Aldrik was there now. The barrier she’d made must’ve been destroyed when she’d focused on gaining the power of the Caverns.
Vi couldn’t tell if everything was happening incredibly slow, or very fast. Time had gone sideways. She was losing the battle to keep her mind in the present.
Aldrik scooped up Vhalla, fleeing with her as the Caverns began to break beneath them. Victor followed close behind.
The crystals around her exploded as the last of Yargen’s essence was absorbed into her and Raspian was freed. The burst shattered the doors to the barrier room. The ground cracked beneath Vi, while rocks jutted up around her. Victor didn’t even turn to look over his shoulder. He was so focused on tracking down his prey that he was ignorant to the true work being done.
Raspian’s essence roared forth. It sought out the man who had gained just a taste. Just as Vi was a channel for Yargen, Victor had become the first channel for Raspian. He would taint the world with the dark god’s magic, not even realizing the power he had.
Vi’s vision grew tunneled. The power was about to overwhelm her. She couldn’t fight it any longer.
The last thing she heard was a man’s scream, before the world went white.
Chapter Thirty-Five
The blinding whiteof the vision faded with the crackle of power. She moved, casting another beam into the darkness that engulfed her. She was shooting blind, her target evading every attack.
Spinning, she searched the desolate wasteland for any sign of Raspian. Vi moved across the ashen stone and rubble of a great civilization that had been reduced to dust. Her feet hardly hit the ground; her body no longer felt like her own.
Lightning cracked behind her. She spun on instinct, readying an attack. A plume of smoke rose from a dark spot on the ground where lightning had struck the earth, but there was nothing else.
A growl at her ear was the only warning she got before rows of razor-sharp teeth sank into her shoulder. Two clawed hands wrapped around her. They dug into her abdomen, flaying her alive. Lightning sparked through her, rising within her until she was limp and lifeless.
Then, darkness.
The vision slipped away like a veil.
Vi cracked her eyes open. They were crusted with sleep, or perhaps it was blood and sweat, given how much everything hurt. She raised a palm to her temple, feeling a tender spot where her head must’ve met a bit of jagged stone when she collapsed. Vi let out a groan and sat.
A fire crackled happily in the hearth next to her. Snow fell outside the window, piling high. She looked to the bed across from her—it was perfectly made. Deneya always tidied up her bed before leaving for the day.
Massaging her temples, Vi closed her eyes. That had been the most horrible dream. Red lightning sparked behind her lids and they shot open once more.
It wasn’t a dream. She could already feel Raspian’s essence on the earth like oil on water.
The door opened and her attention went to the man in its frame. Given his tired and worried eyes, she wasn’t the only one who could sense Raspian’s renewed presence.
“How do you feel?” Taavin asked, crossing over to her bed and sitting on its edge at her side.
“Fine.” The aches were already dissipating and she didn’t need him worrying about her. She needed information. “What happened after I passed out?”
“They made it out alive. I kept Vhalla stable for as long as I could—not healing her so much that it would raise questions.”
“But enough to keep her alive,” Vi finished for him. She looked to the window once more. “That was unnecessary.”
“What?” He took her hand. “Didn’t you—”
“It doesn’t matter. Raspian is free. Though some of his magic went into Victor.”
“I could sense it,” Taavin said with a cautious note. As though he was suddenly wary of her. “He headed toward the Capital.”
“Expected. Blood will run in the streets of Solarin.” The words were passive; though she physically spoke them, she didn’t feel them. She was a mouthpiece of sorts, it seemed. Perhaps she was in shock. The dream—no, vision—she’d had was fresh in her memory. That was the only thing her mind could focus on. “It’s time to go to Salvidia.” Taavin stood, pacing. “You’re uneasy,” she observed.
He looked at her with that same wary gaze. Vi couldn’t recall if she’d ever seen it from him before. He finally stopped, his back to her.
“I know that we’ve committed to this being it, the final time,” he said delicately.
“Yes, in me is now the essence of Yargen that was in the Crystal Caverns and three crystal weapons. All that remains is to collect the remaining essence from the ashes, and the final crystal weapon in you.”
