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A day? I’ve lost a day? Zaide and Clawdia …
With energy I didn’t know I had, I jumped up and rushed him. Gripping his neck, I lifted him up against the stone walls and lowered my voice to a dangerous whisper. “You are desperately trying to save your people, and I understand that more than anyone, but if you ever do that again, I will make sure you fail. Your people will die if you push me too far.”
He chuckled and disappeared. “How are you going to achieve that, youngling? You are outmatched. You cannot even portal away, you are so drained.” His voice echoed in the cave, and I turned to search for him.
More laughter echoed around the cave, and I hissed my fury at the memory of what he did to me. I felt … violated. Controlled. Powerless.
Worse, the shadow king was right. I couldn’t fight him or make good on my threats.
My energy sapped, I fell to the crumbled rocks. I took deep breaths and tried to calm myself to think clearly.
As I opened my eyes and scanned for a clue to the shadow king’s location, my hand hovered over the collapsed stones. There was something strange about them. They felt like my mirror. Like a magical item with its own essence. It felt ancient.
“Where are we?” I asked Kaatu, knowing he was still here in the shadows, even if I couldn’t see him.
“We are at the rubble of my natural portal in Ombra.” His voice gave no clue to where he hid.
These rocks used to be a natural portal? No wonder I can feel power.
I shook my head. “I told you. I won’t do anything until I know the effect on the human realm.”
“The effect can only be guessed at. Theorized. We will only know the answer when we do it,” he argued.
“But in theorizing, we can plan to limit the damages of any possibility. It could kill humans, unbalance the realms, even destroy another portal. We can’t be hasty.”
“You seem to think you have a choice,” Kaatu snarled as he reappeared in front of me.
I held firm. “The human realm is currently dealing with a dragon that consumes magic beings. We believe it could be seeking a way to escape the human realm and prey on more powerful beings. Opening a portal could allow it just that possibility.”
He paused, but only for a moment. “I don’t care. I’ve waited long enough. Heal our portal now or die.”
“If you kill me, you won’t get what you want.”
“You have soul mates I could use just as easily as you.”
“You cannot get to them. You cannot portal to the human realm.”
Kaatu pulled me by the collar of my shirt so I was inches away from his face and whispered, “Don’t underestimate a shadow with nothing to lose.”
His words chilled me.
He’s already displayed a power I didn’t know shadows possessed and transported me from Akar to Ombra. I don’t know what he’s capable of. I can’t let my soul mates suffer for me … or be without me.
Swallowing my pride, I said, “I will try, but as you’ve already observed, I cannot create my own portal to get out of here, so healing a millennia-old natural portal may not be successful.”
He gave me a cruel smile, and I restrained a shudder as I turned to the stones. I closed my eyes and concentrated on my bonds with my soul mates, but the bonds were thin and fragile … unconfirmed.
Still, I pulled on the power within them and opened my eyes to see healing threads. The stone threads were red, frayed and broken strings poking out of the rubble, but I could see them, and that was a start.
As soon as I attempted to manipulate them, my power faltered, and my bonds with my soul mates strained.
I can’t do it. I can’t use their power like my own because we haven’t consummated our bond.The realization was a relief.He will have to wait.
“Why isn’t it working? It should be working.” Kaatu demanded.
“I am too drained,” I told him simply.
He stared at me, and I refused to drop my gaze. “You are hiding something from me.”
