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If I can just find a way to take theirs as they took Plume's, we may stand a chance.
A sharp pain radiates from my spine. I spin around to see Avidor grinning wildly, rocks of various sizes floating around him. He looks so relaxed, his sleepy eyes and handsome face out of place in a battle for control of the realm.
"Shadowweaver, come now, you're one of us. There is no need for all of this fig-"
His words are cut off by the bludgeoning of a mace on his shoulder, and he falls, shouting in pain. My love grins at me wildly, the blood from Avidor's wound speckling his face in a beautiful pattern of chaos.
Solarius still has Tulip and Morrow cornered, and we both focus our attention on the three of them. We do not move, opting to command our magic from here. I've lost sight of Amaryn, but I cannot focus on that now. We have more pressing issues. I pull water from the atmosphere and drench Solarius in a small shower. I didn't think it through. It has the unfortunate side effect of rendering Morrow's Fire useless as well.
With a shrug, the fae picks up his axe in his remaining hand and swings widely, hitting Solarius in the shoulder. Solarius roars and raises his shield, spinning around and looking for his siblings to be reinforcements.
Next to me, Mace shouts, alerting me to a whip-like vine heading my direction that I burn easily with Fire. Beforeit can reform, Shadow crawls down my body to the ground. Instinctively, I pull every shadow from the area around me, filling the courtyard with coils of darkness that drown the area so completely that momentarily, no one can see. Solarius tries to banish it with Light, but he only manages to clear a small area around him.
It does not bother me. I am at home in the shadows. Lightning from Avidor hits all around me, temporarily illuminating spaces around the grassy area between homes that we've taken over with our fight.
The shadows twist and turn, snaking around my body and forming around Shadow, who is raised and ready to strike. Every strip of darkness that wraps around his body increases his size. It is painful to hold such a large amount of magic, but I push more towards him, marveling as my familiar grows to be ten feet tall and towers over me.
His pointed head turns and looks at me, massive tongue slipping out and tasting the air. His eyes, so familiar yet now so large, bore into me with affection. The ridges over his eyes shimmer with iridescent scales, his face changing slightly in shape as the magic continues to pool around him. When the final shadows form around his body, adhering to his head, I realize what Shadow truly is.
A seps.
My familiar that has wrapped around my arm, my neck, my head, who has brought me an untold amount of comfort, is a fucking seps.
Chapter 42
Zeph
She's fading, and she doesn't even know it.
Viola's magic is almost spent, and then she pulls it further and blankets the area with shadows. I have stopped trying to hold a shield, instead focusing on gathering the devotion for her that lives within the realm and weaving it together to push toward the Shadowweaver.
The shadows drop, visibility returning to the courtyard, and my jaw drops. A visceral, primordial fear comes over me as Viola stands next to a massive seps with glimmering black scales and a pointed face.
A very familiar-looking seps.
"Is that Shadow?" Mace shouts, taking advantage of the momentary distraction caused by the seps to toss a bolt of Lightning at Solarius, who narrowly manages to dodge it.
"It sure as fuck is," I say with a laugh. "She's incredible. Holy fuck."
And she is, arm broken and restrained by her dirty shirt, hair escaping from her braids, face shining with sweat and red from exertion. She looks like fury, a dark specter coming to engulf those who wish harm on those she loves.
Avidor raises a selection of rocks to pelt Mace and me. Mace redirects them easily. I do not have the magic to waste on fighting the Harvest Lord, so my brother covers me as I focus on Viola.
Shadow opens his mouth, and as if he is breathing fire, darkness erupts from his throat. He extends his tongue and wraps it around Solarius. The God of Summer fights against it, throwing Light directly on the shadow snake and dropping to the ground. The seps unhappily rears his head back and bites the Radiant Sunfire, one of his incredibly sharp fangs piercing the God at the collarbone.
Venom.
Seps have a very dangerous venom.
It'll be interesting to see how it affects a God.
Avidor abandons his attempt to fight Mace and me and chooses to join his siblings. He must realize Viola and Shadow are the larger threat.
"Go help her," I urge Mace. "I can't fight. I need to focus on devotion. She's going to burn out." Mace nods and takes off running, using his magic to hurl rocks and dirt at the Gods as he does.
I close my eyes, trying to picture the devotion around the realm. Viola's support in Ytopie has grown, and I pull from there, pushing that magic into her as she wraps the Gods with Ice-infused Shadow magic.
"You have to take their magic!" Morrow is shouting at Viola as he swings an axe at Avidor. The God uses his Geomancy todismantle it, leaving Morrow weaponless.
