I raise my hands, summoning a shield. She bears down onme. I twist, ready to break free when I see something that makes my heart skip a beat. A small, frantic figure darts between the trees, and right behind her are two morghuls.
Katara.
There’s blood gushing down her arm, and she’s holding the hands of two kids.
One of them stumbles.
No!
I glance back at Calindra as Endora screams in my head.
Don’t do it! You will die!
I won’t!
I reinforce my barrier, just long enough to give me a chance.
“KATARA, FASTER!” I scream. She glances up at me before grabbing the child up in her arms and pushing faster.
Calindra roars, turning her attention to Katara.
“Not on my watch!” I yell as I raise the Tongue of Dawn, swinging it at Calindra, forcing her to jump back as I raise a barrier between Katara and the morghuls, buying Katara a little time to get away.
But not enough time for me to reinforce my own barrier. It shatters like weak glass, pain slams through my back, and then I’m falling, agony erupting like knives through every inch of my body.
A blur of energy cuts through the smoke. Calindra isabove me, victory written across her face as I try to scramble for control, the pain jarring my magic somehow – blocking it.
Then I feel it again, the presence within my mind. My vision narrows as I try to turn, bracing for impact, every fibre of my being tightening.
And then I’m in my mind, before the spirit doors. Where there was once just one, that led to Endora, another has appeared from the shadows, calling to me.
I call on you… Isolara. Awaken,I murmur, and I reach out, opening the door...
WhatMatters
Theo
In every fucking direction, my home is destroyed. Rage is ripping through me, and yet, this bastard is not going down.
I have never wanted anyone dead as much as I do him. He and the rest of his fucking team.
How? How did they do it? How the hell did they do it? When did they destroy the barrier? How did they know the key points to target? I get they have witches, but the tethers for the spell were hidden, and we have security around the perimeter.
But I can do that too, get close, get past others without them realising. What fucking powers do they have? Was it Calindra or Velasara? Both are powerful witches. And we don’t know who else they have on their side. If we have so many favoured on our side, then who else is out there?
I know there are potentially others who we don’t even know of out there, and we are searching for them. The more on our side, the better… but at the same time, who do they have? What powers do they fucking possess that they can bringbarriers of such calibre down?
Ares was fighting Calindra until Heaven showed up. As much as I’m fucking proud to see her go head-to-head with Calindra, I know how dangerous this is, and I want to go over there and ask her why the hell she’s out here. I get witches come into power way earlier, but this shit is fucking dangerous.
I may be over here with Dad and Jayce fighting this masked cunt, but my attention keeps flitting to the match that’s occurring up in the air. The fact that she’s able to stay up there as if she has solid ground beneath her feet is incredible.
Sienna’s here, too. So are Shahira and Charlotte. I think I saw Brock, but I’m not sure.
I block an attack, the power throwing us all back as Dad and Jayce counter, their auras colliding.
Theo, Heaven!Jayce snarls through the mind-link. My head snaps towards her, my heart lurching violently into my throat.
She’s plummeting through the canopy of trees at breakneck speed, hair whipping wildly, her body falling headfirst towards the ground.
