Chapter 5

The relief was short-lived. The door to my chamber slammed open with a force that shook the stone walls. Kaelen stood there, his face a mask of cold fury. He wasn't alone. Two sect guards flanked him, their hands on the hilts of their swords. Lyra was behind him, her eyes red and swollen from crying. "What have you done to her?" Kaelen roared, his voice echoing in the small room.

He pointed a shaking finger at Lyra. "She collapsed. The healers say her life force is dangerously unstable. It's because of the smoke, the shock. Because of what you did!" His accusation hung in the air, heavy and suffocating. Elder Maeve stepped in front of me protectively. "Kaelen, calm yourself! There is no proof Elara is responsible for any of this." But he wasn't listening. His eyes were wild, fixed on me.

"She needs a transfusion of lifeblood," he snarled. "And yours is the most compatible." My blood ran cold. He was going to force me. He was going to make me give my energy to the very woman who was orchestrating my downfall. He looked at me with pure hatred. "You will do it. Or I will make you." It wasn't a request. It was a threat.

Before the Elders could protest further, he acted. He drew his blade, Voidfang, its dark metal seeming to absorb the light in the room. He didn't point it at me. Instead, he slammed the hilt onto a rune on the floor, activating the chamber's containment array. A cage of shimmering blue energy erupted around me, trapping me. It was a sword formation, designed to immobilize and enforce compliance. I felt a crushing pressure, my own energy being suppressed. "You will give her your lifeblood," Kaelen commanded, his voice devoid of any emotion. "Now."

A thin, glowing line connected my chest to Lyra, who stood weakly behind him. I felt my energy being pulled from me, a slow, painful drain. It was a violation, a forced sacrifice for my own enemy. I gritted my teeth, enduring the pain and the humiliation. I looked at Lyra. Through her facade of weakness, I saw that triumphant glint in her eyes again. She was enjoying this. She was feeding on my power and my pain.

The drain was slow, too slow for Kaelen. Lyra let out another pitiful whimper. "Kaelen, it hurts..." That was all it took. He became even more ruthless. He twisted the hilt of his sword, intensifying the power of the formation. The pressure doubled. The line of energy pulling from me grew thicker, brighter. The pain became unbearable, a searing fire inside my veins. He was ripping the life force out of me to save her. I saw the Elders cry out my name, their faces filled with horror, but they were powerless against Kaelen's rage. The world started to spin, black spots dancing in my vision. My last conscious thought was of his face, cold and unforgiving, as he looked not at me, but at her. Then, everything went dark.