Ava closed her eyes and felt for her magic. It was angry. Vengeful. It had never felt this way before. It roiled inside of her, waiting. Watching.Kill. Kill. Kill,it seemed to say. An avenging beast living within her core, slithering beneath her flesh.Kill them all. The trees around her trembled, the ground vibrated. Her magic pushed toward the surface, trying to wrest control away from her. But she fought against it, waiting for the right moment.Not yet, she urged.Not yet.
Flexing her hands open and closed, she stepped out from behind the tree and faced the daemons, striding toward them with purpose.
The guards spotted her, unsheathing their swords.
“The princess? They said you’d show,” one of them said, dark eyes raking over her with curiosity.
“Looks like they were right. I’m here.” She tilted her head with predatory grace as she continued walking forward. “Now get out of my way.”
A weak masculine groan echoed from the cave. Barely audible, though her sharp hearing picked it up.
Casimir.
That was all it took for the tether on her magic to break. And it was outraged. All-consuming. Her hands trembled asflowers burst forth, smothering the earth. Blooms of every size, bright, glowing and teeming with life. Branches of the nearby trees extended toward her enemies, while vines erupted from the ground at their feet, twisting around their legs so quickly they didn’t have a chance to fight back before their bones were shattered, pulling them flush against the tree trunks.
The vines and branches wrapped around the soldiers, tying them to the rough bark, as if the earth was swallowing them whole. Devouring them. They tried to scream but roots plunged into their mouths, down their throats, cutting off their terrified cries.
You’re having your great tribulation, Ava. I can feel it,said Luna.
The event powerful fae went through that increased their well of magic. It was happening to her. Right now.
It was liberating the way her magic did exactly what she wanted with little effort. She didn’t even have to raise her hands. It was as if it could read her very thoughts as it twisted and writhed around the struggling daemons. And it wasstrong.
Ava stood before them and clenched her fists, willing the vines and roots to finish them off. Her magic surged, pulling them deeper into the wood as if they were part of the forest, so covered in plants, you couldn’t see anything but horrified faces frozen in screams. Black blood seeped from their noses and eyes. Flowers grew from their ears. Mushrooms sprouted from their skulls. A gruesome sculpture of Ava’s wrath, forever memorialized in the woods.
Turning from the scene, Ava took a deep breath, seizing control of her magic yet again, and stepped into the cave.
2
Raine followed Maeryn through the forest, attempting to ignore his worry over Ava rescuing Casimir by herself. Though he knew she could handle it, if something happened to her too, he’d never forgive himself.
But he wouldn’t allow Casimir to lose Aro. While a companion’s death wouldn’t physically harm their bonded fae, the grief was almost unbearable. He’d only seen it once, many years ago, and he would ensure it never happened to his friend.
Raising a hand, Maeryn halted them at the treeline, pointing to a large metal cage. The giant black bear paced inside.
“That poor bear,” she whispered.
“Tell Aro that Maeryn and I are about to free him.”
He knows,Sabriel said in her soothing voice, padding up beside him and giving him a nudge with her silvery snout.He’s urging you to hurry because he’s quite bored and eager to devour some daemons.
“I can’t imagine they taste good.”
You would be correct. But Aro will eat nearly anything.
“Of course he will.”
“What’s your plan?” Raine asked Maeryn.
Though not as tall as Casimir, Raine still towered over her, especially because she was shorter than Ava and even Quinn. Dressed in all black leathers, she was armed to the teeth with daggers, her twin gold swords resting on her back.
Her lemon-yellow eyes were bright in the moonlight. “I can melt the cage with my magic. I need you to cover me.”
“That, I can do. Ready?”
“Yes. Follow my lead.”
Not far off, the others still fought the enemy. Tents were ablaze, soldiers scrambling to put them out as dark smoke smothered the view of the stars above. Though Raine couldn’t see much beyond the fires, he caught a glimpse of Quinn flicking a dagger, impaling a daemon through its eye, before she disappeared again.
