39. Adelaide

39

ADELAIDE

Before anyone can answer, a slow clap echoes through the night. We all whirl around to see a figure emerging from the shadows. My heart leaps into my throat as I recognise the imposing form of Malachar, King of the Dark Fae.

"Well, well," he drawls. "Isn't this interesting?"

Zephyr tenses beside me, his shadows writhing with agitation. "Dad. Are you here to help or hinder?"

Malachar's eyes, purple like Zephyr's but infinitely older and more cunning, fix on me. His gaze feels like a physical weight, assessing and calculating. "That all depends on what exactly you're doing here."

I stand my ground. "What do you want us to be doing?"

Malachar's lips curl into a cruel smile. "What do I want? I want that power inside you to be free, dear girl."

"You want Crimson?"

"I want my Queen," he grits out.

I hear Zephyr make a slight gagging noise off to the side. I'm not sure where his mother is in all of this. I have never asked. I suddenly feel bad about that. Even more so, as Malachar is giving off serious creepy vibes right now.

Before I can respond to Malachar's unsettling words, another figure emerges from the shadows. Corvus inhales sharply beside me, his body tensing.

"Dad," he states. "Figured you'd be lurking."

The newcomer is undoubtedly Corvus's father - they look like brothers.

"Corvus," he acknowledges with a curt nod before turning his attention to me. "So, this is the Vesper causing all the fuss."

"Not so much a Vesper anymore," Corvus says.

I straighten my spine, meeting Corvus's dad's gaze head-on. "I have a name," I say, surprised by the steadiness in my voice. "It's Adelaide."

He raises an eyebrow, a hint of amusement flickering across his face. "Oh, I'm aware. Well, Adelaide, I'm afraid we can't allow you to continue this ritual. The risks are too great."

Malachar steps forward, his eyes never leaving me. "On the contrary, Alec. The ritual must be completed. The Queen must be freed."

Alec's eyes widen as he tilts his head towards the Dark Fae King. "Oh, you have got to be fucking kidding me? You as well?"

"Me as well what?"

"You and Randall, whipped by this creature."

"Whipped?" Malachar expostulates as only a King can. "She is my Queen, and I have long waited for this. You, Randall and the others fucked this for me once before. Not. This. Time." He claps his hands together, and thunder rumbles ahead before lightning strikes right in front of me.

I scream and skitter backwards as the rain starts to fall.

But not just any rain. Drops of chilly, murky black water fall around us, soaking us to the bone.

"I'm guessing the ritual isn't done," Zaiah whispers to me, moving close. "We have to continue."

"Do we?" I squeak, pushing my sodden hair out of my face as I keep a wary eye on the two elders who have faced off.

The energy from the ritual pulses around us again, growing more unstable by the second. I can feel it keening through my veins, seeking release. Crimson's presence in my mind grows stronger.

We're so close, sister. Don't let them stop us now.

"We're not stopping," I shout out. "Crimson will be separated from me."

Alec's eyes narrow dangerously. "Then you leave me no choice."

Without warning, he unleashes a blast of dark energy towards us.

I scream again, but it isn't Zephyr who jumps in front of me. It's Malachar. His shadows surge up to form a protective barrier. The impact sends shockwaves through the circle, destabilising the delicate balance we've created.

"Adelaide!" Zaiah shouts over the chaos. "We need to stabilise the ritual!"

I look up and see the shadow pets hovering over us, forming a canopy of protection as they swirl, dip, and dive.

And then, out of the corner of my eye, I see Orby.

"You!" I snap and hold my hand out, ready to grasp the pixie out of the air. "What is going on with you?"

"We don't have time for this, Addy!" Zaiah shouts, the book in front of him going crazy as Alec and Malachar clash in a titanic way that makes the ground tremble. I have no idea who Alec really is, but he isn't just a regular old vampire.

I grit my teeth, torn between confronting Orby and finishing the ritual. But Zaiah's right - we don't have time. The energy is building to dangerous levels, threatening to tear reality apart.

"What do I need to do?" I shout over the raging of the battling elders.

Zaiah's eyes glow brightly as he scans the wildly fluttering pages of the book. "We need to stabilise the energy. I need to create the bridge, and you need to force Crimson up and out. Can you do that?"

"I don't fucking know!" I shriek as Orby lands on my shoulder and chatters in my ear in words that are too quick to follow. "Wait!" I snap. "Just wait!"

Let go, sister. Let it flow.

For once, I listen to her without argument. I open myself fully to the power, feeling it rush through me like a raging river. I can feel myself slipping away, losing my sense of self in the torrent.

For a moment, I'm tempted. The darkness calls to me, promising strength beyond measure.

As the chaos swirls around me, I force myself to focus on Zaiah. His eyes are glowing brighter than I've ever seen, his form flickers and wavers as he chants words in a language I don't understand. The book hovers before him, pages turning of their own accord, shaking in the air in rage or fear—I can't tell which.

