Page 137 of A Trial of Two Worlds
An explosion of light erupted from the stone. My hands were immovable as the power from the Heart of Valdor exploded from the confines of its cage,finally unlocked after my ancestor sealed it away.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered, loud enough for only my animal to hear. “I’m sorry we were never able to shift.”
With those final words, my eyes closed, the strength in my limbs gave way, and my final breath dissipated into ash. My life willingly given to the Heart of Valdor to heal ourdying world.
Chapter Sixty-Eight
Castor Aegaeon
“No!”was all I could think to say, all I could fathom, as my premonition unraveled in a devastating tragedy.
Witnessing this nightmare felt like a dagger spearing my chest, the tip piercing my immortal heart and forcing it to cease beating. Scorching burns from smoldering embers of the magma chamber would be a welcome pain compared to witnessing this scene unfold.
“Not withoutyouby my side, Skylar!” Daxton roared.
The panic in his voice teetered on sheer madness. I tensed as Daxton summoned every drop of strength his body could muster and hurled it at the veil of magic separating him from his mate on the inside.
Fuck, here we go.
I attempted to brace myself, but I’d seen the inevitable. Daxton’s magic ricocheted against the barrier and exploded inside the volcano’s chamber, blasting us with the full force of his powers.
I closed my eyes and braced for the impact as my body was thrown backward, colliding with Shaw in his panther form. Thankfully, I was not underneath him, orelse I would have died from the impact of his body weight against the rocks.
“Fucking gods-dammit!” I cursed as I rolled onto the ground next to Shaw. “Fuck!” I was so angry I couldn’t think of anything else to say.
How could she do this? How delusional was she? I thought I’d taught her better than this. I thought she’d understood…
But how could I be so furious with a sacrifice such as this? Willingly giving her life so others could carry on. Was there a more noble or brave cause?
Skylar was going to die.
And… And, somehow, I was responsible for keeping my brother from following her.
“I will always find you,” Skylar cried out.
I trembled, my heart racing, knowing this was all the time they had left together.
My brother remained silent as Skylar’s life force began drifting into the cursed stone destined to save us. I moved onto my hands and knees, shielding myself from the blinding vortex of magic building around her.
“Daxton,” Skylar whimpered, and I knew… Gods above, I knew this was it.
My brother needed to answer her. He would never forgive himself if he didn’t. I willed myself to glance at Daxton, praying for him to find the strength to answer her. To do the unthinkable and say goodbye.
I didn’t hear my brother’s final words to her over the thundering waves of magic, but I watched his lips move as he said farewell to his mate.
The sorrow in Daxton’s expression broke my heart.
What was the point of all this power if Daxton couldn’t use it to save the one who mattered most? The one who completed his soul, his very essence. I knew my brother would give anything, everything, to keep her. But he knew he couldn’t.
Shaw moved beside me, tucking his massive head next to my shoulder as we braced against the spiraling winds. No words could be said to comfort Daxton. All we could do was watch this unfold, helpless to do anything to break this thread of fate.
A blinding white light sprang from Skylar’s chest, filling the cavern with a flood of magic that raised the fallen stones from the floor and churned the magma beneath our feet.
It was indescribable.
Magic flooded my center, and I felt alive. More alive than I had been in the last five hundred years. My magic surged through me like a river breaking free of its dam, its untamed power awakening a dormant piece of my soul—something I hadn’t known was missing, let alone lost.
And then I heard him, no, correction, Ifelthim.
