Chapter 7 - Breaking the Curse
"Traitor!" Adrian roared, sweeping into the room with his sword raised.
Vane shrieked and reached for his sword, but Adrian was faster. With a furious strike, Adrian disarmed his former advisor and kicked him hard in the chest, sending Vane crashing into a cabinet of glassware.
Ambassador Kael gasped, dropping his hand toward a concealed dagger, but Elara stepped into the room. Despite her weakness, her royal Norwyn blood reacted to the dark artifact.
"That amulet belongs to my family's legacy," Elara declared, her voice ringing with newfound power. "You corrupted it!"
Kael raised the obsidian talisman, trying to channel its dark energy to crush her heart. "Obey your master, girl! Turn to dust!"
The purple light blazed, and Elara gasped in pain as stone rapidly crept up her neck toward her cheek.
Adrian lunged at Kael, tackling the ambassador to the floor. The two men wrestled violently over the glowing artifact. Kael slashed at Adrian’s face, but Adrian held fast, grabbing Kael’s wrist and slamming it against the stone hearth.
The obsidian talisman slipped from Kael’s grip and skittered across the floor.
"Elara! Destroy it!" Adrian yelled, holding Kael down.
Elara stumbled forward, her hand almost completely turned to stone. Summoning every last ounce of her strength, she brought her heavy marble heel down on the obsidian amulet.
CRACK.
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The talisman shattered into a thousand harmless pieces. A blast of blinding white light swept through the room.
The dark curse dissolved instantly. The gray stone creeping across Elara’s skin faded away, replaced by the soft, warm glow of healthy life. She took a deep, full breath, feeling her strength return completely.