"Zaiah!" I shout, barely able to hear my own voice over the din of battle and the roaring of the storm and magick in my ears. "What's happening?"

He doesn't answer, can't answer. His entire being is focused on the ritual, on becoming the bridge between realms. I watch in awe and terror as his body changes, elongating and spreading out, becoming less solid and more ethereal.

Crimson's presence rages inside me, stronger than ever before. I can feel her desperation, her burning need to be free. It's a physical pain in my chest, a tearing sensation that wants to rip me apart from the inside.

Let me out!

"We're fucking trying," I grit out.

The battle rages on around us. Malachar and Alec are locked in combat, their powers clashing in spectacular displays of light and shadow. Corvus and Zephyr are fighting back-to-back, fending off the bad shadow creatures that seem to be pouring out of nowhere. The shadow pets are still above us, shielding us from the worst of the rain and magick flying around in all directions.

It is utter chaos.

If we live through this, then it'll be a major fucking miracle.

"Where is Ig?" I yell, but no one answers me.

"Here," he pants, appearing next to Zaiah in a tower of fire. He slaps his hand on the book that Zaiah is using, and it stabilises enough for Zaiah to continue. "Hurry," he pants. "I can't hold it for long."

Zaiah is unaware of any of this as he continues his transformation. I can see now what he's becoming - a literal bridge between realms, a conduit for the immense power we've unleashed. His body stretches impossibly, becoming a shimmering pathway that extends up into the stormy sky and down into the earth beneath our feet.

The sight is knicker-wettingly scary, and I feel a moment of panic. What if this kills him? What if we lose him to this process?

But there's no time for doubt. I can feel the ritual reaching its peak, the energies building to a crescendo. Crimson's presence is a constant pressure, pushing against the boundaries of my consciousness with increasing desperation.

You can't hold me forever, Adelaide. You are going to have to let go.

"Not yet. He isn't ready!"

Orby's chatter in my ear is a constant barrage of noise and in a moment of sheer panic, anger and frustration, clapping my hands over my ears, I yell, "STOP!"

To my utter surprise, the world doesn't stop raging around me, but it does slow down. The noise is silenced, and everything happens in slow motion around me. The only thing I can hear is Orby's voice, now melodious and slow, as he tells me what I have to do.

"Focus, Adelaide. Close your eyes and see. You must complete this now. But don't let her cross over. It will kill Zaiah. It will weaken you to the point of death. Your bond is too strong."

"What?" I stammer. "Stop. You don't know what you're talking about!"

"Listen to me, Adelaide. Do as I say and stop doubting it."

"How do I know you're right?"

"Are you willing to bet his life on it?"

We stare at each other, tiny pixie eyes flashing with fire, and I know somewhere deep down that he can be trusted.

The pain intensifies, and I cry out, falling to my knees. It feels like I'm being torn in two, Crimson's essence fighting viciously to separate from mine. The rational part of my mind knows this is what we wanted, what the ritual is meant to do, but the agony is almost too much to bear.

"Addy!" I hear Corvus shout, but his voice seems distant, muffled.

I look up, vision blurring, to see Zaiah pulsing with energy. Tendrils of light reach out from him, wrapping around me, around Crimson's presence within me.

With a final, desperate push, I feel Crimson begin to separate from me. It's the most excruciating thing I've ever experienced, worse than when she first possessed me. I scream, the sound is raw and primal, as her essence is slowly, agonisingly pulled from my body.

Blood tears stream down my face. I feel it pouring out of my mouth and my ears.

I'm vaguely aware of the battle around us intensifying as time rushes back to normal.

But I can't focus on them, can't think of anything beyond the brutal, savage process of Crimson being torn from me. It feels like my soul is being ripped apart, reformed, and rearranged on a fundamental level.

Through the haze of pain, I see a dark, smoky form begin to coalesce above me. Crimson. She's taking shape, becoming separate from me. Her face, so similar to mine yet twisted with rage and desperation, forms in the writhing darkness.

"No!" Alec shouts and he fires a bolt of magick at me that hits me in the chest and flattens me to the ground, struggling to breathe as Crimson's essence is sucked back into my body as I lose focus.

"Addy!" Corvus launches himself into the air and crashes into me, shielding my body with his as another blast of dark energy from Alec sizzles overhead. I gasp for air, my lungs burning as I struggle to breathe.

"Stay with me, Dollie," Corvus growls, his blue eyes blazing with determination. "We're so close. You can do this."

I nod weakly, gritting my teeth against the pain. Crimson's essence writhes inside me, furious at being pulled back in. The separation had been agony, but having her forced back is almost worse - like trying to stuff an angry cat into a too-small carrier.

Through blurry vision, I see Zaiah still stretched between realms, his form flickering dangerously. Ignatius stands beside him, hands pressed to the book, sweat pouring down his face as he struggles to keep the ritual stable.

"We have to finish this," I rasp, pushing myself up with shaking arms. "But not the way we think. We have to let her go."