It’s a rush, feeling a connection to the Arcane realm once more. It may not be my connection and it’s nowhere near as powerful as my own, but for this? For what I need to do right now? It will work just fine.
Tobias has a connection to the Elemental realm of power, and even though he himself can only access the fire aspect to this power, I can access it all. I feel the power of the air. Of the water flowing metres below the earth. The rock beneath my feet and the fire consuming the castle.
And I want it all.
The flames devouring the castle roar and turn my vibrant red colour as they reach three times higher into the sky. I bring the wild inferno under my control and turn the unruly flames into a vortex of fire that slowly swirls in a cyclone of heat and light, leaving behind the scorched stone to gather together and form a creature. One I didn’t choose intentionally but nonetheless, I am impressed.
As it churns and weaves itself together, the ground below judders and becomes loose, forcing itself upwards, carrying both Tobias and me with it.
‘I would hold on tight if I were you,’ I tell him.
His hand grips onto mine so my bones crunch together, and he presses himself beside me, shoulder to shoulder. We continue rising upwards, carried by the very earth.
‘Oh my god…’ he whispers, watching the form of a flaming claw grab hold of the castle wall. ‘Lilly, what is that?’
Its head is next to emerge, with its gigantic teeth of flames dripping like deadly saliva from its jaws. Its long neck weaves from side to side as it looks around, sniffing at the air. The large body that follows looks as if it’s made of scales and its tail slithers over the wall, swiping back and forth. Everything the creature touches ignites and the sheer intensity of its heat warms me completely.
‘A dragon,’ I reply. ‘Made of fire.’
Below us, the earth churns and grinds itself together into the form of another creature. One with nothing but two arms, two legs and a torso connecting them. Tobias and I stand upon its stone back as it rises on all fours, like a headless golem.
‘What are you doing?’ Tobias calls out over the noise of all the commotion surrounding us. He stumbles as we continue to rise higher. ‘What is this thing?’
I look at my dragon. It crawls towards me and stops close. Its enormous head nuzzles my palm when I reach my hand towards it. Its eyes meet mine with fierce love, loyalty and hellfire.
‘Destroy them for me,’ I tell it, running my fingers through its luminescence. ‘You kill those Hunters out there for me. But not the Grey-Cloak. And not Theodore Kendryk. Understand? They’re mine.’
It gives the slightest nod, rears up and roars, spewing a stream of fire into the sky before turning towards the battle still raging beyond the wall of the castle’s courtyard.
I hold on to Tobias’s hand and face the same wall, watching as my dragon of fire leaps over it. I revel in the chorus of screams that follows.
Shoulders back and head held high, but with tears of grief and rage still blurring my eyes, I give the order for my creature of stone to move on too. Its arms drag upwards, pulling lumps of earth and rock with it. Its legs follow suit. With each step it takes, more of the ground rolls towards it, pulled as if magnetised. It’s calling the earth and soil to war and urging it to join us in our fight. The headless torso grows taller. Thicker. Firmer. We rise higher until I see over the wall surrounding the courtyard. Hunters and Descendants battle to the death. Guns. Knives. Hands and feet. Everything and anything is a weapon. Many of those fighting turn and watch, their eyes wide in both shock and horror as we emerge atop the stone monster. And those not watching me are hypnotised by the dragon made of fire currently crashing through the crowd like waves of lava on a cliff. It smashes its form hard into those in Hunter clothing before moving on with a roar, leaving behind men and women who hurl themselves on the ground, desperately trying to douse the everlasting flames that devour them. I watch as those close by, not wearing the clothes of the enemy, remain unscathed and untouched. Even when the dragon breathes its fire, only those I ordered it to slay are hit.
‘Lilly?’ Tobias utters as he clings to me, making sure he holds me tight so our connection can’t be severed. ‘Please… please don’t leave again. Please don’t Break.’
‘My fire is red,’ I state plainly. ‘When it turns white, worry.’
‘When?’ he asks.
‘If…’
The front end of this torso-creature crashes into the wall separating us from the battle and sends clumps of rock and mortar in all directions. I scan the area and stretch out my fingers, feeling Theo’s magic but struggling to sense in which direction it comes from. I’m too enraged. Too full of these all-consuming emotions that confuse and cloud both my thoughts and power. A few deep breaths to calm my fury and settle my senses lets me focus on the sensation his magic creates. The rabid and obsessive hunger that it emanates. The cruelty and malice. The joy it feels at the suffering of others.
