“You don’t know what it’s like to be me!” Dyna shouted. “To be so weak and helpless and to be hunted, fearing one day to be captured because you couldn’t defend yourself.”
Fury flamed through Lucenna and light spiraled along her arms. “Don’t I?”
From the moment she was born, someone had sought to control her, to steal that which wasn’t theirs to take. The Archmage, her father, the Enforcers—there was no one there to hold them at bay, no protectors to keep her safe. She had no one to rely on but herself.
In this world, she couldn’t afford to let anything to impede her, or it would be a death sentence. She’d seen what was holding Dyna back, and there was no way to get rid of it other than to face it. Otherwise, the girl would never survive.
Dyna’s throat bobbed. “I didn’t mean—”
Lucenna lifted the journal in a cloud of purple flames and fueled it with enough power to singe the edges.
“No!” Dyna held out her hands pleadingly.
Lucenna snatched her in a blanket of purple mist and drew her forward. “Answer the question,” she said stiffly, her patience wearing thin.
Betrayal, and hurt swam in her wild eyes. “I told you why!”
She shook her head and hissed a sharp breath. “There is only one way this ends, Dyna. Only one of us will leave with the journal today.”
“Family means nothing to you,” Dyna said, tears running down her face. “As it meant nothing to Andrez.”
The accusation impaled Lucenna’s ribs like a knife. She tossed her to the ground.
“Lie to me one more time, and I will destroy the journal,” Lucenna hissed.“Why are you here?”
Chapter 34
Dynalya
Dyna’s heart rammed in her chest as the journal hovered in the air, trapped in a mist of purple flames. Lucenna stood confidently, her hands and forearms alight with crackling streams of light. The answer to her question would never be the right one, because she couldn’t win this battle, not against her.
Clenching her fists, Dyna summoned her Essence. It hummed faintly beneath her skin. “I don’t have the power to fight you.”
Lucenna’s eyes flashed a vivid purple, and she threw out a streak of lightning. Dyna pivoted, but not fast enough to avoid it fully. The blazing spell caught the edge of her arm, and she cried out at the searing of her skin.
“What was that power on the fjord?” Lucenna shouted. “A fluke? The power idling in your veins is wasted on someone who refuses to use it.”
Dyna shook her head. “That hadn’t been by my means. I can’t access it on my own!”
The sorceress released a fierce growl through her teeth. “Stop making excuses. That is your magic, Dyna. Use it!”
Her magic?Dyna balled her fists. How could she have that inside of her? Her whole life, her Essence had never been enough. Maybe the one who wasn’t enough was her. Whatever was keeping her power locked away, there was only one thing that set it free.
Cassiel couldn’t speak or so much as move his head, but she saw the answer burning in his eyes.
Do it!She could almost hear him say.
Dyna ran to his extended wing and plucked a feather. It immediately flared gold, and power rushed through her veins, so hot it burned her body from within. The barrier swung open, and Essence rushed through her pores, bathing her in green light. It convulsed inside of her, effortlessly rising to her call with a vengeance. The sting of betrayal fed the incineration of her anger. Green flames climbed up Dyna’s arms as she faced her opponent.
The disadvantage vanished, and so did her hesitation.
Dyna hurled a firestorm at Lucenna, commanding blast after blast. Lucenna effortlessly deflected each attack. Purple met green, each explosion ripping through the forest within the dome. With a frustrated grit of her teeth, Dyna waved her hand, and a boulder came flying from the right. Lucenna’s eyes widened. She leaped away, only for another to come flying from the left. It knocked her off her feet, and she slammed on the ground.
Dyna winced, instinctively jerking toward her. “I-I’m sorry, I—”
Lucenna laughed. She brushed dirt from her cheek and stood, a harsh smile tugging at her lips. “Good.” Her eyes glowed as light swarmed over her body. “Now the real battle begins.”
Chest heaving, Dyna moved in formation. Lucenna came at her at full force. Spears of water, cyclones of wind, fissures in the earth. Magic, Dyna hadn’t learned.
