SERENNA
The prince slammed into Serenna, driving the air from her lungs as they crashed to the ground. Shadows erupted from him, tearing outward to brace against the shard’s blinding tide of light.
With her chest crushed to the earth, each of Serenna’s shallow inhales rasped against the weight of Vesryn’s arms, locked around her like a fortress.
Another burst exploded from the crystal, striking the prince’s magic. Serenna’s vision blurred as a hurricane of light and dark collided, sending shockwaves through the chamber.
“That gem—” Vesryn’s strained voice broke through her rising panic. “It’s reflecting the illumination it absorbed.” He gritted his teeth as he unleashed another blast of rending. “Tenfold.”
A surge of radiance slammed into his power, shredding the darkness into frayed ribbons. Serenna’s heart seized—rending was supposed to dismantle other magic, not be unraveled by it. A torrent of Essence detonated from the prince, but the wall of shadows began to buckle.
Vesryn’s ragged pants sawed in her ear, his disbelief crashing against hers as the crystal’s light ripped through his power. “I can’t hold it off!”
Serenna’s thoughts raced, colliding in frantic succession. “What if the shard is triggered by Essence?” It made sense—her experience in the volcano proved that the druids had left behind safeguards, clearly designed to defend the Hearts. “The crystal didn’t start attacking until your magic got close.”
“Then we need to get out of its range.” Vesryn split the air with a portal. Seizing Serenna’s arm, he started crawling through, hauling her along before she could suggest that they abandon this cavern entirely.
The rift spat them out near the base of the tunnel that wound back up the tree—beyond the searing flood of light. In the center of the chamber, the crystal fragment continued to blast molten beams, scorching jagged streaks where they’d been moments before.
Serenna sagged against the earth, pulse thundering as the cavern descended into an uneasy stillness. She eyed the crystal as its glow ebbed, dimming until it lay lifeless.
“Last time, we couldn’t touch the Heart without triggering a trap,” Serenna said, trembling as she recaptured her breath. “With this one, it seems we can’t even use Essence with that crystal guarding it.” She brushed away strands of hair clinging to her face. “Maybe I can manipulate the roots around the pedestal and draw the Heart to us without getting too close.”
Vesryn surged to his feet, Essence flaring around him. “I have a better idea.”
“Wait! Don’t…” The words died on Serenna’s lips.
Before she could stand or stop him, Vesryn launched a coil of force toward the Heart. Blue magic streaked across the chamber, a whip of energy that tore the relic free from its perch. Hurtlingthrough the air in a blur, the Heart landed squarely in his outstretched palm.
Color bloomed from the relic, its halo blazing like a prism set aflame. A cascade of light spilled over Vesryn’s face, sculpting every angle of his triumph.
Serenna stiffened as a chilling crawl swept over her skin. Beneath her, the tree stirred, a deep vibration reverberating through her bones.
The ground erupted before she had time to process the warning.
A vine shot upward, striking with the speed of a viper. A white-hot lance of pain ripped a cry from her throat as the shoot skewered her palm, its woody stem jutting out the other side.
“Serenna!” Vesryn’s shout rang distantly, muffled by the roar in her ears. The prince dropped the Heart and flung a slash of rending through the vine, severing its hold.
Serenna staggered to her feet, cradling her injury. Gritting her teeth, she yanked the shoot free, her palm throbbing with every pulse.
“That’s what I meant!” she snapped, trembling as blood trickled down her wrist.
Threads of mending sparked around Vesryn’s fingers, the crimson glow deepening the pallor of his face. His hand shook as he reached for her, the guilt pooling in his eyes as raw as her open wound. “I’m sorry. I didn’t think…”
His words trailed off as the ground convulsed again.
The pedestal exploded in a spray of splinters as dozens of vines erupted from the wreckage. Tendrils whipped across the chamber, snapping around Serenna’s arms and legs. The plants yanked her down, her spine slamming into the unforgiving ground.
Air burst from her lungs, leaving her gasping as instinct took over. Igniting Essence, she lashed out with shadows in a desperate retaliation.
The plants seized her faster than she could hack them away, closing in on her as if she alone was declared the enemy. They twisted tighter around her limbs and waist, pinning her to the earth. Panic flared, constricting her throat as her strength began to falter.
Power detonated from the prince. His strikes were frenzied, the chamber shuddering as each surge of magic obliterated the vines. Shoots disintegrated, severed by his assault, their grip loosening in brief but fleeting reprieves.
The ground heaved as new sprouts burst forth. For each they destroyed, two more sprang up, their movements steeped in vengeful malice.
Serenna screamed as thorns erupted from the vines, each spike a cruel needle piercing her flesh. Pain shattered her focus, Essence slipping from her grasp as the stalks swelled, jagged leaves unfurling. They sprouted with sinister purpose, a creeping tide of verdant wrath. Coiling tighter, the living mass sealed her in—as though the tree itself sought to entomb her beneath its fury.