‘There. In the distance. Beyond the battle. He’s heading this way.’
‘He knows you’re here. Your red flames have given you away.’
‘Sure it wasn’t the dragon?’ I smirk, feeling the tears slide past my lips. ‘Let’s go meet him, shall we?’
‘We need to stay and help these people!’ Tobias argues as I look longingly into the distance. ‘We can’t just leave them!’
He’s right, of course. But my need to get Theo far outweighs my conscience and sense of duty.
I raise our entwined hands, and together, we send out a streak of fire crashing into the ground. Forms of my wolves spill out and sprint into the crowd, snarling and snapping their jaws with murderous intent before tearing any Hunter in their path to pieces. To my left, edging around the castle walls, are the freed prisoners. Among them, Clara and her father. From my position, I see the roofs of the cars that they are heading to.
‘Are they the getaway vehicles?’ I ask Tobias.
He nods quickly.
‘Okay then.’
I reach out and send my power to the ground, splintering the earth from here to the cars, as if the tectonic plates below are shifting suddenly, breaking the planet’s crust. From beneath the cracks, sharp and towering rocks jut out, inches thick and high enough to shield from view those who are fleeing. They are now protected from the bullets that try to claim their lives and they are free to follow the sheltered path I have created, straight to the cars.
I now turn my full attention to Theo and his murderous pet of a man in grey.
‘Move.’
The stone creature does as I command, and we head straight towards the men who just brutally murdered my father.
The wind howls around us up here and whips my hair across my face. The loud thuds echo each time the stone-monster takes a step. We head straight towards the woods encircling the castle, leaving behind the wolves and the enormous dragon made of red flames, as we prepare to devour our enemies and protect the Descendants.
I sense Theo getting closer. The trees become thicker and wilder as the castle fades into the distance. The leafy canopy shakes around us, raining down a shower of leaves with each thud. The closer I get, the quicker the stone creature moves. It channels my desire for revenge and carries me with enthusiasm. We come out in a clearing with a small stream bubbling through the centre. On the other side of that stream, standing side by side, are Theo and his murdering fucker of a Grey-Cloak. I still can’t see a face behind that hood, but Theo is smiling at me. His eyes are shining with anticipation and as he looks up at me, towering over him on my massive monster.
He bellows out a laugh and starts clapping his hands.
‘Look at that!’ he boasts, admiring my freak of rock and stone. He nudges the Grey-Cloak. ‘Can you see that?’
His jovial manner only stokes the vengeance in my soul, and I let out a scream as I propel a shot of fire straight at them both. It slams into the ground, missing them as they both barrel roll out of the way. My attack has left behind a crater and a thick cloud of smoke and dirt. In my palm, I hold a ball of fire, ready to be hurled as soon as I spot them. The rain makes the cloud of debris clear swiftly and I see Theo standing ready, his feet apart and his body low. Both his hands shimmer with his green lightning and his face is twisted with grim excitement.
In a swift move, he shoots his lightning at me as I hurl my fireball at him. He takes a hit in the shoulder, sending him spiralling to the ground, clasping his burnt flesh. The rock torso below rears up and takes the hit of Energy magic on its under-belly. Both Tobias and I grab hold of the creature so we don’t slide off. Still crouched low, I get it back on all fours and send it charging. I reach out as it barrels towards them and I take control of the stream below, encasing Theo in a cyclone of water. I force it down his throat and nose. His hand no longer glimmers. Everyone knows that water and lightning don’t mix. But still, he reaches out. A wave of Telekinetic power slams into my rock creature. It staggers backwards before righting itself. Theo lifts both hands, sending out more power past the ground and rocks and even the trees that happen to be between us. It’s a ripple of devastation that hammers into us repeatedly, chipping away at the solid form that holds Tobias and I until it starts to topple and falter. Tobias grabs at me with both his hands, desperately trying to keep our connection firm. But the rock below gives way to Theo’s assault, and Tobias falls, slipping from my fingers and falling to earth.
Our connection now severed, I have no access to magic and the stone creature returns to its former self – a pile of dirt, clay and stone. I tumble to the ground and land with a pain-filled yell. The water encasing Theo falls away and he lands on his knees, coughing and panting as he regains his composure.
As Theo lifts his head and watches me push myself to my feet, he laughs darkly. His fists clench and start to shimmer once more.
