When I finally made it back to my room, I was hoping the flush had gone from my cheeks, but when Elanora met my gaze, I knew it hadn’t. She knew something was up. “What?” I asked her sheepishly, as she gave me an odd look. Elanora shrugged, and tilted her head slightly. I wanted to hit myself. I had already forgotten her inability to talk. I was so stupid. Sorry I whispered into her mind. She smiled at me and shook her head. It’s okay. I rushed to change, feeling hot and sticky. It didn’t help that I couldn’t get rid of the memories of Alastair – how close he had been, the look in his eyes. The way my stomach tightened in response to him, how he made my face flush. What he had said about my hair had my stomach in knots, and it reminded me of why Alana had cut her hair short. A small thought began forming in my mind. I needed to distance myself from him. Hadn’t I already learned the hard way? When it came to my
Chaos erupted around me as Trey lunged for him, his knife whizzing mere inches from my face. Panic strayed at the edges of my mind as it fought against the bile rising in my throat. I needed to focus. Everything Raena and Pollis had taught me swirled around in my head, but part of me was so distracted. Where was Elanora. As Trey lunged again, magic pooled in my hands and I forced it from my body, striking him in the chest. It knocked him back, sending him sprawling, as he rolled and then ended up back on his feet. It was almost enviable how he managed to do that. A feral glint now lit his eyes as he stared me down, his teeth bared. “This is for my brother, you bitch!” He hurled the knife at me, which I managed to dodge, but only just. A sharp screech of pain met my ears, but it didn’t seem to register in my already filled mind. All I could manage to think, was that it wasn’t possible for him to miss me. Regardless, a broad smile lifted his lip
As Raena promised, she dropped us off at the infirmary, but was quickly called away by a servant. They needed to get ready to head off on their surveillance mission. She left me with Elanora and the head healer, promising to see me soon for more training once she returned. A cringe ran through me at the thought. After today’s attempt on mine and Elanora’s life, I knew Raena would double her attempts to train me in hand-to-hand combat. Thankfully the head healer seemed to be in a better mood today. He checked Elanora’s wound and with a grunt, informed me that she was healed perfectly fine. The wound itself was barely visible. It was obvious to the both of us that my magic was getting stronger. “And your own wound?” the healer asked me gruffly, his eyes scanning the blood stain on my own shirt. Instinctively my body twitched away as his hands moved to inspect the wound. “I’ll be perfectly fine,” I managed to grind out, my heart hammering
Blake stormed into my room without so much as a knock or a hello. I let my fury emanate to him, but he simply raised an eyebrow, daring me to say anything.Just by the way he moved, I could tell he was agitated. He looked like he wanted to set fire to something. The flames in his eyes raged and swirled, one definite way of knowing his emotions.Elanora lifted her head, watching Blake, her eyes wide with fear. I touched my hand to her back, soothing her and she folded herself into me, pressing her face to my stomach.“Blake,” I said with a nod, allowing sarcasm to flood my tone. “How nice of you to knock.”He stopped mid step to look at us, Elanora’s face now hidden among the folds of my dress. He gave me an odd look, his mouth twisting with an emotion that was gone before I could recognise it.“Sorry,” he mumbled, looking at his feet awkwardly. This threw me. Blake was never awkward. “I just hav
When I was knocked to the floor for what felt like the hundredth time, I realised this was the possibly the worst idea I had ever had in my entire life.My whole body burning. I was bruised everywhere… literally. I didn’t think there was a part of my body that had been spared from Pollis’ torturous training. He hadn’t been kidding when he had warned me it would be hard work.Pollis stretched out his hand to me to help me up. The indignant part of me wanted to refuse his help so I pushed it away and heaved my aching muscles up from the ground. The other half of me, chided my foolishness as my whole body screamed in agony, my muscles cramping from the effort.My breath was ragged, my face bright red and covered in a sheen of sweat. I was physically and mentally exhausted.Between researching to find a magician powerful enough to create a magic void and training with Pollis, I had never felt so tired before in my life, with only one
“Why didn’t anyone tell me all the council members were Magicians?” I managed to bite out, trying to control my rapid breathing. “And lift the damn void!”Alastair appraised me for a moment, completely ignoring my question. I wondered if he was taking in the crazy look I in my eyes and debating whether it was safe for me to have access to my magic again.I honestly didn’t care what he thought right now as I stared him down, almost daring him to challenge me.His eyes twinkled as he pulled on his own magic, and the pressure of the void eased off my shoulders.My mind quickened, allowing me to push my magic out into Raena once more, seeking her injuries. They healed before my eyes. I had never actually looked when I had healed anyone. It was strange watching the bruises fade to green, then yellow and then disappear and see the cuts magically seal up, all scars gone.My teeth snapped together, the pain excruciating
