Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo (z-lib.org).mobi

way. When his fingertips brushed against my skin, I flinched. I saw a flash of
anger pass over his face.
He placed the curving pieces of antler around my throat, one on each side,
letting them rest on my collarbone with infinite care. He nodded at David, and I
felt the Fabrikator take the antlers. In my mind’s eye, I saw David standing
behind me, wearing the same focused expression I’d seen that first day in the
workrooms of the Little Palace. I saw the pieces of bone shift and melt together.
No clasp, no hinge. This collar would be mine to wear forever.
“It’s done,” whispered David. He dropped the collar, and I felt the weight of it
settle on my neck. I bunched my hands into fists, waiting.
Nothing happened. I felt a sudden reckless shock of hope. What if the
Darkling had been wrong? What if the collar did nothing at all?
Then the Darkling closed his fingers over my shoulder and a silent command
reverberated inside me: Light. it felt like an invisible hand reaching into my
chest.
Golden light burst through me, flooding the clearing. I saw the Darkling
squinting in the brightness, his features alight with triumph and exultation.
No, I thought, trying to release the light, to send it away. But as soon as the
idea of resistance had formed, that invisible hand batted it away as if it was
nothing.
Another command echoed through me: More. A fresh surge of power roared
through my body, wilder and stronger than anything I had ever felt. There was
no end to it. The control I’d learned, the understanding I’d gained collapsed
before it – houses I’d built, fragile and imperfect, smashed to kindling in the
oncoming flood that was the power of the stag. Light exploded from me in wave
after shimmering wave, obliterating the night sky in a torrent of brilliance. I felt
none of the exhilaration or joy that I had come to expect from using my power. It
wasn’t mine any more, and I was drowning, helpless, caught in that horrible,
invisible grip.
The Darkling held me there, testing my new limits – for how long, I couldn’t
tell. I only knew when I felt the invisible hand release its grip.
Darkness fell on the clearing once again. I drew a ragged breath, trying to get
my bearings, to piece myself back together. The flickering torchlight illuminated
the awed expressions of the guards and Grisha, and Mal, still crumpled on the
ground, his face miserable, his eyes full of regret.
When I looked at the Darkling, he was watching me closely, his eyes
narrowed. He looked from me to Mal, then turned to his men. “Put him in
chains.”
I opened my mouth to object, but a glance from Mal made me shut it.