Page 54 of Bound In Stone, Claimed In Fire

Yet that spark remains, dim but insistent:Sariah would never want me to abandon hope. She’d fight illusions tooth and nail.My brand, half a world away, might still anchor me if I can muster the strength.But how?

Nerezza’s illusions swirl anew, and I see a horrifying image of Sariah locked in stone, gargoyles devouring her. I cry out, tears trailing down my face.She must be safe. She must be.My entire being trembles with the desire to break free, toreturnto her. That flicker of defiance grows.

But the illusions remain relentless, feeding me fear after fear. I’m pinned in place, mind battered, the bond to Sariah muffled by Nerezza’s overshadowing presence.All is lost,the refrain echoes.

In the real world—wherever my body stands—Nerezza must be guiding me away from that clearing. Sariah is left behind, presumably pounding at the barrier, sobbing my name. My chest tightens with heartbreak, but the illusions show me that’s the only path to keep her safe. The illusions have cracked my will.I let them.

Nerezza’s triumphant expression flickers with a moment of softness. She leans close, lips near my ear. “I never wanted to fight you, Kaelith. We were meant for greatness together, remember?”

My runes pulse with a conflicted ache. The memory of our shared dreams stirs. My mind whirls with guilt and longing.She was once so radiant.But I can’t forget the atrocities. I stare at the illusions’ shifting mosaic—Nerezza in her old gentle form, Nerezza unleashing chaos upon innocents, all interwoven with images of Sariah. My head hurts.

Tears burn my eyes.I can’t see a way out.The illusions have me in their thrall. My entire body slumps, wings half-petrified in despair.Sariah, forgive me,I think, letting the illusions carry me deeper into Nerezza’s realm.

In that final thought, I taste the metallic tang of heartbreak. The tether’s resonance dims to a faint echo, overshadowed by the swirling darkness. My soul feels tethered no longer to Sariah, but to a swirling void of illusions, courtesy of the woman who once claimed to love me.All is lost.

Darkness encloses me, illusions pressing in from every side. My eyes close, tears sliding down my cheeks. Nerezza’s illusions hold me captive, drawing me away from Sariah’s side with a twisted promise that this betrayal might save her from the fate I most fear. But the cost is unimaginable. My heart twists in regret as I let the illusions lead me further.I have no more fight left.

Thus, I fall into Nerezza’s hands, leaving Sariah behind to face whatever nightmares remain, convinced my sacrifice might spare her from damnation.All is lost.And in the echoing chambers of illusions, Nerezza’s laughter reigns, triumphant over the last shred of hope I carried.

15

SARIAH

Ijerk awake, heart hammering so fiercely it rattles my ribs. My breath rasps through my raw throat. For a moment, I think I’m in the cave where Kaelith and I huddled together last night—or was it days ago?—but the surroundings blur, shifting into stark reality. I’m alone, sprawled on hard ground near the remnants of a cold fire. The sky overhead has just begun to lighten, gray streaks of dawn creeping across the bare cliffs.

Instantly, panic seizes me. My gaze flicks around the makeshift camp, searching for the hulking silhouette of the gargoyle who’s become my partner, my anchor.Kaelith.But there’s no sign of him: no broad-shouldered figure in chipped armor, no faint glow of runes. Only empty space and scattered footprints in the dust. My chest constricts.Where is he?

“Kaelith?” My voice echoes, ragged and small in the hush. A cold wind rustles over the rocks, offering no answer. I scramble to my feet, nearly tripping over a fallen branch. My staff lies within arm’s reach, but that’s the only comfort. The tether inside my chest—our connection that has guided me through so many perils—simmers with a dull throb, as if subdued by distance.He’s gone.The realization slams into me, stealing my breath.

For a few heartbeats, I stand rooted in shock. My brand on my wrist itches painfully, reminding me of the synergy we shared, the battles we survived side by side.He wouldn’t just leave me, would he? Not after everything.My heart stutters.Unless Nerezza forced him, or twisted illusions so potent he believed he had no choice.Anger, laced with heartbreak, flares.Or maybe he went willingly, convinced it would protect me.The possibilities churn in my mind.

My vision blurs with tears as I rake my gaze across the empty camp. My entire body throbs with leftover exhaustion from the frantic synergy that nearly broke us. Devastation seeps in, heavier than any physical wound.He’s truly gone.I want to scream, but my throat seizes, no sound escaping except a choked whimper. The man I love has disappeared, leaving me with only the echo of the tether’s weakened beat.

