Page 110 of A Trial of Two Worlds
Fuck, this was a trap.
And we were caught in the dead center.
“Daxton!”I called with my mind.
Reaching along the fragments of our bond, I searched for him. Desperately trying to relay the pangs of dread that kept words from escaping my lips. The whisper of his presence in response sent my heart soaring, hope fueling me from within as my animal began to sing in response to him.
I wasn’t afraid to die.
But I was terrified of the others dying before their time was done. Before we could eradicate the wilt and set Valdor free.
Daxton’s exhaustion carried through our bond as if it were my own. His magic was wavering, and I knew they needed my help. Strapping my bow across my back, I flew up the steps, taking two at a time, desperate to reach the top.
“Dax!” I yelled as my eyes met his from across a pedestal.
Adohan gave me a firm nod as his brows narrowed in concentration, his hands shaking atop the stone relic.
“You made it,” Daxton said with a broken voice, shoulders trembling.
“Right on time, it seems,” I answered, running to his side, placing a hand on each of their forearms.
“This ward shouldn’t have been this weak,” Adohan said as he and Daxton wrapped their handsaround a small stone carved into the shape of a flame. “Minaeve should’ve—”
“Minaeve should’ve done a lot of things,” I growled, allowing my magic to gather in my center. “Including dropping dead. But that hasn’t happened just yet, so she can just fuck off. We can handle this ourselves.”
“I second that,” Daxton rasped.
“Agreed,” Adohan said, bearing down and preparing himself for one last effort.
I didn’t know the limits of this ward, but I knew it required the majority of their magic, which the queen herself most recently siphoned away. Just add it to the gods-damned list of reasons why killing her wouldn’t be revenge enough.
Concentrating, I willed my power to flow through my touch, healing Adohan and Daxton’s depleted reserves and attempting to fill them with my own. My status as alpha granted me a stronger burst of power I didn’t have access to before,thank the Gods. I could feel Shaw’s presence knocking at my mental door, but I pushed it aside, focusing on giving Dax and Adohan all I could.
The seconds ticked slowly: five, seven, ten, fifteen… It only took fifteen seconds for my knees to buckle, and I collapsed to the floor.
“That’s enough, Skylar,” Daxton roared. “Adohan, now!”
I cursed my inability to keep my feet underneath me, hating that I couldn’t give them more. Daxton and Adohan bared their teeth and clenched every muscle in their bodies as they made one final push with their magic.
The blue hue of the stone flame sprang to life, the magic thundering like a wave crashing against the sands.
“Skylar.” Daxton knelt beside me, cupping my face and inspecting me for other injuries.
“I’m good, Dax.”
“That’s yet to be determined,” he answered. “But for now, I’d agree.”
“Did it work?”
“Yes,” Adohan said, panting as he backed toward the steps, gazing into the skies above. “It’s working! The flock of harpies is returning toward the mountains, and the garmr also appear to be retreating.”
“What about the mist?” I dared to ask, silence filling the space, followed by a prickling grasp of dread pooling in my gut. “Adohan?”
“No.” The Crimson City prince’s voice was barely audible. He swallowed a heavy breath as he staggered back from the open ledge. The whites of his eyes were wide with fear as he tilted his gaze upward to where Idris and Astro were soaring overhead. “Daxton, they’re here. There’s, there’s—”
“I sense them.” Daxton’s grip tightened on my arm as he moved me to his side. “Gods.”
The cold whisper of death brushed against me, fear becoming a physical entity that wrapped around myspine, squeezing it like a vice. The stench of sulfur mingled with a chilling emptiness could only come from one thing.
