I inhale sharply as the twins drag their claws across my body. I feel as if they are playing with their meal. Rohhit continues cursing in the background, unable to free himself from the chains that keep him pinned down. Graven and Bardot share an understanding nod as if they have a silent conversation mind-to-mind about what’s next for me. I know my seconds are now numbered at this point.
With one last push, one mangled hand frees from the iron chains. With enough slack on the opposite end, I grab my axe beside the stone bed and rotate, swinging it with all my strength. My axe lodges directly into the top of the creature’s head with a crack that rattles the stone walls.
Bardot.
A guttural scream leaves Graven’s large mouth as his brother slumps to the floor. Graven flinches as if he is experiencing the same pain I caused. Black blood oozes down the twin’s gray face as his expression is frozen in time. His eyes remain open, but neither his soul nor darkness shines through. Graven leans to assist but quickly realizes he is without his brother once more. The creature remains in a trance over his brother’s lifeless body. Its curved back exposes sharp bones protruding out, and I revert my eyes from the gruesome sight before me.
I try to calm my rapid breathing, realizing that most of my body is still chained to the bed and one twin is eager to seek revenge. Calia screams from across the room as she watches her son once again take his final breath due to my actions. Shedoesn’t rush to his side; instead, she watches in horror, knowing that leaving the ritual site at this moment could cause more damage than they can afford to risk.
I twist toward Graven, desperate to grab my axe once more, my only chance at defending myself as the creature still stares at the lifeless body. I resist the urge to look at Bardot’s dead body. Unfortunately, I know the feeling of losing your brother, not once but twice.
My arm doesn’t quite reach the axe helve from the fallen twin as panic starts to set in. Graven slowly rises, his gaze in my direction, and my reaching becomes more frantic. Rohhit starts to kick his legs, barely touching the fallen body, to attempt to grab the weapon himself.
Graven stares at me, a growl seeping from his bobbing throat, and I know this is my final moment. I squint my eyes, preparing for the pain to settle in as he rips my body to pieces.
Calia screams from the ritual site, “You bitch! You will pay for that in unspeakable ways. Rip her to fucking shreds, Graven!”
The door bursts open, the hinges rattling from the impact. Shadows pour into the room, mingling with the dust falling from the ceiling to form a curtain of smog. Silas and Maines stand at the threshold, an angry darkness surrounding them. Silas’s expression is lethal.
“Don’t cross through there!” I scream. "The Wards are protecting this room from magic!”
They both stop, looking at their feet. Silas steps in, disregarding the warning altogether. His gaze meets mine, and I swear for a split second that his eyes are unholy black—he is drunk with rage.
“Back the fuck away from my queen,” the Prince of Darkness commands.
Even the black shadows around him are threatening to witness. The Prince of Andorwood has made his presence known. “You’ve just made the biggest mistake of your fucking lives messing with my queen.”
He steps forward, shadows creating black clouds around him with each step. He’s holding Oak’s sword from the trials, the crystal glowing black on the hilt. The power flowing through Silas doesn’t seem to dim as he enters the room; it only pulsates the closer he gets to the ritual site as if it’s charging him. Maines stays back, not entering the room, her eyes not leaving mine.
The creature to my right doesn’t move. Graven’s snarls echo around us as he stalks a new prey that has just entered the room.
Calia and Nolan share a quick, concerned look, returning to the ritual nearly complete.
“I’m afraid you are too late, Prince Nastronde. The damage is nearly done,” Calia confidently calls from the corner.
But Silas still has a chance to stop them. Still tucked outside the room, Maines sends a blast of black magic into the room, aimed directly at her father, knocking him to the ground with a thud. His head slams into a far wall. Blood slowly leaks from his temple.
She takes aim at Nolan and Calia. Closing her eyes, she prepares her magic for another blast just as the giant creature lunges in her direction.
“Maines!” A desperate scream leaves my mouth as Graven lands on top of her, their bodies vanishing around the dark corner. Rohhit thrashes against the chains as Silas walks closer to Calia.
“You are fucking dead,” Silas fumes and attacks.
Chapter 40
Nolan accepts the challenge with Calia’s blessing, stepping away from the ritual site. For the first time, his eyes blaze with the same warrior rage as Barlowe once had. He's prepared to fight Silas to the death if necessary. With a crunch, Nolan removes the axe from Bardot’s skull, sending black blood spraying over my body. The sight churns my stomach.
Calia ignores the chaos behind her, her focus narrowing as the ritual nears completion.
Silas swings his sword, hissing through bared teeth, "You are a traitor, Nolan!" The blade lands heavily against the head of the axe, sending sparks flying in the dim room and straining my eyes.
"You don’t know anything about me, Prince," Nolan counters, struggling to match the ferocity in Silas’s attacks.
They separate momentarily, their chests heaving rapidly. Both men’s eyes are relentless, intent on fighting to the death. Nolan lunges forward again, swinging wildly. His lack of experience is evident—unlike Silas, who battles for survival daily, Nolan has never faced such peril. Fear creeps across his face as Silas takes note.
Silas seizes every chance to attack Calia, but wards from the ritual deflect his sword from her vulnerable back. Still, he endures, a true warrior fighting not only Nolan but also an unseen obstacle.
I strain against the remaining chain, the rust biting into my skin as I scream through the pain intermittently. Glancing out the door into the dark hallway, I whisper desperately, "C'mon, Maines."
