When darkness calls, she cannot answer...
Isolated and alone, Halen Windspeare is in over her head. Sacrificing her soul to save the realms, she must now protect the water stone. But the siren hunters won't relent until she is finally annihilated. H...
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Waiting for Pria to chop her into pieces was not on Halen's agenda. She had had enough of everyone thinking they could do what they wanted with her magick.
Especially Dax.
But if Pria found a way to him, could the shifter pull her strings and unleash the power of the darkness within? Already, a craving tempted Halen to that side of her seam more than she cared to admit. She was ashamed of the wanderlust the dark magick left in her heart. She couldn't allow this part of herself to bloom into a twisted garden for Pria to tend.
Despite each movement stabbing her inside and out, she inched toward the wall. With her back pressed against the rock, she slid up to her feet. The flickering candlelight blurred her vision, making the chamber whirl. She popped another one of Pria's disks, chewing quickly while she closed her eyes to keep from toppling back to the ground. As the spins subsided, she blinked away the dizzy feeling, and the chamber steadied in her vision. Ahead, a dark tunnel awaited. She only had to gather enough strength to get there.
"You can do this." She took a careful step forward. Her knees buckled, and she grasped the wall to keep her balance.
A cry cut the air, raising the hairs at the back of her neck.
Was someone else having their magick harvested? She shuddered, her panic stirring. "Get it together, girl." She took another step. Whether it was the pellet kicking in or the sheer fear of Pria coming back and cutting her to bits, her steps steadied.
As she entered the tunnel, darkness enveloped her. She shivered, though heat pressed around her. The giggle of babbling babies echoed from above and she pressed against the rock, making herself as small as possible. The laughter reverberated off the walls, bouncing around her. She clasped her hand over her mouth to stifle her screams. The babies broke out with wails as if torn away from their mothers.
Blinded by the darkness, she wondered if actual babies watched her from above or if this was some sick alarm alerting her escape. Shuffling against the wall, she quickened her pace. Halen followed the curves of the tunnel, not knowing which way was out. She thought of the shifter's warning and feared being lost forever. She needed Dax to show her the way.
Dax was connected to her and the last thing he wanted was to die. He had made that very clear in the desert. He would kill to live. And right now, the only way to survive was for her to find him and get the hell out of this owl trap.
She called to him from deep within, summoning Dax to guide her to him now. Forcing out the chilling laughter, she focused her thoughts on Pria's intentions and to the emanate danger they both faced if they didn't escape. Even though Dax craved her magick as his own, he was born to protect her. If he wanted any part of her power, if he truly believed in Tarius, then he wouldn't let Pria possess her magick. No matter who Dax served, he needed to help, or they would both lose everything.
