The Lord of Shadows’ ribbons lowered him so his face was level with Nulan’s. His violet-colored eyes glowed more intensely. “Silence your niece, or I will.”

“Yes, my lord . . .” Nulan stuttered before stalking across the stage and grabbing Eleni’s arm. “Another word, and it’ll be your last.”

The Lord of Shadows turned to the crowd and let out a hoarse laugh that sounded like someone crumpling up old wallpaper. “Friends, no longer will you be relegated to the swamps and forests and shadows.” He gestured to a pack of werehyenas standing on their hind legs. “You can roam free without having to curb your appetites.”

The crowd of magical creatures cheered, and the werehyenas yelped and cackled in excitement. I frowned. My head throbbed even more. I knew that I had to fight Nulan’s fairy magic, but it was hard to think straight.

The Lord of Shadows looked up at the sky where some of his ribbons still had the celestials entangled—where he had Papa. “The time has finally come for me to make good on my promise and rid the universe of the celestials.”

The light faded from one of the celestials, then another and another. Who was gone? I couldn’t tell from here. They were too high up. Tears pricked my eyes. What if one was Papa? The ribbons that had drunk the celestials’ lives multiplied, and the Lord of Shadows’ violet eyes grew brighter.

“No!” Eleni screamed.

Nulan grabbed the metal collar around Eleni’s neck and yanked her closer. “Shut up!”

“Stop it!” Eleni screamed again, and this time the Lord of Shadows turned his attention to her.

My heart dropped as his ribbons slithered toward Eleni, hissing and snapping.

He was going to drain the life out of her like he was doing to Papa and the other celestials. I couldn’t let that happen. I had to stop him. My fingers twitched as I struggled against Nulan’s magic. It pulsed in my ears, trying desperately to lure me back into a trance. Gritting my teeth, I pushed hard. It was a tug-of-war, but the rope was my mind. I screamed inside my head, and suddenly something snapped. My legs almost buckled, but I forced myself to stay standing.

“I am reconsidering your usefulness, Eleni,” the Lord of Shadows said as several of his ribbons reared back, like cobras ready to strike my sister. She squeezed her eyes shut.

“No!” I lurched forward on wobbly legs. The Lord of Shadows glared at me, but I didn’t back down. I had only one shot, and I had to make it count. “Why have one guardian when you can have two, my lord? My sister will come around eventually.”