A Kiss of Flame (Shadows Eternal #3)

Chapter 25

Chapter Twenty-Five

L evian coughed and twisted against the shadows wrapped around her, each movement causing the dark tendrils to tighten painfully. The snarls of combat, clanging swords, and muffled coughs echoing as the dense purple smoke swallowed the stone platform.

The smoke cracker buried in her enchanted bag had been so old Levian hadn’t been sure it would work for more than a few seconds—enough time for Jude to create a diversion and allow the other reinforcements to rush in unseen. The thick haze of the cracker filled every inch of the space, burning Levian’s eyes and making it difficult to breathe. Apparently, she’d made it more potent than she’d remembered—and had added a flair of purple.

With a grunt and significant effort, Levian managed to tap a finger against the shadow binding her, sending an array of her violet magick skittering through it until it shattered.

Freed, Levian dove forward into the fray, the ground beneath her trembling with the force of the ongoing battle. Behind her, a snarl echoed, and Barith's roar came from the archway to her right. She slunk deeper into the fog, moving toward the glow of his blazing fire. Suddenly, a short silver blade cut sharply through the haze. Levian barely managed to twist out of the way as Tsuki slashed at her with a sharp snarl.

Levian responded by sending a pulse of violet magic at her, the energy knocking away Tsuki’s second sharp strike, forcing her back. The half-fae woman snarled, her dark, round eyes flashing angrily as she lunged at Levian, delivering several quick, relentless strikes. Levian stumbled backward, panting, her heart pounding against her ribs. She managed to deflect the blows with magick until she unleashed a blast straight into Tsuki's chest. The force of the hit sent Tsuki hurtling backward, disappearing into the swirling fog.

Levian's breathing was ragged, her body trembling with nerves. She felt the sudden shudder of magic ripple through the air—a shift that told her Vane was conjuring something. The oppressive energy thickened as monstrous spectral creatures made of black shadow rose from the stone. One of them growled before it sprung straight for her, its hollow eyes locked onto hers.

With a gasp, Levian summoned a haphazard spell of dispersal, shaping it into a small violet sword that appeared in her hand. When the creature swiped for her throat, she struck it mid-air, slicing off an arm and then a leg. It roared, swiping at her again. Its claws raked across her shoulder, leaving searing lines of pain. She hissed but retaliated, plunging her blade into the creature's chest. It writhed, its form flickering, before she sent a pulse of magick into its face, causing it to disintegrate into nothing. Vane's back became visible through the shifting fog just beyond.

Levian stepped forward and realized he was looming over a fallen and unarmed Judith. Tendrils of shadow held one of Judith's wings outstretched while Vane raised a fae silver sword, ready to sever it.

Without hesitation, Levian hurled a blast of magick, and it smashed into Vane's arm. He snarled, dropping the sword. She sent another pulse toward him, which he dispersed with shadow, disrupting his concentration enough to release Judith. The dragon scrambled forward with a swirl of furious fire, snatching the sword beside her. Before she could strike, one of Vane's shadowy creatures lunged through the fog, grabbing her and pulling her out of sight with a snarl.

Levian hurled several more pulses of magick at Vane. He deflected the first strike out of sheer luck and the others with a semblance of skill, his eyes narrowing with visceral contempt. Sweat dripped from his face, his expression twisted in rage. He raised his hand, and two of his spectral creatures came at Levian from either side.

She swung her hand, slicing one of their heads clean in two with a sharp pulse of dispersal. It gurgled and crumbled into nothingness, while the other barely missed snapping its gnarled teeth against her neck as she dove out of the way.

"You stupid child!" Vane seethed.

The shadowy monster tackled Levian to the ground, pinning her there. With grunts of exertion, she fought against it. Her spell was forced upward, the burst of violet disappearing into the fog. Vane stepped forward as she snarled, reaching straight through the monster to grab her around the throat. A chilling sensation spread through her from where his fingers touched her skin, a cold darkness that seemed to seep into her very bones, much like the Dokk blade had done.

"Do you really think the Order will tolerate your meddling?" Vane hissed, his face inches from hers. “Their reach is everywhere—their patience, infinite. No one will stop them. Especially not a spoiled, worthless brat like you.”

The creature held her down while Vane's grip on her throat tightened, his fingers like iron. Levian felt her vision blur, darkness closing in as she gasped for air.

All around Levian, the sounds of battle raged. Curses, grunts, and the clashing of weapons echoed through the cavern. Flashes of dragon fire lit up the fog, and everything seemed to stand still for a moment. Vane leaned over her, his cold breath brushing against her ear. “I will feed you to the shadows like your father should have," he whispered with maniacal contempt.

