Page 28 of The Edge of Darkness

And it was time that I used them both.

The well of my power opened within me, and I descended into it, further than I had done to command the wards to fall. I felt the immense wealth of what lay deep inside, waiting to be claimed, and I drew from its depths without hesitation.

“You,” I said, pointing at the approaching male with my sword. I imagined his face between the palms of my hands, the floor beneath him running red with blood when I ripped his head from his body. And with the thought, his head tore away from the rest of him, hovering as I commanded it from across the room. His limp corpse fell to the ground with a crunch. But not a second later, another being was there to take his place.

None of the other Immortals balked. Instead, they fixated on me and hissed just before they launched.

Before anyone alongside me could make a move, I commanded our enemies with a single thought. I lifted their bodies into the air and slammed them down onto their knees. Their screams tore through the chamber, straining as my light poured into them, illuminating their skin a fiery orange, burning them from within, just as I pictured in my mind. But I heard none of their cries. All I cared to hear was the power humming in my veins as it flowed out of me.

“Roirdan!” I commanded.

He didn’t hesitate. His blade was a song as it sliced cleanly through each exposed neck.

All at once, I released the bodies from my invisible grasp and watched them fall collectively into a pile. White light settled around my skin, and I could feel its coldness radiating off of me.

The cold energy of a star.

When I met Ramil’s gaze, I saw shock first. Then I saw his greed. He wanted me for himself, that much was glaringly apparent. But he made no move toward me. He stood silently as more Immortals assumed the position of those that had fallen, stepping over their bodies like they were nothing but rubble.

I glanced at Remic, and he nodded back, his eyes blazing red.

Roirdan let out a deep growl, ready for the carnage, and Morah flipped a blade in her palm, prepared to meet the challenge. I knew she smirked beneath the cloth that covered her face.

Niall stood to my left, gazing down at me like he was going to devour me. “Do your worst, darling,” he said, and his shadows leapt at the oncoming guards as they launched toward us.

Around me, my comrades descended upon our enemies.

Power flared at my left and right as the Immortals pulsed out what small amounts they had, and wielded their spears with stealth and precision.

Morah’s blades sang as she sliced through skin and bone.

Beside me, Niall’s shadowfire snaked around an Immortal’s neck, shoving its way down his throat. Smoke seeped out from the small slits in the mask as the guard choked on the shadows.

Remic cut down body after body alongside Roirdan, both of them protecting Maeson as she frantically worked on reviving Fallon.

But our opponents kept streaming in, appearing where another had fallen, as if out of thin air. I could see why they were given the name “Immortals.” When I managed to kill one, another would simply step out of the fray to take its place—a seemingly endless and immortal enemy. And they were quick. Wickedly precise, as Remic had said. My sword arm ached from the strenuous muscle movement that it took to keep up with their technique.

But they bled like any other being.

A guard rushed me and I shot out a pulse of light, sending him back ten feet, but another was instantly there. I spun, bringing my blade against his with a bit of my power behind it, like Remic taught me. The male’s arm shook with the impact, but he recovered and swung again, this time using his other arm to send out a pulse of his own power. It crashed into me, and I realized I had neglected my shield as I was thrown back. My hip hit the ground, and I slid on my side across the stones.

Holding a shield, controlling my power, and utilizing my gift all at the same time was something I definitely wasn’t skilled at yet. I needed to pick and choose which to use, depending on who approached me.

My shield slid into place as an Immortal advanced with his spear. The weapon slammed tip-first into the barrier around me with a clang that shook my body, but my shield held. As he drew back to strike again, I rose to my knees, dropped my shield, and brought him to a halt with a thought before shoving my sword into his gut. Beneath his mask, his eyes widened and lined with tears.

I yanked my blade free as he fell, and saw Morah on the other side of him, going hand-to-hand with her opponent. Her fist caught his chin just right, sending him into a momentary daze, giving her time to commandeer the sword that hung from his waist and slit his throat with it.

I spotted another guard nearing her from behind, and my light pulsed, knocking him several feet back. With a thought, I held him there against his will, until Morah cut open his throat as well.

She nodded at me in thanks as I approached. “You’ve had that power . . . all this time?” she asked in between breaths, reaching down to reclaim her spent daggers from the flesh she’d sunk them into.

“The telekinesis is new, actually. I’m still learning how to use it.”

She shot a look of serious concern at me, and I let out a laugh. “I have enough control, don’t worry.”

“Well, save your strength. You’ll need to break the wards one final time so we can get out of here.” She flicked a bloodied dagger at an incoming guard, planting it into the meat of his neck.

Then, a collective hiss had both our heads swiveling to where a new wave of Immortals marched in.