Dashing forward, Serenna snatched the hilt of a long knife at his belt, ripping the dagger out of its sheath. With all of her strength, she lunged with the weapon pointed at his ribs.
“That,” the wraith growled, snagging her hand before the blow landed, “was uncalled for.” He twisted her wrist, sending the blade clattering to the floor. “I’m not going to harm you.”
“Says the red-eyed cretin who tethered me!” Serenna aimed an ineffective kick at his knee.
Fenn spun her around. Serenna’s back slammed into his chest, arms pinned to her sides by his.
Knowing she couldn’t fight a monster two feet taller than her without her magic, Serenna’s focus scurried around the chamber, searching for something else she could use. The wall of windows overlooking the frozen expanse was her next best chance at freedom. She just needed to break out of this restrictive ogre’s hold. But how can I run away if he appears out of thin air?
Lykor was still on the ground having some type of seizure while the other male hovered over him. Serenna didn’t think anymore of it, furiously weighing her options. I need to get out of here before Lykor steals the rest of my magic. She’d take her chances jumping out of the window to the snow drifts below and braving the cold. I’d rather die out there than be torn apart by these wraith.
Panting out of her nose, reining in her fear, Serenna’s mind tumbled over how to escape Fenn’s grip. Her eyes latched onto the snow swirling outside the window, caught in a gusty draft. I know I saw something in the wind when we were flying today even though I don’t understand how.
A second stretched as Serenna caught her breath, stilling in the warrior’s hold. She contemplated if she could wield the extinct magic of her shaman ancestors. Without the presence of Essence, she could almost feel vibrations from the air rippling on the other side of the glass, waiting to be called. Like a dracovae finding a warm current to soar on, she cast out her perception.
Serenna’s fingertips began to tingle as she reached out with her mind. Snow swirled faster and faster, whipping into a spiraling flurry.
The claws holding her tightened as the weather began to rage outside. “What are you doing, she-elf?” Fenn moved her arm, seeming to confirm that the tether was still touching her skin.
Serenna yanked the wind toward her through the window, bending it to her will.
Glass exploded in a spray of shards. A gale howled as a torrent of snow bombarded the room.
The broken slivers streaked at her like a thousand jagged arrows, propelled by the screaming wind. Serenna gasped, unable to assemble a shield without her magic. Unable to stop the shattered fragments racing toward her.
“Wind magics?” Fenn all but groaned behind her. “Stars, slay me.”
The mountains in Serenna’s vision swam out of view as the warrior whirled her around him. The motion wrenched her feet out from under her legs. Smashed to the ground, Serenna landed on her back, air bursting from her lungs. Before she could draw in a breath, the wraith dove on top of her in a tangle of limbs.
Flogged by strands of his black hair, Serenna’s heart stopped as his fangs extended in front of her face. Her thoughts flashed back to the assault on Centarya, memories resurfacing of these creatures nearly ripping her to shreds. He’s going to tear out my throat!
Fenn’s arms wrapped above Serenna’s head, body imprisoning hers like a cage. The hailstorm of glass collided into his spiked armor, leathers absorbing the force of the blow. The barrage of razor shards crashed into the floor, sounding like a thousand crystals breaking.
Fenn snarled, sucking in what sounded like a hiss of pain as eddies of snow and the broken window settled around them. His expelled breath strung together a curse of colorful words, uttering exactly what he thought of “she-elves.”
Serenna’s senses came flooding back a moment after the slap of wind subsided. I summoned magic without Essence. With the elemental powers that Jassyn said ran through our bloodlines.
A small mote of hope rose in Serenna’s chest. If she could reach the open window, she could… What? Jump? Run through the snow? To where? She had no idea where she was and the prince wouldn’t either now that she was tethered. Serenna’s heart fell at the realization that she was stranded here.
Trapped under this mountain of a warrior’s chest, Serenna drew in ragged breaths. She battled to fill her lungs beneath his smothering bulk, assailed by scents of cedar and the frigid air. Fenn’s ember eyes burned into hers as the wind subsided, black blood welling from a slice on his cheek.
Serenna blinked, ripping her attention away from his unnerving stare. Why did he protect me? Before she untangled that thought, she thrashed wildly like a snake pinned by a spade. “Get off me!”
Fenn’s lip curled around his fangs despite his eyes not matching the scorn as they swept over her, like he was concerned. Clambering off of her, broken glass slid from the back of his armor, clinking to the stone.
