chapter 40

lily

“Just a little more! Keep them back!”

One of the wraiths slips past Patrick, heading straight for Lily. Grimalkin leaps onto its back, sinking its claws into the wraith’s shifting form, but the creature presses forward. Lily, her focus unwavering, doesn’t see the wraith until it’s almost upon her.

patrick

(roaring, throwing himself in front of her) “Not this time!”

Patrick takes the brunt of the wraith’s attack, the creature’s claw slicing across his chest. He howls in pain but manages to rip the wraith apart with a desperate swipe of his claws. Lily’s chant reaches its peak, and the shard erupts in a blinding light.

The wraiths shriek as the light washes over them, their forms disintegrating into harmless mist. The shard cracks and disintegrates into golden dust, which swirls into Lily’s hands before vanishing. The whispers stop, and the Vale falls eerily silent.