the moment he chose their destination, and held the vision in her own mind. And, as they leapt away to travel the ancient, teeming pathways…
Stars above. Shefelt it.
In the end,it was too much.
The constant begging and screaming and sobbing in his ears. The agony between bouts of blackened nightmare. The frailty preventing him from snapping his chains. The snippets of memory that wrenched up stinging bile before they were buried again.
The certainty it was all his fault.
She’d promised to make it all disappear if he was good. If he just did this one, little thing.
He’d held on for as long as he could—right up until she’d come to dance over him, chanting ancient songs, the razored darkness sawing something vital from within him and taking its place.
The loss of that intangible thing had hurt worse than any of the physical pain.
By the time he saw her again, he was nothing. No one.
So, he gave in.
The shame would have to haunt him later, for all it hadn’t really felt like a choice.
At first, he hadn’t been able to hold himself upright or take more than a few stumbling steps before collapsing again. She’d been confused, unhappy about the extra days. Or weeks, maybe? It was so hard to tell, but he was here now.
Feeling Solyrian for the first time since he could remember was almost worth his weakness. He might’ve laughed if he could remember how. Heard the birds and felt the wind. Thrown his arms out and plopped back into the grass to take it all in.
But he couldn’t, and he didn’t.
Instead, he stepped up to the void and looked across the chasm, at the Ghostwood looming just beyond the opposite edge, and grabbed onto the land with his power.
Bring it together. Close it up. That was all he had to do for her to cease the incessant torment. She’d keep him safe until then.
The earth rumbled beneath his feet, rock cracking and dirt crumbling. Beads of sweat dotted his brow and trickled down his back, his muscles straining as he brought himself right up to the limit of his considerable abilities.
A roar ripped free of his lungs as he pulled and pulled, the gap slowly shrinking. Shouts sounded in the distance, shapes drawing closer, but he ignored all in favor of his task.
Bring it together. Close it up. Make it go away.
Something elemental thrashed within, fighting from behind invisible bars. He felt its warnings, its rage. Wanted to embrace that inner being, but he couldn’t. Not anymore, no matter how hard he tried. Not unless he did this one thing. Not unless he was good.
The world shook with a cataclysmic shudder and the Ghostbor Dread Chasm was no more.
He turned his face to the sky and sunstar, allowed only a single, deep breath before the shadows engulfed him and whisked him away.
Soon. He’d be back with them soon.
The smell of burnt roses preceded her voice raking over him. “You’ve done so very well, my darling boy,” she crooned, running a hand over his hair as he laid down, exhausted from his labors.
He still didn’t understand why she kept calling him that. Who she was meant to be to him.
When the shackles closed around him once again, he didn’t bother with his usual threats. Didn’t fight or scream obscenities. Didn’t notice it was too quiet. That he couldn’t hearheranymore.
“Sleep. You’ve earned it. We still have a few more things to do, my love.”
