Auren POV

“Shadow magic is not a gift,” Queen Elara murmured, her tone as smooth and cold as polished stone. The displeasure beneath it was unmistakable. “It is a temptation… a dark power meant only for dire circumstances.”

“Yet you dip into it whenever you please,” I shot back, flicking a hand dismissively in her direction without taking my eyes off Lorien. “You slip through the Shadowland as if it’s your personal doorway.”

Of course the queen toyed with dark magic. It ...