Levian's vision was darkening, her body growing limp as the horrid magick seeped into her, numbing her limbs. Merlin hadn’t told her, but Levian had been able to string together enough details to guess that her father would’ve had to pay a heavy price of blood and power to forge a ring capable of wielding the shadows. Merlin would’ve never given his own—the next best thing would’ve been the blood and power of his child. It had been the price he’d not been willing to pay.

A tear fell down Levian’s cheek as she began to lose consciousness. She didn’t care what happened to her. She only wanted Barith to be safe.

Fire spread behind Vane, lighting up the fog in a brilliant blaze. Vane turned, eyes wide, just as Barith's flaming fist slammed into his jaw. The force of the blow knocked Vane sideways, and Levian gasped as air filled her lungs once more, pushing away the darkness. The orb managed to slip from Vane's pocket and bounced along the stone floor before rolling into the fog.

Vane cursed, trying to throw a spell at Barith, but the dragon was relentless in his rage. He drove his fist into Vane's stomach, causing the vile man to double over. Barith was bleeding, his right wing bent and broken, but he didn’t seem to notice or care. Levian’s heart thrummed with relief seeing him free. Barith growled with primal fury, his eyes blazing as he grabbed Vane by the front of his jacket and lifted him off the ground, slamming him into the stone. The shadow creature holding Levian down evaporated, vanishing like smoke.

Vane tried to raise his arm to cast a spell, but Barith reacted quickly, kicking him hard in the stomach. “I dunnae need magick to kick your arse,” he snarled, bending down to punch Vane across the face, each blow more forceful than the last.

Barith glanced down at her, and Levian’s heart pulsed. “I have to find it,” she said, her voice raspy but determined. She didn’t know what the orb was, but she knew she didn’t want any of the Black Masks escaping with it either.

With one last pained look at Barith, who nodded his understanding, Levian scrambled into the fog after the orb. She found it nestled against a bit of raised stone and barely got it between her fingers before a silver blade appeared through the fog ahead of her.

"Give it to me," Tsuki demanded, her voice cold and commanding as she squared off against Levian.

"No," Levian snapped in return.

Tsuki lunged at her, her blade slicing through the air. Levian barely had time to react, sending a pulse of violet hurtling toward her. Tsuki deflected it effortlessly with her sword, closing the distance and hitting Levian right where the Dokk blade had stabbed her. The orb slipped from the mage’s grasp as she was overcome with pain. Both women lunged after it.

Levian fired several pulses of magick, each one narrowly missing Tsuki as she twisted and dodged. Tsuki's blade slashed toward Levian but was stopped by one of Sirus’s short, curved silver blades. The vampire’s interference was enough to give Levian the advantage. She stumbled into the fog, leaving Sirus to deal with Tsuki.

When she caught sight of the orb about to roll into the pit of shadow, she gasped and lunged to the ground. Levian only barely managed to grab it as it plunged over the edge. The shadow slipped over her outstretched hand, sending a cool shiver over her skin.

This was where it had all begun. It was here that Merlin had first touched shadow magick. Merlin had warned her to be careful of the shadows in the pit. He feared it would come to her as easily as it’d come to him.

She should have pulled away but lingered, watching as the shadow slid further over her hand and up her arm. Levian didn’t feel the cold chill of evil as the shadows spread over her. Instead, she felt something unlock inside her. It felt like she was touching the magick of the cosmos— raw and beautiful.

Barith's roar of pain echoed through the fog, and Levian's heart lurched, snapping her back to reality, the chaos around her rushing in once more. A blinding pulse of magic surged through her, and an ancient voice whispered a single question in the Elder, " A?l? ” Who?

Levian knew being tempted by the draw of the shadow was dangerous, but she felt no evil intent in its question. All she felt was the touch of raw power. She thought only of Barith. The magick responded, finding him instantly, sending her a vivid flash of his perspective—he was fighting off a slew of Vane’s shadow monsters, his battered body flushed with raging flames.

The magick asked her no other question, but Levian felt it all the same— What was her desire?

Levian couldn’t help but feel her love for Barith and her desperate need to keep him safe. The magick stirred instinctively. She was confident they would survive their battle, but she wasn’t certain, and Vane’s control over the shadows worried her.

Overcome, Levian did the thing she knew she shouldn’t—she asked the shadows for help. “Thal?a en'vorna. Varian t?l,” she whispered. Grant me strength. Protect him.

The shadow’s magick burned through her, deciding whether she was worthy of her request. Levian shucked in a shallow breath, her skin and bones flaring with pain as it settled inside her. When she stood, the shadows fell back into the pit, but she felt their touch all the same.

