Page 75 of Lion's Share
I reached deeper into my power than I thought possible, and the clearing exploded into brilliant, cleansing radiance.
The white light that poured from me wasn’t just electromagnetic energy — it was something purer, older, connected to the very fabric that kept the worlds separate in their own spheres. The shadow stalkers shrieked and recoiled, their forms becoming less substantial as the radiance washed over them.
Impossible! the largest shadow stalker hissed, its voice filled with pain and rage. The guardians are gone! The bloodline broken!
“The bloodline endures,” I said, my voice carrying clearly across the clearing as I wrestled with the flow of power. It felt like trying to hold onto a firehose, but I knew I couldn’t lose my grip. I had to keep that energy moving in the right direction. “And you are not welcome here.”
Through the brilliant light, I could see the portal forming, shimmering like liquid diamonds. The otherworld beyond it was visible, all teal meadows and silver trees under an aquamarine sky.
Home, the griffin said, wonder and relief clear in its mental voice. The way home opens again.
But the shadow stalkers weren’t about to give up without a fight. Several of them rushed toward me, trying to break through the barrier of light I’d created. Where they touched the radiance, they screamed and dissolved, but more kept coming.
That was when Dr. Rosenthal and her team — well, what was left of them, anyway — burst into the clearing.
“What the hell — ” one of the agents started to say, then cut off abruptly as a shadow stalker flowed toward him. The bullets he fired off passed harmlessly through the stalker’s insubstantial form, and I could see the way his eyes widened in fear.
“Fall back!” Dr. Rosenthal shouted, but there was no way they’d be able to flee in time. The shadow stalkers had found new sources of life energy, and they were converging on the federal agents with terrifying speed.
No time to think. Instead, I extended the flow of light far beyond myself, creating a wider circle of protective light that encompassed Ben, the griffin, the unicorn…and Rosenthal’s team.
It felt as if I was being stretched in all directions at once, but I somehow managed to hold on. Whatever my feelings about Dr. Rosenthal and her methods, I wasn’t going to let innocent people die on my watch.
“The portal!” Ben shouted over a burst of completely useless gunfire. “Sidney, can you hold it open?”
I gritted my teeth, pouring even more energy into maintaining both the protective barrier and the gateway to the otherworld. “Not for long!”
Then we end this now, the griffin declared, spreading its wings wide. Shadow-eaters! Your hunt is finished. Return to the dark places, or face the light’s judgment.
The largest shadow stalker turned its attention back to us, its pale eyes burning with frustrated hunger. Will not be banished by dying guardian tradition. Will consume the light-bringer and grow strong enough to devour both worlds.
It launched itself directly at me, moving faster than anything had a right to move. But the unicorn was faster.
The ancient creature stepped between us, its horn blazing with power that made my own abilities look like a candle next to the sun. When the shadow stalker struck that radiance, it didn’t just recoil — it began to unravel, its very essence burning away in the purifying light.
No guardian stands alone, the unicorn said simply. The compact between worlds endures.
With their leader destroyed, the remaining shadow stalkers seemed to lose their coordination. Some fled back into the forest depths, while others rushed toward the portal, apparently preferring exile to destruction.
Dr. Rosenthal was looking around her with wide eyes, her professional composure finally cracked wide open. “This is impossible,” she whispered. “Everything we know about physics, about reality….”
“Your reality is bigger than you thought,” I gritted, even as I funneled my dwindling energy into the portal through sheer force of will. “Maybe it’s time to expand your perspective.”
Light-bringer, the griffin said, his inner voice urgent. Can you hold the way open long enough?
“Yes,” I said, even though I could feel my strength ebbing with each passing second. But he had given me all the help he could, and he needed to go back where he belonged. “You can go home now.”
The griffin’s dark eyes met mine one final time. The guardian’s duty is remembered. The compact between worlds is renewed. If darkness threatens again, call, and guardians will answer.
With those words, the griffin launched itself toward the portal, its great wings carrying it through the shimmering gateway and into the otherworld beyond. The last I saw of it was a flash of golden-brown feathers against the teal sky, and then it was gone.
The portal began to collapse immediately, since I knew I couldn’t hold it open a single second longer. But as it closed, I sensed something else…a sense of completion, of balance restored. The wrongness that had plagued Silver Hollow for weeks was finally healing.
The last shadow stalker disappeared into the forest, and the supernatural cold that had gripped the clearing began to lift. Normal temperatures returned, along with the ordinary sounds of a cloudy afternoon — birds singing in the trees, the rustle of small animals in the undergrowth, the whisper of leaves on the trees.
I swayed on my feet, utterly drained, and Ben’s arms tightened around me, holding me steady.
“It’s over,” he said, and I could hear the amazement in his voice. “You did it. You actually did it.”
