I gasped and jumped into motion. My boots crunched through fresh snow. I squinted and tried to see where the arches Everest had referred to were, but I was blind. With the sun reflecting off the heaps of snow on the ground, I couldn’t see a damn thing. The sky and ground were the same shade of white. Snow dropped from the clouds in buckets. I wouldn’t have been able to see clearly even if I had windshield wipers on my eyes.
We sprinted in silence as fast as we could, but the snow was so soft and fresh that our feet sank with every step. The only sound I heard was my Coven-mates ragged breathing.
Tegan cursed and wiggled her fingers. Rainbow mist shot out from her hand and raised above us like a dome. The falling snow hit her magical barrier and evaporated. The snow under our feet hardened. A few steps later, it was like running on concrete. I grinned and pushed my legs to move faster. Once the sun set, those vampires would be on us in seconds.
“What is that ahead of us?” Royce screamed and pointed. “GUYS?”
I narrowed my eyes and tried to focus on what he pointed to, but I couldn’t make it out. It was a light blueish color and shimmered kind of like fog. Except it moved like it was alive. My stomach tightened with knots. Had the vampires tricked us? The blue fog grew thicker and flew toward us until we were surrounded.
“Keep running!” Uncle Kessler yelled.
Something in my peripheral vision moved. I glanced to my right and choked on a gasp. Dozens of transparent faces stared at me with horror etched into their eyes. Spirits?
Willow screamed and tripped over her own feet. She slammed into the snow and slid a few feet. Uncle Kessler reached down with one hand and scooped her up by the back of the jacket without breaking stride. He threw her over his shoulder and kept running.
“Paulina, what are they saying?” Tegan screamed from the front of the group.
Our Death Card cursed a long line of beautiful-sounding words in Spanish. Her face was pale. “They’re coming. They’re coming.”
“Tegan, make a portal!” Easton yelled from behind me.
My twin groaned and snapped her fingers. Her long black hair flew behind her like a cape as she ran. “I’ve been trying! It’s not working!”
“Unseelie magic!” Uncle Kessler pointed ahead of us. “We have to get past those arches first!”
I followed his finger to where a set of stone arches stood out against the snow, towering over the ground. They were barely visible under the shadow from the—
Oh Goddess. That’s not a shadow. The sun had already set up ahead. Nightfall slithered over the snow toward us like a stampede of snakes.
“We’re not gonna make it,” Lily cried from behind me.
I peeked over my shoulder and choked on a gasp. The castle of Avolire was drenched in darkness. Soft, golden light glistened against a black sky. Wait a second. I frowned and looked around me. It was dark all around us…but we were surrounded by sunlight.
“They’re coming!” Paulina screeched. “NOW!”
There was a soft whistle sound, and then a dagger soared through the air right toward Tegan’s back. I opened my mouth to scream a warning when rainbow mist swirled behind her and wrapped around the weapon. It dissolved to dust in the blink of an eye.
Deacon glanced over his shoulder and cursed. His purple eyes flickered with light. “Lily, run! GO!”
His magic slammed into her, and she took off faster than I’d ever seen her run. Sunlight shined from her palms. White light shimmered around her, and then silver armor covered every inch of her body except her hands. Easton.
A few steps later and darkness fell upon us. Lily’s light was gone, and we were unprotected.
One of the vampire guards pushed through the center of our group and pounced on Larissa from behind, tackling her to the ground. She didn’t even have time to scream before her face was buried in the snow. The air around her shimmered, and then silver metal body armor covered her.
I flicked my wrists. Fire surged in my palms instantly. I screamed and shot my flames right at the vampire’s head. It hissed and jumped to its feet. He growled and leapt toward me so fast I didn’t have time to react. My feet became airborne, and then my back slammed into the hard, cold snow. I coughed as my bones rattled through my body.
The vampire’s face hovered above mine as he pinned me to the ground. His eyes were hazel and rimmed with bright red that burned with anger and hate. “Aren’t you a hot one? I like it.” He pinned my arms down above my head then leaned down and peeled his lips back. Pearly white fangs dropped down out of his mouth at least an inch, the tips needle sharp.