‘I knew you weren’t dead. It’s never that easy to kill a cockroach. Actually…’ He shrugs. ‘Your dad died pretty easily. And he was the biggest cockroach I’d ever met.’
I know that if I run at him, he’ll overpower me. So I keep myself where I am, panting furiously and grinding my teeth together.
‘Why don’t you just surrender to me, sweetheart? Come with me nice and quiet. Tell me the spell I need and-’
‘I will watch the world burn before I let you get what you want.’ In the corner of my eye, I watch Tobias crouching behind a large rock, ready to sprint towards me. His black and white fire, oh so very telling of a witch who has suffered a break, flickers to life on his hands. With a look of fierce determination, he charges forwards, shooting his fire skilfully towards his dad. Theo has no choice but to leap backwards and focus on dodging his attack. The smell of his burnt flesh hits my nostrils as Tobias’s fire manages to reach his target. But not to such an extent as to kill. Nor seriously maim. Theo uses his Telekinetic abilities to hurl tree trunks in the fire’s ravenous path, feeding it those instead of his own life as he leaps out of its way. Tobias and I collide together and I swiftly channel his power once more. But as I turn to face Theo, both Tobias and I are slammed with his lightning. Theo opens his arms wide and sends us both away from each other. His lightning covers my body and attacks my every nerve. I scream and judder as I soar through the air, far from Tobias, until I skid across the rough and hard ground. His assault stops and I roll over, pushing myself to my feet. Theo is already storming towards me. Green streaks leave his fingers and scorch the earth below. A trickle of blood glides down from his hairline and those eyes are on nothing but me.
‘I’M DONE WAITING!’ he yells. ‘YOU WILL COME WITH ME NOW!’
Tobias plants himself between us.
‘RUN, LILLY!’ he pleads, sending out more of his fire.
Theo stretches out both hands as he continues descending on us. His right hand sends his Energy magic to Tobias who falls to his knees, unable to keep his fire going while he’s being ravaged by the sheer force of Theo’s magic. Theo’s other hand is aimed straight at me. But no lightning comes. Instead, I’m tugged hard by an invisible force. I hurtle towards Theo, and despite the pain of his torture, Tobias throws himself in my direction and stretches out his hand. As I pass, we grab onto each other. Theo’s pull on me is strong and Tobias joins me for the ride, but now I have access to his magic, I can fight back. My fire wolves appear and leap towards Theo as I force large blades of stone upwards from the ground to create a block between him and us. Toby and I slam into the jutting rock and fall to the ground. Theo releases us from his hold to focus on the wolves made of flame who are trying to tear him to pieces.
‘GET UP!’ I scream at Toby, who clutches his shoulder and struggles to get back on his feet. His joint is protruding, telling me that his shoulder took a hit and has been dislocated. I waste no time and wrap my fingers around his wrist before pulling hard. He grunts and grits his teeth against the pain but manages to get back on his feet, holding tightly onto me as he stumbles.
Without a second to waste, I shatter the stone and as soon as I do, Theo hits us again with a tremendous wave of Telekinetic power. His frustration is evident and his intent clear. He wants us separated. Tobias’s hand and mine clamp to each other like vices, but it’s no good. Theo separates us once more before I can do any real damage, and I lose my connection to Tobias’s power source. But Theo is now livid and it shows in his magic. The Telekinesis doesn’t just separate us. It hurls me back so far, I leave the clearing and soar into the trees surrounding us. Branches whip at my body and sting as they scratch and cut my skin. I lose sight of Tobias and Theo as they continue hurling fire and lightning at each other. I come to an abrupt halt when my back slams into the broad trunk of a tree and I land face down in the dirt, winded and seeing spots. I cough and the metallic taste of blood fills my mouth.
But that will not stop me.
I force myself to my knees and then clumsily get to my feet, spitting the blood from my mouth.
The pain can wait. He can break every fucking bone in my body, but this is not over.
I lift my gaze and start heading back. But I stop when I see the figure of a man heading straight towards me. Theo’s voice carries through the air.
‘YOU BRING HER TO ME! I WANT THAT WITCH!’
‘You…’ I breathe, watching the grey-hooded man as he approaches. He walks with purpose and with a bloody knife in his hand.
The Grey-Cloak.
As he gets closer, I watch the blood drip from the blade and see the same thick viscous substance staining his coat.
My father’s blood.
