Did he have any idea how much scrutiny we would now face, thanks to his outrageous behavior? A behavior I had not stopped. No, I had indulged him, allowing the music, the dance, and his intoxicating presence to sweep me away.
“You—”
Warm lips descended on mine, silencing my complaints. I opened for him immediately, sighing into his mouth. Maker, I had craved this for hours—no, for days. My whole being came alive under his touch. He stayed frustratingly in control, every thrust of his tongue deepand deliberate, as if he wanted to claim me through this single point of contact.
It was he who stepped back and ended the kiss. Those dark eyes flitted down to where my hands had tugged on his tunic, a mischievous glint in them.
“Something you want from me?” he asked. The touch of his index finger to my lips silenced my answering growl. “As delightful as your eagerness is, we should first look at what I found. I plan to have my fill of you later, and I want nothing to distract us.” That taunting finger tapped my nose next. “Duty before pleasure, my queen.”
He was wise enough to pull back his hand before I could bite him. A broad smile spread across his face as he shifted into his spirit form, leaving me seething with fury. I should abandon the impossible man and return to the feast. See how he liked finding himself alone, waiting for me in vain. Or better yet, I should have left him standing before that gate, refusing to take his hand.
Unfortunately, I was not sensible where he was concerned. I shifted as well, not hiding my irritation as I caught up with him.“You assume a lot.”
His Darkness swirled around me in a playful spiral. I convinced myself that I did not find his giddiness endearing in the slightest.“It’s not presumptuous when you’re a hair’s breadth away from tearing off my clothes,”he teased.
I sent a blast of my Light into his direction.
“Be careful now.”His senses extended, catching onto something before I could retort.“They can detect our powers.”
As though I were the one flaunting my magic everywhere. Despite my reservations, I trailed after him as he swooped low to the ground. We both reverted to corporeal form at the Abyss’s edge, where theair crackled with Chaos magic. Belekoroz swiftly pulled me behind a cluster of dark, jagged rocks, concealing us from sight.
I peeked out of our hiding place, frowning at the sight of five large Kritak climbing out of the Abyss. The spider-like creatures’ movements were odd. They swayed back and forth as if in a trance, an occasional tremor rippling through their massive bodies, while unfettered Chaos magic cast flickers of emerald and amethyst on black chitin.
“What are they doing?” I asked Belekoroz, my gaze fixed on our foes.
“Gaining power,” he answered, leaning past me. His body brushed against mine, his warmth keeping the cold of the Other at bay.
I glanced at him. “They’re using the Abyss?”
“Does that surprise you? It’s a well of raw magic.” A twitch of his lip. “You used it before.”
Yes, to defeat him in one of our breathless spirit races. But that had only been a spark, a mere taste of the Abyss’s power.
Belekoroz’s voice turned pensive as he observed the Kritak. “I wonder how they manage to control it.”
I scoffed. “They don’t. They let the magic control them.”
The ravenous look in his eyes stirred a strange disquiet in me. I had seen it once before—in the village when we had sealed the gate together.
Reaching out, I touched his hand. “You wouldn’t be able to control it either,” I said softly.
“Probably not,” he replied, his gaze drifting back to me with a half-smile that suggested he was only partially listening, his cunning mind racing. “The magic allows them to cross the Veil. At least at those points where it is thin.”
Maker, of course. That made so much sense. “And attack whoever is unlucky enough to be closeby wherever they appear on Aron-Lyr’s soil,” I exclaimed, my voice rising with the realization. “But why?” I gestured toward the Abyss. “There’s magic to be found here.”
“But not the right kind.” Belekoroz tugged at my hand. “We should discuss this elsewhere.”
I followed him, curious about his discovery. We didn’t go far this time, just a short flight in spirit form, gliding through the eternal dim that cloaked the landscape. We hid behind some of the cracked obsidian rocks that covered the ground in this part of the Other. Towering over us, they looked like the long-forgotten remains of some abandoned fortress, their shadowy silhouettes looming ominously.
“What do you know of the forces of Order and Chaos?” Belekoroz asked, his eyes sweeping over me as if he was taking my measure, his gaze probing.
What kind of question was this? I shrugged. “I know what everyone knows. The Allfather created the forces of Order to keep the Chaos at bay, to protect our creation and allow it to thrive.”
“Mmm,” Belekoroz hummed, clearly not satisfied with my answer. “But why didn’t the Allfather simply destroy Chaos? Let me show you something.”
Magic sprang to life between his fingers, strands of Fire, Water, Earth, Air, Darkness, and Light weaving around each other in a captivating dance.
“In all things, there is balance, my queen,” he said, as the magic cast alluring shadows across his face, his gaze drawing me in. “Just as none of our aspects can exist without each other, Order cannot exist without Chaos.”
