Chapter 26 - Emma
The underground oasis was peaceful, tranquil. The trickling water and the cool air gave me a sort of solace that I had never experienced anywhere else. I could have stayed here forever.
I took a deep breath, closing my eyes as I meditated, focusing on the lapping water, the feel of the cool stone beneath me, the pleasant, earthy smell of moss that clung to the air.
I let my mind focus on each of those in turn, letting the anxiety I could feel building inside me ebb, at least a little.
I knew what I had to do, knew how to end the wraith, and knew what would happen if I failed. I had been mulling over it for days now. None of it made what I had to do any easier.
Another deep breath, and this time, I pushed the water with my mind. The water receded, then returned, moving back and forth with my breath like the tides. My fingers flexed and unflexed as I moved the water in and out. It felt as though I was a runner warming up before a marathon.
I suddenly heard gentle but hurried padding; the sound of claws scraping against stone echoed from the tunnel, growing louder every second.
I shot to my feet, heading toward the water, wading in until I was ankle-deep.
My heart pounded as I waited in silence, fingers twitching, my stomach swirling with anxiety.
A moment later, a tiny bullet of auburn fur charged into the oasis. Grace barely looked at me as she ran behind me, coming to a halt right behind my legs. She turned and growled at the tunnel.
We didn’t have to wait long. A rush of wind and the sound of sand beating against stone pierced the air.
A moment later, the wraith appeared, large enough that it filled the entire massive entrance to the tunnel.
Sand whipped around the area, stinging my face as it spun viciously, the tempest so fierce that I could barely keep my eyes open from the storm.
I forced myself not to squint despite the sand.
The wraith was more human-looking than I had expected, more solid.
It looked like a massive bodybuilder, larger than even Elias.
Its facial features were muffled, like a thief with a stocking pulled over their head.
That didn’t stop the chill from running down my spine. My throat went dry.
It surveyed the cavern with interest, nothing but greed and triumph lurking in its glowing eyes. It snarled, fingers curling as it searched the area.
“How sweet,” the wraith hissed. “Here I’ve been searching for this place for months, and you lead me right to it. How generous of you.”
It stalked forward. Though it had no mouth, I could have sworn that the sand just below its eyes contorted and morphed into a smile.
“I’m going to enjoy tearing this place apart,” it jeered as it moved further into the cavern. “And once I’m finished, I’ll destroy the rest of this town.”
It moved closer, then stopped, close enough that its wind whipped my hair and tiny granules of sand stung my cheek. Those horrifying eyes flicked toward Grace, lingering there. Grace growled, baring her tiny fangs as her fur bristled. Fearless.
“And I’m going to start with that little cub,” the wraith hissed. “And after I’ve made you watch her die, I’ll kill you next.”
It was trying to instill despair, to make me feel as though there was a weight on my chest that I couldn’t breathe. I could feel that dread and anxiety licking at the edges of my psyche, wanting to take over and drown me. I could feel my mind tipping, wanting to succumb, to give in.
No. I wasn’t going to. I wasn’t the helpless, heartbroken girl from all those years ago. I was stronger now. And I sure as hell wasn’t going to let this creature threaten to kill my daughter.
Even as rage bristled through me and my fingers curled in anger, I took a deep breath, glancing down and forcing my shoulders to slump, letting the wraith think it had won. The wraith gave a raspy laugh.
As the wraith gloated, it didn’t notice the hulking shadow in the only exit, didn’t hear the stealthy padding of paws, didn’t see the intense eyes glinting behind it.
“In the corner now,” I told Grace.
She darted out of the way. The wraith hissed, spinning to step toward her. Before it could move, however, my hands flung out, pointing at it.
Tendrils of water coiled rapidly around my waist and snaked along my arms before shooting across the cavern toward the wraith.
The water struck, slamming into the sand, clumping it, giving it structure.
The wraith stumbled, distracted from its prey.
With a furious growl, it turned toward me, taking a step forward just in time for me to slam another jet of water into its face.
It staggered back, hand flying upward. I watched, a triumphant smirk spreading across my face as it shrieked in rage and pain. When it lowered its hand, it looked down at its arm in disbelief and horror.
What had been nothing but swirling sand earlier was now clumped wet sand. Bits trickled off. It sneered as it glared back at me.
“You should know by now that this won’t stop me,” the wraith jeered. “Your precious mate tried the same thing, and I sliced him to ribbons.”
Alarm pierced through me for the briefest of moments, a spasm of terror as my mouth parted in shock.
How did it know Elias and I were mates? I swallowed that shock.
I wasn’t going to let the wraith get under my skin.
I stayed silent, watching those horrifying, glowing eyes widen as it stared down at its hand.
Instead of it baking and turning back to swirling sand, it held.
While the wraith stared down in confusion, I threw another jet of water onto it, this one slamming into its chest. With a shriek, it flew back, slamming into the stone wall.
My head began to pound as the room spun for a brief moment before righting itself. Before I could process the short dizzy spell, the wraith had pushed itself from the wall.
“Witch,” it hissed.
Not long ago, I would have been stung by the word.
It had hung over me for years. The accusatory glare of the elders when they learned the truth had embedded itself in me.
