I don’t know how to exist in that space without losing something else, and maybe that’s what scares me the most.
A branch snaps behind me, and I go still instantly. Every instinct slams back into place, pushing away the confusion and uncertainty and replacing it with razor-sharp focus.
I turn slowly, silently, and take in how different the woods feel now.
The silence hangs oppressively as bird song dies away, leaving a hollow clearing and the flutter of my pulse.
Then I smell them, and my stomach drops.
The rogues.
Zeroing in on them, I hear as they surround me with greater numbers than before.
A few step out from the trees one by one, bordering the clearing with deliberate control, just like before.
My heart bangs against my ribs regardless of trying to calm it, but I don’t back down. I shift my stance, grounding myself and letting my senses stretch outward, rather than focusing on the panic rising inside me.
Magic flickers under my skin, still unstable and unpracticed, but ready regardless.
“You picked the wrong day,” I mutter, watching as they draw closer, giving me flashbacks to that night they took me.
One of them moves first, surging out of the formation, and I react instantly, dodging to the side and sending a wave of energy his way with more force than finesse.
When it hits the wolf, he stumbles, but another is already there, closing the gap.
There are too many of them, and they’re too coordinated, but that doesn’t mean I’m backing down from this.
I pivot, trying to keep them in front of me, but they’re not making the same mistake as before.
One lunges and I counter, but another nips at my heels and throws me off balance. I snarl, shoving forward to break free, but it costs me.
They close in, hitting me with their wolf forms and preventing me from finding an opening.
I grit my teeth, forcing myself to stay upright and to keep moving as magic flares again, this time stronger and lashing out without direction. They recoil; some are hit, and some hope to avoid it.
It works, but it’s not enough. Not against this many, and not when they’re working together like this.
I take a step back to reposition and find a way out, but before I can, magic hits hard enough to wind me. It’s not like mine…it’s not wild or explosive. It’s precise. The near-crushing force that slams into me from every direction at once, and I drop to one knee with a gasp.
The invisible force locks around me, tightening like chains and preventing me from moving. “What—”
I try to push and fight it, but it doesn’t give.
Just as I look up, a presence cuts through the chaos, feeling colder and more damning than the others.
My head snaps toward it, and I see her.
A woman steps into the clearing with a calm demeanor in her frame, watching me like I’m something she’s been waiting for.
Her red hair is wind-swept, and those sharp eyes never leave mine as power radiates off her in a way that makes my skin prickle.
Her magic is stronger than mine and completely under her control.
As she moves closer, the others part slightly, allowing her in before she stops. They’re aware of her, but they still don’t ease up on their tight circle around me.
“What are you doing?” I ask, barely able to get the words out as I’m forced down, struggling to fight against the pressure weighing on me. My limbs tremble, but I push as hard as I can.
Still, the woman doesn’t say anything. She just keeps a hand extended in my direction and tightens her grip little by little.
