Vlad was chasing Morgan toward the shore. To someone without the understanding of Water magic, and how it worked, it might appear that she needed to be in the water to access its power. A woman’s body was fifty to sixty percent water, with the brain containing seventy-five percent. No need for Morgan to be closer to water. She had another goal in mind. She was stalling for time.
Rowan fired up his core as Stryker, in Dragon form, emerged from the clouds and dipped a wing. Rowan recognized the gesture. His brother could easily breathe fire and torch Vlad in an instant, but Stryker understood this was Morgan and Rowan’s fight. Still, Stryker was letting him know he had his back in case things went sideways.
Rowan tipped his head to Stryker and raced toward Vlad. The Grand Vizier whirled around, fists raised.
But Rowan was faster. He slammed his fist into Vlad’s face.
Blood splattered over Vlad’s nose as he drove his fist against Rowan’s jaw.
The force knocked the weapons out of Rowan’s hands as he was propelled into the water. Vlad meant to extinguish Rowan’s fire.
Haunting notes of a childhood melody drifted into his thoughts, the rhyme created during the Black Death…
Starve the fire and burn the wind.
Steal the earth and boil the seas.
Ashes, ashes, they all fall down.
Waves rose around Rowan, pounding against him, cooling his core and draining what little reserves he had left. Finding Vlad had proved easier than he’d thought. Morgan might have been stalling for time when she raced toward the shoreline, but Vlad hadn’t stopped her. He wanted her by the water.
A trap.
Vlad was counting on Rowan coming to Morgan’s rescue.
Submerged in the water, steam enveloped Rowan like a shroud as he fought to the surface despite the pounding surf.
Vlad stood near the shore, holding the woman Rowan loved more than life itself in his vise-like grip, both of them in the waist-high, roiling water. Vlad looked like a mountain rising from the depths of a black sea.
The tide drove toward the shore, stretching out toward the Earth Wizard. Water churned around Vlad in a tidal whirlpool, foaming in its intensity, a sign Morgan was summoning her element’s power.
Vlad’s arm crushed Morgan’s shoulders against his chest as she struggled to free herself. “Turn back, Fire Wizard,” Vlad thundered. “The power of Water drains your strength. You will not survive long.”
“The same can be said of you, Grand Vizier. Water extinguishes Fire, but it also dissolves Earth.”
“I have safeguarded against any erosion with a spell. A gift from the female Wizards when they thought I meant to sparetheir lives. Why would I? It is a travesty Water Wizards hold such power over us. Our greatest sin was that we elevated them to a level equal to our own.”
“We did not grant them anything.” Each word Rowan spoke felt like it could be his last as thick waves pulled at him, impeding his progress toward Vlad. “They earned the right to control the element of Water in the same way as our ancestors earned the right to control Air, Fire and Earth.”
“Your judgment is clouded by your attraction to this female,” Vlad said over the roar of the surf. “Soon our mistake will be made right again. Haven’t you ever wondered what it would be like to be free of their control? The time is ripe to rein in their control over Water and…us.”
Morgan locked eyes with Rowan. “Hold,”she said in his thoughts. “Vlad believes he has a spell that will conquer Water’s power over Earth. It makes him reckless, and that will work to our advantage. I am aware of the spell, and my sister Wizards have reversed its fatal effects. But I need you to stay in the water a while longer. Have faith. My brand will protect you. Can you hold?”she repeated.
“I can,”he said, even though that much effort caused him pain. “But what is your plan? It looks as though he has weakened you, as well.”
“Looks are deceiving, my love, and meant to cause him to become overconfident. Even now, the Water around him grows stronger, dissolving his core with such care that he is not aware of what is happening to him. Like a frog dropped in cold water on the stove, Vlad will not know the danger he is in until it is too late.”
“What is this?” Vlad shouted. “Are the two of you plotting against me in your thoughts?”
Morgan averted her gaze from Rowan’s to steal a glance toward the Dragon that circled overhead. “Only that we loveeach other, Grand Vizier. I wonder, though, do you worry what Stryker will do if you kill his brother? Dragons are not known for their forgiveness.”
“But theyareknown for the love of gold, and I have piles of it to offer him. Silence, witch. Time for talk has ended.” He crushed her against him.
“Remember. Looks are deceiving.” She cast Rowan another glance then went limp in Vlad’s arms, and as she did, the intensity of the ocean increased.
Vlad pushed Morgan from him and into the awaiting surf, where seafoam circled around her gently. He ground his teeth and held his hand over Morgan’s body. “I wish we had burned all the water witches when we had the chance in the Middle Ages. That some survived haunts us still. No matter. We will right that wrong, and it starts with you.”
Rowan pushed deeper into the boiling water, each step a struggle. He hoped the last words Morgan had said in his thoughts were true. But Vlad was a strong Earth Wizard, the best of the best, which was the reason his rise to power hadn’t been a surprise. Could Morgan overcome Vlad’s efforts to stop her heart?
