Without her seeing him move, somehow, she reached for his arms and was by the beast. Its massive form was burrowing through the wall of the dungeon, breaking apart rocks and creating a tunnel leading through the earth. She was lowered to her feet.
Shilah’s heartbeat thundered, and her blood roared in her ears as adrenaline pumped through her body. She was too close to the monster, the waves of malevolence pouring a sentient aura that rolled with sinuous intent toward her. “What do you need me to do?” she asked shakily, doing her best to not look directly at the monster which was staring at her unflinchingly.
“You will use your telekinesis and crumble the earth.”
“I am an Alpha in that genesis, a mere fledgling. I cannot bring down a lone castle much less a mountainous rock!”
At his lack of response, she glanced up into cold eyes that seemed to judge and found her lacking. Its notion stung and gritting her teeth she moved over to the dungeon wall and pressed her hand against it. Shilah dipped into the well of her power and blasted at the rocks with her mind. There was a rumble as if the earth was alive and groaning its protest at her attempts. The ceiling above her shook and dirt drizzled onto her face.
Hundreds of stomping feet came from above, and she identified that more warriors were running along the maze-like corridors to stop them. The Leviathan battered at the gigantic rock, its enormous body and power digging through and creating a massive hole. The undertaking seemed impossible, for the beast would need to create a tunnel that spanned for miles to deposit them onto the surface. How could they do it in time, and before the general and his elite army reached them?
“You will do it or die in this dungeon, mate.”
Shock stole her tongue for several seconds then she firmed her resolve. Now was not the time to hesitate and she should have known this without his brutal reminder. She took a breath, released it, and let herself find that place deep inside where there was only stillness. Digging into the well of her power, she pushed with all her might at the rock wall. An ominous groan vibrated through the walls, and the entire earth dipped and rolled. Shouts of alarm echoed from the captives waiting far behind them in the corridors.
Power ran through her body and with it, confidence. Shilah blasted kinetic energy at the earth, a piercing scream escaping her as something she’d never felt before rushed through her. The wash of power felt dark, unlike her, and she belatedly realized the monster had connected to her and poured his dark energy along their neural connection.
The boulder cracked. She felt the fissure as the earthquake erupted. The walls of the tunnel exploded, the ceiling crumbled, and ahead, the Leviathan was like a massive scaled snake roiling through the now loosened soil of the inner walls with unparalleled speed through the terrain toward freedom.
Screams of fear and pain echoed from behind her as the roof of the tunnel came down in a hail of rocks and dirt beating against the protective barrier she’d formed. Her barrier wavered under the onslaught, because she was unable to maintain it while pushing all her energy into the quake rocking and breaking the terrane ahead, and she could see cracks spreading along the thin shield she’d constructed.
The screams intensified, and their fear rose suffocatingly into the dark tunnels flooding her senses. And through it all, Lachlan Ravenswood stood and watched her, a silent predator, yet she felt the strength of his chakra pouring to her through their link.
Releasing the wall, she stumbled back, and he clasped her from behind. The trembling of the cavern stopped, and for a moment there was a hush, broken only by the gasping breaths of the those trapped beneath the rubble.
“I have to help them,” she said hoarsely, pushing from him and running back toward the captives. “My sister…Kala!”
Lachlan whirled and dissolved in a rush of fleeing shadows, and before Shilah could process what was happening, she stood outside of the crumbled tunnels and in the cold refreshing air. Only seconds passed before her sister, and the Queen’s Blades appeared beside her. Kala rushed into her arms, and they hugged fie
rcely before releasing each other. They glanced around dazedly to the gaping hole in the side of what was now evidently a mountain.
“How is this possible?” Kamu murmured, staring as dozens of prisoners appeared in bursts from the shadows until all stood behind them. “I’ve heard of the powers of Darkans, of how they controlled the shadows and darkness, but I’ve never understood the depth of their might.”
And the yellow-green hue of fear burned along his aura.
“And our princess has bound herself to one,” Thyon said, a bitter curve to his lips.
“Be grateful you’ve escaped the dungeons. Does it matter if it was at the hand of a Darkan?” The reprimand in her tone was clear but, their eyes showed instinctive fear, and something crafty lingered. Shilah hoped they did not do anything foolish.
The captives appeared confused, stumbling with exhaustion and hunger, squinting their streaming eyes, and staring into the sky. The young girl Raven cried out and stumbled over to a woman and younger girl who clasped her into a fierce hug. They babbled and hugged each other, tears streaming down their faces. Another lady dropped to her knees and started to wail, and then she kissed the grass on the ground. Brushing against her mind, Shilah learned she’d been a captive for two years, and her crime had been to reject the advances of a General in the army for she had been married and loved her life partner.
Merciful gods. How cruel of the empire.
Lachlan appeared at her side, black swirls of chakra floating along his body. His beast had been called back to his body, for the tattoo was once again painted on his skin, except the beast was now positioned differently, and she swore the eyes shifted on his skin, following her. Then right before her eyes, red stripes burned his skin like fire, and though his lips did not move, a hiss of pain echoed along their link.
She stared at him, not understating. She could see his chakra flowing and twisting through his aura, the blue churning, as the black separated from it. Then his aura contracted into small balls with the darkest of energy, embedded at the center of the blue light.
“What is happening?” she asked faintly.
“The darkness cannot face the light.”
Her breath sawed from her throat as she took in the changes wrought in his body. She realized the dark malevolence of the beast hid in the blue light of his natural aura. She glanced at the sun, wondering at the power it held over his kind, then she glanced back at him. He looked as dangerous and primal as she knew he was, but somehow less petrifying. His eyes had lost their serpentine cast and multi colors, only a heated tawny gold stared at her. The claws had retracted from his fingertips, and the wicked curve of his canines had receded. His body still rippled with power, but the tattoo had stopped shifting across his skin.
“Are you saying you’ve lost your powers?”
A small smile tipped his lips, and she blinked. He was even more impossibly beautiful.
His gaze was a piercing caress she couldn’t evade. “Worried about me, princess?” His voice was smooth and sensual without the overlay of menace from his beast.