Evylin frowned. “But he isn’t lost.”
“The magic is controlling him,” Isla said. “Your husband is gone.”
Deckard’s confession from the previous night filled her mind.“I can’t control my power; it controls me.”
Evylin wanted to deny it. Her magic urged her to give in to the surging pulse of Space. But she knew it was true.
Seeing her hesitation, Auden pressed. “He’s using too much magic. It’s only a matter of time before he blacks out.”
“But we’re Bonded,” Evylin said.
“That’s the worst part.” Auden’s gaze was soft and mournful. “If he begins to tap into your energy, he can take you down with him. Then you’ll both pass out, and we’ll have to carry the two of you out of here.”
She turned to look up at Deckard. In his altered state, he acted as though he couldn’t hear them. He simply watched Evylin, hand extended.
“Come with me,” he offered, his voice both empty and deep all at once.
Painfully, Evylin’s heart squeezed. “I will not let you fail,” she whispered, then took a step back.
Understanding, Deckard let his hand drop. He showed no signs of disappointment or frustration. He merely turned around dispassionately and continued on his path toward the obelisk.
The troop hurried after him.
“What’s happened to him?” Thom asked, watching his brother’s departure, his expression filled with worry.
The hum of the Shades returned—the singular combined note an eerie drone.
“Tapping into focus is like a gate for Mages,” Auden explained. “Once the gate is open, the magic can flow out. But Jonn doesn’t have the training he needs to regulate how much power comes at once. He has a particularly strong focus, so whenhe accesses magic, it’s like opening the floodgates. The magic flows into him with such a force that the gates can’t be shut until it’s all used up.”
“But he’s stopped before,” Rafferty said, eyeing Deckard curiously.
“He’s not been inside the Space Keep before,” Isla said.
Auden scanned the swirling expanse around them, flares of vibrant color tearing through the darkness. “The Keeps are magic in its purest form,” he explained. “When we entered, it pressed in on Jonn, urging him to access it. Once he gave in to that call to focus, it was too late.”
The Shades arrived then, twisting and coalescing, those black shards glittering in a circle around them, and Evylin realized the mistake she’d made. “I did this,” she gasped, realizing that it had beenshewho had urged him to find his focus.
Ahead, Deckard’s magic burst into life, cutting through the air. Ethenn, Brea, and Evylin began picking off the Shades one by one as they tried to surround them. Ilain, Isla, and Auden used their magic to take down the rest; ruby flames, golden flares, and steely gales burst through the infinity of blackness.
“What do we do?” Thom asked, standing with Vayden and Rafferty in the center, their weapons raised uselessly. “If we attack at close range, we’ll die, right?”
“It appears that way,” Auden called, then sent off another burst of Day.
“But we need to fight,” Thom said. “If we want to keep Jonn from using too much magic, then we have to make it to the obelisk as fast as possible.”
“It would help if you could, yes,” Isla shouted.
“I don’t fancy getting close to those things,” Rafferty said. “Not even for the colonel’s sake.”
However, Thom reset his grip on his sword and began to step forward.
Brea swept in front of him, then drew another arrow from the quiver on her back. “Don’t even think about it,mi’caro,” she said sharply. “Thom, Vayd, and Raff, you threedo notfight. Stay in the middle. You’ll be our support. If Deckard goes down, we’ll need you to carry him.”
Though Thom ground his teeth, neither Vayden nor Rafferty seemed inclined to argue about their removal from the battle.
“We need to get to the Chamber,” Ilain ordered.
“Jonn doesn’t seem too concerned about speed,” Evylin noted.
