Elara's POV
Fight it!
Morgana's voice sounds distant. Everything sounds distant except Caspian's thoughts bleeding into mine.
I can feel you inside my head. Not just emotions anymore. Your actual thoughts. Your memories. Everything.
Same. I can see your childhood. Feel what you felt when Viktor hurt you. When your parents died. When you
Stop. Focus. We need to slow the merge.
But I don't know how. Our minds are tangling together like threads being woven into one rope. His fear is my fear. My determination is his determination.
We're losing the boundaries between us.
Separate! Morgana shouts. Break physical contact. Now!
Caspian and I try to let go of each other's hands. Can't. Our fingers are locked together like they've been fused.
It's too late for that, Vivienne says, still holding the control stone. The merge has passed the point of no return. In twenty-eight minutes, there won't be two people anymore. Just one consciousness. One weapon.
We'll destroy the stone, Caspian says. We say. Our voices overlap perfectly.
Try. Vivienne smiles. It's keyed to my life force. If it breaks, I die. If I die, the stone activates automatically. Either way, I win.
She's thought of everything.
Through our shared mind, Caspian and I search for solutions. His tactical training. My creative problem-solving. Together, we're faster. Smarter.
And that's when we realize: the merge isn't making us weaker.
It's making us stronger.
She doesn't know that, I think.
No, he agrees. Let's keep it that way.
We let ourselves slump, pretending the merge is overwhelming us. Vivienne buys it.
Perfect, she says. Just accept it. Let go. Soon you won't remember being afraid.
Marcus steps forward from where Morgana pulled him aside. Aunt Vivienne, please. They're not your enemies. They saved me. Saved all of us.
Oh, Marcus. Vivienne's face softens in a way that makes my skin crawl. Sweet, naive Marcus. You were always too trusting. Like your father.
You loved my father, Marcus says. He was your brother. How could you
Love? Vivienne laughs. Your father took everything that should have been mine. The estate. The family magic. The respect. All because he was born five minutes before me. Five minutes!
The bitterness in her voice is decades old. Poisonous.
So you killed him, I say. We say. Killed all of them. For what? Money? Power?
For what I deserved. Vivienne checks her watch. Twenty-five minutes. I can feel the merge accelerating. Your hearts are beating in perfect unison now. Soon your minds will too.
She's right. I can feel Caspian's thoughts becoming indistinguishable from my own. Where does he end and I begin?
We're still us, he thinks. I think. We think.
Are we?
Morgana is muttering, pulling books from shelves, searching for something.
There might be a way, she says suddenly. A counter-ritual. But it requires She stops. No. It's too dangerous.
Tell us, we demand in perfect unison.
You'd have to die. Both of you. Simultaneously. Your hearts stop, the merge stops. Then I resurrect you within sixty seconds. The bond reforms but the merge resets.
That's the solution? Vivienne laughs. Kill yourselves? Please. They're too cowardly.
Through the bond, Caspian and I don't need to discuss it. We know. We agree.
Sometimes courage means choosing death to save yourself.
We'll do it, we say.
Morgana goes pale. Are you sure? If I can't revive you in time
We trust you.
You shouldn't. I'm half-crazy on good days.
Then it's a good thing we're fully crazy. We look at Vivienne. You want a weapon? Here's your weapon.
We release our combined magic. All of it. Every ounce of power we absorbed from the six kids. Every bit of elemental and shadow magic we possess.
The blast is catastrophic.
Vivienne screams, throwing up shields. The control stone cracks but doesn't break.
Morgana dives behind her desk.
Marcus runs for cover.
And we Elara and Caspian, two people becoming one we burn.
The magic consumes us from inside. Too much power. Too much everything.
Our shared heart pounds frantically. Then slower. Slower.
This is it, we think together.
I'm glad it's with you.
Same.
I love
Our heart stops.
Everything goes black.
Somewhere in the darkness, I hear voices.
Come on, come on! Morgana's panicked shout. Breathe!
They're not breathing! Marcus sounds terrified.
I know that! I'm trying to
Magic floods through us. Painful. Electric. Pulling us back from wherever we went.
My heart stutters. Starts again.
Thump-thump.
But it's different. Lighter. The merge is gone. Reset.
I can feel Caspian again but separately. His mind is his own. Mine is mine.
We're two people again.
My eyes snap open. I'm on Morgana's floor, gasping. Caspian is next to me, also breathing hard.
You died, Marcus says, shocked. You both died. For forty-seven seconds.
Did it work? I manage.
Morgana checks us with magical instruments. The merge is gone. You're bonded but separate. But Her face goes grim. You only have one more chance. If you start merging again, dying won't stop it. The bond will drag you back together even from death.
Where's Vivienne? Caspian asks.
We look around. She's gone. The control stone is gone. Even the back door is open.
She ran when you released that blast, Morgana says. Probably scared you'd kill her.
We need to find her, I say, struggling to stand. Before she
My phone buzzes. So does Caspian's.
Same message. Same unknown number:
Impressive display. Dying to avoid the merge. Clever. But it changes nothing. I have what I need. The stone absorbed your magical signature during the merge. Even though you reset it, I can recreate it. Twenty-four hours. That's how long until I activate my weapon. And this time, you won't be able to stop it. V
What weapon? Marcus asks.
Another text arrives. This one is a photo.
The five other kids we rescued. All in cells. All unconscious. All with glowing collars around their necks.
They're connected to you now. Through the bond. When I force you to merge, their magic merges too. Seven powers combined. Enough to destroy the magical council. Enough to make me unstoppable. See you soon. V
Horror crashes through me. Us. Both of us.
She has them again, Caspian says. While we were here, she took them back.
Not just took them, Morgana says, studying the photo. Those collars are bond-links. She's going to force all seven of you to merge. Create a super-consciousness she can control.
Can she do that? I ask.
With the right spell? Yes. And with your bond as the foundation Morgana doesn't finish. Doesn't need to.
We're not just weapons anymore.
We're the key to making six other people into weapons too.
My phone rings. Celeste. Caspian's mother.
He answers, puts it on speaker.
Hello, children. I assume you've heard from Vivienne. Her voice is calm. Amused. She's gotten bold. Stealing my research. My subjects. Even my own son's bond.
What do you want? we ask together.
To make you an offer. Help me kill Vivienne. In exchange, I'll free the children. All of them. No conditions.
You're lying, Caspian says.
Probably. But do you have a better option? Celeste pauses. Vivienne will activate her weapon in twenty-four hours. I'm offering you help. Take it or face her alone.
The line goes dead.
Caspian and I look at each other. Really look. Seeing ourselves clearly for the first time since the bond formed.
We can't trust your mother, I say.
I know.
But we can't beat Vivienne alone.
I know that too.
Through the bond, we feel each other's fear. Determination. Love.
So what do we do? Marcus asks.
We stand together. Hold hands. Not because the bond forces us, but because we choose to.
We make our own plan, we say. One that destroys them both.
Morgana grins. Now you're thinking like survivors.
But as we start planning, I feel it a flutter in my chest. The merge starting again. Slower this time. Subtle.
The bond won't let us stay separate forever.
We're running out of time.
And two monsters are closing in.