Page 57 of Bound In Stone, Claimed In Fire

Steadying my breaths, I slide into a restless half-sleep, letting exhaustion claim me. My heart aches with the knowledge that I’m at my lowest point—abandoned, hunted, unsure if the man I love is enthralled or truly gone. This must be the darkest night of my soul, a place where despair and fury coil inside me, whispering that all is lost.

But I hold on, nails dug into the rocky ground, because in the swirling gloom, I sense a faint glimmer of hope. The brand pulses once, reminiscent of the synergy that once saved Kaelith from the brink.If there’s even a chance of saving him, I’ll do it.Betrayal or no, heartbreak or no, I won’t replicate Nerezza’s cruelty by abandoning him.

Dawn comes again,fragile and gray. I rise on unsteady legs, blinking away night terrors. My face feels puffy from tears, my limbs heavy from too little rest. The brand’s dull throb matches the slow beat of my pulse.No illusions of comfort.But I can walk, can fight, can move. So I do.

Head high, staff in hand, I press forward along the mountainside, forging my own path. Each step feels precarious, but the memory of Kaelith’s fierce eyes steadies me. Perhaps he thinks himself noble for leaving; perhaps he believed I’d be safer with him gone. I don’t know. But I vow to unravel Nerezza’s illusions and free him, even if it means confronting the darkest corners of my own magic.

Yes, Drayveth’s ultimatum stings—help them seal Kaelith or remain an outcast.I choose outcast.Better than betraying the man who taught me the worth of my own choices. My tears threaten anew, but I swallow them down, forging a new sense of purpose from the shards of heartbreak.

My path is uncertain, overshadowed by the monstrous threat of Nerezza’s brood, and complicated by a coven that hunts me. But I cling to the single truth that hasn’t shattered: love doesn’t abandon, even if it’s tested. If I fail, I fail fighting for him. If I succeed, perhaps we can defy every condemnation thrust upon us.

Gritting my teeth, I limp onward, ignoring the ache in my ankles and the dryness of my throat. Overhead, the sky grows brighter, but I find no comfort in its pale gold glow. The mountains loom, silent witnesses to my pain, offering no solace.Yet I walk anyway,determined that no matter how dark my night becomes, I won’t let Nerezza or Drayveth define my fate.

Because even if Kaelith has vanished, my love and loyalty remain. The brand on my wrist stings in a perpetual reminder that my power can be a force for good—or a stepping stone to chaos. My heartbreak stands as a shield against despair. I might be alone, battered, perched on the precipice of destruction, but I’m still Sariah.I choose my path,not Drayveth’s demands or Nerezza’s illusions.

Step by step, I climb, tears drying on my cheeks, fury and devotion guiding me. The day stretches on, each moment a testament to my refusal to break. Darkness envelops my heart, yes, but it does not define me.I will not betray the gargoyle who risked everything for me.Even if he betrayed me, I can’t do the same.

And so I press forward, forging my lonely journey, steeling myself for the battles yet to come.This is my dark night of the soul,but I cling to the faint hope that dawn will follow, and if I must stand alone against both coven and monstrous brood to reclaim Kaelith, then so be it. I grit my teeth, vow etched in my heart:I will not yield.

Because even in the blackest sorrow, love can become a weapon. And I’m prepared to wield it, no matter the cost.

16

KAELITH

Istand at the threshold of a chamber carved from black stone, every nerve in my body frayed with tension. This place can’t possibly be real—it’s too perfect, too reminiscent of the grand halls Nerezza and I once imagined together. Yet the polished obsidian floors gleam under torchlight, throwing back shifting reflections. Pillars rise toward a vaulted ceiling etched with twisting glyphs. I can feel the pulse of unnatural power in each carved symbol, taste the tang of chaos in the air.

The illusions cling to me, a half-formed haze that gnaws at my senses. My runes flicker over my arms and torso, caught between wanting to petrify me for defense and sensing that no amount of stone can shield me fromher. Deep in my gut, I recognize I’m trapped in the heart of Nerezza’s domain—whether it’s a physical fortress or a labyrinth of illusions, I can’t tell. My limbs remain too heavy to move freely.She has me pinned, body and mind.

At the far end of this hall, seated on a raised dais of obsidian, Nerezza reclines as though she’s empress of the universe. Her dark hair drifts around her shoulders, shimmering with an eerie luster that defies natural light. A crown of black spires circles her head, crackling with faint arcs of magic. Those red eyes burn with an ancient hunger. My heart thuds painfully, recalling the warm spark that once lived in those same eyes centuries ago.She’s changed so much—and yet I see whispers of the woman I used to know.

