I did it.
I actuallydidit.
I used the power from the Aurora Comet and—
And—
I destroyed an obelisk.
Only one, not all four. I didn’t know what I was doing, wasn’t sure it would evenwork—and it nearly didn’t. I’m strong for a mage, but the ellixen emitted by Aurora was unlike anything I’ve ever channeled during a celestial event. It was a struggle to maintain a connection, and I only managed to do so long enough to siphon a fraction of her power. Once I had it, instead of using it to bless my shallows, I speared its full force toward the southernmost obelisk.
At first, I feared nothing had happened.
But then I saw it: a small crack.
And then I felt it: the Hallow Stream. Roaring.Raging.
The crack destroyed the infusion on that one obelisk, but I couldn’t hold Aurora’s power long enough to bring down the other three. Even so, while most of the Stream’s magic remained suppressed, a small amount was able to break free and surge outward.
It was angry.Furious.
And it came straight for me.
I have never
I can’t begin to
I don’t have words for the amount of power that flooded me. How strong I felt. HowinvincibleI was.
But then Tephryn and the fabricator mages repaired the crack, and the magic vanished, silenced once more.
I want it back. Ineedit back.
There’s a hunger in me. An insatiable, relentless desperation to feel it again. No, to feel evenmore. But that can only happen if all four obelisks are destroyed—permanently. As long as an alchemist is on Elverdine Isle, as long as the fabricator mages are here, they will always be able to repair the wardstones, or build new ones.
But I think I know a way around that.
Because while the Stream’s magic flooded me, it also whispered to me. Shouted.Screamed.
It wants to be free.Demandsto be free.
And I can help make that happen, using Aurora’s lover, Orion, the second of the Adastrum Devotis comets. His power matches hers, maybe even exceeds it. Either way, he will be strong enough to destroy all four obelisks.
The problem is,I’mnot strong enough to channel Orion for the length of time needed to draw down the required power.
There is, however, a way that I could be.
Instead of a blessing rite, I could use a sacrificial ritual—aforbiddensacrificial ritual, in which the blood element involves not the drop of my own that I normally use, but instead blood from someone else.
And not just a drop.
The sacrifice requiresdeath.
If I were to go through with it, the ritual would strengthen my ellixen to untold levels, which would enable me to maintain a connection with Orion for long enough to destroy the obelisks.
The idea is reprehensible. Sacrificial magic is forbidden for a reason: To use it is to leave a scar on your very soul.
And yet…
