Drake squeezed Gigi close as the wyvern they rode cut across the sky. Despite being the one who created the beast, Gigi was the one steering the creature. Their height differences worked out perfectly, and both enjoyed a stunning view of the forest and village below. Though her hair was whipping him in the face, he didn’t mind.

“This is amazing!” cried Gigi.

Drake gave a tired smile. It felt good to see her so happy. The wyvern flapped in rhythm as Drake concentrated on keeping them airborne. He had never tried to do anything like this. However, his mind got to work when Gigi told him she wished she could ride a wyvern.

He discovered they were frighteningly expensive creatures, even to rent one. Then he decided to do the next best thing - make one himself. They rode upon the fruits of that labor.

“Oh, Drake, this is a dream come true!” Joy radiated from her like sunshine.

“I’m happy you like it,” he said wearily. She looked back at him.

“Are you okay? You don’t look great,” she asked with worry. He shook his head.

“I’m fine. I just feel a bit...thin, is all.”

“Thin?” She cocked an eyebrow in confusion. “Drake, are you okay?” Worry seeped into her tone.

“Yeah, it happens sometimes when I use a lot of power.” He shrugged off her concern. The truth was he did not feel well. With each moment that passed, he could feel perspiration growing on his brow. His breath was more challenging to control. He had to focus more on keeping them in the air.

A tremor of pain quaked somewhere deep inside Drake. They began to falter, the wyvern dipping slightly. His grip on Gigi’s waist tightened.

“Drake?!”

“I’m sorry, I think something’s wrong,” he said hoarsely before his vision turned black.

***

Gigi called out her lover’s name, but he merely slumped against her in response. The Wyvern under them hitched and struggled to keep moving.

“Hey, girl! Easy now!” Gigi cried. The bucking continued as the magic began to dissipate. The edges of the wyvern were starting to fray as if it were a sweater with a loose strand. Gigi pulled the reins, trying to make the beast dive. It began to go down, riding the bumpy currents of the air as the creature grew lighter and lighter, and the magic faded.

When the last of the wyvern dissipated, they had just begun to descend into the forest's canopy, putting the couple in free fall. Gigi screamed and instinctively grabbed Drake’s arm as they burst through the branches. She pulled him close to her. Her other hand flailed for purchase on anything she could find. The wind whipped her hair into her face, robbing her of sight.

She blew the hair out of her face uselessly. Gigi whipped her head, and her hair came free. Branches flew past them. She reached out and grabbed the wooden fingers of the nearest tree with all her might. The pair’s inertia was suddenly halted, the torque agonizingly pulled at the muscles in her arm. She squeezed Drake, making sure he didn’t slip. She panted while they dangled from the branch. Gigi looked around, noticing they were only about ten feet from the snowy ground. The goblin sighed, and her ears twitched.

“Not the best landing,” she said to Drake. He did not respond. Gigi frowned and grunted as she looked into her lover’s face. He was still unconscious. Fear ripped through her. This had never happened before. No matter how much magic he had used in the past, he had never collapsed like this.

You sweet idiot! If you thought this could have happened, why in the seven hells did you push yourself so hard? She let go of the branch and landed in the snowbank below with Drake in her arms.

Gigi was in a full-blown panic when Drake hadn’t regained consciousness by the time she was at the forest’s entrance. She was loathe to do it, but she dashed to the only person in Poppy she could think of - the witch. The ice on the cobblestones was treacherous. However, every muscle fiber was on edge, and she ran like a cat to Ariana’s unwelcoming home. Gigi held Drake as close as she dared without hurting him further. She listened for his worryingly slow heartbeat.

She was nearly in tears when she arrived at the heavy wooden doors that led to the witch’s library. Laboratory? Whatever it was. The goblin almost broke the door off its hinges with her attempt to knock with her foot.

Her assault was not met with the gravelly warbles of the witch’s gargoyle as usual. Instead, the door flew open, and before Gigi stood a furious-looking Ariana. Anger burned in her pink eyes. However, it was only momentarily. The fury melted to concern when she saw the lame Drake across the crying goblin’s shoulders.

“Something’s wrong!” Gigi wailed.

Ariana frowned and crossed her arms. “What kind of wrong?” she probed.

“Magic wrong!” Gigi cried. Then, she launched into a rushed babble of the morning’s events. The witch had to stop her as the crying made her incomprehensible and ushered them inside, snapping her fingers and causing a gush of wind to pick them up and carry them down the stairs.

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“Please, stop crying. I will help him regain himself,” Ariana said, opening the door to her study. With a wave of her hand, the room transformed from a library to an airy bedroom. The room's edges showed a pleasant spring day, and a large, plush bed sat in the center.

Gigi moved to it and slung Drake down. Ariana walked up and grabbed his wrist. “Low pulse, not good.”

Gigi bit her lip, her heart fluttering in terror. She didn’t know what was happening, and the uncertainty caused her to lose courage by the second. The goblin just wanted to know if Drake was okay. The thought of suddenly losing him was becoming a horrifying possibility. Ariana put her hand to her chin as if pondering something. The drow looked to Gigi.

“What exactly were you doing when he became like this?” she inquired.

