Chapter 59 The Price of Power

Chapter 59 The Price of Power
Deborah’s POV

The training room walls had burn marks from Deborah's past practices. But tonight, the silver fire in her hands felt strange. Something was wrong. She was alone in the big room under the palace, a place where old magic users once trained. She tried not to notice her hands shaking.

It had only been a day since the Council gave in. Since she and Erick became the real rulers of both kingdoms. She should have felt proud, but instead, she felt a constant burn under her skin.

Focus. She took a breath and brought the power out.

Silver fire shot from her fingers. But it wasn't the steady stream she usually made. It burst out wildly. The flames moved up her arms, like they were hungry. She gasped as a hot pain went through her body. 

This wasn't the good kind of warmth from her power growing. This was something different. It felt like it was eating her from the inside.

She squeezed her fists, trying to push the flames away. They fought back hard, making her clench her teeth. Sweat formed on her forehead even though the room was cool. When she finally put them out, her legs almost gave out.

"What's happening to me?" she whispered to the empty room.

The silver mark on her shoulder felt hot, like it was answering her. She always felt it there, a sign of her family's power. But now it burned. It actually burned, like someone was pressing a hot iron onto her skin again and again.

Deborah moved her shoulder, trying to stop the feeling. Then, that strange fluttering in her belly came back. It was small, hardly noticeable, but it wouldn't go away. She put a hand on her stomach, her thoughts racing. 

Could this be why her powers were acting up? Why did her body seem to be fighting the energy she was born to use?

No. She couldn't think about that now. She couldn't let herself hope or fear or wonder. She had a kingdom to keep safe, enemies still hiding, and a power she had to control before it controlled her.

She raised her hands again.

This time, she tried to make just a small spark. The tiniest fire. But the eclipse power burst to life like a big fire. Silver and white flames covered both her arms up to her elbows. The heat got much worse. 

She felt something deeper than just body pain, a pulling feeling. It was like the power was grabbing her very soul and taking something important away.

Her knees hit the stone floor hard. The flames stopped at once, leaving her breathless and shaking. She saw black spots in front of her eyes.

This isn't right. She thought clearly. This isn't how it should feel.

She had used eclipse power before. She used it in fights, to make her connection with Erick stronger, and during the Council meeting. But accepting the queen's crown, fully becoming the eclipse queen, that last change made everything different.

The power wasn't just stronger now. It was hungry.

Deborah got to her feet. Her legs shook from being so tired, a tiredness that went deep into her bones. She had only used her powers for a few minutes, but she felt as tired as if she had fought for hours. Her muscles hurt. 

Her head throbbed. And that burning feeling under her skin got worse. It spread from her birthmark over her shoulders and down her back.

She stumbled to the room's mirror. It was an old, shiny silver mirror that had been there for hundreds of years. What she saw made her stop breathing.

The silver birthmark on her shoulder, usually a neat moon shape, had spread. Thin lines of silver now ran across her skin like tiny lightning bolts. They moved towards her collarbone and down her back. They pulsed with every beat of her heart, glowing a little in the dim light.

"No." She touched one of the marks, and sharp pain shot through her. "No, no, no."

She had to try again. She had to show she could control this. She was the eclipse queen. This power was hers by right, her fate. She couldn't let it beat her now. Not when everything they had fought for was finally close.

Deborah turned from the mirror and calmed herself. She thought of all the calming methods she knew, every lesson about being steady and in charge. Then she reached for the power again.

The eclipse power answered with wild excitement.

Silver flames burst around her, making a ball of bright fire. She screamed as the heat got worse than anything she had felt before. It went past pain to something that felt like her true self was being burned up. 

The flames grew bigger, more wild, feeding on something deep inside her that she couldn't name.

Stop. Stop. STOP.

But they wouldn't stop. The power was completely out of her control. She felt it taking from her. Not just her body's strength, but something more important. Her life itself. Her soul. The very thing that made her, her.

The room door burst open.

"Deborah!" Erick's voice broke through the loud fire.

"Stay back!" She tried to warn him, but her voice was weak. She could barely be heard over the noisy power. "I can't, I can't control it."

Through the silver fire, she saw him walk forward right away. She saw his strong look, the fear in his eyes. She felt their deep connection grow stronger. He could feel what she felt. The great pain. The terror. The feeling of being eaten from the inside.

And still he came.

"Erick, please." Her legs failed, but the flames kept her standing. They were like a cage she had made herself. "I'll hurt you."

"I don't care."

Erick’s POV

Erick felt it through their special link a sudden, sharp pain, then a rush of fear. He ran. He left his important meeting with his guards, ignored their surprised questions, and raced through the palace, his heart pounding.

He knew she was pushing herself too hard. He'd seen how tired she looked that morning, how she'd quietly winced when she thought he wasn't watching. 

But she'd insisted she needed to practice, to fully control her powers now that they ruled together.

He should have stopped her. Should have made her rest.

Now he stood at the edge of the training room, watching silver flames burn the woman he loved. He felt his own power wake up inside him. 

Shadows gathered around his feet, dark and ready to protect or fight.

