Page 210 of A Kingdom of Wild and Power
One of them tripped with a curse.
The other leapt cleanly over the obstacle and reached Edur in seconds. Her hand snatched the boy by the arm as a shrill cackle spilt from her throat, echoing through the swamp like a dark spell.
‘Well, well,’ she crooned. ‘What have we here?’ Her fingers began to glow with sickly green light.
Rowan didn’t slow.
He slammed straight into her, knocking her sideways.
‘Run, Edur!’ he shouted.
But the boy did not move.
He stood frozen where he was, eyes wide with terror, his chest heaving.
Rowan barely had time to wonder why before the witch lashed out with magic. The blast sent him flying backwards, crashing hard against the ground.
He hissed and blew across his fingers.
At once the tree behind the witch twisted and bent as though suddenly alive. Its branches whipped downward, wrapping around her legs and wrenching her arm into the air.
But Rowan’s attention was already elsewhere.
More witches were emerging from the swamp.
Dozens of them.
They formed a tightening circle around him and the boy, their tattooed hands raised as green smoke curled between their fingers.
Rowan felt it instantly.
The magical veil that had kept him hidden had vanished.
One of the witches stepped forward and pointed directly at him and Edur.
‘On your knees,’ she commanded.
Rowan ran a hand through his blue hair, then immediately grimaced when he realised it was now full of mud.
‘Brilliant,’ he muttered under his breath.
If Elowen had been standing beside him, she would have told him not to be so narcissistic. No one cared if his hair was muddy or not.
Rowan strongly disagreed.
Still, he did as he was told and dropped to his knees.
Edur, however, had not moved.
Rowan gestured sharply at the boy, urging him to follow his example, but the wolverian child only stood there trembling, his body locked with fear.
One of the witches stepped towards him, fingers lifting lazily.
Rowan watched in horror as the witch twisted her hand and used blood magic, forcing the child’s body to obey. Edur collapsed to his knees with a helpless jerk.
‘Stop it!’ Rowan roared. ‘He’s just a child!’
The surrounding witches laughed, clearly entertained.
