I repeated the chant, racing through the dark, until a soft-white glow appeared ahead.
The exit.
I sprinted, gaining even more momentum.Almost there.
I burst through the archway and stopped so suddenly I collapsed to the ground, my legs giving way to exhaustion. I gulped clean air greedily, my chest heaving. A deluge of cool relief washed over me, and I closed my eyes to bask in the heady sensation I couldn’t explain.
My breathing significantly calmer, I opened my eyes to several crossbows aimed my way. The guards behind them shifted on their feet, some with wide eyes and open mouths.
I clutched the lamp to my chest desperately. Protectively.
Mine.
It took me a moment to realize I was shaking my head at the men, denying them access to the small trinket.
Terym approached, ordering his guards to stand down, and they lowered their weapons.
“Give it to me.” His voice was barely above a whisper, but his hands made grabbing motions, which oddly reminded me of a toddler who’d lost their favorite toy.
I gripped the lamp tighter as he neared, the thrumming vibration sinking into my skin.
The lamp was mine.
He couldn’t have it. No one could have it.
Mine.
“Adelia!” The king’s bark shocked me back into awareness.
What’s happening to me?
My mind had spiraled out of control. Irrational. I was being irrational.
The lamp wasn’t mine. It was his, King Terym’s. He needed it to break the curse. I should give it to him.
My mind willed it, but my arms wouldn’t move.
Give it to him.
I forced them forward, every single part of me rebelling against the movement. It waswrong.
Terym reached out, blue eyes sparking with victory. There was a light sizzle when his fingers grazed the warm metal, and he released a pained cry, yanking his hands away and cradling them.
I snatched the lamp back to my chest and closed my eyes. The humming vibration settled against my racing heart, soothing the inexplicable fear of the lamp being taken from me and sending a call deep within my soul. I couldn’t bear to part with it, not now that it was in my hands.
“My king!”
My eyes flew open at Captain Gensen’s alarmed shout. He rushed to Terym’s aide, inspecting his hands, then pulled a cloth from the nearest saddlebag to wrap them. His movement exposed the large red blisters covering Terym’s fingers. The lamp had burned him when he touched it, like he had placed his fingers over a roaring flame. “We must leave at once, my king. You need a healer.”
At Terym’s nodded agreement, Gensen ordered his men to their horses. A guard gripped my elbow tightly and dragged me to the mare who usually carried me. The brutish guard shoved me toward her, and I stumbled into her side. Luckily, she was a calm beast and didn’t startle. I missed Pierce, he wouldn’t have been so rough with me, but he stayed behind to protect Eleanor.
“Get on,” the brute grunted.
Still unwilling to release the lamp, I braced my joined hands on the saddle, doing my best to leverage upward. With no strength left in my legs, I hung awkwardly. No amountof maneuvering would get me onto the mare’s back without releasing the lamp.
I refused.
The brute took pity on me, grabbing my feet and pushing me high enough I could swing my leg over the saddle. Not caring enough to be embarrassed, I clutched the lamp close to my heart again, the thrumming beating in time with my racing pulse. With a loud sigh, the guard grabbed my horse’s bridle, then mounted his horse and led me through the forest.
