by Kaitlyn Hoyt
I turn and see Ryanne flying through the air. She slams into a tree and falls to the ground limp. Zahtri is lying on the ground across from her with blood dripping down his nose.
My invisibility immediately takes over as I watch her struggle to get up.
I’ve noticed that the fight has almost come to a complete stop as everyone watches Ryanne and Zahtri fight each other.
Last time I saw Dravin, he was standing near Zahtri and now he’s gone. I search for Liam, but don’t see him. We are the ones who are supposed to stop Dravin. Claire told us that much. I look around the yard, searching for the manipulative Gadramick that has hurt my soulmate one too many times.
“Looking for me?”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Everything hurts. It feels as if…I was just thrown into a tree. My body protests with each movement, but once the initial haze from hitting my head against the rough bark fades, I’m able to push myself up. I feel a lot better when I notice that Zahtri is slow to get up as well. I can feel my magic moving through the air around me as I try to formulate a plan. How can I get the upper hand here? There has to be something I can do that he won’t be expecting.
I glance toward the crowd behind me. They’ve all stopped fighting.
No pressure there.
I stand up and throw a shield around me while I try to regain my strength. This is not going like I wanted it to. Right now, it’s pretty even. Neither one of us are able to gain any leverage on the other. Zahtri pushes himself off the ground and faces me again. I can feel his magic trying to penetrate my shield, but it remains strong. I take another moment to regain my strength. As Zahtri moves toward me, I start calling more magic. I can envision what I want to happen, but if Zahtri attempts to use his magic the second I drop my shield, I won’t be able to execute it like I want to.
Back when I trained a few times with Colin, he told me to get creative. That’s what I need to do right now. Get creative. Zahtri has probably seen every trick in the book. He can probably assume what I’m going to attempt next. I’m creative. I know that. I can think of something he’s never seen before. I can do something he won’t expect, but I need surprise on my side if I plan on coming out of this alive. If he reads my mind or somehow sees my plan, we’re all screwed.
I look back at the crowd again and see a column of fire ablaze off to the side. I know either Incendia or Bragden is responsible for this. Is someone hurt? I want to take more time to assess my surroundings, but Zahtri’s attempts to thwart my shield are becoming stronger. I won’t be able to keep it up for much longer.
Scanning the crowd one more time, I search for a specific pair of eyes. Colton has his back to me, also scanning the field. He’s looking for Liam, who is standing with Natalie directly across from him. I can see him from where I’m standing, but Colton wouldn’t be able to see him through everyone. Seeing Dravin moving effortlessly through the mages and Gadramicks, I gather up my anger and concern and push the emotions toward Liam. He will know it’s from me when it reaches him.
Zahtri is still trying to break down my defenses. I take a small step backward as I wait for Liam to look in my direction. Come on. Come on, Liam. Liam jumps and looks around confused. I watch as realization dawns on him and he looks up at me. With my eyes, I look in Colton’s direction. I don’t have any way of communicating to him that Colton needs his help. Liam’s gray eyes leave mine and move across the field. Spotting Dravin, he nods and begins to maneuver over there. At this rate, they’ll both make it to Colton simultaneously.
During training sessions, Bragden told me to look for weaknesses in my opponents, but what if there aren’t any? What do I do then? Zahtri is cocky, but he is rightfully so. Even though he did not come about this magic naturally, he has a lot and he definitely knows it and understands how to use it. Nothing I am doing is giving me any advantage over him.
One thing is for sure: I’m not going to back down. Even though I don’t have a plan, I’m going to pretend like I do. It’s worked for me in the past. Who’s to say this situation is any different?
With that determined, I take a step forward. Just one step, but Zahtri looks a little surprised at my sudden move. I ignore the pain that shoots up my leg with each movement and casually walk to him. When Zahtri threw me into the tree, I landed on the ground at an odd angle. My ankle twisted beneath me as I fell, but I can’t show any weaknesses. I know Zahtri is in pain too, but he’s not giving me anything to use against him, so neither will I.
