He rolled his eyes at her sarcasm, then screamed through the belt when Ethenn set the broken bone unannounced. His body jolted from the pain, but Rafferty and Vayden held him steady.
“Hold still,” Ethenn ordered.
Thom muttered muffled obscenities into the belt between his teeth.
Tenderly, Evylin brushed the dark hair off his forehead. “You have the lowest pain tolerance I’ve ever seen,” she goaded.
Somehow, she understood when he mumbled, “Don’t try to distract me, Evie. It’s not going to—” He cried out again as Ethenn twisted the kneecap back in place.
Quickly, Ilain grabbed Evylin’s hand while Ethenn gripped her shoulder. Then she rested her hand on the newly set leg. A flare of rusty light seared through as Evylin slumped against the archway, a deep exhaustion creeping into her bones.
Once Rafferty removed the belt from Thom’s mouth, scowling at the bite marks left along the edge, Thom released a whole new slew of curses. “I’m gonna get you back, Loxley,” he snarled even as his head fell back against the stones. “Just you wait. When you least expect it, I’m gonna break your leg, then set it with the exact same care you just gave me, and we’ll see how you like it.”
“I’d hate it,” Ethenn returned, sinking next to Ilain. His features were shadowed with tiredness, but a small grin pulled at his lips, seeing his friend alive, whole, and spitting mad. “But I’d whine less about it, that’s for sure.”
Evylin grinned and patted Thom’s shoulder. Then she looked over the others.
Thom was alive, and they had the Space Relic. But the victory had come at great cost.
In the shadowed stairwell, Brea and Isla watched sadly. Vayden helped Ilain hobble toward an arched window to slump against the stone. Ethenn barely made it to sprawl at their side. Rafferty plunked down next to Thom, leaning his head against the arched window. Everyone had sustained cuts and scrapes along their faces and bodies. Their clothing was ragged and torn. And each of them carried a soul-deep weariness.
Worst of all, they’d lost Auden.
Evylin’s eyes filled with fresh tears. She whispered her thankfulness for Thom’s safety to Allore, then released him and turned to Deckard. Grasping his limp hand, she pressed it to her lips. She wanted to curl into his side and take comfort in his nearness.
Instead, she sat there, fearing the guilt he’d face when he woke. He’d take Auden’s death personally. He’d shoulder the weight of the responsibility like he carried everything else. She didn’t want that for him. He was right; it was too heavy, even for the impeccable Jonn Deckard.
Evylin leaned against the archway as close to Deckard as she could. She held his hand to her heart and closed her eyes. Already, her soul felt heavy, anticipating what was to unfold. She couldn’t fathom the added load this would place on Deckard’s heart.
But whatever came, she’d help him carry it and every other burden to come.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
11TH OF RADIA, 1574
Infinity surrounded him, its vastness rippling through his core with unmitigated power. Deckard stood in the Space Keep, the beauty of the Heavens alight around him. Amber swirled with vivid green across the onyx depths of eternity. The Shades stood like soldiers, awaiting their officer’s command.
Deckard surveyed them and, with a mere thought, released them to their charge. They barreled into him, giving him their strength as he absorbed each one. He closed his eyes to soak in the thrumming power in his chest. His body vibrated with intense vigor. He could hear the enthusiastic whisper of Space in his mind.
Upon opening his eyes, Deckard found himself in the Chamber, standing on the dais. The Relic rested on the pedestal before him, its gold setting almost glowing. He reached out eagerly, the magic in him quivering with anticipation. The tips of his fingers could feel the ricocheting energy that pulsed off its onyx stone even as they hovered above it. But the moment his touch met the amulet’s golden ridges, a scream ripped through his ears, cutting through him like the shards of his own magic.
He recoiled from the Relic, stumbling back to fall off the raised dais. His form hit the marble with a body-numbingthud.Yet, the screaming didn’t cease. It echoed in his mind, rocking through him like tremors until he lost all sense of himself or the world around him as it repeated one phrase over and over.
“Let me out!”
A gentle wash of cream light woke Deckard. His body was pleasantly warm, the soothing weight of blankets and the mattress’s plush support embracing him. Stretching, he instinctively kept the movement contained to avoid disrupting Evylin. But then he realized she wasn’t in his arms.
With a rush, the drowsiness of sleep evaporated, and Deckard opened his eyes, seeking his wife. He was in their bed, the morning sun filling their room. Evylin never rose before him. Why had she now?
His searching eyes cast about the room, and then he found her. Evylin stood at the window, fingers on her wedding rings. She turned at the sound of his movement. An air of worry radiated around her, but relief flared above the emotion as she hurried to his side.
She took a seat on the bed and smiled gently at him. “Welcome back,” she said, her voice light. He sat up slowly to rest against the pillows, and she brushed her fingers along his jaw.
A wave of power surged from her fingertips and into Deckard’s soul.
Space.
Deckard’s heart jolted, and he jerked backward. His mind reeled, reminding him of all that had happened. The momenthe’d stepped into the Space Keep, its magic had overwhelmed him. And then he lost control....