I looked up at the flames dancing along his hair, and my heart sank. Fire doesn’t hurt them. Think, Em. I couldn’t fight him off, and my main source of power was no use. Main source, not only source. I clenched my teeth and pushed with my magic. Black smoke slithered away from the flames and coiled around his head like a blindfold.
The vampire cursed and whipped his head back and forth like he could shake it off. I pushed my magic until I felt the cold strength of metal, then I grabbed ahold of it with my mind. I pulled it toward me until a shiny silver dagger floated above my head. I grinned and sent it flying right into the vampire’s throat.
He choked and blood spilled from his neck. He grasped for the dagger lodged in his throat as a crimson river rained down on me. I released the black smoke and pushed him onto his back.
“You’re a dead one,” I growled, meeting his red eyes, then slid the dagger. His head rolled off his shoulders. “I like it.”
I jumped to my feet, and my eyes widened. In those few moments, an entire army of vampire guards dressed in white closed in. I pulled my own dagger from my holster and rolled to the balls of my feet, ready to move in any direction.
The first person I saw was Deacon. He was fighting off two massive vampires with a dagger in one hand and his red lightning in the other. His gaze flickered to mine then returned to his opponents. I looked to my left and found Larissa, Paulina, and Willow fighting off a handful— Wasn’t Uncle Kessler carrying her?
There was a loud scream, then one of the vampire guards flew through the air over my head. I gasped and looked to my right in time to watch my uncle pluck a vampire off of Paulina’s back and throw him like a baseball. Two guards charged him, but he grabbed them by the faces and slammed their backs into the snow.
Behind him, snow swirled through the air like a tornado and trampled several vampire guards at once. Tennessee’s dark form moved in one black blur. I only knew where he was by each falling vampire.
Wait. Where’s Tegan? My heart skipped a beat. I spun in circles searching for her. But my twin was nowhere in sight.
It didn’t make any sense. Where could she have gone?
“Em, duck!”
I dropped to the ground and rolled onto my back just as an unfamiliar sword flew over my head. Red lightning flashed, and then Deacon stood over me. He reached down and pulled me back to my feet.
Then an idea popped into my head. I grabbed my soulmate’s sleeve and tugged. “D, command them to leave!”
His purple eyes darkened, and he shook his head. “Doesn’t work on bloodsuckers. Something to do with their own magic. I’ve tried.”
The night sky shimmered with rainbow mist a split second before Tegan appeared out of thin air. Her black boots hit the snow in a dead run. She sprinted over to where Braison was fighting a vampire and then slid to a stop. She flicked her wrist, and our red-haired Hanged Man flew into the air a good thirty feet. Tegan spun around and swung her arm. Uncle Kessler floated far above the ground.
“Tegan, what are you doing?” Paulina screamed and ran toward her.
But Tegan wasn’t listening. She narrowed her eyes and threw Braison and Uncle Kessler even higher into the air. My heart froze in my chest. I craned my neck back and looked up at them. Their eyes were wide. Their arms and legs flailed around like they were trying to swim. A warm gust of wind swept over my feet as a massive gray thundercloud flew over my head.
That was when I saw it. Not a cloud. A dragon.
Silas flew in like a bullet train, scooping Braison and Uncle Kessler up on the fly. They landed on his back and grabbed ahold of his light gray spikes.
Tegan dissolved into water. A split second later, she reappeared way down the path by the arches. I had no idea where Lily and Easton had gone, but the next thing I knew, they were soaring above the snow dressed in full metal body armor. Silas scooped them up and took off out of sight like he’d never been there at all.
Everything was happening so fast, yet in slow motion at the same time.
“Holy hell, she did.” Deacon cheered and laughed like an evil movie villain.
Tegan sprinted toward the rest of us. Snow flew up and coiled around her, and then she was right in front of me with a dagger in each hand. My feet lifted off the ground. I flew through the air with rainbow mist shimmering over me. My twin dropped me down right beside Larissa and Paulina…and four vampires.
