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‘You dove into an erupting volcano after a violent fire Titan, faced countless Luchorpán, alone, and found salvation for our people. You are magnificent, Raven, and if I were there with you now I would show you just how much you amaze me right here in this cave.’ He rubbed his aura lower and I shuddered, squeezing my thighs together against the touch of his magick, my face burning hot.
I gazed down at the sword I held in my hand. The material it had been forged from was unlike any metal on earth. The blade did not appear to be made out of metal. It appeared as if it were a slash in the fabric of reality itself, allowing the wielder to see into the endless pit of space beyond. The black of the blade was infinite and never ending, interrupted and peppered with billions of glowing galaxies and stars. It was breathtaking and powerful and it came alive in my hand. It almost felt as if it were tugging me forward.
“Do you feel that?” I asked softly, looking ahead in the direction that I felt the sword was asking me to go.
‘Yes.’ Amon responded. He sounded intrigued, but his voice was clipped again. I frowned.
“Are you sure you’re-”
‘Follow the pull, let’s see what Bond Breaker is trying to show us.’
I nodded and obeyed, asking the atoms that made up the air around me to propel me forward. The sword continued to tug me deeper into the cave. We approached the outer ring of The Eye, where the natural light that filtered through its membrane cut off and I was plunged into darkness.
It took a moment for my eyes to adjust. Since I had entered the volcano, my bond to Rycon had felt out of reach, so I couldn’t rely on his night vision like I normally did. However, once I had grown accustomed to the darkness, I gasped.
I spun in place and suddenly wondered if I had walked through a portal that led into the nothingness of space. I floated deeper into what felt like a gaping hole in reality, but when I held my hand up in front of me, I realized quickly that it was an illusion. I was not hovering in space. I was still in the cave, but the walls around me were made up of the same material as Bond Breaker, and Elvira’s circlet. It gave the unnerving impression that I was floating through the universe, surrounded by endless galaxies and starlight. It was breathtaking, and terrifying, all at once.
Bond Breaker was nearly singing in my hand at its proximity to such vast amounts of the material it had been born from. I held up a hand and ran it over the glittering darkness of the walls, starfire burning over the pass of my fingers as I did so.
“Amon,” I gasped, “There’s so much of it… do you think we could…?”
‘Yes.’ Amon breathed, ‘You must harvest some and take this to Sabel and Kael immediately. If they can successfully forge this into weapons…’
“We could equip an entire army with…”
‘Shadowstone.’ He smiled into my mind, ‘I think it’s an appropriate name, considering who discovered it, don’t you?’
I smirked, wishing he was here with me so that I could kiss him.
“I think it’s perfect.”
‘Gather as much as you can and head back to court. I need to leave you for a while, there are some things here that need my attention.’ He whispered, and I narrowed my eyes.
“What things? What is happening over there, Amon? I don’t like being kept in the dark.”
‘Nothing worth worrying about my love, The Siren has just arrived and informed me that she will be showing me where I am meant to sleep.’
Oh. That didn’t sound so bad. I felt relieved.
‘You amaze me, Raven.’ He murmured into my mind as he pulled his consciousness back. I clung to his presence as he receded. It hurt. The pain of losing him was nearly physical. As if a piece of myself was literally being ripped away.
“I love you,” I choked, my voice cracking. He paused his retreat, as if the words had taken him by surprise.
‘I love you, too.’ He replied, his voice was so soft, it felt like a whisper of feathers brushing against my mind.
Then, he was gone.
Amon
The Siren looked down her nose at me as I worked to keep my breathing even. I did not care that I was nearly slumped over myself in the steel chair. My hands were in so much pain, it was difficult to concentrate on anything else.
Kieran left after we had played the fingernail game enough times for him to see that I was well and truly suffering. I had lost count of how many times he had healed them and forced me to remove them again.
Of course, he had not healed them before he left. My nail beds remained raw and exposed. Even just the surface tension of the blood that dripped from my fingertips was agonizing.
I had managed to last for several hours without giving him the satisfaction of a reaction. I could credit this, for the most part, to the fact that I had been distracted by Raven’s journey to the underbelly of The Eye.
However, even I had my limits. When the adrenaline had finally run out, and there was nothing but bone shattering pain, my mask had finally started to fray at the edges. The first time Raven had noticed the strain in my voice, I had known I was nearing my breaking point.
