Page 74 of Favored By the Stars

I was strong, powerful, but there was nothing that made me me in my shadow self. It was obvious as I watched her that all of that had died long ago.

"Stop!" I tried to scream, but no sound emerged.

Strong hands gripped my shoulders, yanking me backward. Thorn's face swam before me, his features contorted with worry as he seemed to fade in and out of existence in front of me.

"Senara, come back. Feel our bond. Follow it back. I love you. You're stronger than she is."

I struggled to focus on him, but the visions kept pulling me under like I was stuck in a riptide. The pendant burned against my palm, its magic fighting mine.

A sharp sting across my cheek snapped my head sideways. Wyn stood before me, hand raised, eyes wide with fear.

"I'm sorry! Thorn said to?—"

"I'm here," I gasped. The world rushed back into focus, leaving me gasping. "I'm here." I heaved a great breath and from the sting of the air in my lungs, I knew I must not have been breathing while the visions washed over me. As I took another deep breath, a cough raged through me, like the sudden influx of air was too much, and then the trembling started. I coughed harder, and tasted blood. I leaned away from Thorn and spat, a mixture of blood and ichor splattered on the floor.

Thorn didn't care as his arms encircled me. He pulled me against him once more, his warmth anchoring me to reality. "Our bond is stronger than her visions," he murmured against my hair. "Whatever you saw, we face it together."

I nodded, still shivering, but gradually steadying. The pendant's magic settled, no longer fighting but flowing with my own, becoming an extension of my power rather than opposing it. I clasped the pendant around my neck and tucked it into my tunic, hoping that would keep it safe.

"We need to leave," Volker urged, glancing nervously at the shadows gathering at the edges of the chamber.

"Can you walk?" Thorn asked, his eyes searching mine.

"Yes." I straightened, though I couldn't stop myself from patting the pendant that now securely rested against my chest as though I needed to make sure it was there even though I just put it on. "Let's go."

We fled the temple, my hand pressed against the pendant beneath my tunic. I couldn't seem to tear it away even though I knew that there was nothing wrong, nothing magical forcing me to keep my hand there, but the fear of losing the pendant as well as the mirror? It was almost too much to take.

The magic that had nearly overwhelmed me had now settled into a steady hum against my skin. Despite the shadows that seemed to reach for us, our escape proved surprisingly easy, almost suspiciously so.

Thorn and Van led our group through winding corridors, his warrior instincts and Van's music somehow guiding us toward daylight. Wyn's magic occasionally flared, illuminating our path when darkness threatened to swallow us whole. I gave her some side-eye, and she just mouthed that she was okay. All I could do was trust her, but now that we had the last artifact, I was going to have to talk to her about it.

As we approached the entrance, Thorn abruptly halted, raising his hand in warning. I nearly collided with his back.

"What is it?" I whispered.

"Movement ahead." His voice was barely audible. "Could be another ambush."

We pressed ourselves against the cold stone walls. Shapes shifted in the distance, not quite solid, not quite shadow. I gripped the pendant through my tunic so hard that I could feel the edges digging into my skin and making me bleed, but I couldn't seem to stop myself.

"This is ridiculous," I hissed, frustration bubbling up inside me. "How does everyone seem to know exactly where we are? We can't take a single step without being followed or ambushed."

Van turned to me, his expression one of confusion before it went oddly gentle as though he was talking to a child. "Because you shine like a beacon, Senara. To those who know how to look."

"What are you talking about?"

"To me, your energy is a song that flows on the air." His fingers mimicked ripples moving outward. "A melody so distinct, I have to actively tune it out when I'm near you. You'll never be able to hide, not completely."

I stared at him, dumbfounded. "A song?"

Volker nodded in agreement. "When I use my spirit sight, you glow like nothing I've ever seen before, like what I imagine a celestial being would look like. Silver and gold energy pours off you in waves so bright it's difficult to look directly at you. But it makes finding you remarkably easy."

"I imagine it's similar for other mages," he continued, glancing toward the entrance. "Fenvalur likely tracks you the same way."

The realization hit me like a physical blow. "That's why we got the Crescent Diadem without interference. Fenvalur's men couldn't enter the Twilight Gardens."

"Exactly," Van confirmed. "The Gardens exist in a space between realms and there's only those specific times you can get into the city as well. Your signature was masked there, or at least confused the lot of them."

I pressed my palm against my forehead. "So I'm basically announcing my presence to every magical being within miles?"

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