If we triggered anything, we’d be giving Thames exactly what he wanted. He’d made it sound like he didn’t actuallyneedme butwantedme to ensure his victory. The volcano erupting in any way could still give him what he wanted.
Lana rubbed her fingers against her forehead. “Vivienne kept reminding me my light could defeat all darkness.” She peered over the ledge at the dark ones screaming into the pit. Then she tilted her head up, looking around. “Ian, do you think there are other openings closer to the top like this one? If we can get higher, I can try to use my light somehow without worrying about dark ones catching on to us.”
“On it,” he said, jumping and shifting in less than a minute before quietly flying upward. With the growing smoke and hissing sounds from the bodies, along with the screaming, no one below was any the wiser of our presence.
Ian took longer than I thought he would have, but when he returned in his Fae form, his entire body was covered in sweat. “There’s another ledge farther toward the top. There’s a networkof tunnels throughout the volcano, and I think I’ve found one that will work.”
“We need to hurry,” I said. My skin crawled in anxious anticipation of Thames’s return. I didn’t know what Cassandra was doing or how long she could stall him, but we didn’t have an unlimited amount of time. Lana still had to do whatever she thought would work with her light, and something told me she’d need every spare second to crush this volcano.
We ran up a narrow, steep path. I scraped my shoulders along rocks more than once, cursing this damned place the entire time. Lana stumbled, and I unleashed my shadows, catching her and allowing them to wrap around her. They needed her. For the first time since taking Thames’s power-stifling poison, my magic surged forward, no doubt a side effect of being around Lana. As we ran, I let my shadows touch her and sure enough, they thrummed back to life.
We finally arrived at the ledge near the top of the volcano, allowing us a better view of just how wide the colossal mountain was.
The lava I’d seen from my chains was red and fiery-looking, but on the other side of the pool, a strange hue of black bubbled. It was as if the darkness devoured the lava there. Though liquid, and still churning like the red side, the growing black lava radiated a vile, oppressive evil. It filled me with absolute dread.
“What do you need from us, Lana?” I asked.
She bit her lip as she shifted back and forth on her feet, staring at the pit beneath us. “I’m going to try to tell my magic what I want and see if it can snuff out the darkness. Then I’ll have to find a way to bring this place down.”
“I’ll use my shadows to help tear it down when you’re ready,” I said, confident I could aid her somehow. I glanced over at the others, waiting off to the side. “Maybe Lucien should portal the rest of you home first, in case something doesn’t go our way.”
“Absolutely not,” Ian said, clenching his fists. “We’re in this together.”
Lana just shook her head. “Kade is right. If something happens, we need you to finish this war. Our people will need leaders.”
“No,” Storm said with a sense of finality I knew wouldn’t waver. “The only one who can finish this is you, Lana. We’re staying.”
Storm stared at Lana with conviction, turning toward me next. “We’re not separating. We’re destroying the volcano and going back to Ellevail to prepare for Thames.”
I nodded. “Okay,” I conceded. “We’ll guard the tunnel and buy her time.”
The others pulled their weapons, ready to take on any threat once Lana started wielding her magic. I reached forward, pulling her in for a kiss, just because I could. “You can do this.” No matter what happened here today, I was so fucking proud of Lana and all she’d overcome.
She smiled, then turned to face the lava far below. Her body glowed, light rising to the surface of her being, radiating outward and illuminating the space around us. She looked down at her hands briefly before aiming them down toward the blackened portion of the lava. Light poured from her in an endless stream, cascading down in a breathtaking torrent of pure white.
Her hands trembled the closer her magic got to the pool of lava. Wisps of darkness writhed against the light before sizzling in a smoky evaporation from the surface.
The screams of the dark ones sacrificing themselves ceased as Lana’s light flooded the cavernous volcano. I glanced over the edge as the head guard frantically looked around, searching for the source of the light, while the others stood with slackened jaws.
“Be ready for anything,” I told the others.
The guard’s gaze locked on Lana and he shouted, pointing upward. I didn’t hear what he said but knew they’d be coming.
Lana’s arms shook and she stumbled, almost falling to one knee as her light went out. I sheathed my sword and ran over to her.
“It’s not working. I’m not strong enough,” she said through gritted teeth.
“You are the strongest Fae I know, Lana. You can do this.” I brought my hands to her sides, gripping her hips as I steadied her.
Let us go to her, my shadows begged.
“Let me help,” I whispered in her ear, obeying their wishes.
Lana turned her focus to me, glancing over her shoulder. A spark lit up her eyes. “Just like in the forest, but we channel all of it, every bit of our power into the center of this volcano.”
Nodding, I grabbed her hand, smiling. “I believe I did tell you my shadows destroy when we first met.”
She laughed and I took her hands in mine, facing her. “Are you ready?” My palms were sweating as the heat in the room became unbearable. It didn’t matter, we were on the precipice of greatness, all because of her.
