44. Evelyn
44
Evelyn
I turned my attention to the witch, who had caused me so much pain. Morgana stood at the center of the battlefield, her silver hair whipping in the magical winds she had conjured.
“You think you can stop this?” She laughed, her voice echoing unnaturally. “A new power is coming, unlike anything you’ve ever imagined!”
“You’re delusional,” I shot back, gathering my magic. “You can’t simply siphon power from an entire town for your benefit.”
“You think this is for me?” Her voice echoed, laced with madness. “How adorably clueless you are.”
I unleashed a torrent of fire; the flames taking on the shape of a massive phoenix as they surged towards Morgana. She countered with a wave of darkness, the two forces colliding in a spectacular explosion of light and shadow.
The ground shook beneath our feet as we traded blows, neither of us willing to give an inch. My magic hummed happily with each attack, drawing strength from my lineage and the knowledge that my guys—my family—were fighting alongside me.
“Give it up, Evelyn,” Morgana taunted. “You’re no match for what’s coming. We will be ruling the world.”
A surge of white-hot fury coursed through me. This wretched witch had caused so much pain, so much destruction.
My parents.
Theo.
The pain and suffering she had inflicted on me in the previous timeline.
Enough was enough.
“You have no idea what I’m capable of,” I shouted, my magic crackling around me like lightning.
I reached out to my tree branches as Rafe had taught me, but instead of selecting just one, I activated all of them.
Morgana’s eyes widened, just a fraction, as she sensed the raw power building within me.
“Foolish girl,” she spat. “Your pathetic attempts are—”
I didn’t let her finish.
With a primal scream, I unleashed the full force of my rage, my magic exploding outward in a blinding wave of energy. Morgana tried to shield herself, but my power slammed into her with the fury of a thousand witches.
I could feel my lineage, all the witches that had come before me, igniting my power.
She shrieked, the sound echoing across the battlefield as my magic enveloped her.
There was no finesse, no precision—just raw, unbridled power fueled by all the suffering, betrayal, and pain Morgana had inflicted on me. All the innocent lives that were taken.
Morgana was lifted off her feet, her body contorting unnaturally as my magic tore at her. She thrashed and writhed, her once-regal robes turning to tatters.
“This is for everyone you’ve hurt!” I raged, pouring more of myself into the assault. “For all the lives you’ve destroyed!”
Morgana’s screams reached a crescendo, then suddenly fell silent as her body crumpled to the ground, lifeless.
There was a moment of silence as everyone paused at the scene.
Then the remaining members of her group, seeing their leader’s demise, quickly surrendered.
I stood there, chest heaving, my anger slowly subsiding.
It was over.
Morgana was gone.
Alister was at my side in an instant, his arms wrapping around me as I sagged against him, spent.
“Is it really over?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.
“I think so, little phoenix.”
As the adrenaline of battle faded, I became aware of the devastation around us. The field was scorched and pockmarked from stray spells, and the air still crackled with residual magic.
“We should check on the civilians and some of them are still spelled,” Rafe said, ever the voice of compassion.
I nodded, taking a shaky step forward.
“And we need to secure my father,” Ryker said.
“I’ve got just the thing,” Lucien said, pulling out a set of magical handcuffs from his seemingly bottomless fanny pack and handing them to Ryker.
“I think Lia is spelled. Can someone make sure she’s okay? I need a minute.”
“I’ll go,” Alister said.
The rest of us stood, looking at the devastation. The stench of death and destruction hung heavily in the air. Bodies lay strewn across the ground, their lifeless forms twisted in agony.
At least the innocent were safe.
Just as I stepped away from the guys, a ball of black flames soared toward them with blinding speed.
None of us had time to react.
It hit them head-on, engulfing them on the spot. For a split second, I saw their faces-shocked, afraid. Then they were gone, turned to ashes right before my eyes.
My heart stopped.
I stood, momentarily frozen.
“No!” I screamed, the pain ripping through my chest.
The world tilted and blurred as grief and rage consumed me.
This couldn’t be happening.
We had won.
It was supposed to be over.
The ashes of their bodies scattered on the scorched earth.
They were…gone.
I turned, tears blurring my vision, to see Morgana, her eyes glowing unnaturally.
“So you’re Hecate’s chosen one,” she sneered, her lips curling into a wicked smile. “I must say, I expected more.”
This wasn’t Morgana—some dark force had taken over her body.
In a blur of movement, Alister shot forward, grabbing my sword and hurling it toward Morgana. Effortlessly, she flicked it back, causing black flames to engulf the sword as it shot back and impaled Alister’s heart.
Time seemed to slow as I watched him crumple to the ground.
“Alister!” I screamed, the sound tearing from my throat.
The vision shattered, leaving me gasping for air, the echo of my scream still ringing in my ears. The vividness of their deaths clung to my consciousness like a nightmare.
“I’ve got just the thing,” I heard Lucien say, bringing me back to reality as he pulled out a set of magical handcuffs from his fanny pack and handed them to Ryker.
“I think Lia is spelled. Can someone make sure she’s okay? I need a minute,” I felt myself say.
“I’ll go,” Alister said.
Desperation clawed at my chest as I reacted, conjuring a wall of flames just in time to shield the guys before the killing blow. My heart pounded in my ears; every second felt like an eternity as the fire roared between them and whoever had taken over Morgana’s body.
“Stay back,” I shouted to them. “Chad, Ryker, Rafe, Lucien, stay behind the flames. Alister…” I looked around.
“Impressive,” Morgana said, eyebrows raised. “You’re fast, I’ll give you that. But what can a mere mortal do against a God?”
Morgana coming back to life and my warning had made the guys stop in their tracks.
Except…
In a blur of movement, Alister shot forward, hurling my sword towards Morgana. I moved as fast as I could, but I wasn’t fast enough to stop it. As Morgana flicked the sword back at blinding speed engulfed in black flames, it hit me straight in the heart, halting my scream and skewering Alister behind me.
We stood momentarily frozen in mid-air by the momentum of the hit.
Morgana, or whatever God had possessed her, smiled.
Then her body slumped to the ground, lifeless.
I tried to breathe, but blood splattered out of my mouth as we fell to the ground and landed in darkness.