Two twisted gargoyles flank her throne, their monstrous bodies a grotesque parody of my own race. Their scaly skin is laced with throbbing veins of greenish energy, and their eyes glow with vacant malevolence. One hisses at my approach, baring fangs that drip with black saliva. I swallow, forcing myself not to recoil.This is what Nerezza calls her brood—broken creatures enthralled to her chaos.

“Kaelith,” Nerezza greets, her voice reverberating across the chamber. The moment I hear that familiar purr, my runes twinge with conflicting emotions—part revulsion, part sorrow.She used to speak my name so lovingly.Now, there’s an undercurrent of triumph in her tone.A predator who’s cornered her prey.

Slowly, I approach the dais, each step echoing on the polished floor. My wings remain partially furled, tail dragging. She’s forced me here, illusions chipping away at my will. Or perhaps I allowed myself to be led, believing I might spare Sariah.The memory of Sariah’s tear-streaked face slashes through my mind.A fresh wave of guilt floods me.I left her to Nerezza’s cruelty, all because I thought it would keep her safe. Ridiculous.But at the time, illusions hammered me with visions of Sariah’s downfall, and I caved beneath the weight of my old guilt.

I stop at the foot of the dais. The oppressive aura of chaos hangs like a suffocating miasma. My runes spark, as if trying to protect me from some unseen onslaught. I grit my teeth, forcing my voice not to shake. “You’ve brought me here. Now what?”

Nerezza’s crimson lips curl in a slow smile, revealing just a hint of fang. She leans forward, resting her chin on her hand. “Now we talk, beloved gargoyle.” Her robes rustle, shimmering with oily darkness. “I’ve waited centuries for you to stand willingly at my side. Our bond was never truly broken, only deferred.”

I flinch.Our bond? We had a bond once, yes, but I shattered it by sealing us both away.My chest constricts with memory: the day I laid down my arms, forging a stone tomb to entrap her and myself, believing the world safer with us both gone. “That bond died the moment you twisted my kin into abominations,” I manage, voice rough. “I stand before you only because you forced illusions upon me.”

She arcs one delicate brow. “Forced illusions? Hardly. I merely showed you the truth—how your little purna might follow my path, how Drayveth condemns her as the next Nyxari. Weren’t you desperate to protect her from such a fate? Didn’t you come here willingly to ensure her safety?” Her eyes gleam with cunning triumph.

My wings tense, tail flicking in agitation.She’s partially right.I recall how I stumbled from Sariah’s side, illusions whispering that I could save her by yielding. Heat prickles my cheeks with shame. “I—” My runes flare, betraying my internal conflict. “She’s safer if I stand between you and her. That’s all.”

Nerezza laughs, a musical yet hollow sound. “Stand between us? Such hubris. I can end your purna with a flick of my magic.OrI can let her live in peace, so long as you serve me.” She drapes an arm across the throne’s armrest, exuding a languid dominance. “You are the deciding factor, Kaelith. The pivot upon which her fate rests. So let’s abandon false hostility. Join me. Let’s reclaim the dream we once shared.”

My mind reels.The dream.We envisioned a future where gargoyles and purna coexisted in harmony, forging alliances stronger than any dark elf tyranny. But she found chaos, used it, and turned it into a weapon of unimaginable devastation. My chest twists with sorrow.This is not the woman I loved. She’s become a parody of that bright young purna, devoured by her own lust for power.But illusions swirl around me still, making me doubt. Could there be a shred of her old self in that voice?

I swallow hard, meeting her gaze. “You talk of forging alliances, but you’re the one ordering your brood to slaughter entire covens. You annihilate any who oppose you. That’s not the dream I remember.” My voice trembles with a mix of anger and heartbreak.

Her eyes flash with cold fire. “Opposition must be crushed. Resistance invites anarchy. If Protheka kneels to me, then I can shape it into a haven for our kind—gargoyle and purna alike.” She lets out a soft, mocking sigh. “But you sealed me, forced me to extremes. Look at the cost of your betrayal.Weshould have shaped Protheka together, Kaelith.”

I rake a hand through my hair, runes prickling with frustration. “No,” I say, voice low. “We should have strived for peace without warping souls or turning gargoyles into thralls. I never betrayed you.Youbetrayed the dream by delving into chaos magic that slaughtered innocents.”

A flicker of old pain crosses her face—so quick I doubt it was real. “I sought power to protect your species, and they scorned me. They let fear turn me into a demon in their eyes.Youscorned me as well, eventually.” She rises from the throne, descending the dais in a swirl of black robes. Her steps echo with quiet authority. “But I can forgive that if you join me now, help me bring unity under my rule. Even Drayveth’s petty coven will kneel or perish. As for your precious Sariah—” She waves a hand dismissively, “I won’t meddle with her if you remain loyal.”

---