Kael’s jaw tightens, a single muscle flickering wildly, but he steps back as far as the chains allow.He doesn’t look at me.
Uri closes the distance.His sweet, sickly scent sends a surge of nausea through my stomach.“Are you well, my dear?”
“Yes…thank you.”
“Good…good.You shouldn’t fear today.This is where faith and obedience will free you.”
“Obedience?”The word cuts my tongue.“You said I would be shown mercy?”
“I believe I said mercy is given to those whodeserveit.”A cruel smile twists his features.“In Auria, mercy and obedience are the same thing.”He raises a finger, tucking a stray strand of my hair behind my ear.“Let us see how well you obey.”
The warmth in his eyes turns to ice.“Do as we ask, and you will be free.”
I pull back.“At what cost?”
He chuckles, his eyes narrowing behind the slits of his mask.“My dear child, that is for the Triarch to decide.You may be blessed, Seren, but even blessings can fester unless dealt with…appropriately.”
A single, warm finger traces the outline of my jaw.“You will do as you are told, or I will see to your reprimand myself.And when I do, you’ll beg for Riven.”He pulls out the rolled parchment from his robes and taps it slowly against his palm.My soul, drawn in charcoal, held hostage.
“Sir.We shouldn’t keep them waiting any longer.”Kael says quietly.
Uri pulls his hand away, his posture returning to effortless composure.“Ah, our faithful shadow-scholar.Do be sure to get her to the chamber safely, won’t you?It’s such an arduous task for you.”
He turns and glides away, robes hissing over the marble, leaving only the echo of his perfume and the heat blooming my face.
Kael doesn’t speak.But his expression is as solid as the walls around us, his gaze fixed forward as he resumes our march.The chain between us is the only thing that connects me to the world, and today, it feels like a fuse.Yet I’m the one holding the match.
* * *
The chamber swallows the sound.White marble, gold filigree, twelve steps leading up to three thrones.The High Luminaries sit above the gathered priests—Uri in the centre, each feather of his winged mask glowing in the light.
Beside him sits the High Luminary of Radiance, broad-shouldered and wearing a mask of a blazing sun.To his left, the lone woman circled in fire; the High Luminary of Judgement.I remember their fables well; they look exactly like the stories.
Their sun-emblazoned robes shimmer as they shift in their seats.Riven stands to the side, a mask of cold indifference hiding the cruel smile that twists his features.
Kael directs me to the circle at the room’s heart.My bare feet land on runes that glow with a faint light.The hum vibrates through my soles, sending a deceptive warmth through my limbs.Kael stands near the dais, parchment in hand, watching.
“Seren of the Hollow,” the woman’s voice rings out—flawless, melodic and terrifying.“You stand as proof that darkness still lingers in the world.We will see if it can be tamed.”
My heart thrums.A whisper stirs inside me, ancient and resonant:We shall not.
Riven steps forward, holding a rod of silver light.His wine-stained teeth are bared in a crooked smile.“Let us begin.”
Light blooms.The air thickens as my shadows twist at my feet.The rod touches the circle’s edge, drawing power from the runes and weaving it around me like a cage of molten glass.
The heat is absolute, stealing the air from my lungs.My thoughts turn dense, a slow-motion collapse into blinding pain.
My vision fades to white.An ear-splitting scream pierces me, and I feel the hot leak of liquid from my ears.My muscles turn rigid; my arms splay to the sides in a phantom crucifixion, waiting for the rusty nails to tear through my palms.
We are stronger than them, child.Let’s burn it all down.
A cackle shakes my vision, the white bleeding into an abyssal black.Then I see her—the woman from my dreams.Nyx.
Her long, pale hair swirls on an unseen gale.She mirrors my stance, arms open wide, but no pain touches her.Her porcelain skin is etched with fine cracks, and the corners of her mouth are upturned in a wide, hungry grin.She is beautiful.Ethereal.She is everything I am not.The fire in her eyes warms me like a mothers embrace.I am home.
Go on, my child.Do what you were born to do.
A single tear slithers down my cheek as I push back against the rod’s heat, forcing it out with every fibre of my being.A low, guttural roar escapes me.They call me a monster?Then I will show them one.
