The Attack
Isla’s voice reverberated through the packhouse, raw and filled with a fury that sent chills down the spines of those who heard it. “Draven!” she roared, her power simmering just beneath her skin as the truth of her father and Eira’s betrayal consumed her.
The door slammed open, and Draven burst in, his amber eyes blazing as they darted to Isla, then to her father and Eira. One glance at Isla’s trembling hand pointing directly at her father was enough. “They took the twins, Draven,” she spat, her voice cracking under the weight of her rage. “They admitted it.”
Draven didn’t need further explanation. A feral growl tore from his throat as he lunged toward Kaelen, claws extended and eyes wild with unbridled fury. Kaelen barely had time to shift his stance before Draven’s strength sent him staggering back into the heavy oak table.
Eira stepped forward, her hands already crackling with shadowed energy, but Isla intercepted her, the silver light of the Moon Goddess erupting from her hands. The brilliance of it lit the entire room, forcing Eira to shield her eyes for a moment before retaliating with a coiled wave of darkness.
“You think you can overpower me?” Eira hissed, her voice sharp and biting. Her shadows lashed out like vipers, striking against Isla’s barrier of light. The clash sent waves of energy rippling through the room, shaking the walls and shattering glass.
Kaelen recovered swiftly, his movements calculated as he dodged Draven’s relentless strikes. “You’re blinded by rage,” he taunted, sidestepping a powerful blow. “You don’t understand the bigger picture!”
“Don’t speak to me about understanding,” Draven snarled, his claws raking across Kaelen’s chest and tearing through fabric and skin. “You stole my children. You’ll pay for that with your life.”
Meanwhile, Isla’s light intensified, cutting through Eira’s dark magic inch by inch. Eira’s crescent mark glowed ominously, her power bolstered by whatever unholy energy she wielded. “You’re too emotional, Isla,” she sneered, even as she was forced back. “That’s why you’ll never be strong enough to defeat me.”
“You’ll pay for what you’ve done,” Isla snarled, her voice trembling with grief and fury. Her light surged forward, forcing Eira to stumble as her shadows fractured and dissipated.
Eira’s smirk faltered, replaced by a flicker of desperation. With a sharp incantation, she raised her hands, and a swirling portal of darkness formed behind her. The air warped around it, pulling loose papers and debris into its inky depths.
Kaelen broke away from Draven, blood dripping from his wounds, and grabbed Eira’s arm. “It’s not over,” he said, his voice cold and resolute.
Eira locked eyes with Isla, her sneer returning. “You’ve lost more than you realize.”
Before Isla or Draven could stop them, they disappeared into the portal, the darkness swallowing them whole. The room fell eerily silent, the only sound Isla’s ragged breaths as she stared at the empty space where her enemies had been.
