Page 74 of Bound By Wishes

Shadows spiraled around Ranen, slamming him against the wall with a force that sent pieces of plaster crumbling to the floor. He struggled against the Nightshade’s dark grasp, his muscles straining as he fought to break free.

With an evil gleam in her eyes, the Nightshade turned toward me. “An eye for an eye.” Her voice dripped with vengeance. “Let’s see what happens to your strength when I take her from you.”

The shadows that had pinned Ranen twisted and surgedtoward me, writhing like serpents as they slunk across the floor.

A warm light caught my eye, drawing my focus away from the Nightshade. The sword at Malik’s side glowed. Its power pulsed in a silent plea, urging me to pull it from its sheath—so I did.

Asharpshingfilled the air as the blade slid free of its sheath, the metallic whisper of steel ringing through the silence and drawing the Nightshade’s attention.

“You think to end me with a mere sword?” The Nightshade’s voice danced with amusement, her cackle echoing through the room.

The sword warmed in my grip, and I watched in horror as the only weapon I had against the Nightshade began to bend, like glass softening in a hot furnace. The metal coiled around my arm, reshaping itself with a fluid grace until it melded into the familiar form of the cobra from the mines. My breath caught in my throat as the serpent hissed, locking eyes with the Nightshade. The silvery sheen of its scales added to the menace of its fangs, bared and ready to deliver a venomous blow.

The Nightshade’s hollowed eyes dimmed, and theshadows that had been creeping toward me retreated, shrinking away from the cobra. I seized the serpent just beneath its flared hood, feeling the tension in its coiled body. As my fingers tightened around it, the cobra began to shift and contort, its scales melding together until it transformed back into the staff. The air around us grew still, the once-threatening shadows now held at bay by the power radiating from the staff.

"How is this possible?" the Nightshade spat.

She whirled around to face Ranen, her sunken face twisted in a look of raw betrayal. The shadows around her wavered, reflecting the confusion and fury that simmered off her withered form.

I hobbled closer to Ranen, leaning on the staff as the Nightshade's poison pulsed through my veins. Each step threatened to bring me to my knees. Every face in the room morphed into Mathew’s, his cold blue eyes looking down on me. His voice echoed through my mind, reminding me I was nothing, a thing merely created for his pleasure. The room seemed to shrink, pressing him closer until I could almost feel his hot breath on my skin, just like that night.

“Don’t fight my poison, dear,” the Nightshade crooned. “It will only make your death more painful. Yield to your fear.”

When Mathew reached out and grabbed my arm, something inside me snapped. I had been yielding to my fear ever since he had stolen my peace of mind. I had given a man who didn’t even deserve a fleeting thought far too much power over me.

His grip on my arm tightened, threatening to snap the bones in my wrist. But I wasn’t the same person he’dencountered three years ago. Fear was not my enemy. It was my mind's refusal to confront it that held me captive. I wouldn’t let anything happen to Ranen because I refused to let go of past horrors.

I lifted my eyes, locking them with Mathew’s image. "I'm not afraid of you," I whispered. "You don't deserve my fear."

His face shattered, and the welts on my arm slowly faded, leaving nothing but smooth skin in their wake.

The Nightshade screeched in anger. I glanced at Ranen, his eyes swimming with a pride that made my heart swell.

Despite the shadows anchoring him to the wall, his lips curled into a smirk. “I always knew you were stronger than your fears, ya amar.”

An incredible weight lifted from my shoulders, and for the first time in three years, I felt like I could breathe. The staff trembled under my grip as I straightened, my muscles still weak from the effects of the poison. I used it as support to hobble closer to Ranen. It seemed to ward off the darkness, forcing her shadows to retreat. With every inch I gained, the shadows recoiled further, until they finally released their hold on Ranen.

He landed on his feet with a grace that reminded me of a feline predator, smooth and terrifying, his eyes locked on his mother. He took another step toward her, his presence growing more menacing as he prowled nearer. The air thickened with centuries of tension, suffocating the space between them.

“What now, Mother?” he growled. “Your minion is dead, and your upper hand has been severed at the wrist.”

She met his gaze. "You think this changes anything?" shesaid, venom dripping from her tone. “You’re not strong enough to defeat me. You never were.”

"You underestimate the cunning and power of your own creation," he said with cold resolve. "The darkness you birthed has grown beyond your control and now serves to destroy you." He took a step forward, his presence so overpowering it seemed to push the very air aside. “You taught me well, Mother,” he said. “You instilled in me a hunger for power, a ruthlessness that you molded with your own hands.”

The Nightshade's face twisted with rage, her form flickering like a dying flame. "I gave you life," she hissed, her voice trembling with fury. "And now you use that life to end mine?"

Ranen's eyes narrowed. "You lost the right to claim me as your son the moment you chose power over your children."

Shadows exploded around her, spreading in all directions, dark tendrils lashing out with a fury that shook the rafters and brought down columns. The darkness surged and twisted in a deadly force determined to destroy everything in its path. It enveloped the room, casting everything into an inky abyss of blackness.

The staff in my hand pulsed with raw energy. A blinding light erupted from within it. I had to shield my eyes as it filled the room with a brilliance so potent it felt as though the sun had entered the room. Ranen’s smoky magic lashed out, straining to hold the shadows at bay as the staff’s power surged forward, lunging for the Nightshade.

In the center of the throne room, darkness and light clashed with the force of a shockwave that shook thefoundations of the palace. The air hummed with elemental energy as shadows and light fought for dominance. The impact was so intense it threw me across the room. My body tumbled through the air before crashing against the cold marble floor. The staff spiraled out of my grasp, skidding across the room and coming to rest several feet away.

The Nightshade’s shadows surged with renewed fury, stretching out like clawed hands eager to tear me in two. “This is the warrior you chose?” she sneered, her hollowed gaze fixing on me with a look of deep disdain. The darkness around her seemed to grow thicker, as if feeding off her deep-seated rage.

Ranen’s fury smoldered as he stood like a dark warrior, straining to contain the Nightshade’s shadows. “Do not touch her,” he warned in a low and dangerous growl.

---