‘You killed him.’ I tremble as I face him. ‘You murdered my dad.’ I reach down and pick up one of the thick branches that fell when I hit the tree. ‘YOU MURDERED MY HUSBAND!’ That’s the first time I’ve really said those words. Now he is here, and I have seen him kill with such ease and brutality, I allow myself to accept the truth.
That Gabriel is dead.
And that this man is the reason.
With a fierce scream, I run at him, brandishing the branch in my hand as if it were a sword. He continues with his resolute strides, not affected one bit by my actions. When I reach him, I bring down the log. He lunges back, missing my attack. I bring it back. Both my hands grip the branch tightly as I swipe at him repeatedly, but the bastard dodges every single blow. His feet move back as I try to reach him. There’s no panic in him. No movement from the blade in his hand and not even any attempts to grab me or disarm me. He just continues to dodge. This only infuriates me further and my attack becomes less controlled. With a final yell, I bring down my weapon and manage to strike him across the face. He falls to his knees and the wood splinters after it makes contact with him, leaving me with nothing more than a small sliver of wood. I toss it to the ground, astounded at how it shattered but so fuelled by such a ravenous rage, I can’t rein myself in. Another murderous scream escapes me as I charge. He’s back on his feet and as I go to tackle his waist, he simply side steps, letting me fall face down into the mud.
And there I lie.
Exhausted. In pain. No magic and no ally by my side.
No husband. No father. No child.
‘Alone…’ I mutter. I sit up, head low, hair caked in mud and the rain pelting my body. I hear him walking around me, and soon enough, there he stands. I look up and try to see a face beneath the hood. But all I see is blackness. Much like the soul within him. ‘Did you enjoy killing them?’ I ask as he watches me. ‘Did you get off on it? Killing my dad? My Gabriel? All the others? Why? Why do you fight for him?’
He strikes me, slamming the back of his leather-gloved hand into my face and knocking me into the mud. Before I can say another word, he takes me by the scruff of my neck and pulls me to my feet. When he turns in Theo’s direction and starts pulling me with him, I tug against him and punch at his arm over and over. As soon as he turns to look back at me, I strike, with a move taught to me by the man he killed.
Knee to the crotch and as he goes down, a punch to the throat.
That’s the plan, but it’s as if he knows precisely what I’m about to do and counters my attack. As I raise my foot, he grabs me under my knee and lifts, sending me on my arse. As soon as I land, he curls up his fist and draws it back. He throws his punch, and it comes hurtling towards my face. But his left hand suddenly drops the knife he was holding and grabs his fist instead, stopping it less than an inch from my face. I watch as the two hands struggle for dominance, both shaking and using their force against each other. When the punching hand relinquishes, the other hand falls too, and the Grey-Cloak stands up as straight as an arrow, looking down at me. I have no idea what he’s doing. And when he turns on his heel and starts to leave, I am beyond confused.
But confusion is far outweighed by my anger, and in an instant, I’ve got hold of the knife he dropped by my foot. I run after him and bury the blade into his back.
It pierces the leather of his coat, just, and I manage to sink the tip of his knife an inch into his shoulder, but it’s not enough to disable him, let alone kill him. He turns and shoves me away before pulling the knife free. I lose my shit altogether and attack. I don’t care! I’ll tear him apart with my teeth if I must. But he runs at me too, and just as we’re about to clash, he side steps, stretching out his arm and hitting me in the throat. I’m on my back and before I know it, he’s on top of me with a leg either side of my hips and his hands desperately trying to catch my flailing arms.
‘MURDERER!’ I scream, hitting and thrashing. ‘YOU KILLED THE ONLY PEOPLE I EVER LOVED! THE ONLY ONES WHO LOVED ME BACK!’ I buck and cry beneath his hold but fail to weaken his resolve, and when he slams my wrists above my head, I lay beneath him, held fast. ‘You can take me to Theo. You can string me up, only to cut me down and tear me open. You can pull out my insides, just like you did to Gabriel and my dad!’ My voice breaks as images of them flash before my eyes. ‘But I will never help Theo. I will never read his spell. I don’t care what you do to me, you monster. Because to be honest with you… I have nothing left anyways.’ I lift my head. ‘Nothing!’
I fall back, giving up the impossible task of trying to beat him with no magic. And he just sits there, looking at me. His hands move, and he puts my wrists together so he can hold them with one hand. His other slowly starts to slide down the length of my arm. All the way, until he reaches my shoulder. His hand goes then, to my face. The leather of his gloves forcibly caress my skin and trace along my lower lip.
