Page 60 of Ecliptic

“Finish her!” Erovos commanded his hatchlings of darkness. They bore down on me with brutal strength, and just like their creator, their black eyes swirled with primordial darkness. Their thick and meaty arms beat against my shield ruthlessly.

One bang, my teeth chattered. Two, three bangs, the force traveled up my arm, putting pressure on my elbow and shoulder. After hit four, five, and six, I fell to one knee, my bones and muscles screaming in pain.

My hold on the demon with three tusks fell, and I immediately shot my arm back up to fortify my shield.

All the horned beasts pounded together, their collective assault hitting me so hard that I was blasted back in an explosion of light.

I skidded across the ground, my hair flying around me as a barrage of dirt and rocks pummeled around me like shrapnel. The smallest beast charged at me, its battering ram of an arm swinging through the air. I cried out as it connected with my back. The force bruised my lungs and sent me sprawling forward as if I’d been hit by a freight train.

So they could hurt me in my astral form.Not good.

I shot to my feet, fighting to pull in my next breath. I couldn’tsee Rowen anymore, which in equal parts terrified yet relieved me. At least he was safe. The Voro-Kai couldn’t get to him through my projection.

All three creatures charged towards me, trapping me against a wall of stone. I was exhausted, my entire body spent and sore, and all of my light sources were depleted. If I didn’t think of something soon, they would tear into me with their teeth and tusks, turning me into one of them.

Would I still look like me, or would I thoroughly transform into a Voro-Kai? Would Rowen be able to recognize me? I would take my own life before I ever let my body succumb to Erovos’ darkness. I would go to any lengths to ensure Rowen never saw me like that and would never have to make the impossible decision of killing me to put me out of my misery. A decision that would ultimately kill us both.

I scrambled sideways against the stone, begging the Alcreon Light to return. The beasts were inches away, their sharp claws ready to slash me to ribbons. Suddenly, I stumbled back, falling behind a hidden rock wall.

I staggered deeper into the cave, my legs fighting to catch myself. When I raised my head, horror twisted my gut. The crevice yawned wider, revealing a vast expanse of rocky hills and jagged peaks stretching as far as the eye could see. Littered upon the ground in never-ending rows was a sea of demon cocoons.

Their chrysalises were black yet see-through, bubbling and pulsing like external wombs. Through the thin tissue, I could make out demons floating in inky water. Their eyes were closed, yet their bodies twitched and writhed in the dark fluid. Some were fully formed with thick hides and tusks, while others were twisted fetuses, barely recognizable in shape. Yet, no matter their stage of growth, they all seemed as if they could wake at any moment.

My mouth fell open in terror, and a silent scream lodged inmy throat. The sheer scale of what we were facing crashed over me.

Erovos was breeding an army.

All the energy he had taken from the earth through Indrasyl was harnessed into creating an army of astral demons.

The Dark Spirit may be imprisoned, but our destruction would be sealed if his Voro-Kai escaped. And judging by the strength of Erovos’ earthquakes, we were edging closer and closer toward war and catastrophe.

My eyes quickly searched for Demil. He’d helped me once, and hopefully, he would help me again. But he was nowhere in sight.

I whipped around to face the beasts, shoving their way through the narrow tunnel. I found myself trapped between the charging demons and sleeping chrysalises. No matter my move, I wasn’t making it out of here alive, but I refused to make this hellhole my final view.

I closed my eyes and turned the lens inward, hoping to find one moment of inner peace before I died, but what I saw steeled my spine in silver fire. I was no weakened mare or poisoned girl anymore. I was the wielder and protector of the Alcreon Light, forged in the heat of blazing stars. I was a weapon of celestial force, chosen by the Light itself.

I refused to be overcome.

I released a whisper of a command—a surrender. My skin burning and brightening as if I were pyre-born.

Let them touch me.

My body became engulfed in a heavenly blaze as misted claws reached for me.

The creatures bore down on me, their beastly hands reaching for my skin that crackled like an untouchable star, illuminating the crevice in a blinding glow. As soon as they touched me, the dark creatures screeched, their arms veining with asilver light before disintegrating, melting into smoke and ash as they fell upon me.

I heard laughter echoing from the front of the cave. “Very interesting,” Erovos hummed, his voice sending shivers down my spine. I may have trapped him, but his mind was still cunning, and his body was full of power. “So resilient, my little light. Though I may not be escaping tonight, I’ll find a way to snuff you out yet.”

His words reverberated through me like a gravitational promise. When suddenly, Erovos’ arms shot out, his cloak unfurling like the wings of a world-eating dragon. His mouth opened wide, his jaw unhinging as he let out a distorted frequency. The air shuddered, the ground lurched, and the crevice shook so violently it felt as if the earth were splitting open from the force of his roar.

I gasped awake, my heart hammering against my ribcage. I thought I had escaped, but before I could catch a breath, strong arms wrapped around me and pulled me tight, trapping me within their grip.

23

“Let me go. Let me go,” I cried, fighting and kicking with all my strength. I had to escape the arms that held me. I couldn’t let myself become a demon.

“Keira, it’s me. You’re back, you’re back,” Rowen’s voice choked out in relief.

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