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“No,” Calem barked, his words a harsh rasp. He stared at Kaori and reached for her with a weak, trembling hand. “Don’t let him see.”
But it was too late. Her eyes had taken on that same, mercury hue as Calem’s, and the air was charged with power as she prepared to shift. The Lost’s attention snapped to her.
“He’s not real,” Kost whispered, dragging his battered body closer to me. His limbs were crooked at odd angles, and a bone punctured the already damaged skin of his leg. I hadn’t seen how he landed after being expelled from the shadow realm, but one thing was clear: several of his limbs were broken. He winced as he fought against the weight of his unusable legs, desperately trying to inch his way forward.
“What are you talking about?” Everything hurt. My bones. My skin. The very breath I needed to survive. But somehow, I managed to pull myself up. Somehow, I craned my neck toward the Lost.
“He’s a shadow projection. Whatever blood you saw… It wasn’t real. You just need to make him disperse.”
Terror wound through me as the Lost struck Ozias down. Then Raven. Kaori was only moments away from shifting, and I feared if she got too close, he’d simply steal her away and kill her safely in the confines of his realm. I tried to pull on my reserves, to summon shadows from the depths of my soul, but nothing came. I’d expended everything on the Lost, and now, when my family needed me most, all I could do was watch. Raven’s beasts had been cast to the side with the same quickness she’d suffered, and I wasn’t sure there was a creature in this realm that could do anything to help us now.
But maybe a monster.Adrenaline filled my limbs and roared through my ears, ushering in a small wave of energy. I clambered to my feet and took one shaky step forward. And then another. Ozias had returned to the fray and was distracting the Lost with another onslaught of blades, much like the attack Calem had used to first injure the mage. But it wouldn’t be enough.
I just need one shot.Forcing myself to ignore the screaming burn in my legs, I picked up my pace and whistled sharply. Boo and Rook barreled out of the forest to meet me midstride. Boo immediately fell to his knees, and I crawled atop his back. We were moving again in seconds, and I gripped his hackles tight. The full moon etching on his helm was a welcome warning.
“Charge,” I said. Magic thrummed from his center and purled like a heat wave toward his head. Beautiful droplets of moonlight gathered between his antlers. I just needed to give him a chance to fully amass his power.
Dropping my gaze to Rook, I jerked my chin in the directionof the Lost. “Paralyze him but avoid his shadows. I don’t know how well your power will work on him.” Rook barked in answer and peeled off, darting behind debris to position himself in the Lost’s eyesight. Death rolled through the clearing with the scent of mothballs and the frigid kiss of ice. The Lost hesitated as he scoured the open meadows for the source of the magic.
Ozias used the opportunity to strike, and a blade found its home in the Lost’s shoulder, the same spot Calem had marked before. A high-pitched howl escaped from the mage’s chest, and the rest of his arm fell into the thick blanket of writhing shadows. Wild, furious eyes tracked Ozias as he ran.
Boo continued to charge as we skirted around the exterior of the battle. His body cooked with the unbridled power now coursing through his muscles. The moon blooming between his antlers was almost complete, but I had to be certain. I’d only have one chance to shoot off a beam of pure moonlight and obliterate the Lost’s shadows. Boo wouldn’t be able to summon that kind of power again until the next full moon.
A sharp cry snared my focus. The Lost had pinned Ozias and was preparing to strike.
And then Rook leapt forward, positioning himself in the wild mess of shadows and turning the full force of his power on the Lost.
Time slowed to a halt. The air was thick with the presence of death, and even though I wasn’t the recipient of Rook’s magic, a shiver crawled down my spine. The Lost had gone stock-still, but his shadows still snapped about him and threatened to crack down on my beast. Rook refused to budge. A tremor worked its way through the Lost’s body. Then, a grimace. Rook’s hold wouldn’t last.
“Now!” We shot from the fringe of the woods and rocketed toward the Lost. All I could see was him. His world of darkness and terror that blanketed out the sun. His deranged smile and bulgingeyes. His writhing shadows where his arm should have been. I didn’t know what he wanted or why he’d thought I was the answer, but I would never let him take me or anything, anyone, I loved.
I screamed as loud as my lungs would let me as Boo roared. A beam of blinding moonlight shot from his antlers and blasted directly into the Lost’s chest. His shadows tried to knit together and form a shield around their host. But Boo’s magic was unrelenting, and they began to evaporate like steam. The angry hiss of their departure filled the clearing, and then all that was left was the Lost. Moonlight slammed into his body, and he shrieked loud enough to rattle the leaves. His limbs began to unfurl first. The form he’d somehow created was losing shape, and black tendrils wildly flailed in the wake of Boo’s power until they withered and dispersed like dust. First his fingers. Then his arms. Then the center of his body was a snarling void that seemed to collapse in on itself until it too was nothing more than a wisp. The only thing left was the haunting apparition of his eyes. And then they too disappeared. The last threads of darkness dispersed, and Boo’s moonlight carried straight through into the shadow realm. The presence of light destroyed the remnants of the Lost’s power, and the rip quickly resealed.
Slumping against Boo’s neck, I hugged him tight. “You did great.”
He chuffed gently before plopping to the ground. His muscles quivered with exhaustion, and I slipped off him so he could recover without my added weight. With the Lost gone, though, my own adrenaline left in a rush, and exhaustion hit with the same force as Boo’s attack. I sank to my knees and gripped the earth to try to steady the swaying ground. The shouts of Charmers, of Ozias and Raven and everyone else, were muffled. But as I let out a steady breath and tilted my chin up, I caught Kost’s loving, green eyes.
And I was more than happy to fall asleep to the sight of that.
TWENTY-EIGHT
KOST
Ididn’t quite recall what it felt like to be raised from death, but I imagined my current predicament wasn’t too far off. I wasn’t in pain, but there was a heavy blanket wrapped around my mind that muddled my thoughts. I was vaguely aware that I was lying in a bed, draped in linen sheets with a soft pillow beneath my head. When enough awareness prickled through to my fingers and toes, I braved opening my eyes. Each blink scraped like rough parchment, and I winced. Slowly, the abrasion dulled, and I shifted in bed to try to place my surroundings. My body protested at the movement, resulting in an undignified slump as my arms gave out.
“The healing draught will wear off soon enough,” a faintly amused voice murmured from the corner, and I spied Noc sitting in an armchair. With one brow raised and a slight curl to his lips, he leaned on one elbow and regarded me intently.
“Noc? What are you doing here?” This time, I managed to prop myself up against the pillows and not crumble. I quickly scanned the room, and while I didn’t recognize the space, the cedar-plank walls and simple furnishings were of the same fashion as the house that had been destroyed by the Lost. Another dwelling in Hireath, perhaps.
“Ozias shadow walked to us and told us everything. We came back as quickly as we could.” The easy expression on his face tightened. “Though I’m not sure what to make of it all.”
“Me neither. All I know is, Gaige…” My pulse kicked up a notch. “Is he all right? Where is he?”
“He’s fine.” The tension in Noc’s frame released, and he leaned forward to brace his elbows on his knees as he braided his fingers together. “He’s with Leena, Raven, and Kaori, and he’ll be absolutely pissed that I didn’t come get him the moment you woke up. He’s hardly left your room.”
Warmth gathered in my chest and filled the marrow of my bones. “What about everyone else? Calem? Isla?”
“Isla is fine, but she hasn’t said much. She is scheduled to return to Rhyne today. She asked about you. I’m guessing she wants to discuss what you witnessed.” Noc’s lips thinned. After a tight exhale, he continued to speak. “Calem is still sleeping. You two suffered serious injuries. Kaori gave you draughts to aid with the healing process.”
