“Here!” I yelled, calling the wolves to a stop.
Nico halted, my body swaying on his back before I jumped, my boots landing in the snow with a crunch.
“Are you sure?” Nico shifted back into his human form, the rest of the wolves remaining in their shifted forms to patrol and attack if needed while I focused on the spell.
“I’m sure. We’re hidden enough here, but far enough away from the heat of the battle. It’s perfect.”
I dumped the contents of my bag in the snow. I had mixed most of the ingredients—what I could anyway, last night. Not wanting to waste any time.
I dispersed the contents of the glass jar into a ceramic bowl as I knelt in the snow next to the line of blood salts we had dispersed earlier. A haze drifted from the mixture as I sliced my dagger across my palm, letting my blood drip in a constant stream into the bowl.
I breathed into the bloody mixture, my breath fogging over the bowl, before dumping the contents onto the salts forming a line in the snow.
“Fire magic!” I called out.
Zienna appeared at my side, a flame flickering at her fingertips. I held out my candle, the wick quickly igniting with her magic.
I let the wax pool for a moment before tipping the candle, letting three drops of wax drop onto the mixture I dumped on the salts. The blood hissed, red smoke billowing up in the cool air.
I moved the candle, letting the next three drops of wax drip directly on the salts. I shifted the candle to the other side of the mixture, dipping the flaming wick into the salts. They smoked for a moment before the salts burst into flames. The flames continued, following the path of the salts. Soon the entire boundary would be ignited.
I dug my hand into the blood and herb mixture, my other hand digging into the snow as the warm blood sizzled against my palms.
I began the spell, muttering the words I had practiced for days under my breath.
My magic warmed my body, heating my skin against the winter chill.
Magic rushed into my limbs as I continued, it tingled, pushing against my skin. It begged to be released, but I held it in. Clenching my jaw as my hands dug deeper into the ground.
The heated salts bit against my palms, but I tuned out the pain. Focusing on the words coming from my lips.
They felt wrong on my tongue, each word took effort to form. My tongue felt like it was swimming through honey.
My body clenched, my nerves pulling taut as I continued the spell.
The black vein in my arm pulsed, I could feel it spreading like claws scratching up my arm.
My voice got louder, the words burning my throat.
Sweat dripped down my forehead while my body trembled, my lips cracking.
My arms shook, but I continued, ignoring the sound of Nico’s voice digging at the back of my mind as I let the darkness take over my vision.
67
LENNOX
The stench of death permeated the air.
I had no idea how long I’d been fighting. It could have been days or an hour.
But my body didn’t tire.
It thrived on the bloodshed, on the promise of victory.
My sword was stained with blood, it dripped off the steel. Each step I took toward the center of the battle tainting my soul as I took life after life.
Adreona’s soldiers didn’t appear to have remorse for trying to kill me so I tried my best not to feel remorse toward them, guilt would surely come later if I made it out alive. And the Dhampirs—I pretended they were only beasts, blocked out they were once human.