“Coward,” I whisper, tears slipping down my cheeks. It’s not fair to label him that, but fury coils in my belly, fueled by betrayal and fear.He might have abandoned me for Nerezza. He said he feared I’d become her, but he’s the one who vanished without a word.A sob bubbles in my chest.How could he?

Before I can fully collapse into despair, the crunch of footsteps behind me jolts me from my misery. I spin, staff raised, adrenaline surging. My brand flares, half-expecting Nerezza’s brood or Drayveth’s purna to pounce. Instead, Drayveth himself emerges from behind a jagged boulder, his expression guarded. Two of his subordinates linger behind him, both sporting fresh bruises and wary stares.

I bristle, hatred and heartbreak mingling in my veins. My battered relationship with Drayveth teeters between truce and condemnation; he once threatened to brand me a Nyxari if I didn’t kill Kaelith. My pulse spikes.What does he want now?

“Sariah,” he says evenly, voice carrying across the rocky expanse. The wind buffets his dark cloak. “We heard shouting.” His gaze sweeps around the camp, lingering on the empty bedroll Kaelith used. A flicker of understanding crosses his face. “Your gargoyle is gone, isn’t he?”

The question drives salt into my fresh wound.My gargoyle.I want to lash out, but I clamp my jaws shut, tears still burning my eyes. “Yes,” I manage, voice taut. “He left. Or was taken. I don’t know.” My anger surges again, twisting with grief. “Why do you care?”

He exhales, staff shifting in his hand. “You saved me from Nerezza’s brood. I owe you at least civility.” A faint note of regret weaves through his tone. Then he glances at his subordinates, who remain a few paces behind, scanning for threats. “We saw tracks leading away from here, fresh. Gargoyle footprints, accompanied by… something else. Possibly illusions. We suspect Nerezza drew him out.”

My heart lurches. “She must have enthralled him again.” I recall the illusions she conjured last time we saw her, how she nearly trapped Kaelith’s mind.But is that the entire story?A darker voice hisses,What if he went willingly, believing Nerezza’s promises?I squeeze my eyes shut, breath shaking. “I should have been awake,” I murmur, heartbreak suffusing every word. “I could’ve stopped him.”

Drayveth regards me with an unexpected gentleness, though behind it smolders old distrust. “Nerezza’s illusions are powerful. Perhaps he thought he was protecting you by leaving.” His gaze flicks to the brand on my wrist, the same brand that once marked me as part of his coven. “Or perhaps he embraced her calls. Either way, you’re alone now.”

Alone. The word echoes in my chest, gnawing with savage clarity.I’ve lost Kaelith.My brand throbs, as if mocking me that my synergy partner is out of reach. My tears threaten to spill anew, but I steel my spine, refusing to break in front of Drayveth. “Why are you here?” I snap, voice rough. “If you’re here to kill me or drag me back, do it quickly. I have no reason to fight you now.”

One of Drayveth’s subordinates bristles, eyes narrowing. But Drayveth silences them with a raised hand. His expression is grim, lines of worry etched into his face. “You misunderstood me before. I never wanted your death, only your compliance. But now that you’re alone, I come with one final offer: rejoin the coven. Help us seal these gargoyles—Kaelith included—and end Nerezza’s plague. You can salvage your life.”

My chest hollows.Help them seal Kaelith away?The mere thought sends fresh agony slicing through me. But Drayveth continues, misreading my stricken expression for consideration. “Think rationally, Sariah. Kaelith’s gone. If he’s joined Nerezza, you can’t save him. The gargoyles are unstoppable unless we harness old wards. If you help me, the coven might forgive your transgressions. You won’t be hunted as a Nyxari. You can return to our ranks.”

Return. The word tastes bitter, conjuring memories of training halls, of nights spent studying incantations under Drayveth’s tutelage. My brand stings, recalling how they turned on me the moment I refused to kill Kaelith. My emotions swirl: longing for a sense of belonging, hate for their cruelty, and heartbreak that they still demand I seal Kaelith to prove my loyalty.And if Kaelith truly left me for Nerezza… is Drayveth right?

A heavy silence weighs. Drayveth’s subordinates shift impatiently. The man with a scar across his cheek fiddles with the runes on his staff, while the woman with shaved hair observes me with suspicion. My entire body trembles, tears threatening again.Kaelith is gone. Did he betray me, or was he forced?

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