Barith snarled again, and with one last fleeting glance of guilt at the pit, Levian ran into the consuming purple fog—unsure of the full impact of what she’d done.

She found Barith at the edge of the platform, fighting off the shadow monsters that clawed at him. Vane stood nearby, urging them forward.

"Vane!" she called out. He whirled around just in time to see her fist laced with violet magick coming at his face. Vane reeled backward, his feet teetering on the edge of the platform.

"You brat!" he bellowed, his voice breaking with rage as his hands flew up to his nose. He threw shards of shadow like a spray of arrows. Levian tried to throw up a spell, but she only dispelled a few. To her shock, the others crashed against a protective barrier around her, shattering harmlessly.

Vane’s black eyes grew wild with fury. He did it again; this time, Levian let them all hit the barrier. Each shard turned to smoke and evaporated.

Levian glanced over her shoulder, seeing the shadow creatures attacking Barith. She raised her hand and willed them all to be gone. They all fell away, blending into the purple fog.

"You will die! You will all die!" Vane screamed, his voice laced with fear. He summoned the shadows so that they twisted up his arms.

The magick of the shadow fae pulsed inside her with recognition. Levian reached out, her fingers curling as she took hold of the shadows Vane had summoned. "You should have left the dragon alone," she snapped, twisting the shadows around Vane, binding him in his own power.

His eyes widened with raw disbelief as the magick he wielded betrayed him. Vane fought the bindings, twisting violently, snarling curses and threats at them all.

Levian turned around, her eyes finding Barith. He stood panting, covered in sweat and blood, his clothes torn, his wings still aflame. He looked like an infernal god, powerful and fierce. Levian ran to him, and Barith pulled her into his arms, lifting her off the ground as he hugged her tightly.

"I’m sorry," Levian whispered, her voice cracking with emotion.

Barith grunted, hugging her so tightly she could barely breathe. "Och," he muttered. "I always reckoned if I knew you long enough, I’d lose a limb eventually."

Levian let out a wobbled laugh. "I can fix it," she promised.

Barith grunted again, a smile tugging at his lips. "That’s what ye always say, magick slinger," he said, pressing a kiss to her head.

"Can ye no’?” Cat growled from behind them. They turned to see her glaring at them, the fae silver chain used to restrain Barith in her hands. "There’ll be time for that later,” she snapped, moving toward Vane. "Right now, I just want to get the Hells out o’ this bloody cave."

Barith laughed, pressing a tender kiss just above Levian’s ear.

“Tsuki!” Vane snarled desperately, his voice shrill as Cat grew closer. His transportation magick had also ceased to work.

“Aye, that’s right. Scream for yer wee lass tae come save you,” Cat taunted him.

“How?” Barith asked low, his voice full of concern. It hadn’t escaped his notice that she’d been able to wield the shadows.

“I’m fine,” Levian assured him, not entirely sure she was. “We just need to get out of here.”

In his manic fury, Vane threatened Cat with an array of vivid tortures if she came closer, twisting more violently against the shadowy restraints, his feet slipping dangerously close to the edge of the platform.

Barith cursed suddenly and threw Levian out of the way as a swirl of ash manifested next to them. Tsuki’s sword smashed into the protective magickal barrier around Barith before he could lift his sword, sending her flying back in shock. She crashed into Vane’s legs; that was all it took to send him flying over the platform’s edge. Cat snarled, diving over to try and get him. Realizing what she’d done, Tsuki disappeared in a swirl of ash.

Shouts and snarls echoed up as Levian rushed to the edge with Barith. Levian’s stomach heaved as she heard the distant sound of Vane hitting the ground. She felt she could be sick when the shadow magick settled around her, the threat he’d posed now gone.

Barith cursed with relief as Cat appeared out of the black. “I couldnae—” she panted as she landed. “I got close, but the other—she got hold of ‘im—” The dragon shook her head. “I thought she was gonna disappear, but he said somethin’, and she just let him go an’ vanished without him. The look on his face before—” Cat grimaced and looked away before she finished, “He didnae know she was goin’ to do it.”

Barith wrapped his arms around Levian and pulled her close. “It’s done then,” he said.

Levian didn’t know why Tsuki would let Vane die, but she felt a pang of guilt for the part she’d played in his death. Without his magick, he’d been powerless to stop it. She turned and hugged Barith, planting her face in his chest and pushing away all her worries for at least a moment. He was safe, and that’s all that mattered.

“Come on,” she told him as the purple fog finally dissipated. “Let’s get the Hells out of here.”