Chapter 4
Chapter Four
The second the words leave my mouth, Lark’s hair catches on fire.
Not just her hair. All of her. Flames spew from her body, wreathing her in radiance. The fire devours one of the massive stone assholes and lights the dust-clogged battlefield with a flash of crimson.
Yet the woman who owns my heart remains unscathed.
Her flames cradle us while she attacks. She spins a web of heat and destruction, and my gut clenches with both awe and desire.
My duchess. My warrior queen.
Lark requires no crown, or fancy gowns, or anything except herself to appear majestic. She simply is majestic. Every day, I think it’s impossible to love her more, and then she shows me yet another reason.
She’s magnificent.
If only I weren’t floundering.
I dig deep inside myself for my ice magic and curse when I slam into the resistance again. The shock of losing control is akin to falling off a cliff and slamming into the ocean far below.
Since I was old enough to wield, I never once lost command of my own godsdamned element.
Until now. Can’t say I’m enjoying the experience.
I batter the internal wall in an effort to reclaim my power as people continue to flee the courtyard. A hand grabs my arm, and I nearly punch Agnar’s cheek before I realize who’s shaking me.
Despite the dirt-streaked blood smeared all over his face, his mouth twitches. “Taking a little break while you put your honey to work? I think that crown’s turning you lazy.”
I can tell he’s joking, but my chest tightens with guilt anyway. Lark’s taken on far too much responsibility and suffered far too much because of me. First with the drachen corruption, and now this new clusterfuck with my elemental abilities.
Agnar squeezes my arm, grounding me just in time to watch an enormous stone fist swing at Lark’s head.
White-hot rage courses through my veins. Instinctively, I reach for my water with every fiber of my being, only to encounter more resistance. Like someone’s tampering with my element.
I grit my teeth and try again.
A cold more frigid than ice pierces me as I finally manage to tear through the internal resistance and blast the stone warrior with a water cannon.
I stumble as water crashes through the barrier like a broken dam. Relief bubbles inside me. Thank fuck. My element is back under my command.
Still, the thought of losing my power again—of losing her—punches me in the gut.
Keep your shit together, Barda. “This isn’t just an attack.”
“Sure feels like one to me,” Agnar shouts as he tosses boulders at our enemy.
“They’re trying to herd us.”
My friend lobs another builder, this time tripping a giant. “Why?”
“I don’t know why, but I do know where.”
“Where?” Lark’s breathless as she scans the area. Her gaze lands on Rose, still shrouded by her flame familiar, then on Kaida. The dragon lands beside the child, tucking his wings in to stand guard over her.
Seemingly satisfied that Agnar’s niece is safe, Lark focuses her attention on me.
“To Valk’s war shrine.” She takes a beat to track where I’m pointing.
“Sure.” Agnar erects a wall of earth around an advancing warrior. “Makes sense. ‘Please visit our temple’ doesn’t have the same ring as ‘Visit or die.’”
Lark and I simultaneously topple another statue with dual jets of water and flame while Rose claps her hands and giggles over my buddy’s lame joke. Kaida chuffs, as if amused by the tiny human’s antics.
Lark groans and gestures for us to regroup as a triangle with our backs together. “You two are insane.”
Agnar and I trade a glance over her head.
“Possibly.” Agnar shrugs, as if his sanity or lack thereof doesn’t faze him in the slightest. “Ready to merge? We’ll do more damage together.”
Lark presses her mouth close to my ear. “Can you?”
My fists clench. I hate that she feels the need to give me an out…just in case I don’t have my shit together yet. “Absolutely. Take the lead, Dragoncaller.”
Though she grins at the title, worry clouds her hazel eyes. “Then let’s do this.”
Battling rising doubt, I pulse my magic until it touches theirs. Our three-way connection energizes me, and the heady sensation swoops into my very core.
Earth, fire, and water meld together as one.
A whirlwind of red magma and molten mud immediately circle us.
Lark steps forward.
“Hit ’em hard!” Agnar points at a cluster of stone warriors, but his eyes dart to where Rose huddles next to Kaida.
Lark doesn’t answer. Not with words. Instead, the boiling substance surges ahead.
Shit.
We’ve practiced this maneuver, but never under pressure.
The fiery mud launches at the first giant, encasing and cementing the fucker to the ground.
Disappointment rips at me, followed by worry.
That’s her fire, and Agnar’s earth, but no water. What the hells is going on with my abilities?
As their magical compound races past the first captured enemy, a stream of water washes over it. Both mud and stone crack and disintegrate, leaving nothing but dust behind.
I expel a relieved breath while watching the fog roll out and the stone giants crumble.
The seconds dragging by turn to minutes as I struggle to control my magic enough to keep feeding the element to Lark.
Then it’s released, and I can finally breathe again. Agnar looks like he’s going to pass out, but he doesn’t. He sits in the middle of the courtyard, shaking his head as well as the dust off his clothes. “Temple sucks, in case you were wondering.”
I shoot him a dark glare. “Tell me something I don’t know.”
After a short period of silence, people start poking their heads out.
Lark sways on her feet from the aftereffects of using borrowed elements. She’ll also be thirsty. I’m already freezing, and I stumble as I catch her. We lean on each other while the exodus of people dwindles to a stop.
A handful return, but others call out, insisting it will be safer at Valk’s shrine.
Right now, I’m happy to follow someone else’s lead, because I don’t have a fucking clue which path is right.
I don’t even know what’s happening with my own magic.