“Take it,” I shout.
“Tempting,” Carobon says.
I step closer, uncaring of the short distance between us. “Please.”
Carobon nods, and I throw the stone at him, harder than necessary.
He catches it with ease and studies the jewel sitting heavy in his hand. I know he can feel the pulses of power coming from it, just as I can. He smiles and wraps his large hand around the stone, the dark green beauty disappearing once more.
“Thank you.” Carobon steps backwards.
Carobon shifts, vanishing from in front of me and Silas, and shock rattles me to my soul. We both swirl around to watch his body of light materialize behind Fenmore. His arms wrap around her body, and she screams, the sound reverberating into my mind.
Silas sprints toward his sister in a desperate attempt to stop him from disappearing with her.
Carobon’s face twists with delight, and Fenmore continues to scream and kick against his grip. I lunge forward without swinging my axe, fearing that one wrong move, and I could hit Fen.
“See you all very soon,” Carobon smiles.
Fenmore lifts her foot, slamming it down atop his. Carobon groans, and she spins, driving her knee into his groin. Carobon grinds his teeth and hisses from the pain, dropping the Andorwood stone onto the earth. He quickly wraps his hands around her throat, spinning her to face us once more.
“Stop,” the Great Wiitch screams.
Silas’s footsteps thunder, and the rage I’ve been seeing swarms around him like a hurricane of darkness—a storm ofcomplete death. He tenses his jaw, and even though I was closer to Fen, he’s nearing her before I can. Carobon stays focused on us, and that’s when I see a figure I forgot about emerge from the darkness.
Warrick sprints toward the Great Wiitch like a streak of lightning.
A blinding glow surrounds him, and he grips a crossbow in his hands, ready to aim as soon as a spot opens. I watch in complete shock as Warrick lifts the bow, aiming for Carobon’s body, and fires the arrow dripping in poison. The sharp point swirls through the air, and I watch Carobon’s face change from triumph to confusion, watching our gazes look past him. As quickly as the arrow leaves the bow, it finds its mark, lower than anticipated, but lodges directly into Carobon’s leg.
An inhuman scream leaves the Great Wiitch’s mouth, and his arms loosen around Fen, giving her a split second to race forward, colliding with Silas in his arms. Silas immediately shifts them backward, further away from the chaos breaking out. I continue to sprint forward with the spot now open to swipe my axe across the Great Wiitch’s throat. Rage fills me more profoundly than the surrounding sea, and my lungs burn, but I don’t let it stop me.
Carobon slowly turns to Warrick, pulling out the arrow wedged into his leg. A thick, black blood trickles slowly down his thigh, and he wipes it with his finger, licking it slowly. He snaps the arrow in two, tossing it to the ground, as if the wound is a mere scratch. I slam my feet across the grass faster, gaining speed and closing the distance.
Carobon waves his hand in my direction, and I fly backward, landing on the hard ground. My lungs gasp for air as I work to refill them from the blow.
“You made a mistake, Lumor Wielder.” Carobon glares at Warrick. “Let this be a reminder that you do not attempt to harm your Great Wiitch.”
Warrick doesn’t stop.
“It doesn’t end well.” Carobon lifts his hand into the night air, and glances at Fenmore. “This will teach her a lesson as well.”
The air around us thickens, and Warrick freezes, time seeming to stand still, while his expression changes into something that will remain in my memories for a lifetime. It changes not to fear or pain, but to a profound regret—a deep regret of what could have been. His gaze slowly moves to Fenmore, and even in the darkness surrounding us, his dark eyes shine into hers. Warrick lowers the bow, dropping it to the ground with a thud, and his shoulders relax as Carobon uses his powers to restrain us all from moving toward him.
He doesn’t run; he doesn’t attempt to flee. Instead, he uses this time to stare right into Fen’s bright green eyes. He studies Fenmore’s beautiful face—every freckle and perfect imperfections.
“Fenmore,” Warrick whispers. “You are so beautiful.”
“Warrick?” she pleads. “Move.”
He tries to take a step forward, but his face contorts into pain as the power stops him from even blinking.
“Don’t look, Fen,” Warrick whispers, and his lip trembles. “Take your eyes off me.”
She batters against Silas’s hold, cutting her eyes to her brother. A tear rolls down Silas’s cheek, and horror floods Fenmore’s expression.
Warrick fights against the pain now coursing through his body. “Pleasedon’t let her watch this, Silas.”
He stands tall and unafraid, looking only at her, like she is the one thing that matters to him in this miserable world.
