Page 174 of Visions of Darkness

His hands trembled, his decision wavering.

It was enough—enough for me to press further into his mind, and I gripped his face as tightly as I could as I peered at the Ghorl who was being attacked on all sides.

Pax.

Pax was there.

He was flanked by Timothy and Dani, and Ellis and Josephine were on either side of them.

Relief slammed into me.

They found him.

They found him.

Each stood glowing, rippling with power, vibrating with the light that streaked from their beings.

“Fight, Aria, fight.”

And I could feel Pax’s words through time and space. Through realms and eternities.

“Fight.”

And I did. I fought. I stretched out the light.

Wisps and tendrils of electric current struck it like arrows.

It flailed and screamed and writhed, whirling around as it tried to retaliate.

Fragments of fire lashed out, but each missed my Laven family.

We all gathered every dreg of strength we possessed and harnessed it.

Pouring out our authority.

Searching for the good.

Fighting the evil.

“End it, Aria. You’re the one who possesses the true strength. You’re the only one who can do it.”

Pax’s belief filled my mind.

I gathered the last crumbs of strength I had left, and I projected the rays of obliterating light.

And in a flash of glowing darkness, the Ghorl was crushed.

Nothing but dust.

Chapter Forty-Five

Aria

Ragged juts of air wheezed in and out of my lungs as my father’s hands went slack, and my back arched from the floor as if to get me closer to the sweet reprieve.

Exhaustion pinned me to the spot while my father fumbled backward onto his butt, and he used the heels of his shoes to backpedal across the carpet as if he was suddenly spurred to put a mile of distance between us.

Horrified in his confusion.

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