Page 133 of A Trial of Two Worlds
“Couldn’t agree more.”
“Is he going to shift?” Castor asked. “Do we need to brace ourselves for an overcrowded tunnel?”
“He’ll be fine,” I answered.
Shaw gave me a firm nod in agreement.
Daxton came to my side. “I can feel your magic growing the farther we travel along the pathway, Skylar.”
His scent of cold mountain air granted me a moment of clarity and ease.
“I believe it’s due to our proximity to the Heart of Valdor,” I said. “Shaw’s magic is responding in a similar way. It’s putting his panther on edge.”
I paused and recalled what the basilisk told me before he died.When your kind first sealed it away.
“It’s our shifter magic.”
“So, we’re close then.” Castor clapped his hands, readying himself. “That’s great news. I was beginning towonder if this passageway led to the dungeons below Aelius. We’ve been walking for hours with no end in sight.”
Daxton scowled and shook his head, turning his attention back toward me. “Are you all right?”
“Never better,” I replied quickly, forcing a smile.
Daxton narrowed his eyes, unconvinced by my answer.
“Are you ready for what happens after we reach the end?” I asked, trying to divert his attention. “When the wilt is gone and—”
“War,” Daxton answered, with a sober look haunting his expression. “War is a sacrifice I’m all too familiar with, but… we can’t turn away when there’s something worth fighting for.”
“Agreed,” I said. “You’re the prince who was promised to unite your people and lead Valdor toward freedom, Dax.” I gazed at my mate, sensing Shaw and Castor intently listening nearby. “Neverforget that.”
Daxton tilted his head, looking me over, searching for the hidden meanings laced between my words.
“Let’s keep going,” I said to our group as I forced my feet to continue marching forward.
The closer we ventured toward the Heart, the stronger I felt, almost like the Heart was fueling the blaze of my magic burning in my soul. Our trek continued well into the late hours of the night, but it wouldn’t be much farther. Perhaps one more turn and then—
“Hey, wait a second,” Shaw called out. “Did anyone else notice these markings?”
I froze in place. I’d seen them. I just wish they hadn’t.
Daxton stopped, turning toward Shaw with a fae light glowing overhead. My eyes glided toward Shaw’s hand as he traced over the carvings on the blackened stone wall.
“What is it?” Castor asked, stepping closer to examine the carving.
“It… It appears to be a—”
“It’s the Heart of Valdor,” I whispered.
“How do you know this, Spitfire?” Daxton asked.
“I-I just know,” I answered without meeting his gaze.
Shaw raised his hand to study the markings. “I think our ancestors carved these,” he whispered.
“Likely the shifter who sealed the Heart of Valdor away,” I said.
The depiction showed a male holding a stone in the center of his chest, with radiating lines encircling him and spanning through the edges of the carving. A protective circle encased him, with what appeared to be his animal’s spirit or magic flowing toward the stone. A stream of vertical light soared skyward from the center of his chest, cresting in a circular barrier surrounding him and the Heart of Valdor.
