A Burning in the Bones (Waxways #3)

Chapter 59 Nevelyn Tin’vori

59 NEVELYN TIN’VORI

She had backpedaled as everyone else flooded forward.

The spells had cut through the enemy ranks. A call had gone out to charge uphill. Why keep fighting out here when they could make a run for Meredream? Nevelyn had been too shocked to follow. She watched them rush forward. Ava was with them, fighting fiercely along the front lines of the charge. Josey was there too. She saw him running, linked arm in arm with the other children. Their little legs trying to high-step corpses.

God help us all.

People were dying. People were dead . It all felt so senseless. For some reason, she kept backpedaling. Away from the terrible nightmare. She was so very tired. Even as a voice whispered that Josey and Ava weren’t safe, that she needed to protect the two of them. From her angle, she could see the enemy troops turning. Circling around to re-form their ranks. The wizards seemed to be making good progress. Forcing a path to Meredream. But gods, it was still so far in the distance. She saw there was no chance they would make it.

All of this? Just to die on some random hill? To see more loved ones buried too soon?

Nevelyn reached for the charm on her necklace. It was turned to the dark side. She knew she could cast that spell and leave. No one would even notice. She could walk back to Kathor and pretend that this had never happened. Use her magic to survive whatever happened next.

Instead, she turned the charm to the lighter side.

“Look at me.”

The first wave of magic was like a whisper. A few heads turned. It was not enough.

“I SAID LOOK AT ME!”

Magic burst out from her like sunlight. Power beyond anything she’d ever summoned before. No one on that hillside was spared from it. She held out her hands and watched as every single enemy soldier turned to look at her. Their swords briefly slumping. Their jaws lulled open. She had their attention. Finally, she had their attention.

“Good. Keep looking.”

Nevelyn put all her remaining strength into the spell. Blistering light pulsed out. Bright enough to blind the entire hillside. She could tell it was working. Too well. All the wizards had paused too. Taken in by the demands of her magic. They were beholding her too. It took what little energy she had left to cast more nuance into the spell. A minor change that very nearly bubbled out to the rest of the spell. It worked, though. She saw the wizards shaking themselves free of the magic.

Ren Monroe was staring back in horror. Ava was screaming something Nevelyn couldn’t hear. Turning as if she might make one more rescue attempt. Nevelyn shook her head, though.

“Go!” she shouted. “Save them!”

One by one, the enemy soldiers began walking toward her. Nevelyn kept her own feet moving. Backpedaling to lure them farther and farther away. The archers began knocking their arrows. Soldiers raised their swords. Nevelyn felt like a goddess as she lured an entire army to her like sleepwalking dreamers. Beyond them, she could see Josey and the children and all the others running. Covering the distance to reach the gates easily. No one followed them. She made sure of it. As the first wave of soldiers reached her, and as arrows raced through the sky, Nevelyn Tin’Vori couldn’t help smiling. “There. Now you see me. Now…”