SAGE
The change was instantaneous.
One moment, the chamber walls had still been breathing darkness—holding me captive beneath its weight—and the next, they had slid back with a muted, mechanical sigh, severing the grip of that corruption.
Darkness recoiled, and so did its power over me.
Freda did not hesitate. Before I could so much as form a word, before the name on my tongue could escape, she reached forward and pulled the stake free.
Pain exploded. It was violent—white-hot, ruthless, tearing through every nerve, every muscle, every thread of consciousness I possessed. The scream clawed its way up my throat, but I crushed it down, biting hard against it, refusing to give the queen—or this cursed place—the satisfaction of hearing me break.
My body collapsed instantly. The ground surged upward, or maybe I fell toward it. Either way, impact barely registered over the tidal wave of sensation crashing through me.
And then—
El returned.
Not softly. She came like a storm.