‘What are you doing?’ I demand, my heart pounding and my insides chilling to the core. ‘Get off me!’ He tries to slide his thumb into my mouth. I pull my face away. ‘NO!’ I scream. ‘STOP IT!’
His hand continues down, past my neck and over my chest. He then presses down his open palm over my heart.
That’s when I see it, hanging there, around his neck.
Two pendants rest over his chest, dangling from a necklace made of rope. A flower and an angel charm. The charms I made for Gabriel at Christmas.
‘You took his necklace?’ I say in a pained whisper. ‘You killed him and took the gift I made for him? You sick bastard. You fucking shit!’
A low guttural growl vibrates out from beneath his hood. I fear his intentions and feel stiff as a board, lying beneath his weight. He applies more pressure on his sprawled out hand, slowly crushing my chest and making it harder to breathe. He’s begun to tremble now, too. And as he rises onto his knees, towering over me and still growling like a feral beast, I don’t understand what he’s doing.
That is until he lets go of my wrists and both of his hands wrap tightly around my neck. Then his intentions become painfully clear. I reach out and try to push him off, but he’s solid. His hands clamp down tight enough to stop me from breathing, but not too tight as to break my neck. I claw at his thick leather coat and try to prise his gloved hands from my airway.
But I can’t.
His growling becomes more intense. More furious and desperate.
I do the only thing I can think of and thrust my fingers beneath his hood. I draw my nails down his face, making him yell. I get halfway down when instead of flesh, I feel metal. My hands rest there on the cold steel. He doesn’t try to get me off. And although I can’t breathe, and the edges of my vision are blurry, I’m completely stunned!
Because when my fingers met his skin, I felt something.
I felt magic.
Hesitantly, I reach back up to feel the skin on his face once more. He flinches back a little but not far enough to stop me from getting to him. The words I whisper inside my mind. “Ego-Vos-acceptere”. And the words I hear in return come from him. From deep inside his subconscious. They scream in my mind and fill me with utter misery.
“Get off her! You’re killing her!”
“Take her to Master. Unconscious and in pieces, if necessary. Take her to Master!”
“Release her!”
“She must be captured.”
“No! She must be protected! Let her go!”
“Master wants her. Take her to Master!”
“NO! I WON’T LET YOU!”
“TAKE HER TO MASTER! MASTER WANTS HER! HE OWNS HER NOW!”
“No. No. We took her father from her. We took her family. We will take nothing else. Nothing. She goes free. Free! FREE!”
His hands start to ease and I gasp in air greedily, coughing and wheezing as I watch his hands rise. They shake as if someone were forcing them away. But it’s only us here. He slides off me and sits in the mud. I sit up too and look at the hood covering his face, lifting my fingers and seeing his blood embedded beneath my fingernails.
‘Your voice… inside your head… I know that voice,’ I whisper, reaching out to the hood.
Again, his hand shoots towards me, ready to grab my wrist or perhaps my throat once more. But his other hand stops it and lowers it to his lap. I rise to my knees, take hold of the hood, and lower it down.
What I see has me covering my mouth so I don’t let out a scream.
His hair is ashen. His eyes are heavily bloodshot and instead of being his usual vibrant blue, they’re now a dark and ashy grey. His face is ghostly white and so gaunt he looks severely ill. His cheekbones protrude from his thin, tracing paper-like skin and the lower half of his face is encased in a solid steel contraption that wraps around his head.
My fingers trace the edges of his mask, welded onto his face, forcing his mouth permanently shut.
‘What… oh God! What has he done to you?’ I whisper, running my fingers along the metal. The scratches I left leak red beads down his skin and there’s an all-consuming suffering in his eyes. ‘I don’t… I don’t understand. I can’t sense your magic unless I touch you. I can’t…’ And then it hits me. ‘Oh… Oh no… You? You killed my dad?’
I scurry back, my hands over my mouth.
He removes the glove on his right hand and rests it on my cheek. I feel the warmth of his touch and the hum of the magic he holds within him, and also see the cloaking cuff on his wrist. The same cuff he wore when we last saw each other. The one that shields his magic from Hunters and also from me. I take his hand in mine and hold it tight. The tattoo on his ring finger is a perfect match to mine and I can’t help but run my thumb across it.
When I lift my gaze to his face, he blinks and a tear slides down his cheek.
‘Oh… Gabriel,’ I whimper. ‘What has Theo done to you?’