I take another step forward. Zahtri’s footing fails as he stumbles backward. I continue my forward progression until the edge of my shield hits him. Zahtri is standing a foot in front of me, waiting for my next move. It has to be me who initiates what happens next.
The wind picks up as I call my magic to me. My magic is the only thing I have going for me at this moment. Zahtri doesn’t think I’ll be able to beat him because he doesn’t think I’ve released enough magic. Magic is always going to be a part of me. Before, I had too much running through my body at once. I don’t have to release anymore. My magic easily obeys me and is there for me when I need it.
Now, it’s not all running through my body. It’s not trying to compete with everything inside. My magic is moving through the air around me. It is still a part of me, but it is not actually in me. What magic I have in me is what I’m supposed to have as a mage. Everything else is just what I need to accomplish this task. I don’t know if I’ll still have all this when everything is over. I don’t even know if I’ll be around when everything is over.
I place my hands together and form a ball of electrified energy, similar to what I did during my training sessions with Colin. The magic crackles as the orb forms. Zahtri looks down at my hands confused as to what I am doing. I just need a little more energy.
I’m not trying to end all this right now. I just need a slight distraction and more time to call the rest of my magic to me. I need to anger Zahtri enough to get him to act. I need him to act without thinking. He needs to let his anger for everything going on take over and completely control his actions if I have any hope of being successful.
“Are you going to kill me?” Zahtri asks as he moves to the edge of my shield. I know that he’s taunting me, trying to get me to react. “Are you going to watch the life drain from my eyes? Are you going to be able to live with yourself knowing that you killed a man?”
I ignore him and focus on the magic in front of me. My magic is shimmering within the shield. I spread my hands out a little further, letting the orb grow. Zahtri’s eyes zero in on the magic, but he doesn’t comment on it.
“Are you going to be able to wake up every morning knowing someone doesn’t get that privilege because of you?” He’s just taunting me. I can’t listen to him. “Will you be able to go about your daily routine and pretend like you don’t have blood of your hands?”
I block him out and focus on the magic in front of me. I can see his lips still moving, so I know that he’s still trying to get me to react before I’m ready. It’s not going to work. I can’t afford to be callous right now. There’s so much at stake. After a few seconds, my eyes hone in on Zahtri. He’s still talking, but he’s not looking at me. He’s still staring at the ball in my hands. The energy cracks in my hands telling me that it’s ready to be released.
I grin at him as I drop the shield and thrust the magic toward him. Before the magic even hits him, I turn around and run in the opposite direction. I visualize the magic exploding around him, and I know that I’ll get hit if I stay here. A blast rings out behind me and my magic ricochets back. I push more out and attempt to create a shield around me, but the force is too strong. I’m hit with my own magic and am lifted into the air. I tuck my body in and roll when I hit the ground.
When I stop rolling, I push myself up and immediately look across to the area where Zahtri just was. Only he’s not there. Throwing a shield up, my eyes move past the platform. He’s not here at all.
“Looking for me, darling?”
I whip around and face Zahtri again. Dang, I didn’t obliterate him.
“How do you do it?” I ask him.
“I still have a few powers on you. Like the power of transport. Though, I did get hit a little bit.” He rolls his shoulder, slightly wincing with the movement. I see the burnt holes in the fabric and the charred skin underneath. “Not a problem though. You’ll find out that I heal very quickly. Can you say that?” Zahtri moves until he’s standing along the edge of my shield. “Why the shield? Are you scared of me?”
“Not scared. Cautious. Weary. Suspicious. Yes, but not scared.”
“Then drop the shield and fight me. This is what you wanted isn’t it?”
Magic? This is it. I feel my magic move around me, caressing my skin with its energy. This is the moment the prophecy has been talking about. Taking one last deep breath, I step back a few steps and narrow my eyes at him.
“Let’s do this,” I whisper as I throw my hands up, siphoning my magic through me and drop my shield.
This is it.
