I turned Eclipse away from Chase’s protests and shouted to my animals, “Scatter!” I put my magic behind the command, pleading with my night mares, shades, and glooms for their cooperation.
It worked.
The cats and dogs peeled off, fading back into the shadows, and the night mares took off—calling to one another as they wove through the ruined landscape.
I need to make sure it follows me. Eclipse might be the only one that can stay ahead of it.
I yanked magic through my prism and created a common light-orb with my magic. I held the glob of light in my fist and waved it at the monster. “Hey! Ugly! Come and get me!”
I didn’t think it would actually react, but the monster peered back and forth until its skull was pointed in my direction. Then it dragged itself forward, clawing its way along, destroying everything in its path.
Eclipse bolted, thundering across the barren Night Realm land.
“Sorry, Eclipse,” I apologized when the mare snorted.
She tossed her head, then tucked her muzzle so it made her neck bulge with muscles, and went faster.
She galloped so fast the air stung my eyes, and I couldn’t see a thing—just hear the thumps as the monster sank its claws into the ground and dragged itself after us.
What do we do? What do we do? I can’t just let it run around the realm. If Solis can’t kill it, I’ll need the Cloisters’ help. But they’ll never get here in time, and dumping this thing in the human world isn’t an option!
Eclipse abruptly adjusted her stride, drastically slowing down.
When I blinked the tears out of my eyes, I realized we were running along the shore of the large lake. My heart leaped into my throat when I saw Skye and Chrysanthe running toward us, carrying something covered in a purple banner between them.
“Eclipse, stop,” I called to my mare, who was already slowing down.
She’d barely slowed to a trot before I took a flying leap off her, landing next to Skye with enough force that I had to hop a few steps or risk falling over. “What are you two doing?” I snarled to the steward. “We need to clear the area—that thing’s out of control.”
Chrysanthe shook her head. “No—you can handle it.”
“Are youinsane? What—with my broken magic—has you thinking I can do that when I can’t even save our realm!”
Skye whipped the purple banner off the long thing the duo carried, revealing the original king’s staff.
The crescent moon gleamed in the dim night light, and the crystal glittered.
“It’s yours,” Skye said. “Your prism? It’s not an artifact unto itself—it’s why you’re having trouble with it. It’s a part of the staff.”
“What?”
Chrysanthe held the staff up to my face and pointed at the crystal at the bottom of the crescent moon. “It’s chipped and bumpy becauseyourprism connects here.”
“The prism didn’t call out to you in your selection ceremony, thestaffdid,” Skye added. “If you reconnect the two, they should re-meld.”
“No way!” I said.
“Leila!” Skye shouted in a voice that was the angriest I’d ever heard her be. “You have to trust me on this!”
“Skye found records.” Chrysanthe’s olive skin paled as she stared at the oncoming creature. Fear glazed her eyes, but when she turned to me her shoulders were set. “If you can’t believe in yourself, believe in Skye!”
The creature was going to be on us soon. It was clawing up chunks of earth and sending them spiraling through the sky, and flattening whatever trees and undergrowth had the unfortunate luck to be in its way.
“Leila!” Skye barked.
I turned in her direction.
“It’s fine!” she said.
