The voice seemed to come from miles away, pulling me back from the void. My eyes fluttered open reluctantly, and immediately the crushing weight of reality crashed back down. The pain wasn't just physical anymore—it was the agony of knowing my father and brother were alive, in danger, and going to die because of me.
"I'm here," I whispered. My throat was raw, as if I'd been screaming. "I just passed out. How long was I unconscious?"
"A couple of hours at least."
I stared at the stairwell. Hours. I'd lost hours—unconscious, vulnerable, with no idea what the queen or Ari had done while I was out. Had they changed their plans? How much time did I have left before the invasion? Before they used me to open the portal?
“They’ll be coming soon.”
Darius shifted as close to me as his chains would allow, the metal links scraping against stone with a harsh, grating sound that echoed in the dungeon. “Joy, I swear on my brother’s life—I’ll get you out of here.”
I gave him the weakest of smiles, my split lip throbbing with the effort. “You can’t, but I might be able to get you out of here.” The words came out hoarse.
He frowned, confusion flickering across his battered features. “How? You’re as weak as a newborn kitten. You can barely keep your head up.”
“Not everything is as it seems.”Please let me be right about this.The hope was as fragile as spun glass, ready to shatter at the slightest touch.
Please come forth, I begged silently, reaching deep inside myself for any spark of power.
I drew on my shadows with desperate intensity, straining against the binding bracelets with everything I had left. But they were shut down tight, locked away behind magical barriers I couldn’t break. What if I was wrong? What if there was nothing left?
Fighting back tears of frustration, I began to work my wrists frantically within the manacles. The metal bit into my already raw skin. I gritted my teeth and kept going. Wiggle, twist, pull. Blood made my hands slippery, which was both helpful and terrifying.
My breathing became labored as I worked, sweat mixing with the tears I refused to let fall. Come on, come on. I twisted myhand at an impossible angle, feeling bones grind against each other, ligaments stretching to their breaking point.
Finally—finally—my pinky finger slipped free of both the manacle and the cursed bracelet. The small victory sent a jolt of hope through my battered body.
He frowned. “What are you doing?”
“Watch,” I whispered.
A wispy shadow hovered around my pinky. Darius stared as if mesmerized. The shadow then swirled toward his manacles. It dipped into the lock. Beads of sweat leaked down my forehead as I tried to unlock it.
Nothing happened.
I was certain my thumping heart would burst right through my chest. The silence stretched on, mocking my desperation.
Pleasepleaseplease, I begged whatever power might be listening.
Then—click.
The sound was tiny, almost insignificant, but it seemed to echo off the dungeon walls like thunder. Hope exploded in my chest.
Darius twisted his arm experimentally, and his wrist slipped free of the manacle with startling ease. He examined his liberated hand as if it were a venomous snake that might bite him. “Damn,” he breathed. “How did you do that?”
I panted heavily and rested against the cold stone wall, my body drained from using the powers. “You might say a witch woke up my dormant power.” The words came out bitter, laced with exhaustion.
His mouth fell open slightly, his eyes wide with wonder as he looked at me. “That’s one hell of a power.”
My chest tightened with dread. “Alanna told me my supposed father—Morden Grimshaw—possessed that power. Have you ever heard of him?”
“Sorry, no.” He studied my face with growing concern. “You act like you don’t know him.”
“I don’t. My father was Louis DuPont, or at least I thought he was. He was human.” A tear slid down my cheek, hot against my cold skin. “He was a good man. This place…”
“Makes you mad. Believe me, I know. Nothing seems real,” Darius said gently. “Alanna may or may not be telling you the truth.”
“She has a magic mirror and showed me my supposed father and brother.”