Colton
I turn around and face Dravin. Everyone moves out of the way, giving us room. All the mages we brought know that Liam and I are supposed to be the ones that stop Dravin. Her two warriors are destined to put an end to the war. It has to be us. I know David, Logan, Larkin, and Bragden are really angry that they can’t help. We’ve all seen Ryanne after she’s been with Dravin. We all know what he’s done to her and Ryanne has inspired us to act. I can see Liam moving toward me, but I don’t look at him. I don’t want to alert Dravin to his presence. Not yet.
“This could all be easily stopped.”
“Yeah, would you like to casually walk in front of my sword? Or better yet, you can just take it and stab yourself. That way your blood wouldn’t be on my hands.”
“Tell Ryanne to stop the attack unless you want to be lowering her casket six feet under.”
I feel my invisibility skimming the surface, wanting me to release it. It doesn’t like the image of Ryanne lying in a casket being buried and neither do I. Somehow, I push it back. I need to remain visible.
I hope I have a good handle on it, because what I’m about to say could bring it out fully. “At least people would show up to her funeral. She’s touched so many lives here. Can you say the same thing? Will anyone miss you when you’re gone? These people are just followers. They don’t care about you, Dravin.”
Liam steps up behind Dravin and raises his sword, but Dravin turns around and faces him. “I wouldn’t try that if I were you.”
Liam lowers his weapon, but I move forward and kick him in the back of the knees. Dravin falls to the ground, but rolls to the side, out of the way. Getting back up, he glares at Liam and me. “This is really what you want to do? Fight to the death?” he sneers. “Are you really prepared for that?”
“You afraid to do the same thing that girl is doing right over there?” Liam points in Ryanne’s direction. I briefly glance at her and watch her form a ball of magic between her hands like she did during one of the training sessions. Zahtri is talking to her, probably trying to instigate her. What I wouldn’t give to be fighting alongside her right now.
“Am I afraid to lose? Is that what you’re asking me?” Dravin takes another step forward. Neither Liam nor I have magic that can be used as a weapon. Dravin does. We have strength and training and I intend to use all of that against Dravin tonight. This has to stop. All this madness has to end.
“Are you afraid to go against us? Is the strong, ruthless, Gadramick leader afraid to go up against two ordinary mages?”
Dravin throws his head back and laughs. I glance over at Liam, who gives me a similar look. We’re walking on thin ice right now. Instigation can go one of two ways. It can anger him enough to get him to react sloppily—to attack without thinking, giving us the advantage—or it can anger him enough to attack even more ruthlessly than he would have before. It could motivate him further, giving him the advantage over us. With Dravin, I’m not sure which way it’ll go. We’ll find out soon enough though.
This is the man who put a dagger into my side because Ryanne wouldn’t tell him what her powers were. That feels like so long ago. Dravin knocked Ryanne out with dormirako and took Liam and me in as prisoners when we went to rescue her. This is the man who killed me.
One good thing did come out of that incident though. I was finally able to tell Ryanne that she was my soulmate. I had been battling with how and when to tell her. She had so much on her plate already that I didn’t want to drop another bomb on her, but I knew she’d be mad if I kept it to myself for too much longer.
Ryanne passed out from exhaustion shortly after healing me. I remember the look on her face when she woke up and saw me alive. There was so much pain in her expression because she was seeing me getting stabbed all over again. I don’t want to be the reason for putting that pain back into her beautiful eyes. We have to win this.
Will the prophecy still be fulfilled if we lose? Will all this be for nothing if we lose?
Liam and I have fought against each other many times during training, but we’ve never fought together. However, you can’t be around someone as often as we have and not know how that person fights. Liam and I understand each other and we’re working toward a common goal. We can do this. Natalie kept telling me to have faith, and now I finally do.
I have faith we can accomplish this. We can all make it out of this alive.
I face Dravin one last time.
This has to end now.
Without looking back, I brandish my sword and take a step forward, meeting Dravin. It’s now or never, and I’m choosing now. Dravin pulls his sword out and deflects my attempt.
“You’re going to have to do a little better than that if you want to stop me.”
“Oh, we will,” Liam says he joins me.
“You know this isn’t really a fair fight,” Dravin says as he glances between the two of us. He doesn’t look scared and I know that he’s not. He still thinks he’s going to come out of this situation victorious. He’s too cocky, and hopefully that’ll get him in trouble.
