As the shadow writhed and screamed, something there in the darkness stirred toward Lily a sense of relation-a spark of recognition. This is not an evil energy; this is part of their family, pain perpetuated through the ages because people have suffered. All of these fears for all the ages have been fed on life because they thrive from misery.
"No!" she cried out at the top of her lungs as that fed off of her fear "I won't give you power!
With every muscle in her body, Lily centered herself on the flame coming out of the candles, thinking of it as some amulet that would guard their family's heritage. "I break this curse!" she screamed to the amulet, feeding into it all her thoughts.
Blinding light burst forth from the amulet. It filled the room and engulfed everything. The shriek of the shadow rose up, its form uncoiling across the searingly bright light. "You really think you're going to beat me? I am timeless!"
But Lily stood firm. Tapping into the memory of her grandmother, she tapped from the strength that flowed from the women who went before her. "You are not eternal!" she shouted. "You're a lie, a fear I will no longer have dictate my life!
Then with those words, she threw the broken pieces of the mirror into the very heart of the shadow. And like a shooting star the glass went, going deeper and deeper into darkness. It hit at something core. It howled its pained voice and screamed echoing through the house till their foundations were shaken by that sound.
The protective circle blazed with light, and the shadows recoiled, twisting and flailing as if caught in a storm. The amulet pulsed in Lily's hand, guiding her as she recited the binding incantation her grandmother had written.
"By blood and bone, by shadow and light, I bind you to this night!"