“Princess!” Crow shouted. He flew past her, almost slipping on a patch of snow. “You gotta attack Tenebris—he’s about to launch his magic!”
Rakel ripped her gaze from the battle to Tenebris, but it was already too late. Inky black magic leaked from him, snaking its way down the hill.
It didn’t hit any of his soldiers, but he seemed to be feeling out the group. Instead of affecting the entire caravan, he hit a small group of five Verglas troops.
“Liv,” Rakel started.
She was already running, Snorri at her back. Phile met them as they reached the archers, and she helped Snorri grab the struggling soldiers and hold them so Liv could touch them.
It worked as smoothly as it had the time Rakel was cursed. As soon as she laid her hand on them, the magic was neutralized.
“What can I do, Colonel Danr?” Rakel asked.
The commanding officer roared, “Pikemen, in position!” then turned his attention to her. “You know your magic best, but I don’t think it would be wise to use it at full power.”
“You think it’s a trap?” Rakel asked, having guessed as much herself.
“The absence of Colonel Graydim feels too convenient,” he said. “If you extensively use your powers and are…er…unavailable, it will be all too easy for a second force to overpower us.”
“You want me to use my powers, but not enough to activate my price,” Rakel said.
“Yes.”
Rakel nodded and eyed the chaotic battlefield. “I agree.”
“Good luck, Princess,” he said.
“To you, as well.” She turned to a wave of incoming soldiers and froze their weapons in blocks of ice, debilitating them. Next, she caged two Chosen magic users and encased an additional one in a glacier of ice when another oily stream of magic crept across the field.
“Snorri, Phile!” Rakel pointed to the incoming stream of magic when they looked to her.
Phile gave her a thumbs up. She grabbed Liv’s wrist and dragged her after the dark magic, Snorri stalking in their shadow.
The earth groaned as a Chosen magic user knelt and shook the ground like an old rug.
Rakel staggered when the earth shuddered.Use as little magic as possible, how to…“Oh.” Rakel formed a slew of snowballs with ice cores and pummeled the magic user in the head. The magic user toppled, and the earth was still once more.
This ismucheasier without Farrin.Rakel thought, a little in awe of how effortless it was to use her magic against magic users without the colonel brandishing his sword at her.Unless Tenebris uses a large amount of his magic, we will win.
Happy with this realization, Rakel countered a few more magic users and stopped some soldiers, when she saw a streak of black out of the corner of her eye.
Tenebris, still sitting on the top of the hill, was sending down a river of his cursing magic—more than he had used in his test run. Oddly enough, it wasn’t aimed for the heart of the Verglas forces, or even for the front lines. The black, tarry magic oozed down the hillside, crawling towards the outer edges of the formation.
Rakel gave herself a little boost of ice to peer over the battlefield so she could see where it was going. “No,” she whispered. “Kai, Gerta!”
Kai was kneeling in the snow, making soldier snowmen with Gerta’s help. He probably intended to send them out to attack. But they were at the edge of the battlefield, and no one was there to save them.
Rakel ran, staggering through the battle, searching wildly for Liv and Snorri. She didn’t see them. Snorri was either hiding the purifier, or they were still dealing with the last wave. “Phile!” she yelled, almost tripping over the thick skirts of her Bunad. “Kai, Gerta,move!” She ducked to avoid the meaty fist of a giant Chosen soldier.
“Gerta, Kai, get out of there!” Phile yelled. She came from the back of the formation and also sprinted towards the children.
Her horror mounting, Rakel realized neither she nor Phile would reach the children in time. The sludgy magic slithered towards them like a deadly snake.
They were going to be cursed.They’re children—they won’t survive it! Rage consumed Rakel, making her body numb. She couldn’t lose Gerta and Kai!I’ll kill him.I will freeze the blood in his veins!She reached for her powers, gathering them with such strength?—
“Children, move!” Phile’s roar knocked Rakel from her cloud of anger.
“No.” Rakel shook her head as she ran, frightened for the children, and terrified by her own thoughts.
