‘No!’ Freya shouted, but Ylva was already gone, shoving past her in pursuit of the fleeing witch.
Freya bolted after them, muscles burning as she sprinted. She could not,would not, let Vera spill Ylva’s blood.
Ahead, the young valkyrian charged on, blind to Freya’s cries, while Vera, reveling in the chase, laughed and ran without using magic to flee. She wanted to be hunted. She wanted this.
Ylva paused only long enough to loose an arrow, its whistle sharp and true. The shaft buried itself deep in Vera’s leg, sending the witch sprawling into the snow. Instead of cursing, Vera laughed. A low, amused sound that seemed utterly wrong in the stillness of the forest. Slowly, languidly, she rolled onto her back, brushing a white strand of hair from her face with a feline grace. She raised her hands in mock surrender, a smirkcurling her lips. ‘Oh, you caught me.’
‘Ylva, get away from her!’ Freya’s cry cut through the air like a blade, but the younger valkyrian was already advancing, bow drawn, another arrow notched and ready.
The moment splintered as Kage Blackburn surged into view, his presence a storm wrapped in shadow. He struck with brutal precision, his fist slamming down where Vera’s head had been, the ground trembling from the force. She twisted just in time, but the evasion cost her; his hand closed like an iron collar around her throat, lifting her from the snow.
Vera clawed at his arm, gasping as her feet dangled.
Kage said nothing, his expression carved from obsidian, save for the faint twitch in his eye. His voice, when it came, was soft and lethal. ‘What happened to the real Vera?’
‘She’s dead.’
‘Don’t lie to me.’ His words dripped venom.
Vera’s eyes rolled in theatrical irritation. ‘She’s as good as dead, Kage Blackburn.’ His grip tightened, choking the last syllable into silence, her eyes bulging before, unbelievably, she laughed, a broken, rasping sound. ‘If you kill me… you kill… her…’
‘Do it,’Freya snarled, her voice raw with fury. ‘Kill her.’
Kage hesitated, his head tilting slightly as though weighing her words. Then his jaw clenched, displeasure flashing across his features, and to Freya’s seething frustration, he released the witch. Vera crumpled into the snow, coughing, yet still smiling.
‘Fine. I will.’ Freya lunged, sword raised high, every muscle primed to end the abomination with a single strike. But Kage moved faster, shoving her aside, dark eyes blazing with fierce resolve.
Vera’s grin spread wider, full of mocking delight, even as her hands flared with viridian fire. The blast hit like a tempest,flinging them backwards. Kage and Ylva collapsed where they landed, unconscious, their weapons scattered in the snow.
Freya alone remained standing, sword trembling in her grasp as she faced the witch.
Vera dusted off her clothes with leisurely grace, then stared at the fallen bodies. ‘I know you had plans for them…’ Her smile sharpened into cruelty. ‘So, let’s call it even, shall we?’
And with a final chuckle that curled like smoke, she vanished in a flash of green fire, leaving only the hiss of dissipating magic in her wake.
There are gods in the Underworld whose power rivals even that of Hades, deities so ancient, so fearsome, that the very earth seems to quiver at the whisper of their name. One such bloodline exists, a lineage wrapped in shadow and dread, and from it came Thanatos. He is not alone. His sister, Eris, equally formidable, belongs to the same lineage. Together, they have long been the source of unease across the divine realms, spoken of in tones laced with reverence and fear. Perhaps that is why, when the mantle of Death was to be bestowed, Hades chose Thanatos.
Not for trust.
But to keep the danger close.
To keep watch over the storm.
Tabitha Wysteria
‘Find the core,’ Allegra said, her voice soft yet commanding as they sat cross-legged beneath the open sky, the castle’s towering spires behind them. ‘Your magic lies within, veiled and waiting. You must seek it out, coax it free.’
Mal exhaled slowly, the breath trembling as she forced herself inward, searching desperately for that elusive spark of power that continued to slip through her grasp. Day by day, she trained with Thanatos to master her godlike abilities, but deep in her bones she knew none of it would matter if she could notawaken the witchcraft buried in her soul.
If she failed here, everything else would unravel.
‘You’re overthinking again,’ Allegra chided gently, her eyes narrowing with quiet amusement.
‘I know,’ Mal admitted with a weary sigh. ‘I can’t seem to stop.’
Allegra inclined her head, her amethyst gaze softening with understanding. ‘Then perhaps you should rest awhile. Magic comes when it wills, not when it is dragged screaming into the light. In the mortal realms, witchlings are given all the time they need to bloom. Power cannot be forced.’
‘I don’t have time.’ The words came out tight, heavy with urgency.
