Chapter 214
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AURORA
“This is your moment, Aurora. Choose now.” It’s huge above us, its body indicating evil intentions.
Growling, it makes a sound that rattles everything in the air.
“You cannot win, Luna. Your hesitation will mean your end.”
I press my hand against the heart, the pendant at my neck flaring weakly in response. The warmth of the heart spreads throughout my body, settling my resolve.
“You’re wrong,” I say, lifting my head to meet the entity’s glowing eyes. “I can’t outrun my destiny, but I can shape it.”
The entity lets out a roar, its form flickering as the grove reacts to my intent. The pendant grows brighter, its light pushing back the shadows inch by inch.
I stand up, quivering, as if every muscle in my body is shaking. The energy of the heart courses through me and the space brightens with an intense light.
It attacks, dark branches reaching for me, but I stand firm and direct the pendant’s energy into the heart.
“I’m healing the grove,” I say, with unmistakable clarity in my tone. “This is the end.”
Chapter 214 clearing.
The entity recoils its roar now a pained cry. From within the entity, Kael’s voice echoes, softer than before.
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“Thank you, child,” he says, his voice laced with sorrow and gratitude. “I see now what I could not. May the grove guide you well.”
The entity begins to unravel, the dark form disintegrating as it reverses back into the grove.
The turmoil about us begins to fade away, the moving roots stilling their frantic movements.
Now, the glow of the heart reaches for me, its pull irresistible, now stronger than it ever has been. I feel weightless, no longer tied to this body of mine..
“This is the sacrifice,” I breathe, it suddenly clear. “This is what Lirien meant.”
The energy of the heart pulls me in, and I feel my feet lift off the ground, being pulled toward its center.
My body begins to fade; I am becoming one with the power of the grove. “No,” a weak voice stammers from behind.
Dane.
I twist my head, my sight blurry, as I watch him struggle to his feet. Pale, faced, slow movements, but fire danced within his
eyes.
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firm.
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“Dane,” I start, my voice breaking. “I have to. This is my choice.”
“And this is mine,” he says, stepping closer.
His hand reaches for mine, and the moment his fingers brush my skin, a surge of energy runs through me.
The pendant responds immediately, its light stabilizing and then growing brighter.
The tugging on the heart slackens a bit, its energy steadying as Dane focuses his strength on me.
Together, we anchor the grove’s power, evening out the heart’s rhythm.
The grove itself begins to respond. Energy shifts from chaos to calm.
The roots stop their thrashing around us, slowing to a stop as their silver glow seeps back in.
Peace settles over the clearing, the balance of the grove slowly balancing out.
I turned to Dane, his hand still clasped in mine. He is the strength to steady me, a grounding presence in so many ways I never thought possible.
“You’re stubborn,” I say, a weak smile breaking through the exhaustion.
Chapter 214
now?”
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The heart pulses one last time, its light washing over the grove. The trees regain their silver glow, their branches humming with renewed life.
The corrupted roots fade, their dark energy dissolving into the ground. The grove is healing.
As the light recedes, I feel the bindings of the heart’s power loosen their hold upon me.
My feet strike the earth once more, my body firm and whole.
But then, something catches my gaze, a soft, faint glowing on Dane’s chest.
“Dane,” I say, my voice razor–sharp with concern. “What is that?” He looks down, and a flicker crosses his face. A mark starts to emerge, its lines intricate, glowing softly.
The runes are uncomfortably familiar, the same that appeared on Eira when she confronted the grove.
Lirien’s voice comes again, soft and yet not without portent. “The balance is restored, but at what cost?”
My eyes stay fixed on the mark as a feeling of dread settles heavily in my chest.
“What does it mean?” I whispered.
“The grove has chosen him,” Lirien says. The bond now runs through him, as once with Kael.
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Dane looks first to me; his expression unreadable.
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“Is that a good thing or a bad thing?” “I don’t know,” I say, the moment’s weight hard to bear.
He steps backward, his hand brushing instinctively over the mark which still glows within his chest.
The light stutters there like some piece of the grove was in him now and refusing to wane.
“This does not feel like a choice,” he mutters low and discomfitingly.
I move closer, my hand reaching for his again.
“We’ll figure it out,” I say, though even to me, the words sound empty because I feel uncertain.
Lirien’s shadowy form shakes beside us, its presence more subdued now. “The bond is a gift and a burden,” it says.
“Dane’s connection to the grove will protect your pack, but it will also demand much of him.
The grove is alive, and its needs will become his to bear.”
Dane frowns, his jaw tightening. “So, I’m some kind of guardian
now?”
Lirien leans its head to one side, its voice deliberative. “A balance keeper.
The grove chose you to maintain the stability restored today.
Chapter 214
roles are never without sacrifice.”
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The words felt like a kick in the guts. After all we had been through, Dane had assumed an unseen weight that might well rival my own.
“What kind of sacrifice?” I asked, my voice barely more than a whisper.
Lirien’s luminous eyes catch mine. “That remains to be seen.”
A light shines from the grove, across the horizon, in a silver color. The trees, no longer twisted and corrupted, hum with life now, their glowing fruit swaying lazily in the breeze.
Dane stood beside Aurora, her hand clutched tightly in mine. She’s exhausted, breathing shallowly, but the relief on her face mirrors my own.
“We did it,” she whispers, her voice shaking with happiness.
