Maxon’s warmth radiates against my back as he steps closer. His presence is steady, grounding. The shadows in the corners of the cavern shift unnaturally, writhing and twisting like living things. Laughter—soft, mocking, and inescapable—starts to rise, filling the cavern with its eerie resonance.
“Senka, let Mia go,” I command, my voice firm despite the quiver that runs through me.
Nothing. Not even a flicker of acknowledgment. The distance between us feels like a football field when in reality it’s no more than a hundred feet. Panic rises swiftly, making my palms sweaty.
“Senka,” Maxon growls, his tone a low, dangerous rumble.
That gets her attention. Her eyes flicker, and for a brief moment, I see something—remorse? Regret? But it’s gone just asquickly, replaced by a hardened expression, her features set in stone.
“Where is Lutin?” I demand.
I’m almost afraid to hear the truth. The possibility claws at my mind; were they in on this together? A sick alliance to betray us all? Is Scarlett okay? My thoughts race faster than my words.
Senka’s eyes find mine. Then, the single word falls from her lips like a stone into a still pond.
“Dead.”
The world tilts for a moment. My heart skips. I don’t know whether to believe her or not, and yet the finality in her tone doesn’t allow much room for doubt.
“How?” I manage, my voice thin.
Her lips curl. “Me, of course. He never saw it coming. His neck broke like a twig.”
My breathing picks up, shallow and rapid. The room feels colder, heavier. The sharp, bitter taste of rage rises in my throat. My magic stirs unbidden, coiling tight like a serpent ready to strike.
In the distance, the deep, guttural roars of the luxaryn reverberate through the cave system, shaking the stone walls around us.
“Mia,” I whisper, my voice threatening to break.
Mia’s soft, brown eyes meet mine. They’re brimming with tears, but she straightens her shoulders, her voice emerging stronger than I expected.
“You got this, E. With or without me, you got this.”
Her words hit me like a punch to the gut, and I shake my head, refusing to accept the possibility of losing her. I take a step forward. The shadows around us whisper, a cacophony of tauntsand jeers. The laughter crescendos, a cruel and haunting sound that seems to come from everywhere and nowhere all at once.
“Senka, let her go,” Maxon orders, his voice tight with restrained fury. I can feel the heat radiating from him, his body trembling against the strain of holding back. His magic—the dragon’s fire—is building beneath his skin, an inferno begging for release.
Suddenly shadows converge behind the two of them, and I watch as two hands form from those shadows and grip Senka’s head, giving it a sharp twist. Senka’s eyes widen for only a second before her lifeless body falls to the ground. Then, without a second to comprehend what’s happening, the shadows surge forward, entwining like living tendrils of darkness. They move with terrifying speed, latching onto Mia. Their inky forms coil around her head, and she gasps, her wide, tear-filled eyes locking onto mine.
“I love you, Everly,” she whispers.
Her eyes flutter closed, and for a brief moment, time seems to freeze. Then her head jerks, twisting at an unnatural angle. The sickening crack reverberates through the cavern like a thunderclap, and the world crashes down around me.
“No!” my scream rips through the air, raw and broken, echoing off the cavern walls. The sound carries my anguish, ricocheting wildly until it feels like the entire world is screaming with me. Rocks and debris rain down from above as the ground beneath us trembles violently, the quake a physical manifestation of my grief and fury.
The shadows loosen their hold, and Mia’s lifeless body crumples to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut. My world narrows to her still form, everything else blurring into a haze ofred. Fury and grief swell inside me, an unstoppable tide crashing against the fragile walls of my control. My magic ignites, bursting free in a fiery wave that rolls across the ground, shaking the very air around us.
“Everly, stop!” Maxon’s voice is distant, drowned out by the roar of my emotions and the pounding of my heart. His hands grip my arms, trying to hold me back, but I twist away with a savage strength I didn’t know I possessed.
I tear free from him, my vision tunneling as my focus locks on the barrier ahead. My hands are already moving, my dagger drawn in a single, fluid motion. The blade’s edge bites into my palm as I slash it open, the sting barely registering through the storm raging within me. Blood wells up, warm and bright against my skin, and I run toward the barrier without hesitation, my hand raised and dripping crimson.
I faintly hear Maxon’s voice yelling my name, but it’s not enough to stop me. I need to save her. If there’s a chance, I’m taking it.
My palm meets the barrier, and the second the blood connects with the magic holding the Shadoweaver, it dissolves, falling like a shimmering waterfall to the ground. I hear Maxon curse behind me, but I run forward, dropping to my knees beside Mia. I gather her in my arms, holding her tightly against me. The ground shakes and tears stream down my face.
“Please, no,” I beg Morrigan and the gods to release her back to me.
The cavern ignites in a fiery blaze as Maxon’s magic swirls around us, forming a forcefield of protection. The shadows hiss and retreat.
