Page 77 of Claim the Light
The space around me swallows my voice. There are no echoes. Only nothingness.
“Keeper of dark magic!” I call again. “Show yourself.”
My cry is met with silence, and it’s unsettling when the seconds become longer.
I wait another minute, preparing to call out again, when a figure moves in the gloom opposite me. I anticipate the swish of the keeper’s robes, the chill of his presence, the hiss of his wraith-like voice, and the disconcerting way his crown covers his eyes.
Instead, the footfalls coming nearer to me are steady and firm and accompanied by the soft creak of leather and the gentle clang of metal.
I take a quick step back when a female silhouette emerges from the gloom.
A woman with long, dark hair and bright eyes strides toward me. She’s wearing golden armor that fits snugly against her curves while a weapon sits across her back, its blades visible over her right shoulder. It’s some sort of double-sided axe, a little like Lana’s glaive except that the blades of this weapon sit on either side of the top.
In her right hand, she’s holding a swath of material, but I can’t make out what it is.
“He’s gone,” she says, coming to a halt five paces away from me.
Gone?
A shiver of fear runs through me. The keeper of old magic accused me of creeping into their realms. Now, I wonder if I somehow damaged the oblivion, or worse—set the keeper of dark magic free. I remember the way the keeper of dark magic had jolted suddenly at the end of our last conversation and told me he had to go.
The stranger drops the material in her hand and I recognize it. It’s the dark magic keeper’s cloak. As it falls to the floor, it catches the air, billows a little, and then settles onto the ground with a hiss.
The woman holds her head high in the way of a warrior, appearing completely confident as she gives me a sharp appraisal.
“I sense your guilt,” she says. “But this was not your doing.”
Before I can ask her who she is, or how the hell she can be so certain this wasn’t my fault, I sense movement behind me.
I swing as another woman appears within the darkness.
The newcomer is beautiful, her skin flawless. Flowers cascade from a tiara that sits on top of her head all the way down her long, amber hair. She’s wearing a flowing dress, and crimson light glimmers around her as she moves.
Quickly stepping to my right, I keep both women within my sight, along with the staircase, since it’s my only certain exit.
“Where is the dark one?” the amber-haired newcomer demands to know. “Why is his realm empty?”
Her question appears directed at the warrior woman. Other than giving me a quick glance, she barely acknowledges my presence.
The warrior has stiffened. “What areyoudoing here?”
“The same thing you are,” the amber-haired woman snaps. “Trying to find out why dark magic is no longer being tethered.”
They begin circling each other like rivals and the closer they draw to each other, the more the magic glimmering around them sparks like electricity. Crimson and gold light clashes in turns.
“He has abandoned his duty,” the warrior snarls.
The redhead’s mouth twists. “The boundaries between realms are crumbling. Why wouldn’t he choose freedom if he had the chance?”
The warrior’s eyes shoot wide and her voice carries a deep accusation. “You wish for a return of chaos?”
“Of course not!” the other woman says. “But…” She falters a little, coming to a stop. “Our solitary existence is not to be envied.”
The warrior also stops pacing. “That was the sacrifice we made.” She gives a long sigh as she returns the redhead’s gaze. “It’s been a long time since two of us were in the same place.” Her voice is croaky, and her forehead puckers a little as she rubs her jaw. “Damn, my voice is rusty.”
“Indeed.” The woman in the dress nods her head. “But the last time we werealltogether, the laws of nature were broken.”
“Not by us,” the warrior replies pointedly.
