Elara's POV
What do you mean it will cost me everything? I demanded.
The Oracle stepped closer, her ash-covered skin glowing faintly in the moonlight. Behind me, Cassius screamed again, black veins spreading up his neck like poison.
The crown feeds on the bond between you, she explained calmly. To break it, someone must sever the connection from the inside. Someone must willingly sacrifice their magically of it to cut the thread that binds you.
I'll do it, I said immediately. Take my magic. I don't care.
You don't understand. The Oracle's blind eyes seemed to see straight through me. Without magic, you'll have nothing. No power, no protection. You'll be ordinary. Powerless. And the crown will mark you as a traitor Lord Verin will hunt you for the rest of your life.
I don't care! I shouted. Cassius collapsed to the ground, clawing at the crown on his head. Just tell me how to save him!
The Oracle smiled sadly. There's more. To break a crown bond, both of you must want it. Both of you must choose freedom over power. She looked at Cassius's writhing form. But the crown is consuming him. In minutes, he won't be able to choose anything. He'll be gone.
No. I dropped to my knees beside Cassius. His eyes were pure black now, veins of darkness spreading across his face. Cassius, can you hear me? Fight it! You have to fight it!
His hand shot out and grabbed my throat.
Mine, he snarled in a voice that wasn't his. Power. Mine.
That's not you! I gasped, prying at his fingers. You're stronger than this!
There's no time for speeches, the Oracle said. You must choose now, girl. Give up your magic to save him, or run and save yourself. The crown won't stop at just him it will burn through this entire forest looking for you.
Cassius's grip tightened. I couldn't breathe.
But I looked into his black eyes and remembered the kind notes left at my door. The way he'd protected me from the mages. The desperate hope on his face when I'd agreed to help him.
This wasn't who he was. This was the monster controlling him.
I choose him, I choked out. Take my magic. Break the bond. Save him.
The Oracle nodded. So be it.
She pressed her hand to my forehead.
Pain exploded through my body worse than anything I'd ever felt. It was like she was pulling my soul out through my skin. I screamed as my magic was ripped away, piece by piece, thread by thread.
The world went white.
When I opened my eyes, I was lying on the ground. Everything felt empty, hollow. Like part of me had been cut away.
My magic was gone. I could feel the absence of it, like a missing limb.
But Cassius
He lay a few feet away, gasping for breath. The black veins were fading from his skin. The crown on his head had stopped glowing.
Is he I tried to sit up, but my body wouldn't obey.
The bond is broken, the Oracle said. He is free. But the crown remains. It will try to control him again, now that he has no Source to anchor him.
Cassius's eyes fluttered open. They were his normal color clear and brown and human.
Elara? He whispered. Then he saw the crown still on his head and pure terror crossed his face. No. No, no, no. Why is it still there?
Breaking the bond only freed you from the Source, the Oracle explained. The crown itself cannot be removed without killing its wearer. It's fused to your skull. You'll carry it the rest of your life.
But without a Source Cassius sat up shakily. Without her magic feeding me, the crown will try to take control again. It'll be worse than before.
Yes, the Oracle said simply.
Then we freed him for nothing? I asked, my voice breaking.
Not nothing. Now he can fight it. Before, the crown's power was absolute. Now, with the bond broken, he has a chance to resist. A small chance, but a chance nonetheless.
Cassius looked at me, and I saw the devastation on his face. You gave up everything. Your magic, your power all of it. For a small chance?
For you, I said. I did it for you.
He crawled over to me, taking my hand gently. I'm so sorry. You should have saved yourself.
And let you become a monster? I shook my head. Never.
We sat there in the darkness, holding hands, both of us broken but free.
The Oracle cleared her throat. I hate to interrupt, but Lord Verin's soldiers will be here soon. They tracked you through the forest. You have perhaps ten minutes before
An arrow thudded into the tree beside us.
We spun around. Through the black trees, I saw torchlight. Lots of it. And voices shouting orders.
There! The Oracle's grove! Surround it!
We need to run, Cassius said, pulling me to my feet.
Where? I asked. I have no magic. You're still fighting the crown. We can't
The Deep Forest, the Oracle interrupted. Three miles north. There's a resistance camp people who fled the king's wars. They'll hide you.
A resistance? Cassius looked shocked. Against me?
Against the crown, she corrected. They've been waiting for years for someone to strike a real blow against it. You two just did.
More arrows whistled through the air. Soldiers were closing in from all sides.
Go! The Oracle commanded. I'll hold them off as long as I can.
Cassius grabbed my hand and we ran into the forest.
Behind us, I heard Lord Verin's voice ring out: Don't let them escape! The king is weakened the crown is vulnerable! Kill them both!
We crashed through the undergrowth, branches tearing at our skin. Cassius stumbled, grabbing his head.
The crown, he gasped. It's fighting back. It's trying to
He went rigid. When he looked at me, his eyes were flickering black, then brown, then black again.
Run, he forced out. I can't control run, Elara!
I'm not leaving you!
His hand grabbed my arm, fingers digging in painfully. Half his face had gone slack, emotionless.
Kill, he said in that awful flat voice. Kill the traitor.
His other hand reached for my throat.
And I had no magic left to stop him.