by Dyan Chick
Tristan vanished into a murder of crows, then the birds flew into the mass of people attacking. Clenching my fists, I moved toward the fight. I wasn't sure what I could do to help as more sparks flew over me, but I had to try to get to Terra. A crow dove for me and I reached out to it to bat it away. When my hand made contact with the bird, it felt like a jolt of static electricity had traveled through me, into the bird. The creature let out a cry that sounded pained and dropped to the ground, hopping a few times before turning into a cloud of dark smoke.
I looked down at my hand. It was still tingling, but it didn't look any different. But something was different. Before I could process what had just happened, someone grabbed me, pulling me out of the onslaught.
I looked over to see Goldie holding me by my upper arm. "Let me go. I need to help."
"What are you going to do?" Goldie yelled.
What could I do against Terra or her Wolves or Tristan? Could I replicate the static electricity or was that a fluke? Feeling defeated, I looked at the battle that had begun. Flashing lights and screams filled the air. The sound of growls behind me made me turn around.
Goldie and I were standing on the outskirts of the battle, but now we were left alone face to face with Terra’s pack of wolves. The largest of the pack bared its teeth, hackles raised. It had to be Jack.
Goldie's hands squeezed my upper arm and she pressed herself against me. I could tell she was terrified by the beasts facing us. Anger rose inside me. I was getting tired of being thrown around and beat up by magical creatures. What did I have to lose? I was dead either way, I might as well go down fighting.
Clenching my fists, I took a step toward the wolves. "You want me? Come and get me."
They moved around us, forming a circle. My whole body tensed, waiting for one of them to leap on me, but they didn't attack. "What are you waiting for?"
"For me," Terra glided between the wolves and stared at me. The sweet expression she'd used at her club when she was trying to be my friend was long gone. I could see her cold and calculating true nature.
I knew this was going to be my last stand. There was nothing I could do against her but I could go down with some dignity. I'd been robbed of that while taken by surprise so many times in the last few days. Stepping in front of Goldie, I glared at Terra. "I'm right here, do your worst."
Terra smirked, then lifted her hands into the air. Lightning crackled up and down her arms, then she spread her arms wide, holding an arc of electricity between her palms.
I gasped. Nobody should be able to do that. Supernatural or not, that was not something I ever saw coming. The hair on my body stood on end, being drawn to the electricity in her hands. I swallowed and wondered what it would feel like to be electrocuted.
As she extended her hands toward me, everything seemed to move too quickly. There wasn't time to think, to react. Electricity slammed into me, knocking me backward.
It tore through me, an electric current sending shockwaves through every nerve in my body. I opened my mouth to scream but no noise came out. The whole world went bright white and I felt no pain.
Then, something happened. My body seemed to absorb the energy, it felt like it was moving to my core, all of it, gathering in one place. Pain surged through me as it collected and finally, I let out a scream. The noise sent the lighting free from my body, back to Terra.
I stumbled forward as the energy left me, landing on all fours. A blinding light shone in front of me and I closed my eyes against it. When I blinked back up to where Terra had been standing, she was gone. Along with her wolves.
My heart pounded in my ears and the whole world seemed off balance. Everything was quiet. Goldie reached down to pull me to standing. Looking out into the crowd, I realized they were all staring at me. Every member of the circus, every guest, all eyes were locked on me. I stood there, unsure of what I should be doing. Had I caught the lightning that Terra threw at me and sent it back? That shouldn't even be possible. Though, in the last few days, I had learned that nothing was as it should be.
Brenon's face came in to view through the silent crowd. His eyes were wild and intense and he let out a long breath when he reached me. He pulled me up with ease, then brushed my hair away from my face. "Are you okay?"
I was still feeling too shocked to speak, but I managed to nod. At least Brenon was safe and Goldie was safe. That was something.
"I guess you were right," Evangeline's voice came from behind me and I glanced to where she was standing, arms crossed over her chest. "She could be made to find her magic with the right motivation."
My brow creased in confusion and I looked over at Brenon. "What is she talking about?"
"Nothing," he said. "You're safe, that's all that matters."
Evangeline moved closer to me. "He wanted to see if you could be convinced to join us, to help us defeat Terra. I told him he was wasting his time on you. That your magic was long gone. It turns out, he was right, your magic could come back."
My heart dropped to the pit of my stomach and my lower lip trembled. After everything I'd been through, after everything I felt for Brenon. How could he have lied to me? Was it all just a ploy to get me to trust him?
I remembered Tristan’s words at the rest stop. He was so sure that Brenon had brought me with him for a specific reason. He’d even said that I could bring my magic back. Brenon had denied it. He told me he was curious about me, but never told me he was trying to find a way to use me. "Is that what this was all about? This whole time you were setting me up?"
"It's not what you think," he said, then he looked down.
My legs wobbled and I almost fell as the realization hit me. My chest felt heavy, making it difficult to breathe. I knew he was lying. I should have known he couldn't be trusted. Why had I let myself fall for him? After so many years of guarding my heart, why had I let him in?
It had all been an act. He was an expert at getting women to do what he wanted and he’d set his talents on me. My breathing grew rapid and tears threatened. Backing up a few steps, I moved away from his reach. "How could you? Everything you said, everything you did...it was all a lie."
"Life's like that sometimes, sweetheart," Evangeline said.
A lump rose in my throat. Evangeline's words were the exact reason why I had shut people out. Life was like that. It was brutal and it didn't care about how I felt.
"How could you say that?" Goldie snapped. "You saw the way these two looked at each other."
At this point, the pain was subsiding as I let numbness wash over me. It was easier to try to ignore the pain. I didn't want to feel anything anymore but it was difficult to mask.
Evangeline shrugged. "Brenon's had centuries of seducing foolish girls. What did you expect?"
Despite my attempts at ignoring the pain, heat rose at Evangeline's words. She was right, and he'd warned me. He wasn't a good guy. He enjoyed the hunt. I pressed my lips together, letting myself feel angry, betrayed. The last thing I wanted to do was cry in front of them. "Tear up the contract."
"You think you're going to make it out there on your own, without us?" Evangeline said.
"Tear it up."
"Ara. Please, let me explain.“ Brenon took a few steps toward me and I backed away again.
"You told me that if anyone hurt me again, you'd tear it up." I caught his eye for a moment, and had to look away. If I let myself remember how he'd made me feel, I wouldn't be able to leave.
Brenon reached into his jacket and pulled out a scroll. "As you wish." He tore the document in half. "It's done. But you don't have to go, you're safer here.”
I shook my head. "I'm not safe anywhere. I don't want to be a part of the war between you and Terra."
"Don't go," Goldie said. "Stay with me."
Goldie's face was scrunched together and she looked like she was going to cry. She was the only one I would miss. "I have to."
She nodded. "Be careful."
Once again, barefoot and in the middle of nowhere, I found myse
lf walking alone. Away from the Rose Circus and into unknown country. Only this time, I knew I had magic of my own and I was determined to learn how to use it.
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Author’s Note
Thank you for reading Fae Cursed, Book One of the Legacy of Magic Series.
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