Not just thorns this time. The stone itself cracked and split as massive vines burst through, thick as her arm and covered in golden flowers that glowed bright and blinding.They grew wild, directionless, responding to her terror rather than her will. One wrapped around a Withered's leg, and where the flowers touched the Withered, it burst into brilliant flame. Another vine caught Halian across the chest, thorns tearing through his robes as he cried out, stumbling back in surprise.
"Fascinating," Malus said, not even pausing as vines erupted around him. They seemed to bend away from him, as if recognizing a greater threat. "Your magic doesn't know friend from foe. How wonderfully destructive."
Briar staggered back, eyes sweeping the courtyard in desperation. She spotted Karse in time to watch as he incinerated his opponent, white ash drifting through the air like freshly fallen snow. She glanced back at Malus who had finally cleared the tangle of vines.
She ran towards Karse, stumbling over upturned stones and debris, and made it only a few steps before another Withered cut her off, forcing her to dodge left. The creature's fingers brushed her sleeve, and the fabric aged decades in seconds, crumbling to dust and revealing the skin beneath.
"Briar!" Arion's voice, desperate. She could see him fighting to reach her, his light burning brighter, but two Withered had converged on him now, drawn by his power.
More vines erupted, these bearing flowers that released clouds of golden pollen. Where it touched the Withered, they stumbled, their movements becoming erratic. But Thaine started coughing, eyes watering, his defense faltering.
"You're going to kill them all," Malus observed, now only feet away. "Your protectors, your admirers. Your magic responds to fear with violence. How very like my brother's power."
Her back hit the solid stone of the courtyard wall leaving her with nowhere left to run.
Malus paused, watching her for a moment with those unsettling green eyes. They looked so much like Eliam’s, only more sinister. “We are going to havesomuch fun,” he said as he reached for her again, his smile patient and terrible. "Don't make this more difficult than—"
A stream of water shot directly into his open mouth.
Malus choked, stumbling back, hands going to his throat. Frederick—tiny, impossible Frederick—had expanded his bubble to the size of a melon and was shooting high-pressure water with shocking accuracy. The sprite's entire body glowed with effort, more water than should have been possible pouring from his small form.
Malus coughed, retching water tinged with autumn colors, his perfect composure finally cracking. "A water sprite," he said, voice rough but steadying. "How unexpectedly clever."
Frederick, exhausted from his effort, shrank back to marble size and disappeared into Briar's hair. She could feel him trembling against her neck.
Malus straightened, autumn magic already repairing the indignity, his copper hair drying instantly. "Enough games."
Vines erupted from the ground around Briar—not golden and wild like before, but dark and twisted, reeking of decay. They reached for her with thorn-covered tendrils, moving with purposeful intent.
Without warning, Karse dropped from above, landing in a low crouch directly between them. White-blue flames erupted from both hands, incinerating the vines instantly. The air filled with the acrid smell of burning rot.
"I said,no touching," he said, still crouched, looking up at Malus with those reptilian eyes. "The human's mine. I thought we established this. Maybe you’re just slower than most. Do you need it written down? I could burn it into your forehead if that helps."
Malus stepped back, autumn magic surging defensively. The vines around them withered instantly, the golden flowers turning to ash, even the stones cracking with sudden age. But Karse just tilted his head, flames growing hotter, scales visible along his arms where his stolen clothes had started to smoke.
Around them, the battle had stalled. The remaining Withered stood motionless, waiting for commands. Arion's light flickered with exhaustion. Thaine bled from multiple wounds where thorns had caught him.
"We can do this easy or hard," Karse said, finally standing, keeping himself firmly between Briar and Malus. "But either way, you're not taking what's mine."
Malus studied the scene: the wild vines still twitching with golden light, the scorch marks where Karse's fire had met his autumn decay, the way the magic had attacked everyone indiscriminately. Something flickered in his expression, recognition, but of what?
"How interesting," he murmured, tilting his head as he observed her. "That wasn't you at all, was it? You're as surprised as everyone else when it happens." His eyes narrowed with genuine curiosity. "Something inside you, acting on its own. Protecting you without your knowledge or control. What exactly did my brother hide in his pet?"
He took a step closer.
"Don’t," Karse warned, flames dancing higher.
Malus glanced at the Drak, then at Arion approaching from the left, light gathering in his palm. Thaine had acquired another weapon and now circled in from the right. Even injured, even tired, they were converging on him.
"My my, three defenders for one human girl," Malus mused. "And something else defending her from within. Either you're all fools, or—" He paused, studying how the golden flowers pulsed with their own light. "Or my brother did something far more interesting than simply marking a human plaything."
He took a step back, and the remaining Withered moved with him, forming a protective circle.
"This has been most educational," he said, his gaze fixed on Briar with an intensity that made her skin crawl. "We're not finished. Whatever my brother hid in you, whatever he thought he was protecting—it won't stay hidden long. I'm very good at taking things apart to see how they work. Putting them back together, well, that takes time and patience but I’m sure it will be worth the effort."
The threat was somehow worse for its vagueness. Taking her was one thing, speaking of taking her apart to discover what made the magic manifest was another entirely.
Malus's smile grew contemplative. "It’s a talent that runs in our family. My brother prefers to break things through force. I prefer... precision."
