Page 67 of Three Scorched Kingdoms

Fear flashes across his face, and I feel a tug on my magic as he sips on the power flowing through me and into the hole.

I can’t afford to stop the flow of magic now. Not when it powers the portal. I grit my teeth, praying I have enough of it left to send him into the darkness before he drains me.

At the last second, Constantine recovers. He steps clear of the hole, and his lips curl into a cruel smile. Dread pools in my stomach as I feel the magic between us shift. It feels as if we’re in a tug of war and he just yanked on his end hard enough to send my magic flowing right to him.

“That’s better,” he says.

With a flick of his wrist, he tears open a portal of his own making just behind Aries, the dark void swirling with ominous energy.

“Let’s take this somewhere more…private, shall we?” he says, his voice a dangerous purr.

Before we can react, the portal pulls us in, the world around us twisting and warping as we’re sucked into the darkness.

My stomach lurches as the ground falls away, and then we’re hurtling through space, the cold, dark magic of the portal surrounding us.

“Paige!” Aries yells my name, the sound of it echoing inside the tunnel.

I try to call out for him, but the sound of my voice is lost to the roar of nothingness.

When we emerge, the ground beneath our feet is hard and familiar. The air is musty, filled with the scent of old parchment and ink. And though it looks vastly different than it did before, I would know this place anywhere.

We’ve landed inside the Athenaeum.

Just like I knew we would.

17

PAIGE

Aries grips my hand, and we both spin, scanning for Constantine among the stacks. But he’s nowhere in sight, and the portal itself is gone—sealing us inside. A chill runs down my spine as I realize we’ve been cut off from Astronia and the others still fighting there.

Now, it’s just me and Aries—and Constantine, wherever he is.

The air in the Athenaeum crackles with tension, thick and oppressive. The once-grand library is now a twisted labyrinth of darkened corridors and malevolent shadows. The walls, lined with books that contain the stories of countless worlds, seem to close in on us, each step forward echoing in the eerie silence.

“I can portal us out,” I say quickly. “Back to the battle.”

“No.” Aries’ voice is tight. “If we go back, he’ll only follow, and more people will get hurt.”

He’s right, but fear holds me still.

He tugs on my hand, drawing my gaze to his. “You can do this.”

I nod, not trusting my voice.

“Where is he hiding? The cavern?”

I shake my head. “He’s close. I can feel it.”

“Then let’s find him and finish this,” Aries snarls, his voice a low growl as his eyes scan the shadows. His dragon is close to the surface; I can feel it through our bond—his anger, his desperation. His rage.

I use it to fuel my own—and to chase away the fear that threatens. Leo’s words ring out in my head: It’s not about being fearless. It’s about facing the threat, anyway.

We make our way slowly.

Constantine’s presence is everywhere, his dark magic seeping into the very fabric of the library. The once-vibrant tapestries now hang in tatters, and the shelves, once meticulously organized, are now chaotic with books scattered and torn, their pages fluttering as if caught in an invisible wind.

Some of those pages are blank now.

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