Keegan’s mouth pressed into a tight line, and I knew he agreed with her more than he wanted to.
Gideon let out a low breath. “We don’t have time to debate family stubbornness, touching though it may be.”
The room darkened as a baritone sound drifted through it, followed by steady, soft footsteps.
Keegan reached for my hand again, and this time, Celeste took my other one.
The silver thread at my pendant snapped tight toward Celeste as Gideon stepped in front of us, mage light gathering around his fingers once more.
And from the darkness ahead, the Priestess began to hum.
Chapter Twenty-Five
I looked at Celeste, quickly pulled my hands away from her and Keegan, and worked to unfasten my necklace.
“What are you doing?” Keegan asked as I pulled the pendant away.
“Celeste needs this.” I looked at my daughter and drew a deep breath. “Turn around.”
She frowned in confusion, but she did what I said and pulled her hair away from her neck as I quickly fastened the pendant around her, barely any light guiding me to do so.
“Why would you do that?” Keegan asked as Gideon stood by, a knowing look on his face.
“Because the Priestess marked her, and this will keep her safe, or at least safer, with it on.”
“But you need it too,” Keegan’s voice was gruffer.
“I know what I’m doing. It’s the best way to ensure she makes it out of here.”
Twobble nodded. “She has a great point.”
Celeste turned to me. “What about you?”
I smiled and held her hand again with a quick squeeze. “I’ll be fine.”
The lie sat strangely in my chest, but not because I thought I was about to die or something. Rather, the moment the pendant left my skin, I realized how much it had been shielding me from the shadow energy running through the air.
The shadows in the room immediately noticed the lack of protection surrounding me, and cold crept along my arms beneath my sleeves. I felt it curling over my birthmark, making me grit my teeth.
Celeste touched the moonstone lightly where it rested against her chest, and the pendant glowed softly beneath her fingers.
Keegan saw the shift in my face immediately. “Maeve.”
“I’m okay.”
“You’re pale.”
“I’m in an evil tower surrounded by cursed architecture and emotionally unstable magic. Pale feels reasonable.”
The humming had stopped, and silence slid through the room.
“Uh-oh,” Twobble whispered.
Shadows rolled through the archway first, twisting together in long ribbons that crawled along the floor.
The temperature dropped, and Celeste stepped closer to me as I wrapped my arm around her shoulders.
The Priestess emerged slowly, with her gown moving like smoke trailing across stone. The black fabric was threaded with faint silver runes that shifted every time she moved.
