The sentinel’s grip tightened around Evelyn’s arm as it dragged her up the crystal spire. She glanced downwards, her stomach lurching at the sight of the abandoned city far below, its once vibrant streets now a twist of shadows in the deep dark of night.
She couldn’t help but wonder why the sentinel had captured her and not any of the others. Was it because she had no magic? Or did Eamon suspect she wasn’t fae?
“Please,” she whispered to the crystal soldier, the words barely audible. “Let me go.”
The sentinel offered no reply, its featureless face betraying no emotion—how could it with no eyes or mouth? She hadn’t been paying much attention until now, but it was nothing but a soulless automation, following orders from Eamon in the spire. It needed no way to communicate.
Evelyn’s thoughts raced as they continued to climb, searching for a way to escape. The cold sting of betrayal still festered within her, and she silently cursed herself for ever trusting Eamon. She knew he’d lied to her about his ‘sister’, but how could she be so blind to trust him this far?
As they reached the top of the spire, the door before them slid open, revealing the room she and Finn had explored earlier that afternoon. It was now lit up with holographic displays and glowing crystal benches. Eamon had been hard at work.
Naimh sat in the centre of the room, guarded by another sentinel.
“Naimh!” Evelyn exclaimed, her voice trembling.
Naimh’s eyes widened in surprise as she saw Evelyn being dragged into the room. She tried to get up from her seat, but the sentinel in front of her blocked her way.
“Let me go!” Evelyn struggled against the sentinel’s grip, but it was no use. She was trapped.
“Don’t fight it,” Naimh said, the tone of her voice betraying that she’d already tried. “It won’t help.”
But Evelyn wasn’t ready to give up, not when the others were still in the city below. Her gaze darted between the sentinel guarding Naimh and the breathtaking view of the floating island beyond the glass walls.
Naimh sat down, tears welling in her eyes. The weight of their situation hung heavy in the air, suffocating and oppressive. Evelyn tried to swallow her own fear, reminding herself that she needed to stay strong for Naimh. Together, perhaps they stood a chance of escaping this nightmare.
“Whatever happens,” Evelyn said, “we’ll find a way out of this.”
Naimh bit her lip and nodded, tears spilling down her cheeks. “I’m so sorry. This is all my fault.”
“Hey,” she said softly, despite the sentinel’s biting grip on her arm. “Don’t say that. No one blames you, okay?”
Before Naimh could reply, Eamon entered the room, his presence making Evelyn’s stomach turn. His eyes were cold and calculating as he looked between them, an unsettling smile playing at the corners of his lips.
“Ah, there you are.” Eamon’s voice was dripping with false sincerity. “It’s so nice of you to join us.”
“Let us go, Eamon,” Evelyn demanded, trying to hide the fear that twisted in her gut.
“Unfortunately, I cannot do that.” He circled around the room, stopping by one of the holographic displays. “You see, Naimh here has a unique magical ability—the power to interact with ancient artefacts and bring them to life. Quite fascinating, isn’t it?”
Lorcan had confessed Naimh’s secret to Evelyn and the others down in the city, but hearing it from Eamon made it seem more sinister, more dangerous. He saw the young girl as a tool, not a person. It was the very thing Lorcan had fought to protect her from, only worse.
“I knew you didn’t have a sister,” Evelyn drawled.
“Of course not,” Eamon replied with a snort. “It was all for this…” He gestured to the displays. “Imagine the possibilities. With Naimh’s help, we could awaken ancient relics long forgotten and unlock secrets buried for millennia.”
“Unlock them for what? To stroke your Unseelie ego?”
“Ah,” Eamon smirked, “now that would be telling.” With a flick of his wrist, the holographic displays disappeared, replaced by an ominous darkness. “But trust me when I say that you won’t want to miss what comes next.”
Evelyn’s heart pounded in her chest as she stared into Eamon’s cold eyes. If she had a chance to escape, she had to learn everything she could, then Finn would know what to do. Eamon was arrogant and boastful, and right now he was confident that it was only a matter of time before the entire world was in the palms of his hands. That she could use.
“Since you’re so eager to share, why don’t you tell us everything?” Evelyn challenged, trying to remain calm. “How can we escape?” She gestured to the sentinels.
“Very well,” Eamon said, his grin widening. He waved his hand again, and new holographic images flickered into existence around them. They depicted various parts of the floating city—its crystal spires, vast libraries, and hidden chambers.
“With the shard and the girl’s ability, I’ve uncovered more about the city’s secrets than any other before me,” Eamon boasted. “And among those secrets are the crystal sentinels, an army of powerful weapons designed to protect this place.”
“Sentinels? How many?” Evelyn asked, her voice wavering.
“Thousands. An entire army built to fight the Tuatha.” Eamon’s eyes gleamed with delight. “And with Naimh’s power, I can control them, bend them to my will. Imagine what we could achieve together—”
“I won’t help you,” Naimh cried.
Eamon hissed and turned to glare at her. “You won’t have a choice.”
Knowing that the entire city was a weapon designed to devastate entire cities was bad enough, but an army? How could the ancients leave just them here, floating about the planet? Had they hoped to come back for them?
Evelyn’s stomach churned at the thought of Eamon wielding such immense power. He was already dangerous without it, but with the crystal sentinels under his command, and the threat of levelling Sil Astrad and vaporising the queen herself, he would become unstoppable.
“Even if Naimh wanted to help you, there’s no way she’d betray her friends,” Evelyn spat, her anger flaring.
“Ah, but that’s where you’re wrong,” Eamon replied, stepping closer to Naimh. “You see, I’m offering her a chance to be part of something greater than herself, to leave behind the life of a hunted outcast, a life where she would be experimented upon, trapped and alone until the end of her days…and embrace her true destiny. She will be a queen.”
