Page 61 of Shadowbound

I can see the same thoughts reflected in Sylvanna’s face. She looks worried and sad as she watches the Queen—who is also her dearest friend—mutter and mumble and stare into the magical silver spy-glass that won’t let her go.

“My Queen? My Queen, can you hear me?” Sylvanna calls softly as we approach the throne. The guards on either side look on passively. They were probably paid off by Kraven to leave her be and allow her to fall deeper into her addiction—that’s what Sylvanna thinks, anyway.

She steps closer and looks back at me.

“Bring The Heart, my Paladin,” she murmurs.

I pull out the black silk cloth I’ve been carrying and bring it closer to her, right up the steps to the throne. I don’t try to hand it over to Sylvanna—she’s not strong enough to carry it. Only I can handle it and then only with my Drake helping.

“Good, now open the cloth,” Sylvanna instructs me.

“You’re sure about this?” I don’t like to second guess my Mistress, but I felt the power that poured through us and into The Heart—it nearly blew me into pieces. Honestly, I don’t think Sylvanna and I could have survived it alone. It was the presence of a third—of my Drake—taking up some of the magic, that kept us alive until The Heart awakened and absorbed the magical power filling all three of us.

But Sylvanna nods.

“The prophecy promises that The Heart of the Eclipse will make all things right. We must trust in its power.”

“All right.” I nod and open the black silk wrappings to reveal the dark purple gem. The Heart is glowing from within and so heavy it takes all my Drake’s strength to hold it.

“Good, now bring it closer to her,” Sylvanna instructs me. “My Queen,” she calls softly. “Lift your head for just one moment, I have something to show you.”

But the Queen hunches further in on herself.

“Can’t look now! Too much to see. My stories, I have to watch my stories!”

“This story is better than any the Glass of Distraction can show you. Come, just look for a moment—I promise you’ll love it,” Sylvanna says coaxingly.

At last, reluctantly, the Queen looks up, pulling the silver glass away from her eye, though she keeps it gripped in her claw-like hand.

“Now!” Sylvanna exclaims and I shove The Heart of the Eclipse right in the old Queen’s face.

She starts to jerk back, but Sylvanna won’t let her.

“No, look at it!” she insists, taking the Queen by her bony shoulders and pushing her forward. “Look at it!”

The Queen mutters and struggles, but her faded eyes are already fixed on the glowing Heart. And as she looks, it begins to glow even more brightly. Soon it’s so brilliant I have to look away but the Queen stares and stares. And from the corner of my eye, I see that she seems to be changing.

First, her back un-hunches itself. She straightens up and I see that her spine is no longer crooked and humped. Then her hair loses its gray. It becomes darker and thicker until it’s a shining curtain of deep sable flowing over her shoulders.

Her eyes are next—the wrinkles at the corners smooth themselves out and the faded irises turn a deep, rich brown that glow with a soft golden light. The rest of her wrinkles disappear too, leaving her face youthful and round.

Her body follows suit and soon the woman sitting on the throne before us looks almost the same ages as Sylvanna—maybe just a little older.

It’s wonderful that her youth has been restored, I think, but what about her mind? If The Heart can’t heal it as well, all this is useless.

The Queen blinks and finally looks away from The Heart. Her eyes flicker up to meet Sylvanna’s and I see recognition there.

“Sylvanna? My friend?” she asks. Her voice has gone from a crow’s caw to a smooth, sweet timbre.

“My Queen?” Sylvanna looks at her hopefully. “Are you well?”

“I…I think so.” A troubled look passes over the Queen’s face. “I had a dream…many dreams, I think. So many and they all flowed together but I couldn’t bear to stop dreaming.”

“That was because of the Glass of Distraction—the magical artifact that Kraven gave you,” Sylvanna says.

The Queen looks down at her hand and frowns at the small, silver spy-glass.

“This thing?” She starts to raise it to her eye…then stops. “No,” she says. “I don’t want to dream anymore. I want to live.”

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