Chapter 19 #2
We were standing in a graveyard, a killing field.
Next to me, Flynn gave a bitter laugh. “Well, this is just perfect. First, a giant dog drags me around like I’m his favorite bone, then we discover we’ve walked into a trap, now a grim reaper wants to play.”
My gaze followed the direction of Flynn’s pointer finger.
The wraiths had emerged from the trees. They were bony, and terrifying, and wrapped in wispy black shrouds.
My breath caught in my throat. The wolven had been a predator, but these things were something else entirely.
Death itself seemed to emanate from their forms. They certainly carried the stench of the tomb.
The smell snuck through the vortex, and I gagged.
“How long can you keep this up?” Teal sounded worried.
As long as I had to. I wasn’t losing my soul to one of those things. “Where are Grayson and Pierce?”
He frowned as if my answering his question with one of my own annoyed him. “They’re on patrol, circling our perimeter, but they should be back by now.” Teal’s voice carried a hint of worry beneath the irritation.
We’d been attacked twice. Without any advance notice. “Doesn’t that mean they’re looking for threats? They’re not very good at it.”
Flynn barked a laugh. “I’ll tell them you said so.”
That assumed they were alive and we somehow saw morning. “These things only come out at night?”
Teal gave a brief nod. “That’s right.”
So I had to hold them off till sunrise? Exhaustion pulled at my already tired limbs. We were screwed. “Please tell me dawn is soon.”
Teal looked up at the star-scattered sky. “We’ve got hours yet. Three at least, probably four.”
“Might as well be days. Why the fuck did we cut through this forest?”
“We were late.”
So they’d risked wolven and wraiths? “Better late than dead.”
“Same difference,” Flynn replied. “Sabien is in charge. If we’re late, he’ll have us court-martialed.”
“Why didn’t you leave earlier?”
Teal was standing so close I could smell him. Sage and pine. “You weren’t cleared to travel.”
“Why not leave me?”
The two men exchanged a glance. “You’re our shield.”
Right. Their possession. How silly of me to have forgotten. “What do we do if the wolven return?”
Teal shifted, and his arm brushed against mine. “They won’t. They’re smart enough to stay clear of wraiths. Even monsters have nightmares.”
Three wraiths floated toward us. Floated. The fuckers had no feet. “What are they doing?”
Flynn tilted his head, studying their movements. “I’m guessing they’re about to test our defenses.”
That sounded bad. I was our defense, and I was using elemental magic I’d possessed for less than two weeks.
One of the wraiths held out his arm and poked at my little cyclone with a finger. Well, something like a finger. Small bones linked by too many knuckles. My heart skipped a beat when the wraith’s hand didn’t dissipate in the wind.
Fuck! If the wraith passed through my paltry defense, we were dead.
Its hood blew away from its head, and I caught sight of the gloating, malevolent expression on its bony face. Its hand, the one assaulting my defenses, pushed closer to me.
Adrenaline shot through me, drying my mouth, freezing my fingers, preparing me to run. Or fight.
Wait. If the wraith was corporeal enough to pass through wind, could we cut it? “Flynn, your sword.”
A blade whooshed past me, slicing through the wraith’s wrist. A gust caught the bony hand, sending it circling around us.
The wraith hissed and retreated.
Teal pulled his sword from its sheath. “More coming.”
I counted. Ten. No, twelve. If they all came at us at the same time, one was sure to get through. “How exactly do they devour souls?”
“With a touch.”
I shuddered. My shielding power might—might—protect me, but I didn’t know if I could defend Flynn and Teal. I’d never before encountered anything like wraiths. “We can’t let them through.”
“No kidding, Princess.”
I scowled at Flynn, who ignored me. Instead, he focused on the wraiths lurking outside the vortex. My vortex. The one protecting his rude ass.
What was I thinking? Why should I bother protecting him? He and his friends had watched as Drake accosted me. They’d watched as I was dragged to the gymnasium. They’d allowed Drake to whip me within an inch of my life. They’d done nothing as I suffered in the pit.
I could take my wind and leave the two men to their fates.
As if he could read my thoughts, he shifted his gaze. “Princess—”
“Don’t call me that,” I snapped. I’d saved his life; the least he could do was call me by my name.
“Flynn. Haven.” Teal’s voice was tense.
The wraiths had floated closer, surrounding us.
What could I do? I had ice magic, but the wraiths already exuded cold. I doubted ice would affect them. I had death magic, but the wraiths didn’t seem to be alive. I had the ability to transport objects, but calling for a pencil wouldn’t help me now. I had fire … Fire.
I took a deep breath, hoping to steady my racing heart. Then I glanced at Flynn and Teal. Each man held his sword, ready to slice through any wraith that passed through my barrier.
But there were too many black-hooded creatures. At least one was sure to make it through the gale surrounding us. And all it took to kill was a single touch.
What I was about to do would either end us or save us.
I’d never combined magics before—hell, I’d barely mastered using them separately.
Setting the wind on fire? It was an insane idea.
Fire needed air to burn, but too much air would start an inferno.
Too little air, they’d sputter out. And if I lost control …
I pictured the entire forest going up in flames, consuming not just the wraiths but every living thing for miles. We’d burn alive.
I met Teal’s eyes and saw confidence I did not possess. Confidence in me. “Not sure how you’re doing this, but I have faith in you.” His voice was barely audible above the maelstrom.
That made one of us. Ever since they’d taken me, I’d been reacting, letting others take the lead. I was done being passive. If I wanted a better life—if I wanted to live—I had to fight. With a silent prayer, I set the wind aflame.
The second I released the fire into the wind, my knees buckled. Only Teal’s quick grab kept me from hitting the ground. His strength—his resolve—gave me strength. I might be close to collapse, but his nearness meant I could keep fighting. Till dawn.