Chapter 83: THE HEART OF SHADOWS
Chapter 83: The Heart of Shadows
Lyra descended from her camp like a queen welcoming peasants. But the woman walking toward them wasn’t human anymore.
Her skin glowed with an inner darkness, veins flowing black beneath flesh that seemed too perfect. Her hair moved without wind, and her eyes held depths that made looking at them feel like sinking.
In her hands, she held a rock the size of a human heart. It pulsed with malicious life, casting shadows that moved against the light.
"The Heart of Shadows," Marcus breathed. "She already has it." "Of course I do," Lyra’s voice echoed from everywhere at once.
"Did you really think I’d wait for you to arrive before claiming my prize?" The rock in her hands grew brighter, and pain shot through everyone’s heads.
Rowan screamed, dropping to his knees as emotions crashed over him - centuries of rage, betrayal, and hunger from every soul the artifact had eaten. "Stop!" Liana stepped forward, her own inner wolf snarling with protective rage.
"Let him go!" "Oh, little Luna," Lyra smiled, and the look was beautiful and terrible. "Always trying to save everyone. That’s what makes you so valuable." The witch raised her free hand, and shadow creatures poured from the rocks around them.
Not the mindless beasts they’d fought before, but clever horrors with burning red eyes and teeth like broken glass. "I’ll make you a deal," Lyra continued as her monsters circled them.