Page 169 of Gift from the Source
My hand snaps free from the Valorian Veil.
As I’m slung back, I snatch the power from the main portal as well while my closing spell is still active.
Instead of slamming into the ground, I fall back into waiting arms.
With the quiet hum the portal had been emitting gone, we sit in silence. Everything in this part of the realm seems to sleep while we wait anxiously as though something is getting ready to jump out at us.
The only sound is our collective breathing and after a tense moment, I let my body fully relax while I stare at the stars.
I believe this is the first time I’ve ever been able to just lie and watch them shine in the night sky.
My mind races over everything that just happened as I gaze at the beautiful, peaceful sight above me.
The true taste of what we’re up against leaves a metallic tang in my mouth. It’s greater than I’ve prepared myself for.
The power behind the portals and what would happen if the wrong kind of person were to control the travel has a single slow tear rolling down my cheek.
“You were amazing, little warrior,” Tillman says, wiping the trail from my face.
“I’m tired.”
They each lay a hand on me.
Through their touches and bonds, a shuddering breath escapes me.
They are as well.
It’s just not sleep we’re all referring to.
Twenty
Caspian
As we sit beneath the night sky that usually brings me so much comfort, I find myself constantly searching the ground.
The moonlight brings me no peace.
My shadows weave in and out of the blades of grass and the pool of the portal just to make sure it’s the only source of darkness lurking around.
Although I witnessed the ruined power being released, I’m stuck in a petrifying fear that it’s still here somewhere.
Watching. Waiting for us to drop our guard and leave my Primary vulnerable for it to take over.
I never thought I’d witness a darkness that had a deeper depth than my own.
What slithered through my Primary was more than a black abyss.
It was a void.
An endless pit of misery and death that called to the docile demons living inside of me. They’ve been tamed by her. She leads them now.
In that moment where she slipped into the clutches of that power, they were ready and willing to follow.
If she was giving in to its call, so were they.
I was going to give in tothat call.
It took every bit of mental strength I’ve built up over the last eighteen years to break through her mind and get her to hear me.