“So how much did you see?” I began, unsure of where to start. Blake had followed me back to my room where Elanora lay fast asleep in my bedroom.I had checked on her before coming back out into the lounge to see Blake staring at his hands, his expression odd. Of course, he had his wall up, so I was unable to read anything from him. I wondered if he did it on purpose when he was near me.“Do you like him?” he asked suddenly, his eyes darting to my face.Frozen where I stood, unsure of what to say, my mind seemed to go blank. Did I really like him? Or was it a way to forget Deakin, to forget his betrayal and to really live a little before I possibly died? I didn’t know. Every time I was in his presence it was like I was overcome, almost intoxicated by him. Did that mean I liked it?“It’s complicated,” I chose to say, not meeting his gaze. He knew I was avoiding answering the question properly. He always
The next day, I woke with a pounding headache and my insides like jelly as they swirled around.I could barely think straight. Whatever the hell was happening between Alastair, Blake and I, the energy required to sort through that mess was certainly not within my reach.Most of it was so unexpected that a huge part of me was left paralysed. Could I trust either of them, or anyone for that matter, with my heart again after what Deakin had done?Would I even be able to physical with someone without completely breaking down?When Alastair ran his hands down my body, it sure felt like I could, but afterwards, my skin almost felt like I needed a shower to scrub away the horrible feeling left behind.Just the memory of their lips on mine had my face burning, the emotions rolling through my stomach.Eating breakfast was extremely difficult. Something I hardly ever went without, as my stomach was too busy swirling around and making me feel unwell.
My heart felt like it was going to beat right out of my chest and the darkness inside of me swirled, fighting to be released again. Why was everything always so difficult?Tynan had dragged me from the tent only for me to be met with glares of pure, utter hatred. Only fourteen of the hundred or so Dorcha Fae had survived my blast of power, most of them women. Each of them had the tell-tale veins snaking up their neck, but the only one with pure dark eyes left was Cillian. One I recognised, was the Fae who had been taking care of Elanora, Aoife.Just the thought of Elanora sent crippling waves of pain through me. I had let her down and failed her. She had suffered so much, lost so much and it was all because of my ineptitude.Aoife met my gaze, the only one of the Fae to not send death glares my way. Her eyes were red-rimmed and the shuddering sadness that enveloped me when she glanced my way, only added to the immense sorrow I already felt.Tynan pulled me along with him, his steps de
Rage and pain. They were powerful emotions that dwarfed anything and everything. And in that moment, they were at the forefront of my mind.The darkness I had kept at bay for so long, thrummed through my body, merging with my Spyrit and boosting my powers. Deakin wasn’t wrong when he said the darkness held so much power. But now I was going to use it against them.Before I could move, I was thrown backwards, launched through the air and landed metres away from the altar. Nyssa glared at me, her hands outstretched still after using her magic to send my flying, and a smug smirk lifted her lips. She had just signed her death warrant.Hurling myself forward, the manacles around my hands burned as magic poured into them, melting them, and freeing me. The Fae were running everywhere, some moving to intercept me, others running in the opposite direction.With a thrash of my arm, I threw power towards a group to my left, knocking them to their feet. It cleared my path as I ran full speed towar
When I woke, my head thumped out a steady beat and it felt like I hadn’t had a drink of water in so long. My mouth was dry and chalky. Pain radiated through every fibre of my being. My throat continued to burn as if I had tried to swallow a burning flame, the flesh sensitive every time I tried to swallow. The glow that had illuminated my skin, was snuffed out and darkness pressed heavily around me. The only sound that echoed in the small, metal cage was the sound of my own choked breathing. I wasn’t even sure if Cristian was still in here with me until I heard his soft whisper. “Finally, you are awake!” With a groan, I lifted my body up, leaning heavily against the warm metal. Now that I was accustomed to the darkness, I could make out the tiniest sliver of light coming in, the colour a deep red. “How long have I been out?” “Not long, maybe ten minutes,” he responded softly. I groaned, running my hand through my hair. Thank the Magicians I was only out for a short time. I knew as
When Cillian escorted me out of the tent, I could hardly contain the spike of adrenaline that surged through my body. Dozens, if not hundreds of men and women lingered around a grouping of tents pitched on an outcropping of stone. Just beyond that, was a small lake, the water lapping against the shore with each shift of the slight breeze. Each one of them, I assumed, were Dorcha Fae. It was easy to see why. Most, if not all, had the visible, dark black veins crawling along under their skin. Some were like Cillian where the veins had travelled so extensively that their eyes were completely swallowed by the black. Others were in between and some only had minimal black veins tracing along their hands, but not anywhere near their faces. I was oddly curious, but also terrified. What in the Magicians name had they been doing to cause such a disfiguration to their body? Whatever it was, I was more than sure that it would be nothing I would agree with. Cillian continued to drag me throug