But he didn't use them. He didn't use any of his powers. Because this wasn't a fight he could win with strength.

"Deborah." He kept his voice steady as he walked towards her, even though the heat from her flames made his skin tingle. "Look at me."

"I can't stop it." Her voice broke, and through their bond, he felt how desperate and ashamed she was. "Erick, I can't something's wrong."

"I know." He was close enough now to see the silver marks spreading on her skin, glowing like hot metal. 

Close enough to see her body shake with tiredness, even as the power roared around her. "I know, love. But you're not alone."

"You need to leave." Tears ran down her face, disappearing in the hot air. "Before I hurt you."

"No."

That single word hung between them, firm and clear.

Erick had hidden his power for years, scared of what it meant, what people would think. He lived with fear and shame, always holding back. But Deborah changed that. 

She saw his dark side and loved him anyway. She stood by him when he finally took his place, helped him become someone who didn't have to hide anymore.

Now it was his turn.

"I'm not leaving you," he said and walked right into the flames.

The silver fire licked his skin, hot enough to burn, but he pushed through. Their bond pulsed between them, stronger than the pain, stronger than the fear. 

He felt everything she felt: the power draining her life, the burning in her veins, the terror that she might lose control and hurt him.

But he also felt her love. Her desperate need to protect him, even if it meant her own harm.

"You stubborn fool," she gasped as he reached her. "You'll die."

"Then we die together." He held her face in his hands, not caring that the flames burned his sleeves. "I told you before, Deborah. I'm not going anywhere. Not now. Not ever."

Her silver eyes met his, wide with fear and something else. Something like hope.

"I can't control it," she whispered. "The power is eating me alive. Every time I try to use it, it takes more. Burns deeper. I don't know if it's because of the crown, or because I'm." She stopped talking, but he felt the thought through their bond anyway.

Because I might be pregnant.

His heart skipped a beat. They hadn't confirmed it, hadn't dared to hope, but the chance hung between them now like a fragile promise.

"Whatever the reason," he said strongly, "we'll figure it out. Together."

"Erick..."

The flames grew stronger, more wild than before. Deborah screamed, and through their bond, he felt the power shoot up to a level that made his own powers pull back in fear. This wasn't just risky anymore.

This was deadly.

The silver marks on her skin glowed bright white, spreading faster now. They crawled up her neck, across her chest, down her arms. 

Everywhere they touched, her skin seemed to burn from inside, glowing with an amazing, scary light.

"No, no, no, " Deborah's voice rose in panic. "It's spreading, I can't."

Her body shook hard. The flames burst outward in a wave that threw Erick back several feet. 

He hit the ground hard, shadows automatically rising to soften the fall. 

He got to his feet just in time to see Deborah collapse.

The silver fire instantly died, leaving the room in sudden, dark silence.

"Deborah!" He ran to her, falling to his knees beside her fallen body.

She lay still on the cold stone, her skin still glowing with those spreading silver marks. They covered almost half her body now, pulsing with each shallow breath. 

Her birthmark shone so bright he could barely look. He felt through their bond that she was still awake, but barely. She was fading quickly.

"Stay with me." He gathered her into his arms, pressing his hand to her chest where her heart beat too fast, too weak. "Deborah, stay with me."

Her eyes fluttered open, blurry and clouded with pain. "Erick..."

"I'm here. I've got you."

"The power, " She coughed, and he saw silver light flash in her throat, as if the energy was trying to burn its way out. "It's too much. The crown is taking it in completely, it's killing me."

"No." He pulled her closer, as if he could shield her from her own powers with just his will. "No, we'll find a way. We'll"

Her body shook again. The silver marks glowed so bright they lit up the whole room, and she screamed a sound of pure agony that cut through him like a knife.

Through their bond, he felt it. Felt the energy eating her from inside, burning through her life force like a fire through dry grass. Felt her strength leaving her, her mind starting to slip away.

Felt her dying.

"No!" He pressed his forehead to hers, pouring everything he had through their bond. His love, his strength, his own life, if that's what it took. "Don't you dare leave me. Don't you dare."

The marks spread further, covering her collarbone, creeping up her jaw. Her skin was burning hot under his hands, and her breathing grew harder with every second.

"Erick..." His name was barely a whisper. "If I don't make it."

"You will."

"If I don't. " Her hand found his, gripping with what little strength she had left. "Promise me you'll."

Her words stopped as her entire body seized. The silver marks exploded across her skin in a final, strong burst, covering every part of her in glowing, pulsing light. 

Her back arched, her eyes rolled back, and through their bond, Erick felt her mind slip away completely.

"Deborah!" He shook her, desperate, terrified. "Deborah, no."

But she didn't answer. Didn't move. Her body lay limp in his arms, still glowing with that awful silver light. The marks now covered her completely. 

Her heartbeat fluttered weakly against his palm, growing slower every moment.

And Erick, who had faced killers and bad leaders, who had taken his rightful place and stood before the kingdom without fear, felt true terror for the first time in his life.

Because the woman he loved, the woman who might be carrying their child, was dying in his arms.

And he had no idea how to save her.