Page 47 of Bound By Wishes

With a creak, the door swung open, revealing an inner chamber. This room was bathed in a soft ethereal light, the source of which was always unclear to me. Shelves lined the walls, filled with ancient tomes and artifacts, their dust-covered surfaces hinting at how long they’d been down here. And in the center of the room was the crate that we sought.

Caleena stepped forward, placing a hand on the wooden crate. “You were right.” She beamed.

I shrugged, stepping beside her. “That shouldn’t be a surprise to you.”

She rolled her eyes but refused to engage me in verbal battle, her focus entirely on the crate before us. “Do you see a pry bar or something we can open it with?” she asked, glancing around.

“What do you need a pry bar for when you have me, sayyida?” I scoffed. Black smoke curled from my fingertips as I reached out and touched the crate. Boards and nails turned to fine black sand, falling to the ground, revealing what was inside the crate.

Caleena's mouth fell open, forming the loveliest little “o.” As the smoke dissolved, the contents of the crate were unveiled.

“It’s a sarcophagus,” Caleena said in awe as she reached out to touch the stone.

I stopped her hand midair, pulling it protectively to my chest, my gaze fixated on the monstrosity before me. “I can’t believe he found it,” I growled in disbelief.

“Found what?” Caleena asked, attempting to pull her hand from my grasp. But I had a viselike grip on her, and her words seemed to float past me, unable to penetrate my shock. “Ranen?” My name on her lips finally tugged my attention back to her, and I released her hand, realizing how tightly I was holding her.

She stepped around the coffin, her gaze never leaving my face as she put distance between us. “What is this?” she demanded.

I refused to look her in the eyes. “A sarcophagus, as you plainly pointed out,” I snarled, anger seeping into my tone.

“That’s not what I mean, and you know it,” she snapped.Her gaze traveled over the ancient script etched deep in the stone. “‘Disturb not this seal, for within lies the Nightshade. A harbinger of nightmares that prowls the realm of dreams, feeding on the darkest fears of those who dare to confront it. Its touch turns hope to shadow and life to death. Doomed to eternal imprisonment for spreading never-ending nightmares and unending suffering. Heed this warning and seal it forever.’”

Icy dread gripped my heart as I listened to Caleena read the inscription aloud. The Nightshade. Doomed for centuries by King Thalorian himself, and sealed with an ancient language that no one but him could read. My gaze shifted to Caleena. Each syllable fell from her lips with an ease that chilled me.

I appeared before her in a puff of smoke, gripping both of her arms. “You can read this?” I demanded.

Caleena pulled against my tight hold, but I was unyielding. “Of course I can read it. I can decipher many languages,” she hissed.

I turned her toward the coffin, my hand sweeping over the ancient inscription carved into its surface. “No one can decipher this language,” I said, through clenched teeth. “No one except—”

A voice emerged from the shadows, smooth and unsettling, cutting off my words. “A direct descendant of King Thalorian,” it finished my sentence. The words seemed to echo, carrying with them a chill that settled in the air.

Razoul emerged from the shadows, his face twisted into a wicked grin. My head spun with confusion. What were they talking about? Were they implying that I was a direct descendant of King Thalorian? That was absurd. To my knowledge, my father had never been to Jalam or any of the surrounding regions. Dread crept through me, turning my blood to ice water. But I never knew my mother. Ranen’s arm snaked protectively around my waist, drawing me behind him.

Razoul prowled closer until he was just on the other side of the tomb. “I must say, brother, I am disappointed to see that you escaped your lamp.”

“I bet you are,” Ranen growled, and I felt his anger seep into the room. Dark tendrils of smoke began to pour in, twisting and writhing through the air as if alive, curling around the edges of the room.

Razoul’s grin widened. “You know your pathetic geniepowers have no effect on me,” he taunted, his voice dripping with disdain. “So you might as well recall your magic before you embarrass yourself in front of the pretty little princess.” His gaze shifted to me, a predatory glint in his eyes. “You are full of surprises, my little bride. Who would’ve thought I’d find not only the key to opening this tomb but also a wife all in one person?”

Razoul reached for me, but Ranen intervened. He grabbed Razoul’s arm and shoved him back with such force that it left both me and Razoul stunned. The shock on Razoul's face mirrored my own.

“If you touch her”—Ranen warned in a voice that sent shivers all the way down to my toes—“I will kill you.”

Razoul straightened up, quickly masking his surprise. “So my big, scary brother finally reveals a weakness,” he said, his tone dripping with sarcasm. “How intriguing.” His eyes narrowed on me, clearly savoring the shift in power. “I’ll make you a little deal, brother.” He laughed. Tendrils of dark mist began to coil around his hands, and flashes of light danced through the air in shades of deep crimson. “I’m going to kill you either way, but I’ll take it easy on the princess if you convince her to open the tomb.”

I gripped Ranen’s arm, his muscles coiled tight with tension. My gaze rose to meet Razoul’s. “I don’t know how to open the tomb, and even if I did, I wouldn’t,” I spat.

“Oh, I think you will.” Razoul smiled wickedly and unleashed his powers.

Ranen moved with his genie speed, but he wasn’t fast enough to counter the evil wafting off of Razoul. The dark mist coiled around Ranen’s throat, lifting him off the ground. He fought and kicked, his voice strangled as itsqueezed without mercy, the magic tightening its grip with each passing second.

“Stop it!” I cried out, flinging myself toward Razoul.

His dark power wrapped around my body and hurled me into the wall. Air whooshed from my lungs as my head collided with the stone. An explosion of pain radiated through my skull. The room spun as I struggled to pick myself up off the cold ground. I heard Ranen’s raspy voice threatening Razoul, but the words were lost in the dizzying blur of my senses.

Razoul stepped toward me, his voice low and menacing. “I’ll put him out of his misery quickly, princess. If…you open up the tomb,” he added, a dark smile tugging at his lips as he loomed over me.

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