But here, where I could feel the water’s power and feel my own strength, in a pack where, against all odds, I now felt at home, the word was almost a balm.
I grinned. “Still confident?” I asked, already drawing up more water, morphing it into a ball, ready to hurl it.
“I’m going to tear this place to shreds, with you along in it,” it sneered.
“Have fun trying.”
Before it could move again, the giant ball of water flew toward him, slamming into its face too fast for it to fling up its hands.
It reeled backward. When its hands lowered, I saw an actual face chiseled into the sand, like it had been sculpted there.
Wet clumps formed high cheekbones and a strong jaw.
A pointed nose formed between the two glowing eyes.
It was the most human I had ever seen it.
If it were human, it would have been a handsome man, were it not for the rage twisting its face.
Before I could react, it darted forward. A hand gripped my throat and thrust me to the ground. I gaped, stars bursting in my vision as the wraith loomed over me. Sand trickled into my mouth, blocking my airways.
My hand flopped, searching for the water from the spring, wanting to hurl more of it at him. Except I couldn’t reach. It held me tight, looming over me as my breathing grew more and more labored, sand clogging my throat.
A high-pitched yowl echoed around the cavern, and the wraith vanished from overhead. Groaning, pushing myself up, my head spun as I looked, and, with a horrified jolt, I saw Grace spinning to face it. She had knocked him off me.
Behind her, I saw a large shape lunging in their direction.
But I was quicker. Hacking and sputtering, I reached for the water and thrust it toward them, creating a wall of shimmering water between the wraith and Grace.
Grace stumbled back, plodding over to me and giving me a reassuring lick as I continued spitting out sand.
My hand quavered as my head began to throb.
A moment later, despite my trying to hold it, the water slumped back down to the ground, removing the barrier.
The wraith hissed at me as I pushed myself to my feet, putting myself between it and Grace once more.
“You’ll regret this, witch,” its gravelly voice warned. Instead of attacking, it turned, preparing to race out and come back another day.
It came to a screeching halt when it caught sight of Elias, blocking the entrance, the wraith now weakened enough for the alpha to do some serious damage.
At the same time, I could feel that I was weakening. My head had started to pound like a drum, and everything swirled as I tried to catch my breath. I felt liquid dripping down from my nose. When I swiped a finger beneath it, I jolted in alarm when I saw it was blood.
I heaved a labored breath. I had never used this much magic at once before. The edges of my vision flickered and dimmed as everything swirled.
I heard the wraith give a throaty chuckle as it watched me stagger.
“You’re weak, witch,” it jeered. “You aren’t used to your power, are you?”
I didn’t answer, stumbling again as I reeled.
It gave another laugh. “It was a noble effort. But it’s time for you to die.”
As it lunged toward me, apparently forgetting the figure behind it.
I raised my arms once again, concentrating, using every ounce of my concentration and exertion.
A column of water swelled behind me, heading toward the wraith.
It wrapped around it, creating a swirling vortex of water, trapping it.
Panicked shrieks reverberated from inside, barely audible over the sound of rushing water.
I watched as it tried to break free, only for the vortex to track it, keeping it locked in the swirling water.
I closed my fist and watched with savage satisfaction as the vortex began to constrict and close in, tightening around him.
My head pounded, and the room began to spin around me.
I stumbled as my eyes went in and out of focus.
Gritting my teeth, I dug my teeth into my lower lip, trying to bring myself back to the present.
I couldn’t let myself slip, not yet. This was more magic than I had ever done before. I couldn’t keep it up for much longer.
I forced myself to straighten, to hold on. I couldn’t give up. Not yet.
Between two moments, my concentration wavered, my throbbing headache getting in the way. The vortex collapsed, flopping to the stones below and freeing the wraith before I could strike the killing blow.
With a snarl that was both terrified and furious, it spun, preparing to make its escape, to fight another day, only to come face-to-face with a growling Elias, showing nothing but hatred and rage in his eyes as he bared his fangs.
Elias lunged forward, claws swiping out. They dug into the wraith’s side, creating deep gouges like imprints in sand. The wraith hissed, making another move forward, only for Elias to strike first again, this time, digging his teeth into the wraith’s shoulder.
From my position, I slammed another jet of water into the swirling sand, eliciting another shriek of agony.
It spun on its heels, making toward the door. The wraith shoved Elias aside, forcing him into the side of the cavern. Elias let out a startled yelp as he slammed against the stone. I gasped, taking a step forward, only to see him stir, and relief washed through me. Elias was okay.
The room started spinning. I tried to focus one last blast at the wraith, a final parting shot. The water fell short, collapsing to the ground yards away from the creature as it ran into the tunnel and disappeared.
My hands slumped to the side as I sucked in a breath, swaying slightly on my feet. I groaned.
Grace growled, charging toward the exit, as if she planned on chasing the wraith out into the desert.
“Grace, no, wait—” I reached out, then stumbled, blinking as black swelled and swirled in my vision. I swayed on my feet. Exhaustion began to surge, washing over me, drowning me. I let out a moan.
“Emma!” I heard Elias shout.
Then everything went black.