“Who said anything about a fair fight?”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Zahtri runs toward me without magic. Little does he know that all of the guys have done this to me during our training sessions, so I’m prepared. I wait until he is right in front of me and then I flip to the side while pushing my magic around me. If Zahtri tries to touch me, it’ll shock him. I have my own defense mechanism. I smile as I start to feel more confident in this fight.
I was given these powers for this moment. Zahtri never came into his magic. His powers aren’t real; they were produced. I can defeat him. When I died, I had to admit to my mom that I believed I could someday be strong enough to do this. Well someday is here, and I feel strong enough. I can do this. I have been captured many times. I’ve been beaten and broken, and I’m still here. I’m still standing. I came back from all of it and didn’t let it affect me. In fact, all those instances just helped me prepare for this. Dravin may have helped me. I’m stronger now than I’ve ever been. I’m not going to give up. I’m not going to sacrifice myself. Larkin was right about that. Sacrificing myself won’t help anything.
My soulmate and protector are over there fighting for the life after this. Fighting for what comes next, and I need to do the same thing. My life has barely begun. I don’t want to die before I reach the middle of my story. I don’t want to close the book, because I don’t want this ending. This is just a chapter in my story. Just a chapter; not a conclusion. Definitely not a conclusion.
Zahtri has my complete attention right now. He turns and attempts to punch me, but I throw up my arm to deflect his blow. He’s about Bragden’s size, and I’ve fought and won against Bragden before. I can do this now; I know I can. I swing my leg out and kick him in the chest, but he thwarts my action by grabbing onto my leg and throwing me across the field. He winces when his hands connect with my skin, but he doesn’t let that deter him.
Twisting my body mid-air, I land on my feet and run forward without pause.
I’m not going to wait for him anymore. I don’t want to be on the defensive. Besides a few rare instances, it’s the offense who wins the game. I need to be on the offense right now; I want to be the one calling the shots. Zahtri seems a little shocked at my suddenness, but doesn’t linger on that for too long. I jump in front of him and drop to the ground, knocking his feet out from under him. He falls, but rolls to the side, so I can’t do anything else. I follow his movement as he stands up and starts circling me.
He’s not using his left arm very much. His shoulder must hurt more than he’s letting on. There’s a weakness. I smile at him as I make the first move. I start calling my magic to me. Can Zahtri use his magic physically? He can transport and read minds, but can he do anything else? I don’t think I’ve seen him do anything else. He’s physically strong, but can he add magic into his limbs to make himself stronger?
Thunder rumbles above us as I start pulling more magic around me. Zahtri’s face transforms into one of anger. I’m not going to go down easily. He has another thing coming if he thinks he’ll be able to make quick work of me and move on. I can hear grunts around me of other people fighting, but I’ve learned from previous battles not to look. That’s how you get yourself killed. I have to have faith that my family is going to protect each other. Right now, this is about Zahtri and me. That’s all I can focus on.
He should look at all those times they’ve come to capture me. Did I cower in the corner? Maybe the first time…but I didn’t after that. I fought. I throw my hands up and push the winds out. Zahtri’s forward progression halts as he waits for the wind assault to end. He doesn’t fall like I intended, but this is enough to give me some more time.
I hear a familiar scream echo through the field and briefly glance at the fight behind me. Dravin is in the middle of the field, fighting Liam and Colton. Surprisingly, it seems evenly matched despite the odd number. How is that possible? Colton and Liam are strong—they should easily be able to overcome him. Emma was the one who screamed though. I try to not break my concentration when I see why she screamed. She jumps forward and grabs onto Kyril as the Gadramick in front of her pulls his sword out of the middle of his chest. Larkin blinks in behind him and twists the guy’s neck, breaking it. He slumps to the ground soundlessly, but it’s too late. Emma falls from Kyril’s sudden weight. David jumps to her side and helps Larkin move Kyril. Kyril starts convulsing. Even from this distance, I can see the tears streaming down Emma’s face.