I am so very exhausted.

❂❂❂

In the wee hours of the morning, Shadow Weaver awoke and sighed against her bed covers. Every time she'd fallen asleep, she'd woken up with a loud shout. Nightmares caressed her brain: horrible dreams of the Spell eating her over and over again, of that last touch she gave Micah.

She staggered up to a sitting position as she shivered and sweated in her bed-clothes, which displayed the scars snaking along her collarbones and neck in the mirror of the bathroom ahead. Her scars were less sore now, dark purple slashed against her lifeless gray skin, and green rings framed her broken eyes. The Spell had burned away her eyelashes and brows, rendering her nearly unrecognizable. She gazed at the woman in the mirror, her blanched and disfigured lips curling to reveal the long, sharp needles poking out from where she'd lost her canines. Fangs.

My name is Shadow Weaver. I joined the Horde so I wouldn't die from a spell I put on myself. I don't have a family. My last loved one is on the other side of the world.

And I look hideous.

Before she could lose her mind, she let depression turn to anger. It was time to unlock the runestone; then she could live in peace and start her life over. After she was ready for the day, her mask on and her raven hair cascading down her back, she opened the door to see Carmen standing in front of her. The felinetta gave a wide grin. "This way. We're gonna get the rock unlocked, and then Cobalt'll test you."

"Cobalt?"

"The teacher," Carmen said. "He's a good one too, I hear."

She sighed. My name is Shadow Weaver. I joined the Horde so I wouldn't die from a spell I put on myself. I don't have a family. My last loved one is on the other side of the world. Her hands shook; she was sure even a moment of fear amidst Carmen's kindness would render her selfish. "Just stay out of my way," she muttered as they came to a large set of doors.

Carmen half-groaned. "Hordak's not awake yet - he'll have to let us in. This vault is special. There's no way in except a button in his sanctum."

"If I had the energy, I could lift the door myself," Shadow Weaver grumbled, leaning against the wall.

"Heard you're a shaman," Carmen said, plopping down on the ground and flicking her tail. Her blue eyes surveyed the area pointedly. "Didn't know your lot could use runestones."

Shamans. That's what the Kryteya call us - I suppose I have to get used to that. "It's all theoretical. From my studies, which I kept secret." She gritted her teeth. "Why are you up so early?"

Carmen sighed. "Just...insomnia. You?"

"As such," she mumbled back, sitting down. Faintness caressed her body, and her stomach begged for food. My name is Shadow Weaver. I joined the Horde so I wouldn't die from a spell I put on myself. I don't have a family. My last loved one is on the other side of the world.

Just then, the doors began to rumble, and her eyes sparkled. "He's up! He's going to open the Black Garnet chamber!"

✧✧✧

A bemused smile touched Shadow Weaver's lips as the door opened. She followed Carmen in, finding magic moondust in a pestle next to the cauldron. "Did you gather this?"

Carmen flicked her tail. "Lord Hordak told me to find you supplies. Plus, I knew some sorcerers back home. They always collected this stuff."

Shadow Weaver was dazed as her hand pressed upon the Black Garnet. Such power. Such beautiful dark redness in a single stone. She touched it, and her instincts picked up a burst of power that warmed her to the core. Already the weight of grogginess lifted slightly.

She bent down and sprinkled the moondust on the ground in the shape of a mandala she'd never seen before. There was always a missing key she had never been able to find in her experiments, but now it seemed just within her grasp. The Spell had opened a treasure trove of knowledge to her, knowledge she'd never even dreamed of before and would spend years studying and perfecting.

"Convenit."

The word activated the moondust. Magic still glowed within the tiny shard of the Black Garnet she was fingering, and she set it in the tiny indent on her mask.

"Stand back." She put her hands to the Black Garnet, repeating the words. "Convenit, ut sit!" The Garnet glowed, the moondust broke the mandala and swirled around her feet, and her hair billowed around her head. "CONVENIT, UT SIT!"

Red crackling rushed up her arms and around her body, and her feet lifted off the ground, her hair a torrent of shadow, pleasure flushing through her body. The Garnet melded to her, now as much a part of her as sleep or eating or drinking.

She breathed a soft sigh as she was set back down, levitating a few steps above the ground. Carmen's eyes were huge as she reached forward and grinned.

Shadow Weaver set her lips into a hard line behind her mask. "Take me to the training facility. It's time to begin."

"Yes, my lady!" Carmen grabbed her hand and ran down the hallway. Distracted from her insanity for the moment, Shadow Weaver let a tiny burst of happiness through her mental walls, almost unable to levitate fast enough to keep up with her new companion.

✧✧✧

Micah gazed over the horizon on Emeth Arvina's roof, his hands folded. His grief had not faded, nor did he miss Light Spinner any less. But he had to stop wallowing in sorrow and fear, and do the right thing. Because she always yearned to do great things, he made two promises to himself.

He plucked a petal from a white rose that lay crushed in his hands. The first: that he would love her forever, no matter what.

Micah scattered the petals to the wind. The second: that he would join the Rebellion, just as she had wanted, so no one would forget the sort of person Emeth Light Spinner had truly been.

❂❂❂

Did you know...

● After the epilogue, this is the end. I'm currently drafting Starwalker (and this won't be like the cancelled sequel to The Last Qymaili, because there was major planning that went into this series), and it should be out no later than June of next year. However, it'll probably arrive earlier, assuming I don't get c*ronav*rus.

• I have a Discord server for all my readers! If you want to join, PM me and I'll drop you a link.

Tell me what you think...

● Are you excited for the sequel? ;)