Stop.
The command wasn't spoken. It was imposed. I channeled the authority I had stolen from the Sanctorum, the weight of a thousand years of binding magic.
The Skal froze halfway into the water. Its legs locked. It quivered, fighting the sudden paralysis, its mental voice a static screech of confusion.
Error. Command override. Unauthorized user.
"I am not a user," I growled, stepping past Flynn, walking toward the water’s edge. My skin burned, the golden markings flaring so bright they illuminated the cavern like a second sun. My vision tunneled, the edges greying out, but I held on. "I am the gate."
I gripped the metaphysical chain connecting the beast to its master. It felt shifting and slippery, like holding a live eel, tasting of salt and ancient, divine arrogance. Poseidon’s mark.
I squeezed.
Serve me,I commanded, pouring the dregs of the princes' power into the bond. I didn't verify the connection; I overwrote it. I burned away the blue-green sigil of the Sea God and stamped my own golden chaotic mark in its place.
The Skal shrieked, arching backward, its limbs thrashing. The psychic scream tore through my mind, a headache that felt like a nail being driven into my temple.
Pain. Formatting. New directive required.
"Your directive," I gasped, my knees shaking, "is us."
I pulled the leash taunt, snapping the connection to the ocean, tethering the beast to the five of us standing in the dark.
The creature slumped. The fight went out of it instantly. It dragged itself toward me, moving sluggishly, and collapsed on a nearby stone. Its glowing green eyes dimmed, shifting to a muddy, subservient yellow.
Awaiting orders,it gurgled, the mental voice stripped of its arrogance.
Silence crashed back into the cavern, heavier than before.
Kaelen stared at the subdued monster, then at me. His chest heaved, sweat slicking his skin, mixing with the soot and blood. "Aria?"
I tried to answer him. I tried to say something witty and reassuring, like Flynn would have.
Instead, the world tilted sideways.
The golden light on my skin sputtered and died. The adrenaline that had propped me up evaporated, leaving a hollow void where my strength used to be. My legs simply ceased to exist.
"Aria!"
I heard Kaelen’s voice, panic threading through the baritone. I heard the scuff of Flynn’s feet scrambling for purchase. I saw the blur of movement as they rushed toward me, terrified that I would break upon impact with the stone.
No.
I wouldn't be the damsel fainting into their arms. I wouldn't be the fragile mortal girl who broke every time she used her power. I was the Gate.
As gravity claimed me, I didn't fight it. I twisted, instinctively pulling on the heavy, earthen gravity that was Thane's essence, even if I couldn't channel his full power, the echo remained in my blood.
I slammed my hand against the ground before my knees hit.
Earth magic rippled out. The stone beneath me softened, turning from unforgiving rock to something resembling packed sand for just a split second.
I collapsed, yes. I fell. But I landed in a controlled crouch, one hand splayed on the floor, head bowed, panting like a dying animal. I didn't hit the ground; I met it.
Kaelen skidded to a halt inches from me, his hands hovering, afraid to touch, afraid to shatter. Flynn was right behind him, smelling of blood and terror.
"I'm fine," I wheezed, staring at the floor, watching a bead of sweat drip from my nose to the dark stone. My vision was swimming in black spots, and my heart felt like it was fluttering a thousand times a minute, but I was upright. "I'm... fine."
"You reconfigured a divine construct," Elias said, his voice filled with a terrified awe. He walked into my field of vision, thehem of his grey robe brushing the stone. "You took over a signal to a god."
