Chapter 365

Chapter 365
Aurora

“I’d be much more confident if I actually knew what I was doing.”

Kael looked at me through the bars of his cage, one eyebrow lifting as though he found my lack of confidence particularly amusing.

“That would probably be helpful.”

I shot him an irritated look.

“Do you want to do it?”

His expression immediately changed.

“No.”

“Then shut up.”

Zayn, who was standing beside, let out a quiet laugh.

“She has a point.”

Kael turned toward him.

“Don’t encourage her.”

“I’m not encouraging her. I’m agreeing with her.”

“That’s worse.”

Despite everything, the corner of my mouth lifted slightly before I turned my attention back toward the bars.

I placed both hands against the cold metal again and closed my eyes, trying to shut out everything around me so I could focus on the strange energy moving beneath my skin.

It was difficult to understand something I had never been taught to control, especially when it didn’t behave like my own magic, but I had already felt the connection between the power and the two lives growing inside me, and that connection was the only thing I had to rely on.

I took a slow breath and reached inward.

There.

One presence.

Then another.

Two distinct currents of energy stirred beneath my stomach, separate yet connected, and as I reached toward them, they responded almost immediately, flowing through me with a warmth that spread gradually into my chest and down my arms.

Zayn noticed the change.

“Aurora.”

“I’m okay.”

“I didn’t say anything.”

“You were going to.”

He smiled faintly.

“I was.”

I almost smiled back, but I forced myself to concentrate again.

The two currents continued moving through me, intertwining with my own magic until I could barely tell where one ended and another began.

I didn’t try to control them this time. Instead, I let the energy move wherever it wanted, following the invisible connection between me, the twins, and the enchantment surrounding the cage.

The moment the energy reached my hands, the bars vibrated.

Zayn’s eyes immediately dropped toward them.

“There.”

“I feel it.”

The magical markings carved into the metal began glowing faintly beneath my palms, their light growing stronger as I pushed the energy into them.

The enchantment resisted.

I could feel it pressing against my magic, trying to force it away, and the pressure traveled straight through my arms until my muscles began trembling.

I clenched my jaw.

“Come on…”

The markings flickered.

Then the lock gave a small, metallic jerk.

Zayn moved closer.

“Did it move?”

“Yes.”

“Again.”

“I’m trying.”

I pushed harder.

The energy surged through my arms, and the markings suddenly flared brightly enough to illuminate the stone floor around us.

A sharp click echoed through the dungeon.

The lock released.

For a second, I simply stared at it.

Zayn reached for the door.

“Can I?”

I nodded.

He wrapped his fingers around the bars and pulled.

The door swung open with a long metallic groan.

Neither of us moved immediately.

After everything that had happened, after being trapped for so long and having every attempt at escape taken away from us, seeing that open doorway felt almost unreal.

Then Zayn stepped out.

He turned around immediately and held his hand toward me.

“Come on.”

I placed my hand in his, my legs unsteady, but I forced myself to remain upright.

Zayn glanced down at me.

“You okay?”

“I’m fine.”

“You’re still shaking.”

“So are you.”

He looked down at his hands.

I was right.

His fingers were trembling slightly.

He closed them into fists.

“I’m fine.”

I raised an eyebrow.

“See how annoying that is?”

His mouth twitched.

“Very.”

Kael cleared his throat from the cage opposite us.

“Beautiful conversation, but some of us are still locked in here.”

I turned toward him.

“You could always be patient.”

“I’ve been patient enough.”

“That sounds like a personal problem.”

Zayn laughed under his breath.

Kael stared at him.

“Are you going to help me, or are you two planning to flirt with each other while I rot in here?”

I rolled my eyes.

“We’re not flirting.”

“You’re holding hands.”

I looked down.

Zayn was still holding mine.

He slowly released it.

Kael nodded toward us.

“Very convincing.”

“Shut up.”

“Gladly, once I’m out of this fucking cage.”

I stepped toward him.

“Fine.”

I placed my palm against the bars.

The moment my skin touched the metal, the difference was immediate.

The energy didn’t simply meet resistance.

It hit something far stronger.

A powerful force pushed against my magic so violently that I instinctively pulled my hand away.

Zayn noticed immediately.

“What happened?”

“His cage is different.”

Kael looked at the bars around him.

“How?”

“There’s much more magic surrounding it.”

I examined the markings carefully.

They were similar to the ones on our cage, but there were far more of them, layered over one another and woven into the metal, and I couldn’t immediately tell where one spell ended and another began.

Kael gave the bars an unimpressed look.

“Of course mine has to be special.”

I glanced at him.

“You’re not special.”

“I’m beginning to regret helping you.”

“You haven’t helped me with anything.”

“I provided emotional support.”

“You’ve insulted me for the last ten minutes.”

“That was my version of emotional support.”

Zayn shook his head.

“You two are going to drive me insane.”

I ignored them and placed my hand against the bars again.

The energy stirred beneath my skin.

I reached for the twins.

The moment their magic responded, the enchantment around Kael’s cage reacted violently.

The bars vibrated beneath my palm.

I felt the force push back.

Hard.

My arm immediately began trembling.

I gritted my teeth and kept my hand there.

Kael’s expression changed when he saw how much effort it was taking.

“Aurora, wait.”

“I can do it.”

“You don’t know what that thing is doing to you.”

“I said I can do it.”

“Aurora.”

I looked at him.

For once, there was no teasing in his expression.

He actually looked worried.

“I’m not going to let it hurt me.”

“You don’t know that.”

“No, but I’m not going to stop just because it’s difficult.”

Zayn stepped closer to me.

“You don’t have to force it all at once.”

I glanced toward him.

“What do you suggest?”

“Try finding where the strongest part of the enchantment is.”

I looked back at the bars.

He was right.

Instead of pushing blindly against the entire spell, I closed my eyes and allowed my magic to move along the metal, searching through the layers of enchantment.

There were dozens of them.