Crowns of Nyaxia, #3
The Songbird and the Heart of Stone
by Carissa Broadbent
Contents
Chapter 25
Overview
Mische and Asar reach Alarus's temple but find Atroxus's relic guarded by deadly light, Ophelia, and an army of wraiths. To survive the trial, Mische accepts the Shadowborn darkness she has spent years denying and uses it to destroy a sunlit reflection that judges her as tainted.
The chapter marks a major shift in Mische's identity: Mische stops defining herself only by Atroxus's light and claims vampire shadow as part of herself. Mische and Asar recover Alarus's ring, but Mische collapses from her injuries immediately afterward, leaving the victory fragile.
Summary
Luce pulls Mische and Asar from the river onto the bone shore, both badly injured and aware that Ophelia is approaching. Mische confirms Asar is real, notices the death mark smoking on his hand, and tells Asar without words that Chandra is gone. Despite Mische's twisted leg and Asar's bleeding wound, they push toward Alarus's crumbling temple because the relic is their only way onward.
Inside the temple, Mische and Asar find a small marble crypt at the center of blood-red rivers. The air around it hums with power, but when Asar opens the door, a blazing light erupts from within and burns him badly. Mische realizes the light is Atroxus's trap and that, because the magic does not harm her as severely, Mische must enter alone.
Before Mische can act, Ophelia appears and summons countless wraiths from the bloody waters. With the dead closing in, Asar tells Mische to run to the relic while Asar holds them off. Mische steps into the light, trusting that Atroxus's magic will hurt but not kill her.
Inside the mirrored crypt, Mische finds a marble altar and a radiant reflection of herself. The reflection reaches into Mische's chest and mind, exposing Mische's guilt, blood hunger, unanswered prayers, desire for Asar, and shame, then judges her as tainted. Mische tries to seize the sun magic within the reflection but cannot control it, and the reflection nearly destroys her.
Asar breaks part of the crypt open from outside, giving Mische darkness to use. Through their bond, Asar urges Mische to accept that Mische is a Shadowborn vampire, not only a child of the sun. Mische opens herself to shadow, fuels Atroxus's light with fury until it creates deeper darkness, and uses that darkness to overpower and destroy the reflection. The victory reveals the key hidden in the reflection's chest.
Mische and Asar place the key into the altar together and receive Alarus's memory of binding himself in marriage to Nyaxia at the veil between worlds, forsaking the White Pantheon. The relic is revealed as Alarus's silver ring, still glowing with abandoned divinity. As Mische's new power fades, Mische feels the full force of her injuries, collapses in Asar's arms, and takes comfort when Asar finally calls her by her name.
Who Appears
- Mischeenters Atroxus's light, confronts shame, embraces Shadowborn power, retrieves the relic, and collapses.
- Asarprotects Mische, holds off wraiths, breaks open the crypt, and helps claim the ring.
- Opheliaarrives in Psyche, summons the dead, taunts Mische, and observes her shadow awakening.
- Lucedrags Mische and Asar from the river and fights near Asar against the wraiths.
- Mische's reflectionradiant guardian or trial figure that exposes Mische's sins and guards the altar key.
- Atroxusabsent god whose magic creates the burning light and shapes the relic's trial.
- Alarusappears in memory forsaking the White Pantheon and binding himself to Nyaxia.
- Nyaxiaappears in Alarus's memory as his bride at the veil between worlds.
- Chandrahaunts Mische's guilt after Mische abandoned Chandra to the wraiths.