Page 206 of Sienna Rossi: Beyond Shattered Trust

A huge gash tears across the landscape, and through the fracture, I don’t see earth but something else.

The space beneath it shifts and ripples like liquid darkness; fragments of something unfamiliar flicker in and out of view.

“It’s huge,” Royce murmurs as the tear continues widening as we watch.

The edges aren’t stable. Reality itself seems to peel backwards, the air around it warping and distorting whilst strange pulses of energy roll from the opening.

“It must have been triggered by the amount of power released in one place.” Royce frowns.

“The veil would have been weak here to begin with,” Ahren adds.

“And it’s still growing,” Ares points out, his brows furrowed.

He’s right; the edges continue pulling apart as though something on the other side is trying to force its way through.

“It must have already been here,” I say, unable to drag my eyes away from it. “There had to be a way the drakaths entered this realm in the first place. I guess this just caused it to grow.”

Sienna glances up at me. I only then realise how tightly I’m holding her.

“I think I might be able to stop it,” she says suddenly.

My attention immediately snaps back to her. “How?”

Her wings unfurl behind her. “My demon abilities and... my aether.”

There’s no hesitation in her tone, and she frowns thoughtfully as she studies the tear.

“Aether exists between space and time. If anything can stitch the veil back together, it should be able to.” Then she hesitates. “May I try?”

The question hits harder than it should, because she doesn’t need my permission, but she had to ask.

The reminder twists something unpleasant inside my chest.

I force myself to nod. “Do whatever you wish.” The words come quietly. They are not the answer I would have given a few days ago.

I glance towards Ahren and immediately wish I hadn’t. The conflict in his eyes is impossible to miss. There is no anger there, no accusation, but something about the look still feels like a punch to the gut.

We both know there was no other choice, but we both hate that choice anyway.

Sienna pulls away from me, and I reluctantly let her go. Her wings beat once, then again, and then she rises into the air; the drakaths immediately react, turning towards the growing tear as though awaiting orders, their attention fixed entirely on the opening, waiting for a command.

Sienna lifts both hands, and her magic spreads through the surroundings as she focuses her attention on the tear. Dark, shadowy energy twists through the air, and the crack in the veil reacts.

The edges ripple and then pulse. I watch Sienna’s brow furrow as she pours more power into it, her hair lifting around her face whilst energy gathers in waves around her body.

For several long moments, nothing happens.

Then the tear stops spreading, and I realise that slowly, but surely, it’s beginning to draw back together.

“It’s working,” Heaven says as she levitates herself over to Sienna. “Take my energy and magic if you need it.”

“I can’t use your magic, but energy would be awesome,” Sienna murmurs, her eyes fixed on the gash that travels quite far across the ground.

“Then you have mine, too,” I say, holding my hand up to her. She nods slowly and smiles softly.

“Thanks…” Sienna murmurs.

“And mine,” Royce says.