Page 65 of Cursed By the Dawn

It was strikingly clear to me now how closely the voice resembled a fusion of Mithras and Raelion. It was as though they were both one being, clawing at my shoulders and hissing in my ears. If I had told the Weavers the truth, they wouldn’t have believed me. But soon they would see it for themselves: Mithras in Evernight, lounging in one of its rooms like a twisted king while Raelion lurked nearby.

I was prepared for both of them to die, even if the Weavers weren’t.

Somnus’s legionnaires met the first wave of demons in a brutal clash. Somnus gave me a quick meaningful look before diving in himself, sword raised high and magic swirling. Soon, he’d fly above the Nocturne, forming a circle around Evernight with the other Weavers as they commanded the waves to consume the demons whole. I flew above the carnage in the corridor, closely followed by my group of legionnaires. We helped where we could, using our shadows to sweep over the onslaught and weaken some of the greatest demons, but they weren’t our aim.

Our focus was above.

We banked hard and fast, dodging demons as they clawed for our legs. Somnus’s webs kept the winged demons at bay, ensnaring them in thick silvery strands. A few members of the Shadow Legion were beginning to falter, distracted by the battle below, but I urged them on.

“Eyes up!” I shouted. “We’re nearly there!”

If I could help it, I wouldn’t let a single dreamer die.

“If you submit to me, you can save them all,” whispered the voice.“They are maggots, but if you prefer them wriggling at your feet instead of in the dirt, I will oblige.”

One dreamer is worth more than a million of you, I thought back angrily.

But instead of growing furious at my impudence, the voice merely let out a mocking huff of air.

“How wrong you are. But I will forgive your narrow-mindedness because you do not yet see. And because you have given me a great gift today.”The voice raked my spine with jagged claws.“One that you cannot take back even if you choose to do so.”

Enraged, I urged a blast of shadow toward the citadel.

To my relief, the shadows did what they were instructed to do; the darkness surrounding the walls began to dissipate, revealing more of the diseased structure in all its rotten glory. I could see demons on all sides of the citadel now, dropping into the seven channels with fiendish roars. The demons were eager for blood, eager for us.

If only they knew they were about to be destroyed.

The rest of the Shadow Legion rose from each of the channels, already using their magic to draw more of the darkness away from the citadel. Ceveon was to the left, poised above Fenrir’s legion, and Sorren held the right, flying above Xander’s. The darkness amplified our shadows, our collective power soon becoming a storm that rivaled Evernight’s.

Come on, Raelion. Show yourself.

I peered through the remaining darkness, trying to catch sight of Mithras, but he was nowhere to be seen. It was clear we had the upper hand; he hadn’t planned for us to move as quickly and as powerfully as we did. Perhaps he’d fully expected me to heed his command and stay away. Let him gather an army here and attack us in the dark. But I’d had enough of his commands.

His apparent betrayal.

I couldn’t be sure of his intentions. If Mithras was on the enemy’s side, he hadn’t just betrayed his closest friend; he’d betrayed an entire kingdom. Generations of dreamers left to fester and die from the most merciless disease known to humankind. Erebus could have used his magic five centuries ago to quell the demons, but instead he was forced to rot in a demon-infested castle. Except Mithras hadn’t seemed steadfastly evil when I’d seen him last. Something about this just didn’t addup, but there was no time to sort through hypotheticals now. I had to trust myself and my instincts, and they were currently screaming at me to push forward.

To defeat Raelion once and for all.

The Shadow Legion and I formed a steady ring around Citadel Evernight, an unbroken circle of shadow-wielding dreamers. My chest swelled with pride at their bravery, strength, and trust. They might have been dead in Noctis, but in the Dream Realm, they were brilliantly alive. One more battle, one final triumph, and they could finally enjoy the peace they so deserved. We’d already conquered so much; we were nearly there. The moment Raelion stepped free from the citadel, we’d rip him apart with our shadows, tearing the darkness from his filthy soul.

“Come out, Raelion!” I beckoned, thrumming with new power. My shadows were stronger than I could have ever imagined, more numerous than I could have ever dreamed. They were positioned around us like a raging sea of our own, poised to strike, to take, to devour. “Face us!”

The Dream Realm rumbled, echoing the seven battles taking place in the Nocturne’s channels, but Raelion did not appear. The rest of the Weavers had risen above the Nocturne’s surface, bloody and exhausted but whole. The last of the demons had been coaxed from Evernight’s walls; there was only Raelion left.

“On your order, Shadow Weaver!” Xander shouted.

I gritted my teeth. If Raelion wouldn’t be baited, perhaps destroying the last of his demons would do the trick. Swallowed by the Nocturne, the demons could be killed all at once. Even if it took the last of my power, it would be done.

“Do it!” I shouted.

The seven channels came crashing down, swallowing thousands of demons and apparition legionnaires. For a breath, all was quiet. The Nocturne rippled, dissatisfied, but it did not open again.

The demons were suppressed.

An unexpected blooming hope could be felt among the Weaversand Shadow Legion alike; I caught Fenrir grinning in victory, Nephthys laughing like a child, and Theia smiling at me with blatant approval. We’d done it. We’d almost done it.

Just one more demon to go.