Alaric’s Sacrifice
The magical barriers crackled with an oppressive energy, their shimmering surface radiating heat that made the air itself feel alive. Alaric and Jamie stood side by side, their breaths coming in sharp, controlled bursts as they analyzed the runes fueling Eira’s defenses.
“There.” Alaric’s voice was calm but firm as he pointed to a faint crack in the glowing sigils etched into the stone walls. “That’s the anchor point. If we disrupt it, the entire network will destabilize.”
Jamie hesitated, her gray eyes darting between Alaric and the rest of the battlefield, where Isla and Draven were locked in a desperate struggle against Eira. “It’s too risky,” she said, her voice tight with fear. “You don’t know what breaking it will do—to you, to this place.”
Alaric’s golden eyes softened, a flicker of regret crossing his face. “It doesn’t matter what it does to me. What matters is getting Isla to those twins.”
Jamie reached for his arm, gripping it tightly. “There has to be another way. Alaric, you don’t have to do this.”
He gave her a faint smile, the kind that carried years of unspoken truths. “Jamie, I made a promise. To Isla. To all of them. And I’m not about to break it.”
Before she could stop him, Alaric stepped toward the runes, his hands glowing with the golden light of his wolf’s power. He pressed his palms against the sigils, the contact sending a ripple of energy through the walls. The entire chamber seemed to groan in protest, the glowing runes flickering erratically.
The pain was immediate and overwhelming, but Alaric gritted his teeth, forcing more power into the symbols. Golden light surged from his hands, snaking into the cracks like molten fire.
“Alaric, stop!” Jamie shouted, her voice breaking. “You’ll kill yourself!”
He turned his head slightly, his smile sad but resolute. “Tell Isla… tell her I kept my promise.”
The chamber shook violently as the runes shattered, a shockwave of raw magic ripping through the air. Alaric’s body glowed faintly as the energy consumed him, his silhouette becoming a beacon in the crumbling room.
When the light finally dimmed, he collapsed to the ground, his golden eyes dull. The barriers flickered once, twice, and then shattered completely, the air thick with the lingering hum of disrupted magic.
Jamie rushed to his side, tears streaming down her face as she gripped his lifeless hand. “You idiot,” she whispered, her voice trembling. “You didn’t have to do this.”
But his sacrifice had bought them the opening they needed. The chamber quaked, debris falling from the ceiling, but Isla and Draven surged forward, their eyes locked on Eira and the twins.
