Beat.
The shadow of the Snow Gates fell upon him. Arawn could feel the power, the thrum of the gods’ protection in him and through him...and then he felt it peel away as he stepped through the purple glow, into the Expanse.
The drum stopped.
The world became a blur.
And the war began.
He ran. He ran like hell was at his back, as the others in front of him ran, not even knowing what he was runningtowards.Snow stung his vision as he searched the white world before him for an enemy. For something to place his magic, his?—
“DARKSOUL!”someone screamed.
A snowdrift exploded to his right as a beam of spiraling darkpower -- darksoulmagic– slammed against the ground forces. So fast, he hadn’t seen where it came from.
Where was the enemy, where was?—
Another blast to his left.
Bodies went skyward as darksoul magic struck the battlefield, leaving a smoking black scar in its wake.
He saw something blur past his vision–a figure clad in black robes, claws where its fingers should have been, beams of purple and black power spiraling from it.
And then there was screaming, and hot blood that sprayed Arawn’s face, dripping down his chin, and a youngling he’d known – now he couldn’t even remember her name – was suddenly thrown in his path.
He reached out to help her up, but...
But her eyes saw nothing.
Dead,Arawn realized.She’s dead.
His ears rang.
This wasn’t the training room anymore. There was no padded mat to soften his fall, no instructor to stand at the side and correct him as he went. And he stood frozen for a moment, feeling like he was walking inside a dream.
Was this what Kinlear felt, when his monster hunted him?
He looked down slowly, his body going in and out of focus.
He had a sword in his hand.
He had magic in his veins.
He vaguely remembered that he should use it.
“ARAWN!”
Soraya’s voice, a sound he knew, a sound to bring him home.
Then Soraya’s face was right before him, blurred from a blizzard of white that danced between them. Andgods,she was lovely, and he’d never realized it before, never?—
He blinked.
She was covered in blood.
Not hers,his mind whispered, and he thought he felt himselfsmile. It was black, from a shadow wolf or a darksoul –had she already fought a darksoul?
“Fight!” she screamed at him. “You have tofight,Arawn!”