“I already told you!” Gigi cried.

“Yes, but you made no sense. Try again.” Ariana waved her hand as if that was obvious.

Gigi sighed and tried to recompose herself. “We were flying.”

“How?”

“Drake made a wyvern out of the shadows.”

Ariana looked from Gigi back to Drake’s sleeping form. “That is a feat indeed,” she said with fascination. “Conjuring on that level takes most drow centuries of discipline and training.”

“Okay, great, he’s super powerful. How does that help us?” Gigi shrugged.

“Power isn’t free. I thought that to be obvious.”

Gigi’s ears twitched in irritation. She hated talking to the witch, but Drake needed her. “What do you mean?” Gigi asked, scooping up Drake’s hand.

“I mean, every time Drake uses his power, he’s calling upon the contract of the Black Lord. We have no idea what kind of price he’s paying.” She motioned to Drake. “He has succumbed to magical exhaustion. The only cure is rest, I’m afraid.” Ariana shook her head with disappointment.

Gigi could feel the tears brimming again. This is my fault. The thought ran through her mind endlessly. Creating grooves in her mind with each lap. He would be with her now if she hadn’t asked Drake for something ridiculous. The truth cut at her heart until sorrow poured forth.

“Drake can stay and recover. You, goblin, may leave now.” Ariana turned and waved her hand dismissively.

“I’m not leaving his side,” Gigi stated defiantly. “You try anything, and I’ll take one of your fingers.”

Ariana sighed. “Very well.”

***

Drake was somewhere dark and cold. He was sure he was on his back as it felt stiff, and there was possibly a rock under it. He could hear what sounded like ocean waves lapping at the shore. He tried to lift his head but found his form heavy. The soldier clenched his hand and received a fistful of wet sand for the effort. He realized his eyes were still closed.

When he opened them, he frowned, and a sunless sky overcame him. He grunted and pulled his body up with great difficulty as if he were made of stone.

“Finally, you’re among the living, boy.” The grave tone of the Black Lord echoed on the barren beach. “For now, anyway,” the god added casually.

Drake’s eyes adjusted to the gloom. Unlike before, the Black Lord was not reclining on his throne. He was standing right above him. The god stood at least as tall as one of the pines from the village. The black armor was made of material that appeared to be alive, with intricate carvings rhythmically pulsing and shifting.

“Why am I here?” Drake asked.

“Ah, as to the point as ever. You almost killed yourself, my child,” the Black Lord chuckled.

“I did?” Drake asked incredulously.

“Oh yes. The amount of magic you called on to perform such a task…” the god shook his head. “Unbelievably foolish.” The gigantic figure took a knee next to Drake. While he still towered over him, for the first time, Drake could see burning red eyes behind the helmet. An emotion he might call curiosity gleamed in them.

“I’ve seen men use my gifts for thousands of years. Men have used them to cut down whole kingdoms. You have used my gifts this way. They have used my powers to tear the stars from the sky, but you, you…You give up so much to make one woman happy.”

Drake said nothing. He pulled himself to a seated position and looked up at his gigantic benefactor. “You think I’m a fool, right? Wasting this incredible gift to do bullshit like make people happy? You must.”

Now, it was the Black Lord’s turn to say nothing. “I must admit…For a time, yes, I did. However, I kept thinking about what you had said. Your words rang true, and I was left uncertain.”

“Wow, I’ll have to tell Gigi I stumped a god,” Drake snorted.

The Black Lord shrugged his colossal shoulders. “Sometimes, the universe has a way of humbling us. Even gods.” The Black Lord crashed his bottom into the sand, then sat cross-legged in the same position as Drake.

“Yeah, yeah, it does,” Drake agreed.

“I am as old as the cosmos, the shadow on the wall of the infinite, yet nobody remembers my name.” The Black Lord picked up a handful of sand before letting it slip through his ebony fingers. “Gone, like so much ash and dust, yet as a joke, I remain. Trapped here.” The god turned his head down to the mortal.

“You have existed but a blink of time, yet the people chant your name. Far more if you would let them. You are the champion I need, Drake. I have the power for you to fight the war that will stand between you and the life you crave. Become my avatar, and together, we can bring honor to my name once more and, with it, powers unimaginable.”

Drake laughed. “No thanks, I’m good on all that.” Drake shrugged off the god’s offer. “I just want to be left alone with Gigi. I’m done fighting other people’s wars.”

The Black Lord nodded solemnly. “Drake, do you know how much of your shadow remains?” Drake said nothing and swallowed hard in a dry mouth. “I know you must think about it all the time.”

It was true. It was tattooed to his mind as much as the ink was to his skin. “I don’t want to know,” he said finally.

“No, I believe you don’t, but perhaps that woman does? Perhaps everyone you now call friend and family would have something to say about it?” Drake once more went silent. “Two more years, perhaps less with how foolishly you use the shadows.”

Two years!? It was so little time. He felt the color drain from him as hope bled dry. Drake looked down and ground his teeth. “Can I think about it?” Drake asked defeatedly.

“Yes, you may, but I wouldn’t take long. You truly are running out of time, kid.”