I flicked my wrists and summoned my flames. These vampires may have been immune to fire, but not smoke. I raised my hands and blasted our enemies with the thickest black smoke I could summon. “Girls, now!”
The vampires clawed at their faces, trying to clear the smoke, but it was no use. It wasn’t going anywhere. Larissa and Paulina leapt forward with their daggers and sliced their heads off one by one. I glanced over my shoulder in search of Deacon and found him back to back with his cousin Royce.
Royce looked up, and his eyes widened. “Tegan!”
I followed his gaze and found my brother flying through the air, his arms flapping like he was trying to fly. I glanced over to my twin, but she was fighting off a few vampires herself.
Cooper shouted for help. I bit my lip and raised my hands. Please let there be metal on him somewhere. I pushed my magic and felt the warm tug of metal. Cooper froze midair. His body trembled and bobbed. My magic wasn’t as strong as my twin’s. It wouldn’t hold forever. I lowered him as slow as I could, but he slipped free of my grasp and dropped the last ten feet into the snow.
“Cooper!” Henley screamed and ran to where he’d fallen. She dropped to her knees beside him. Then her shoulders sank and she smiled.
There was a loud roar like a lion. I turned toward the sound, and my breath left me in a rush. A stampede of vampires in all white charged forward from the castle. At the center of them, with hair as white as snow, was Everest. His sword was as long as my arm, and his eyes burned hotter than the fire in my veins.
Tegan flicked her wrists, and my feet slid over the snow until I landed directly behind her, about thirty feet back. Deacon and Royce landed beside me. Larissa and Paulina rolled to a stop in front of me. I glanced over my shoulder to where Cooper was draped over Henley’s shoulder with a bloody gash on his forehead. Behind them, Timothy and Willow ran up to gather with us.
I had no idea where our Emperor was, because every time I looked, I only caught glimpses of him as he destroyed vampire after vampire. But he appeared beside Tegan in the blink of an eye, just as Everest and his squad moved in.
Tennessee leapt in front of her and sliced through the first few guards. He spun on his toes and charged head-on into a few more. Everest ducked and slid around him, though I suspected Tenn let him. Tegan swung her dagger. Everest met her attack, and metal crashed against metal. The two of them danced around each other, swinging their weapons in graceful, pristine movements.
Behind them, Tennessee was a beast. He jumped, flipped, and ducked his way through the guards. He moved on to the next before the first’s lifeless body hit the snow.
WILLOW! Tegan screamed.
Willow cursed. She ran up beside me and closed her eyes. Bright blue mist billowed from her hands and filled the air in front of us. I had no idea what she made them see, but all of the guards dropped to their knees and covered their faces. Everest lowered his weapons and stared with wide eyes filled with terror. He scrambled backward.
Timothy, freeze them like that, but not Everest.
Timothy whistled under his breath and shook his head. He raised his hands and pushed his magic out in front of him. Snow shot up from the ground and covered the guards. The air around their bodies shimmered, and the snow turned to ice.
Everest’s jaw dropped. He spun around in circles and scratched the back of his head.
Tennessee dashed over to Tegan and threw her over his shoulder. He turned and ran toward us. “Get us out of here, Kitten. NOW.”
Tegan raised her hands, and I could’ve sworn I heard her chuckle right before an explosion of rainbow mist lit up the sky and a tsunami of magic slammed into us head-on.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
TEGAN
When my magic settled and the world stopped moving, I had the sinking fear I’d messed up big time. We’d been in northern Canada somewhere, surrounded by winter and endless heaps of fresh white snow. Now…everything was green and buzzing with life.
“Girl, what did you do?”
“Umm…” I frowned and looked around. I have no idea.
We appeared to be in a forest. All around us as far as my eyes could see were trees of every size and shape, full of so many green leaves I couldn’t even see the sky. The grass under my feet was richer than any lawn I’d ever seen. The only thing that wasn’t green were the little clusters of vivid wildflowers.
Tennessee pulled his hair up into a knot on top of his head. He sighed and shook his head. “I suppose I should’ve been clearer.”
“You said to get us out of there and I did.” I threw my hands up. “Soooo be careful what you wish for.”
