Deception

20 ¦ The Toll of Magic

Only moments after I'd cast the fire spell, my body began to shudder and shake uncontrollably. It felt as though a fifty-pound iron weight was crushing my chest. The pressure continued to build until I could hardly breathe. I could only draw painful, tremulous gasps of air. 

"Helena, what's wrong?" Lord Darius asked as he gave me a gentle shake. He tightened his grip around me when my knees buckled under the growing weight. "Helena!"

I couldn't respond.

Lord Darius supported me as I stumbled towards the nearest wall and sank to the floor. Kneeling beside me, the Shadow Rider felt my forehead, which burned like a roaring fire. 

"Water," I croaked. "I need water. It's so heavy."

"Helena, listen to me!" Lord Darius patted my cheeks in a vain attempt to draw my attention. My vision blurred, and his words evaporated like the mists upon the moors. "Did your mother ..."

Focus, Helena. I shook my head, but my vision started to go black. What is he saying?

The Shadow Rider gave my shoulders a gentle shake. "Did Aurora give you anything?" he roared as he tapped my cheeks. 

Of course, my mother's medallion! That was what was pressing upon my chest, and it grew heavier by the second. When I tried to rip the chain from my neck, it wouldn't break.

"Helena, answer me!" he shouted. Not in anger, but in concern. 

With a gasp of pain, I drew another breath. "Magic ... medallion."

"Show me," he ordered as he supported my back with his arm.

Using all my strength, I lifted the impossibly heavy jewel from beneath my bodice and gripped it in my trembling hands. The Shadow Rider recoiled when I extended the invisible talisman towards him. 

"No," he breathed. "How did you find it?"

"Can you see it?"

"Yes, I'm one of the few who can," he said, his voice laced with confusion. "Not even a Gatál or Dragonborn warrior should have the strength to carry such an artifact. Much less a young child."

"Please, help me get it off."

The Shadow Rider tried to take it, but the medallion electrocuted him with a strong current. The Shadow Rider sucked in air through his teeth and cursed as he flexed his injured hand. 

"How did you keep it hidden for so long?" he asked, stunned. "No wonder you could deflect Lord Hesse's attack." 

"What is this thing?"

He took a deep breath and squared his shoulders. "Here, let me try again."

At his touch, the medallion emitted a radiant beam of white light, and raw energy blasted from the surface like tiny bolts of lightning. The force threw Lord Darius across the room until he hit the stone wall with a grunt. Chunks of stone broke off from the wall and fell on top of his body, pinning him to the floor. 

"Lord Darius!" I screamed, my throat raw. 

When I realized he was unconscious, I feared the worst. I couldn't see any blood, but the wall had almost caved in at the point of impact. 

Could anyone survive that blast? Perhaps even a disembodied Shadow Rider had his limits. 

"Lord Darius!"

The Shadow Rider didn't stir. 

My throat throbbed, raw with pain, and my tongue clamped to the roof of my mouth as though something was sucking all the water from my body. My eyes stung as though someone had taken the juice from a fire onion and squeezed it into my irises.