Time froze as the shadow tendril hurtled toward my heart. In that fractured moment, I saw everything with terrible clarity—the Serpent's dying malevolence, the curse meant to drag me into oblivion with it, and Alaric's face as understanding dawned in his eyes.
"ISABELLA!" Alaric's voice shattered the moment.
He moved with impossible speed, tearing himself away from the writhing mass of darkness where Serpent's Bane remained embedded. I tried to call out, to warn him to stay back, but my voice caught in my throat.
In that heartbeat between breaths, Alaric threw himself between me and the shadow tendril, his arms spread wide as if to embrace the darkness meant for me.
"NO!" I screamed, the pendant blazing against my skin.
The stone lifted from my chest, suspended by its own power. Acting on instinct, I grabbed it with both hands just as Alaric's body blocked the shadow's path. Light erupted from my fingertips, channeling through the stone and into Alaric.
