The scythe made a jarring, cracking noise when it collided with the defensive spell and broke into tiny—sharpened—shards that dug into the shield. One piece actually managed to partially lodge throughit.
Angelique’s heart pounded as she yanked up her skirts and delivered a brutal kick to the black mage’s gut.His charm blocks physical magic attacks, but not purely physical assaults. And the sneezing spell got through just fine as well. Maybe that’s why it’s so strong—because it has alimit.
He bent over, wheezing in pain, but when she tried to jab him in the throat—her hand laced with electricity—he blocked her with his forearm and threw a saber at the soldiers’ crackingshield.
Angelique retreated to strengthen the spell but threw a wad of ice as a parting shot—which, of course, his shieldblocked.
She was at her limit in terms of twisting and slinging spells. She couldn’t go any faster than this, and unfortunately, he was right about the soldiers—she had to protect them in addition to dodging his attacksherself.
She impatiently pushed her sopping hair out of her face.I can’t focus enough on attacking. Do I grab the soldiers and retreat?The thought was bitter as bile in her mouth.But he obviously knows where Evariste is! I can’t just retreat! Maybe I can put a tracking spell onhim?
Angelique eyed him and tried to mentally sift through the potential charms she could make, but the mage shot off slender black pins with enough force to drive them into a tree. She threw her magic in a large shield—protecting herself and thesoldiers.
Again, her core powers tugged at her as they brushed her senses and longed to be used. (It wasn’t quite so tempting now; rather, it was almost painful—like stubbing her toe or stepping on a rock with a bare foot.) She shook off the feeling and started twisting hermagic.
She noticed the black mage was smirking, so she glanced around, looking for more of hisweapons.
Polearms topped with spears and thin, crescent-shaped side blades jutted out of theground.
Angelique tapped her magic and dredged up rocks from deep within the ground underneath the soldiers. The rocks surfaced in a pile, raising the fallen warriors above the ground, cracking the road and moving them out of reach. She simultaneously turned the sloppy, wet ground beneath the polearms into a sort of quicksand mixture that sucked themunder.
The icy cold rain was starting to get to her. It was extreme and persistent enough it was starting to make the charms on her dress fail. Her teeth chattered, and she was having a hard time feeling the magic at her fingertips as her extremities numbed.I need to do something,fast.
The black mage narrowed his eyes and studied her. “Why don’t you use your core magic?” He waved his hand at the broken earth that marked out their battlefield. “You could have stopped my weapons with your war magic, but instead, you scurry around like an insect. All of this is child’s play compared to the power you have in your core magic. Enchantress or not, your core magic willalwaysbe more potent andpowerful.”
“I don’t need it to fight you!” Angelique snarled. Gathering her magic, she threw a blazing flare of light at him, hoping to blindhim.
Unfortunately, he ducked and shielded his eyes as the light sailed over his head, then popped back upright. “I get it.” The red light of his eyes was almost maniacal now. “You don’twantto use your core magic.” He laughed so hard he actually bent over and slapped his thighs. “After everything you’ve been put through, you’re still standing…but you regulate yourself so you’re only at a fraction of your strength? That’shilarious!”
Angelique struggled to swallow as her magic buzzed at her fingertips. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She tapped one of the magic disciplines she rarely used—music—and mimicked the sound of a cathedral bell tolling directly above hishead.
He staggered at the noise and cursed, but his dratted shield charm held up when she batted at him with a treetrunk.
I have got to get that charm off him if I hope to take him. And I have to take him. I can’t forge a strong tracking spell that would be subtle enough to escape his notice—it would be too intricate to make while trying to both attack him and protect thesoldiers.
“But you do.” His smirk was back again. “You’re not curled up in a corner like Mother and the others thought you would be after the brutal treatment you’ve had—not by a long shot. You’re evenworseoff. You waltz around free and strong…but you won’t use your powers. You’ve willingly neutralized the strongest weapon you have at your disposal.” He laughed and shook his head. “Everything would be so much easier for you if you justusedyour magic, but you’re such an idiot, you won’t! Instead, you’ll let your own master sacrifice his life foryours.”
Angelique staggered as if he had physically hit her. (If he had, it probably would have hurt less than to hear thetruth.)
He’s right. I’ve known it from the start—if I had been faster, Evariste wouldn’t have been caught. Even though Dream Evariste insisted it wasn’t my fault, itwas.
“But that’s not going to be a worry for you much longer.” He extended an arm and pointed to Angelique. Shadows withered around him, forming hundreds of black hiltless daggers. “Because I’m going to kill you and prove once again that I’m powerful. Though, it’s not nearly as impressive now that I know you’re an idiot. In fact, I can’t believe you bested me the firsttime.”
Angelique put an iridescent shield in place and grimly held her ground, but he didn’t appear at all bothered by theprospect.
Instead, he bared his teeth in a feral grin. “And it’s going to besuchfun when I tell your master that I slayed his precious student and that your blood dripped from my hands. It willkillhim.”
Evariste.
Rain spattered Angelique’s face, a shockingly coldsensation.
It won’t matter if I did my duty like a good apprentice or if I helped a thousand people if I can’t find the one person who offered mefriendship.
Numbness crawled up her legs as the beautiful fabric of her dress grew even more drenched in thedownpour.
I’m scared. Of what I’m capable of. Of what I’ve done.The steady thump of her heart filled her ears, and she stared unseeingly at the mage.And I’m sick of losing those closest to me.The thought made her pause.My parents are gone…but Evariste isn’t. He’s still alive. This mage just said he would speak to Evariste. He’s out there somewhere. I can still find him. Just how much is thatworth?
“Done fighting?” he sneered. “Wise decision. You look like a bug struggling forlife.”
