Leaning down, I closed my eyes, sending power through the ground. Bullets crashed into my shield relentlessly, but I had enough strength to keep it from falling, if only for the few minutes it took me to find gems in this world.
They were there, buried deep—gems that were connected to Faerie. Energy filled me with light and power, everything humming as the ley line between the worlds rebuilt strength. In that moment I was connected to it all, two worlds, two sides of my being. Compass and Princess. Fey and human. Warrior and victim. Everything swirled inside as the building blocks of my life settled into place, forming the true being that I was. I’d thought I’d accepted all sides of myself, but I hadn’t quite been there.
Maybe my growth would never stop, but for now I hoped I had enough to do what I needed to ensure the safety of all my people.
I lifted my head, and as I met the president's eyes, I winked. His face fell just before he clutched at the talisman around his neck, scrambling to get it in his hand and use it.
He was too late to stop the blast of ruby magic that came from deep in my newly expanded soul.
Screams rang out, and following that, explosions sounded across the land. Grenades and bullets were useless against the creeping tide of ruby, though. This spell was not one I should know, and yet it was etched into my soul. The spell that stole me from my family all those years ago.
The spell that formed the cities of gems.
Ruby dust, seemingly innocent, was rolling in about two feet above the land. At first it looked like an innocent dust storm, but as it gathered momentum, drawing more of the gems from below, it got thicker and more insidious. A veritable wave of red crashing down on the heads of the humans.
Humans who were about to learn what it felt like to be encased in stone—the president last, so he could watch his people suffer.
When the first tide of red encased a tall soldier whole, to leave behind a solid red statue, the screams grew even louder. President Caine finally figured out his stolen magic, shooting me with his talisman. It actually stung as it sliced through my shield, unlike the bullets, but it wasn’t enough to stop the stones.
The president and I were both wielding ancient energy, as old as the land of Faerie itself, and this would be a test of who was the strongest. Seeing that his magic had hit, he struck out at me again, over and over, my blood flowing free as I urged the power on.
More humans vanished, their cries silenced, until all that was left was me and the man who’d started this all.
I was covered in deep cuts. My entire body screamed at me, but the sense of satisfaction I felt at stopping the army kept me moving.
"You lost, Caine!" I shouted, stumbling forward but managing to keep my feet. "You lost to me. A woman."
Fucker was definitely a misogynist. He would hate to be bested by someone he considered inferior.
There was almost nothing left of my energy, but I had enough to urge the last of my jewels toward him. It encased his legs and arms first, but wouldn't cover the talisman around his neck.
“I just wanted to change the world,” he choked out, the truth of how much he’d believed in his cause there in those wide eyes. “I needed more resources and power.”
The rubies pushed higher, climbing over his head until there was just one spot on his chest with the talisman visible.
I cut off the spell as the silence was completed.
The spell had been my strongest move, and I’d sent it into the world knowing it might kill me.
My knees buckled and I hit the ground hard, head ringing despite the lack of any other noise.
Justice!
Jacob was shouting in my head again, and I knew that meant something, but I was too far gone to know what that something was.I saved you,I whispered back.My family.
And then my heart stopped beating.
39
Jacob Compass
The barrier dropped mere moments before Justice faded from my head. I was shifted in my half dragon form, sprinting like my life depended on it.
Because it did.
Logically, I understood that Justice had fallen saving us, and that if I couldn’t feel her, she was either under a spell or…
There were no other possibilities I would consider.
