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“I thought our activities were the only ones keeping you up at night.”
Her eyes widened, then gleamed. The knowing look became tinted with a rosy flush on her cheeks, tempting him so succinctly that his mouth went dry.
“They are. But we will sleep better if we get this done and over with.”
The protest sparked that he would know if he had a shadow in him, but again, he knew she was right to check every avenue. Henry stayed silent as she poured liquid after liquid out of potions until the circle around them was soaked, then stepped out so only he could remain there.
“My potions will ensure your safety while the runes pull out your secrets from you. Just stay still. Don’t fight it. I promise to stay no matter what.”
The way she said it told him she would stay even if hell came and broke loose. He frowned his disapproval, but she dismissed it with a smile. Then Pearl turned serious, her brows furrowed and her lips pursed as her focus locked in on the circle. Her shoulders were tense, too, as she knelt, signaling that she was more nervous than she let on.
“You got this,” he found himself saying. “You’re Pearl.”
Her shoulders relaxed. She lowered herself further to the floor until her arms were stretched out, then placed them on the ground where she had more liquids ready. A chant began on her lips, soft and inviting, but with the added smoke and croon that was so essentially Pearl’s. It went on until the liquid in her hands glowed, then crisscrossed its way toward his circle. When the circle glowed, the effect was instantaneous: invisible hands pinching his skin, then swarming his insides until he felt full and not in control. His initial instinct fought it, but the power was too strong, cajoling him to come out.
The cajole would be a full-on command soon, so he followed it before it turned. His muscles creaked in protest, resisting it until the very last second when he felt his bones creak. He knew what was coming next. That Pearl would witness it felt brutal, but all pondering soon vanished as a roaring took over and he no longer felt in control.
His transformation to his giant form was less painful, but it was painful all the same, putting pressure into his bones and squeezing every inside inch of him until his other persona was fully out. Bewilderment sparked that he was still conscious, but one look at her told him that was her doing too. He braced for the assessing look to take him in from head to toe, understanding that anyone would be more than happy to either reject or experiment on the likes of him. But after a brief sweeping gaze, she focused on his eyes and smiled.
“Beautiful.”
It was just one word, but the sincerity that rang in it did wonders to ease his giant’s aggressive nature. Wonder filled him when he felt his fists uncurl and feet stand back from the circular glow, as if no longer interested in escaping. He looked at Pearl in disbelief, and the smug expression she sent his way had his heart beating with pride. He was conscious and in control, and unashamedly seeing her while in his giant form, all thanks to her. He smiled back, visibly delighting her.
A strength awakened in his stomach, its energy unlike anything he had felt before. He placed his palm on it—and was knocked back so hard that stars immediately assaulted his vision. Henry crashed against the circular glow with a smacking sound, then was sent to the ground as punch after punch crumpled him into immobility. He had been hit before, but not like this—not without his own body fighting it, and not with the knowledge that whatever was attacking him was coming from inside.
“Henry!”
The scream was faint, but he heard her and forcibly turned to look. Sweat trickled down his arms toward his unnaturally bent fingers, but it was her horrified expression that caught his attention the most. He opened his mouth to tell her to leave, but Pearl was moving closer before the words could come out. Inches from his circular glow, she knelt once more, then chanted so fast that he couldn’t understand what she was saying. But her magic worked with her, glowing brighter by the second until he had to turn away from the blinding light.
“Henry.”
The call of his name felt distant and faint. He clung to it, still recognizing her voice, but she soon quieted down and all he heard was humming. When the pain lessened, he blinked repeatedly, then turned to her again. What he saw had him staring for good.
Her magic was hard at work, dancing and kicking as it weaved a complicated net around him and tried to extract the shadow that clung to his side—not just any shadow but the one that had become a familiar presence in his throne room for the longest time. It fought against the weave, instilling pain each time it did. But it wasn’t a match to Pearl’s combined magic, and soon its desperate protests became a whispered sigh. He watched, mesmerized, as the shadow finally slithered toward the glass bottle she had ready, also marked with runes and glowing.
“Henry.”
At the last call of his name and the erasure of pain, he slumped to the ground, exhausted…defeated. It felt like a painful discovery all over again, one he wasn’t prepared for, leaving him dismayed.
“Henry? We did it. We solved your family issue.”
He glanced up at her, then flicked his gaze away.
“We did, but at what cost?”
“Henry…”
“I was the thief all along, Pearl. I was the person set to destroy my family’s legacy and take their treasure. What does that make me?”
“There has to be a reason. For the thieving and the shadow being a part of you.”
Silence. He kept his gaze down, even when he sensed her determination.
“Henry, having a giant in you is no more different than having a shadow in you. If you accepted your giant, I hope you can accept the shadow too.”
More silence. He felt her energy transform into soothing, no longer preoccupied in bottling shadows and true natures. But when the runes around him started to fade and her hand reached out, he jerked back so fast that he almost crashed into the nearby wall.
“Henry—”
