Page 102 of The City Of Fractured Memory

A ripple of unease shoots across the council.

The rising councillor’s voice drops into something cold and venomous. “This is your final warning, girl. The Codex of Thorns is a holy relic that remains under the council’s jurisdiction, not yours. Back. Off. If you continue to meddle, if you continue sowing doubt, you will answer for it. Dearly.”

Inside, my nerves crackle like static lightning, but on the surface, I hold their stares until every single one of them looks away first. Four of them reacted, which means at least four must be corrupt. Four breadcrumbs that could lead us to the Codex.

I see the threat for what it is, but I force an insincere smile. “Noted. Threaten me all you like, councillor, you’ll quickly find I’m stronger than I look.”

He sneers at me, and dread pools in my stomach. “So be it. Let’s test that theory, shall we?”

A sinister hush befalls the room as one by one, the lanterns blink out. Like a falling curtain the darkness collapses over the chamber, thick and absolute, swallowing the gold and marble in an instant. I freeze, the hairs on my arms lifting as a familiar, suffocating pressure blooms behind my eyes–

A spark.

A single sphere of pale, crackling light ignites in the hand of the councillor standing several tiers above me. Its glow is cold and hostile and, now I know it for what it is, unmistakable.

The Veyne.

My stomach drops. The same crushing, volatile force that’s been simmering inside me for years, used by someone who clearly knows what it is, and how to wield it with mastery I’ve never had. The reason why I was taught this awful magic as a child is now starting to make sense.

The councillor’s lips twist into a cruel smile.

Before I can form a single word, he moves with unbelievable speed and the sphere detonates toward me.

On instinct I dive, marble slamming into my palms as the blast scorches the floor where I stood a mere heartbeat ago. Panic claws up my spine, and for one awful moment, my mind blanks. Everything Riven drilled into me vanishes under the memories of losing control, of almost tearing myself apart with that same magic–

No. Not here. Not their way.

I inhale sharply, reaching deep, not into the burning pressure that wants to consume me, but lower. Earthward. Into the hum of the natural well of power within me, the quiet pulse that connects me to the world.

Blue light flares from my palm and I bear my teeth at him as I rise to my feet. I lower my hood with my other hand, freeing my white hair and his smile falls, eyes widening.

“You’re one of them,” he seethes, jabbing a finger at me. “Echofae scum!”

I laugh coldly. “Surprise.”

Then I launch my magic at him.

But I don’t try to shape it into something precise. Just like when I lost control in our apartment, pure power, cool and lunar-blue, bursts outward from my hand and impacts the councillor straight to the chest. He staggers back with a snarl, breath heaving, clutching his burned skin, and gasps ripple across the tiers.

More lights flare to life, over a dozen councillors now calling on their magic at once, all of them channeling The Veyne.

Okay, maybe it’s more than four then.

That’s just great.

Before they can attack, I roll and vault behind a pillar, sending a wave of shimmering vines lashing outward. They catch one man around the arm and slam him against the railing. They pelt their magic back at me, also not bothering to hone it, just pure, unfiltered power launched at me, aiming to kill.

I move fast, faster than I’ve ever dared with my fragile bones and I land another hit, then another, forcing back two councillors who try to flank me. I make a mental note to thank Riven for insisting on giving me some basic training before coming here, but even with my quick learning, there are too many for me to handle alone. Balls of dark magic streak through the air, exploding against the floor, pillars, and walls in concussive bursts that rattle my bones.

My breath starts to come too fast. I throw up a shield, but it quickly falters under a fresh impact. I blink the sweat out of my stinging eyes and my legs threaten to buckle as I dodge another blast that would have cored straight through my ribs.

Even with my new strength pulsing beneath my skin, even with Riven’s training, I’m only one woman standing against an entire chamber of seasoned magic-wielders.

And I’m rapidly starting to lose.

Only starting to? My Shadow’s voice lilts through my mind, foreign amusement flooding my senses.

Fine. Who am I kidding…I may have monstrously misjudged my abilities.