Not a moment passed before the haunting laughter of my assailants sounded behind me.
Branches tore at my cloak, my hair, my face. I ducked and twisted, stumbling over roots and uneven ground, my tired lungs burning as I pushed myself faster.
Just keep moving. Don't stop.
Terror scrabbled at the edges of my mind, threatening to drag me under.
My foot caught on something. I didn’t know what, but I pitched forward and landed face down on the ground.
The shockwaves went straight through my body. I tried to get up, but the air stung the bruises I gotten on my elbows and knees.
That was the least of my worries. Because the bastards caught up with me.
Hands grabbed at my cloak, yanking me backward. I spun, trying to tear free, but another set of hands locked around my arm.
All-consuming fear flooded my system.
Gods, how in the fuck did this happen to me?
I’d run from the safety of Vyrenth Hollow only to end up like this.
"Let me go and leave me the fuck alone!" I thrashed against their grip, but they only laughed.
I was a mouse in a sea of lions. I couldn’t fight them off. And I couldn’t blame the magical drain for that.
Zerch stepped in front of me, that crazy smile still carved across his face. His hand shot out and grabbed my jaw, forcing me to look at him.
"You don't get to run away from me, sweetheart." His fingers dug into my skin, tilting my face up. "Not after walking intomytown with that pretty hair, those frightened eyes. And what’s that I smell?” He inhaled my hair and laughed harder. “Hhhuman. Look what we got, boys. A half-human, half-mage girl.”
“I wondered why she ran.” The guy holding me from behind cackled in my ear. “Don’t you have many powers, little mage?"
Zerch inhaled me again. “Oh, she does. But something’s wrong with her.” His voice took on a taunting sing-song tone that irritated me to the bone.
The jab reminded me of the kids at school who made fun of me because of my heritage.
“Fuck. Off,” I cried, trying to knee him in the balls.
I missed, even though we were so damn close.
“I knew you were special.” His other hand came up, fingers trailing slowly down my neck. “But you, you, my dear lady, are weak.”
Weak.
Something inside me snapped.
Fear twisted. Sharpened. Became fury.
I recalled the incident I’d written about in my journal when I’d aged the rebels with my time magic and they turned to dust.
That was not weakness. That was power.
I needed it now. And I had the advantage of my notes. When I’d last used that spell, I didn’t know my base power was time magic. Now I did.
Like before, I just needed to conjure all the years these assholes had to live and make them live out the rest of their lives within the space of a minute.
I searched for my power and found it eager to be used.
“Dokombriva, mortiulim, carpe liveum,” I chanted and snarled.