Pushing herself to sit on the floor, Serenna jumped as a boot thudded next to her hand. A bolt of terror shot down her spine, impaling her to the ground.
Lykor.
CHAPTER 22
LYKOR
Lykor burrowed his claw into the elf’s armor, yanking her to her feet before dragging her through a portal. On the other side, the volcano’s sunless depths swallowed the cavern’s dim torchlight. He closed the rift before Kal or Fenn could follow.
As if provoked by the darkness, the elf went rabid, striking out with her limbs. The girl began to fight in earnest, like she wouldn’t let him take her alive.
DRACOVAE’S TITS!
Lykor’s vision pulsed while she screeched like a strangled bird, the shrill sound bouncing around the stone hallway. He would’ve used rending to restrain her, but Aesar had restricted his access to that ability.
Again.
Lykor swiped at their Well, attempting to snatch control of his shadows, but to no avail. He resorted to steering the girl ahead of him so that her flailing fists couldn’t connect with his face.
I intervened before the coercion did any lasting harm, Aesar said. You’ve already done enough damage by stealing her magic.
YOUR INTERFERENCE WASN’T REQUIRED.
Allowing the elf access to portaling wasn’t an option. Not after she knew of their location. Besides, her loss was their gain, but Aesar refused to recognize the benefits. Augmenting an ability they already possessed only strengthened that talent. With her added power, he’d be able to stretch his reach further across the horizon when the time came to portal jump across the Wastes.
But before Lykor could siphon the rest of her Well, the girl had called out for Vesryn, helplessly plunging him into the compulsive magic’s nightmare.
You will give portaling back to her, Aesar fumed, irritably cramming a strand of silver hair behind a pointed ear.
Even if the visual of Vesryn in his skull didn’t trigger the destructive magic, Lykor still flinched before his irritation began to boil. The increased frequency of the other meddling presence had come with unfortunate side effects.
Instead of being content with simply nagging as a disembodied voice, Aesar had begun appearing in their mind more frequently in his original elf form. He’d become more of a problem—especially now, with this mention of Vesryn piquing his interest.
Between the screaming girl flailing in his grip and Aesar battling to seize control of their body, Lykor’s frustration was ready to combust. He savagely rammed Aesar back into a crevice, unable to concentrate on fighting them both.
The elf stopped moving her feet, refusing to cooperate. Overriding her pathetic resistance, Lykor dragged her down the stone staircase leading to the dungeons. He briefly considered launching her to the next landing simply out of spite. But any broken bones from the fall would only inconvenience him if he decided to untether her. Not that he planned on letting her have access to his defenseless mind through the accursed bond.
When they reached the bottom level, Lykor towed the thrashing girl through the cell-lined hallway and into the interrogation room. She stilled under his claw—finally shutting up—as her eyes orbited around the chamber. Flames from the pronged torches glinted off of the instruments of torture. The veins of gold scrawled into the stone walls and ceiling reflected a gleaming, mirrored light.
What are you doing with her? Aesar demanded. Within the shared space of their mind, Aesar recreated his memory of the palace library, appearing in the vaulted atrium.
Lykor ground his fangs at the interfering reemergence and the alarmingly vivid surroundings that Aesar had constructed—a testament to his increasing strength. It was just one fucking thing after another today.
Lykor released the girl’s arm. Taking advantage of the freedom, she bolted to the opposite end of the chamber before tearing at the golden shackle clamped around her wrist. The tether had been quick thinking on Fenn’s part. Nearly noteworthy.
Before Aesar could nag at him again, Lykor erupted. WOULD YOU GIVE ME A SCORCHING MINUTE TO GET ANSWERS ABOUT THE HEART? THAT’S WHAT YOU AND KAL WANTED ME TO DO. STARS, I WON’T HARM YOUR BROTHER’S PLAYTHING. THOUGH, CONSIDERING YOUR MEMORIES, I DOUBT HE’D NOTICE IF HE’S MISSING ONE.
Aesar bristled, shoving his hands into his pockets. In their mind, he paced in front of the expansive windows overlooking the capital. Waiting.
Hauling his attention back to the dungeon, Lykor’s ears perked at a whistling, like wind howling around a crag. He frowned, turning to face the noise emanating from the hallway.
Lykor staggered as something bashed him over the head, blotching his sight. He shook the stunned feeling out of his skull before whipping his eyes to the elf, his mind reeling to catch up.