“I meant portal us somewhere. Preferably somewhere we knew.”
“I couldn’t make a portal. I tried.”
Henley chuckled and looked around. “The Unseelies are tricky like that.”
Tennessee spun toward me and put his hands on his hips. “So what did you do?”
“I have no idea,” I admitted. Normally I would’ve wanted to look more confident, but I was done lying to my soulmate. He was finally not mad at me.
He raised both black eyebrows. “You have no idea?”
I shrugged. “You know I get flustered every time you call me Kitten. I don’t know what you expected.”
A wide grin spread across his beautiful, perfect face, and it took every ounce of self-control not to kiss him. We had an audience. I needed to behave myself.
Cooper groaned. “Gross. Can you not? I’m already nauseous from this concussion.”
“We got to watch them fight, so let’s see them—”
“ROYCE.” Cooper punched him in the arm.
“All right, all right,” Timothy said with a smirk. He stepped between my brother and Royce, then pushed them apart. “Same team. Same team.”
“You know…” Deacon stepped away from the group and moved toward the line of trees on my right. “This place reminds me of that time we were ten and we found that fairy tunnel.”
Royce frowned and cocked his head to the side. “When we ripped our way into it?”
“Yeah.” Deacon pursed his lips and stared at the trees. “Maybe we should do it again.”
“Dude.” Royce’s eyes lit up, and he leapt over to the trees beside his cousin with a grin plastered on his face. He reached out and pushed with his magic. The trees spread apart, and a small black opening appeared.
“Royce, NO!” Tennessee screamed and pulled him back.
But it was too late.
Darkness sucked us in.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
LILY
This was my moment to shine, literally and figuratively. I wasn’t Tegan. Then again, no one was. She had raw, natural power. It took me years of training to get to where I was. But she made me want to try harder. To fight harder. And I didn’t want to let her down. She’d taken a huge risk these last couple weeks in order to help us. I couldn’t mess this up. The Fire Stone was zipped up nice and tight in the front pocket
of my wool jacket. All I had to do was get it back to Salem and hand it over to Bentley.
I could do this.
I wouldn’t be the one my Coven couldn’t count on.
Easton squeezed my hips, and my heart fluttered. “You okay, baby?” he whispered against my ear.
I wanted to turn my head and kiss him, but I couldn’t. I had to focus. I had to be ready at every moment in case we were attacked. Easton and I had been together officially for almost a year...but he still dazzled me like we’d just met. I loved that he still had that effect on me. However, I couldn’t let that happen while riding a dragon.
“Lily?”
“I’m good. I’m fine,” I said without taking my hands off Silas’s spike.
It was still unclear to me how Silas happened to show up right when we needed him. I wonder if Tegan teleported to get him? She had to have. Without Silas’s arrival, I had no idea how we would’ve gotten out of Avolire alive and with the Fire Stone.
“How ‘bout you guys? How ya’ doin’?” Easton yelled from right behind me.
“I’m a wild mix of emotions,” Braison shouted over the wind. “Thanks for asking.”
“I’m fine,” Kessler answered with a laugh. “The Stone?”
Easton grabbed my chest with one hand and squeezed. “Stone is good.”
“Easton.”
He chuckled in my ear and removed his hand. “How ‘bout you, Silas? You all right?”
Silas snorted and a little ball of fire floated into the air in front of us.
“I’m gonna say that’s a yes.” Easton rested his chin on my shoulder and wrapped his hands around mine on Silas’s spike. “I’m getting anxious. I just wanna get to Salem and get this Stone somewhere safe.”
Me too. I bit my lip and peered over Silas’s wing, but I couldn’t make out a thing. The night was young but black as the hair on my head. The full moon was glorious, shining down on us with such vibrancy that I saw the wind fluttering Silas’s stone-gray scales. The stars sparkled like diamonds, and from where we were, there wasn’t a thing to block them from our view. It would’ve been an amazing ride had it not been for the Fire Stone soaring with hot power from inside my pocket.
The Eternal Witch (The Coven: Elemental Magic Book 5) Page 11