Marius’s gaze swung between her and the dagger.
“Go,” she urged him, noticing his hesitation. “Get the blade. I’ll take care of the creature. I can’t touch the dagger anyway, remember?”
He knew that, but every part of him ached when he thought about leaving Vivienne to fight the beast. She was right, though, even if it pained him to admit it. They would gain nothing if they didn’t get the weapon.
Jerking his chin, Marius spun around and stepped onto the platform. He strode up the first three steps without issue, his hand outstretched. He’d grab the dagger, and then they’d find a way out.
He was so focused on grabbing the blade that he barely noticed the air shimmering as he raised his foot to climb the last step. The kiss of magic swept over his flesh, and suddenly, the mountain, the dagger, and the vampire he cared for disappeared.
The Forsaken Blade
“No!” Marius screamed, his foot coming down not on the black marble as he’d expected but on a floating, glistening obsidian tile.
It wasn’t much bigger than him, and his heart raced as he realized that one wrong move would send him toppling over the edge. Silver streaks swam through the air, and his elven heritage thrummed in his veins at the sight of Fortune Elf magic in the wild.
His breath came in short bursts as his hand clenched around empty air. “This can’t be.”
His heart ached, and every part of him screamed at him to go back. Vivienne needed him. The monster, whatever it was, was coming.
But when he turned around, nothing was there. The mountain was gone. The cavern was gone. The dagger was gone.
Everythingwas gone.
He was in a place that wasn’t a place. Night, but not. The sky existed, stars shimmered, but there was no ground. No dirt or grass or trees. Nothing at all except for the single tile hovering in the air.
It was like he was in the Void, but he was alone. This couldn’t be real. It couldn’t be happening.
Marius pinched his leg, and pain flashed through him.
“Real,” he groaned, rubbing the sore spot on his thigh.
He’d known something was off about Death Mountain, but this…
Nothing could have prepared him for this. He’d never heard of anything like this happening.
And then he felt it.
A breeze, simultaneously cold and warm, brushed up against his arm.
“Marius Wisethorn,” a melodic female voice whispered.
He twisted his head towards the sound but couldn’t find the source.
“Prince of Eleyta.” Another woman spoke, and leaves billowed in the air all around him.
Where were they coming from?
“Who are you?” he asked the mysterious women.
At the same time, a baritone, masculine voice said, “Son of Kydona.”
Shivers ran down Marius’s spine. He clenched his fists and slowly turned but still didn’t see anyone. Was this a trick of his mind? He squeezed his eyes shut and tried to return to Death Mountain, but it didn’t work.
A fourth voice, another man, added, “You have been living with the creatures of darkness for so long.”
“Who are you?” Marius asked again when it became clear he couldn’t leave this place.
There was a pause, and then leaves rustled. Wind rushed. Brilliant flames cut through the darkness, revealing four legendary beings.