Luna screamed, “No!” She couldn’t bear to watch this and covered her eyes with her hands. Horn met sword with a loud clash. Unable to help herself, Luna peered through the cracks in her fingers to see Damien in mid-swing again, coming down hard on Clyde’s sword—denting it.
Unbelievable. Damien’s horn had actually dented the sword! But that didn’t make any sense. Nina’s horn had been severed by a sword, yet now it appeared that another unicorn’s horn was impervious to the same weapon. What had changed?
Another loud clash of weapons echoed, and Clyde stumbled backwards, bumping into Luna. Their eyes met, and an unmistakable flicker of malice gleamed in his gaze. This was a man who was facing his enemy; mercy was off the table.
Luna sucked in a breath, but before she could react further, Clyde manoeuvred her in front of him using her like a human shield, stopping Damien in his tracks.
Nina’s voice thundered, echoing loudly enough that time itself seemed to stop. “You leave me no choice!”
The sound of her voice drew the attention of those around her as if she alone could steal away the panic coursing through them all. The crowd paused, and even Luna couldn’t help but watch as Nina reached for the fallen tip of her horn. Holding it in her hand, she snatched the ripped leaf away from the cloaked figure, her movements surprisingly quick for someone who had just undergone what she had.
Lifting both items into the air, she mumbled several words beneath her breath then stabbed the leaf with her broken horn shard, then she repeated the motion, stabbing her own heart with the broken tip of her horn.
The large stone platform began to glow bright white beneath her, runes etching into the stone over and over again. The leaf appeared to bleed and a purplish fluid dripped from it, seeping against the symbols of the stone. The plant bled more than what seemed possible until all the runes were coated.
Luna didn’t have time to close her eyes as a shield of blackness wrapped around her, Clyde, and Damien. Without warning, ashes speared the air, burning everything they touched, sparking multiple fires.
Complete chaos ensued.
People screamed and ran for their lives, without a care for who they pushed down in the process.
The shield of black was a force field, protecting Damien and Luna—and by extension, Clyde. By sheer colour and feel alone, Luna knew it washismagic. He was likely less than pleased to see Clyde had escaped Nina’s fury, but it couldn’t be helped.
With all the chaos, no one had noticed that Nina had fallen. The spell she’d performed had apparently cost her greatly. One of the figures had grabbed her, swooping her up into their arms like one would a fragile baby. Nina’s head hung backwards, her mouth gapped open, her lips turning nearly black. Blood dripped from her wound onto the stone, staining it with light.Pure light.
The figures tossed the leaves they had been holding aside, cursing as they did so. “We have to run!” one figure shouted, her feminine voice all too familiar, though Luna couldn’t place who it was. And in a blink, the other cloaked figures transformed into unicorns. One, a sandy grey with a dark dorsal stripe down its back, the other a dappled grey with black circles on its rear. The familiar-sounding female cradled Nina’s body against her chest as she mounted the sandy grey unicorn.
Guards approached them; some had swords drawn, and others held some type of canister, but the unicorns didn’t seem discouraged. The dappled grey unicorn bared its teeth before dropping its head, readying its horn as a weapon.
But it didn’t need to.
Black magic ignited from Damien, spreading out like a mist that snaked along the ground. It expanded, moving towards the guards. Several dodged out of its path, but others were not fast enough, and the magic disintegrated their legs.
A command rang out, and the canister-wielding guards released their ammunition; a fine white powder soared through the air, looking almost like flour from Luna’s position.
The unicorns easily manoeuvred around the attack, jumping off the stage before galloping away. For a split second, Nina lifted her head, a smile tugging at her lips as if everything had gone according to plan, then she dropped her head back again, going limp in the enemy’s arms.
Luna heard the guards shout out at each other while they reloaded their canisters.
“What is that?” she asked no one in particular and received no answer. Now was not the time for questions, anyway. She should be panicking like everyone else, trying to get away. Where were her survival instincts?
Her voice seemed to activate Clyde and he tightened his grip on her. “Let’s get out of here.”
Damien moved his body so that he stood in their path. “She’s not going anywhere with you,” he snarled, his eyes narrowed to slits.
Clyde turned his sword from Damien to Luna, pressing the blade against her throat.
She went stiff in his arms, scared to move in case he accidentally nicked her. Panic seized her, making it difficult to breathe. A single injury wouldn’t just wound her; it could potentially kill her still, right? Or maybe not. She wasn’t wearing the necklace anymore. Not wanting to chance it, she stayed motionless.
“You were saying?” Clyde said.
Damien backed up a step. “Don’t you dare hurt her.”
“Don’t make me.”
Damien took another step backwards.
“Good boy,” Clyde mocked. “You stand there. Get rid of this black shit. And no more little magic tricks, or I’ll cut her down faster than you can blink.”