When I woke, everything was shrouded in white. My body ached as I forced my eyes open, blinking rapidly, trying to take in my surroundings. Sitting up slowly, I took in the makeshift cot I was lying in and the soft blue dress that clung to my body. The thought that someone had changed my clothes while I was unconscious sent the darkness within me writhing in pleasure and my breath coming in gasps. I tried to move, but was jerked back by a large, metal chain attached to my wrist that I hadn’t even noticed before. It ripped at my shoulder, sending pain spasming through it and along my arm. A low hiss escaped my lips. Kida? A soft voice whispered in my mind. My head whipped around, cracking my neck as I was met with the deep, green terrified eyes of Elanora. “Oh, my Magicians, Elanora!” A sad smile lifted her lips as my eyes hungrily took in her appearance. All things considered, she looked healthy enough and unharmed. Dark circled clung underneath her red rimmed eyed as if she had
If there was ever a moment that I thought I might burst from my own emotions, it was now. Deakin’s kiss was ravenous against my lips, his tongue forcing its way into my mouth and battling for dominance before he sucked my lower lip into his mouth. A breathy moan escaped from my chest, causing my cheeks to flare with embarrassment at the pure sound of lust it held. It seemed to be the thing that snapped Deakin out of his haze as his movements stopped and he pulled back to stare at me. His iridescent gaze met mine, a look of confusion flickered through his eyes before they seemed to shutter and the darkness swept through them, taking him away from me. Deakin lurched backwards off me. A ripple of pure agony swept through my body in response. “What the fuck Kida?” Disgust clouded his features, sending another shard of pain slicing through my chest. He really knew how to affect me instantly. “You jumped me,” I said breathlessly, righting myself and brushing the dirt from my clothes a
We travelled for what felt like days without stopping, but I knew was merely only hours, until my eyes felt like they were about to fall out of my head. The sun had set long ago, and the almost full moon hanging in the dark, inky sky was a haunting reminder that time was running out. We didn’t have long to reach the desert before they sacrificed Elanora. It was the ever-present thought that hung in the back of my mind, continuously being dragged to the front. Time was slipping through my fingers. Deakin spoke very little as the time stretched out, seeming content with his own silence. I could slowly feel his magic starting to thrum back to life, its potency tingling along my spine, knowing that if he wanted to, he could simply incapacitate me. The rational part of my mind questioned as to whether it would work anymore, or if I was now stronger than his particular brand of magic. When I finally brought Midnight to a stop late into the night, my body aching with fatigue and my stomac
Leaving the mysterious Orion in charge of the two horses, I ran as quickly as I could back along the path and past the stables, only slowing down once the school came into view. It would look rather suspicious if I was spotted running around the school and in the direction of the dungeon no less. As I reached the final door of the dungeons, the two burly guards looked up, their gazes narrowing in at me. “I’m here to question the prisoner again,” I commanded, trying to force as much authority into my voice in the hopes that it would drown out the ever-growing levels of anxiety that were building within my chest. One wrong move, and all of this would be for nothing. The guards spared each other a look, before opening the door. I could feel their eyes burning into my back as I moved past them, a nervous energy sparking in the air that tingled along my skin and sent the hairs on my arm standing on end. It wasn’t until I had moved past the line of magicians along the corridor, that I
Halfway to the dungeon, I realised that I was still dressed in the infirmary gown. I was too distracted, too absorbed in the feeling that still lingered on my skin from Blake’s touch, to think about much else. But that needed to change.I took a quick turn and headed to my room, closing the door behind me as quickly as I could. Even though I now had the strength and control to be able to shut off my connection to magic, I was far too exhausted and overwhelmed right now. Every emotion from the passing students, guards and teachers had washed across my skin, making it even harder to think clearly.But now wasn’t the time to get lost within their emotions. I had too much to do.Moving swiftly around my room, I threw on a pair of riding pants and a shirt, sliding a jacket over my shoulders. My leather satchel hung from on the edge of one of the chairs and I snatched it up, shoving spare clothes and things I would need into it as quickly as I could.A tingling feeling washed over me, and my