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Back Maya and the Lord of Shadows Save as PDF
Chapters (34)
  1. Cover
  2. Dedication
  3. One
  4. Two
  5. Three
  6. Four
  7. Five
  8. Six
  9. Seven
  10. Eight
  11. Nine
  12. Ten
  13. Eleven
  14. Twelve
  15. Thirteen
  16. Fourteen
  17. Fifteen
  18. Sixteen
  19. Seventeen
  20. Eighteen
  21. Nineteen
  22. Twenty
  23. Twenty-One
  24. Twenty-Two
  25. Twenty-Three
  26. Twenty-Four
  27. Twenty-Five
  28. Twenty-Six
  29. Twenty-Seven
  30. Twenty-Eight
  31. Twenty-Nine
  32. Acknowledgments
  33. About the Author
  34. About the Publisher

I shook my head, but even as I did, my whole body tingled. “No,” I whispered.

Zeran tried desperately to pull me through the crowd, away from the stage.

“Maya Janine Abeola, come join your sister,” the Lord of Shadows called.

I stopped in my tracks and met Zeran’s eyes. He was shaking his head, his black eyes filled with tears. I snatched my hand out of his grasp, my chest heaving up and down. I had to go to the Lord of Shadows. I wanted nothing more than to do as he commanded. But that wasn’t right. What was I thinking? What was I doing?

Zeran backed away and disappeared into the crowd. I turned around, and people parted to make a path for me. Papa moaned like someone had stolen his whole world, but still, he couldn’t free himself. “Baby girl, no!” he screamed before the Lord of Shadows’ ribbons completely wrapped him in a cocoon, cutting off his plea.

I removed the ring from my finger, and it turned into a staff again. The god symbols flashed once before going completely dark. As I drew closer to the Lord of Shadows, the staff began to crumble beneath my fingers until nothing was left.

Twenty-Eight

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ENDGAME

MY LEGS WERE heavy as I climbed the steps to the stage and stood face-to-face with the Lord of Shadows. Every muscle in my body screamed, Wrong, wrong, wrong, but I only lowered my eyes and stared at my feet. How could it be wrong when I was destined to serve the Lord of Shadows? Why had I ever resisted? “Your wish is my command, my lord,” I said. Wrong, wrong, wrong.

The Lord of Shadows laughed, and it was a cackle that grated against my ears. His ribbons hissed and snapped as they slithered across the stage. “Of course, child, of course.”

“What have you done to my sister?” Eleni yelled.

I registered her voice, but it was like listening to her while wearing earplugs.

“She’s finally come to her senses,” Captain Nulan said. “Haven’t you, Maya?”

I nodded slowly, though I had no idea what she meant. I only knew that I was supposed to agree, and that felt wrong. My head was throbbing, and my eyes tingled.

“You did this,” Eleni snapped. “You used fairy magic to force her to serve the Lord of Shadows.”

Captain Nulan’s eyes narrowed into daggers. “You mean I helped her see reason. You would be wise to follow her lead before it’s too late.”

“Maya, please, fight Auntie Tyana’s magic!” Eleni screamed with tears in her eyes. “You’re stronger than her.”

My thoughts slowly spun in a circle as I remembered Eleni standing in the hallway at the community center and Miss Nichelle’s glazed-over eyes and slack jaw. She had accidentally lost control of her fairy magic. Fairy magic. Nulan had used fairy magic on me.