Page 51 of Trial By Fire

As he shifted into the dim light, he could make out the intricate runes carved into the walls, their meaning lost to time. The air itself seemed to hum with power, the ancient magic of the place seeping into his skin. He’d never felt anything quite like it, a raw and untamed energy that set his nerves on edge.

“Aric.”

The voice echoed in the chamber, sending a shiver down his spine. He turned, and saw a shadow detaching itself from the wall, coalescing into a figure in the darkness. Malekith. His pale skin glowed in the low light, his dark eyes fixed on Aric with an intensity that made his heart race.

“Malekith.”

“Why are we holding the final trial here, in Drindal?” Aric asked. “It seems an odd choice, given the circumstances.”

Malekith’s expression darkened. “It was not my decision. Sovereign Zaxos chose this location, but he did not see fit to share his reasons with me.”

Aric frowned, turning the question over in his mind. “Perhaps he feels more certain of victory now.”

“Perhaps,” Malekith said, though he sounded unconvinced. “But some condition must have changed to give him that confidence. I can feel it in the air, a tension that was not present before.”

Aric’s thoughts raced. “It may have something to do with the magical anomaly that I overheard the guards talking about. The one that threatens both our realms.”

Malekith’s eyes widened, and he stepped closer to Aric, his voice dropping to a low hiss. “What did you hear?”

Aric quickly related what little he’d been able to piece together from the guards’ conversation, about the strange disturbances in the demon realm, and the reports of similar events happening on the human side. “They said it was like a thread, stretching between the two realms, growing stronger by the day.”

Malekith went very still, his face a mask of concentration. “I have heard whispers of this at court. The anomaly is a source of great concern to the demon high command, but they know little more than what you have told me. There are some who fear it may be connected to the human weapon we encountered at Brenville.”

“I don’t know,” Aric said. “But if it is from the human weapon, it could be a game changer. Perhaps enough to force the demon high command to the negotiating table.”

Malekith’s hand tightened on Aric’s arm, his claws pressing dangerously close to Aric’s skin. “And what do you think? Do you believe it is possible for our two realms to make peace?”

Aric hesitated. It was a dangerous question, one that struck at the heart of everything he’d been taught. “I . . . I want to believe it is possible. But the hatred and fear on both sides run deep. I fear it may take more than a mere weapon to end the war.”

Malekith was silent for a long moment, his gaze searching Aric’s. “Perhaps,” he said at last. “But I am willing to do whatever it takes to try.”

Aric’s heart ached at the sincerity in Malekith’s voice, the raw vulnerability he heard there. For all his cunning and his masks, Malekith was still a demon, bound by duty and honor to his people. And yet he was willing to risk everything for the chance of peace, even his own life.

“I know,” Aric said softly, reaching up to touch Malekith’s face. “I know, my prince.”

It was a wild and recklessthing, to care for the enemy, to let his heart be swayed by the demon prince’s seductive promises. To risk so much for a connection, a bond that stretched between their worlds, defying all reason and sense. But as Malekith’s arms came around him, drawing him close, Aric couldn’t bring himself to regret it. For in Malekith’s embrace, he felt a sense of belonging, of acceptance, that had always eluded him in his own world.

He tilted his face up, his lips seeking Malekith’s in the darkness. The kiss was a promise, a vow of his own. Whatever the trials ahead might bring, he would face them with Malekith at his side.

Malekith’s response was a low growl, a shiver of power that raced through Aric’s veins. He tasted of shadows and starlight, a heady blend that went straight to Aric’s head. He clung to Malekith, his body aching with a hunger that only Malekith could sate. They stumbled back, and Aric’s hands fumbled at the fastenings of Malekith’s robes, desperate to feel that smooth, pale skin beneath his touch.

“Aric,” Malekith said, his voice a beacon in the darkness. “Aric, look at me.”

Aric’s hands were still shaking from the magical surge. He’d never experienced anything like it, the raw, untamed energy ofthe demon magic coursing through his veins. But as he turned to Malekith, he saw the concern in the demon prince’s eyes, and he forced himself to take a deep breath, to steady himself.

“I know it was not what you were expecting,” Malekith said, “but you did well. You showed the court and the sovereign that you have the strength and the skill to master the demon magic. The kind of power that can shift the balance of the war in our favor.”

Aric’s head was still spinning, his thoughts a jumble. “But at what cost? I nearly lost myself in the magic, in the hunger and the power of it. How can you ask me to use such a dangerous force to kill my own kind?”

Malekith reached out to take Aric’s hands in his. His touch soothed Aric’s frayed nerves, grounding him in the present. “I do not ask this of you lightly, my star. But it is the only way I see to end the war, to save both your realm and mine. If you can just make it through this final trial, then you will have regained Sovereign Zaxos’s trust for both of us. And then we can learn more about this anomaly, and what it means for our two realms.”

Malekith’s words were a lifeline, a promise of hope in the darkness. Aric wanted to believe that it was possible, that he could find a way to end the war without sacrificing his own soul in the process. But the path ahead was still shrouded in shadow, and he feared what it might cost him.

“I will do my best to protect you, my star,” Malekith said, his voice a soft caress. “But you must endure the torments of this final trial just a little bit longer. Will you do that for me? Will you trust that I will stand by your side, no matter what comes?”

“I will,” Aric vowed.

He didn’t know what else to say, what words could possibly convey the maelstrom of feelings inside him. The fear and uncertainty of their situation, the raw need for the connectionhe found in Malekith’s arms. He didn’t know where they stood, what the future held for them, but in that moment, it didn’t matter. All that mattered was the press of Malekith’s body against his, the heat of his skin, the hunger in his touch.

---