“And what?” Evelyn’s stomach turned. “You’ll be her king?”
Eamon’s smile widened into a grin, making his intentions as clear as the crystal that surrounded them.
He locked eyes with Naimh, who trembled under his gaze. “What do you say, dear Naimh? Will you join me?”
Evelyn held her breath, praying that Naimh would find the strength to resist Eamon’s manipulations.
Naimh hesitated, her eyes darting between Eamon and Evelyn as if searching for an answer. She would do it to save them, but she had to resist.
“Please, Naimh,” Evelyn whispered, her voice laced with desperation and a plea for trust. “You don’t have to do this. Not for me, or Lorcan.”
For a moment, there was silence. Then Naimh locked eyes with Evelyn, trembling but resolute. “I… I won’t help you, Eamon,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. “I’d rather die than be your queen.”
“That’s unfortunate,” Eamon sighed, feigning disappointment. “But don’t fret. I’ve other ways to make you cooperate.”
As he spoke, the surrounding air seemed to grow colder, sending a shiver down Evelyn’s spine. Eamon extended his arm toward one of the crystal benches, which began to glow and change. The display flickered before revealing a holographic map of the city, pinpointing the locations of Finn, Lorcan, and Aisling, each marked by a pulsating red dot.
“Your friends have served their purpose,” Eamon said coldly. “Now, they must be eliminated.”
“No!” Evelyn cried, her heart pounding. She couldn’t bear the thought of losing them—not like this.
“Your loyalty is touching, but futile,” Eamon smirked. “You see, I’ve been planning this for quite some time. I knew about Naimh long before any of you did. I knew she was the key to unlocking the true power of this city.” He paused, savouring the moment. “I knew the Shr’lei de Delei’an had sent someone to retrieve her, and that they had disappeared on their way back to Sil Astrad. But I did what no one else could.” He leaned on the crystal bench, the hologram lighting his twisted grin of triumph. “I tracked them to the forests around Un Ors’anli where I gained control over the Ash Xashri, intending to kill the Shr’lei and capture the girl, but that’s when you thwarted my plan. But I already knew of Finn and his inquiries. The Isle of Ghosts was the next logical place for you to go, and,” he smiled at Naimh, “safety in numbers.”
Evelyn felt a sharp pang of realisation hit her where it hurt. When Finn had stolen the maps, they’d unknowingly played right into Eamon’s hands and from there it was easy for him to manipulate them into letting him join their expedition…and after that, all he had to do was bide his time. He’d played his role perfectly.
“It’s only a matter of time before I control everything.” Eamon raised his hand over the hologram. “And my first step is to eliminate all threats within the city.”
“Over my dead body,” Evelyn growled.
“Speaking of dead bodies…” Eamon’s voice trailed off as he gazed at Evelyn. “You haven’t been entirely forthcoming about your own identity, have you now?”
Evelyn’s breath caught in her throat. She’d tried so hard to keep her true origins a secret, but if Aisling could pick up on it, then Eamon certainly had.
“Ah, that struck a nerve,” he mused, his fingers tapping rhythmically on the crystal bench. “But don’t worry. It’s the portal at the heart of the city you wanted, was it not?”
Evelyn tensed, unsure of what to say.
“What kind of world did you come from, I wonder?” His gaze moved to Naimh. “Cooperation would’ve been easier for all of us, but with a portal under my control… There are many worlds out there who utilise science over magic. Perhaps there is technology out there that can isolate the girl’s ability and replicate it.”
Was that why he’d captured her? For the knowledge of her world and the science humanity had unlocked? The dome had vast laboratories designed to help strengthen and protect the dwindling human race through gene therapy and stem cell research, so if Naimh’s ability was related to a dormant gene, Eamon could theoretically bottle the ability to interface with the crystal city.
“No one would help you,” she hissed, despite knowing her own people would do anything to escape the dome for the possibility of settling in a new, untouched reality—a reality they could spoil all over again.
“You’re overestimating the strength of the human heart,” Eamon drawled, his eyes narrowing. “It’s a different beast than the heart of a fae.”
Evelyn’s shoulders sagged. He was right. The poisoned atmosphere outside the dome proved it.
“You could return home,” he went on. “Be an emissary for your people. All you have to do is say yes.” He gestured to the sentinel, whose grip tightened around her arm.
As the crystal bit into her flesh, she thought of Finn, Aisling, and Lorcan, their presence below dwindling to flashing red dots on a hologram.
An image of Finn came to mind from the day they’d met in the forest. The day her skin had felt sun for the first time and her lungs had filled with pure, natural oxygen. And the stars…so many stars.
But now that you’ve seen the sun, do you truly want to return to the darkness? Finn’s words struck deep, and he was right…he was always right. Why did she want to go back there?
She looked at the flashing dots, her heartbeat steadying. They needed her, and she couldn’t abandon them, especially not now.
“Your offer means nothing to me,” she spat. “I will not let my friends die.”
“Very well,” Eamon replied coolly, his eyes narrowing. “I thought I’d give you a chance to save yourself, but if you insist on being loyal to your friends, then I’m afraid we’re going to have a problem.”
Evelyn knew she had to act—and fast. If she didn’t stop Eamon now, she feared she might never get another chance.
She closed her eyes and focused on the crystal biting into her arm. Gathering all her strength, she pulled against the sentinel’s grasp, but it was no use. All she did was tear her flesh on the sharp crystal, causing blood to trickle down her arm.
Eamon watched her struggle with an amused expression, as if he was enjoying the sight of her pain.
“Keep an eye on her,” he instructed, shifting his attention to the control panel. “I have some cleansing to do.”