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I inhale as deep as I can, focusing on the tree, and the dark energy disappears. The second the magic is gone, the frost seems to cling to my skin, the cold chill settling deep into my bones through Brenn's jacket. I shift from foot to foot, feeling the frigid air weave through my boots, too.
A breath escapes my lips, wondering what I did wrong. Did I not focus hard enough? Did I pick an object or spot too far away?
Then the power I'd channeled burst from the ground beneath the tree, wrapping like ribbons around its trunk. I jolt, the magic moving so quickly I can barely make out the individual streams of smoke as they overlap, twisting tighter and tighter around the tree. The wood disintegrates before my eyes, piling into ash at the ground.
"Damn," Brenn says behind me, dragging out the word.
"Good. Now do it again. More than one this time."
My hands rise, and I close my eyes, willing the familiar energy to coil between my palms. Darkness swirls within me and my beast purrs her approval, a resonant vibration that quickens my pulse. Images flash behind my eyelids—the king's bloody smile,the feeling of helplessness as I laid on that altar, the taste of iron on my tongue. Rage blossoms within me, a thorny vine that wraps around my heart and squeezes as I throw my hands forward, and this time, the dark smoke doesn’t disappear. It flies in inky threads over the grassy clearing, writhing and twisting like living entities. They hit their marks, but instead of one tree, it takes out an entire layer of them across the forest line, the ash smoldering like fire had burned through it.
I go again and again until sweat beads on my brow and my limbs tremble with exertion. Each release of magic is like purging pent-up fury and pain I've carried with me my entire life.
"That's enough for now."
One more.
"Maybe tomorrow."She sounds tired, exhausted, and it makes me wonder how much using my magic takes out of her. My muscles ache, but I'm not on the verge of falling asleep. Not like the way she sounds.
Giving it one more go, I lift my hands and surrender to the darkness simmering under my skin. It seeps out, not in cords or threads or tendrils, but a creeping fog that slithers across the ground, devouring the frost-laden grass, leaving scorched earth in its wake. Except the heat that has been running through my veins since we came out here, that burns hotter with every use of my magic, fades in an instant. Ice begins to crystalize on my skin, my heart slowing until it's hard to breathe.
"Shit, Calamity, that's—" Brenn starts, but his voice is drowned out by the shivering of my own body. My legs are slow, and despite my brain screaming at them to move, they barely inch forward, threatening to give out. My knees buckle and I brace for the ground, but Brenn's there, his arms catching me. "Fuck, you're freezing. Loric's going to have my head." Brenn tries to drag me toward the door, my lips so numb from thecold my teeth don't even chatter anymore. "Did she tell you to stop? She had to. And fuck... You didn't listen, did you?" Brenn collapses mid pull, scrambling to his feet to try again. "Sure, leave it to the man with a peg leg to have to carry you, because that's wise." His rant continues, but it's not until we're at the door to the bar that he calms. The hinges whine and then he rounds me, lifting me up by gripping the front of his coat. Violet eyes search mine, but tiny, microscopic snowflakes have formed on my lashes, blocking most of his face from view. "Fuck... Okay, don't panic.”
“She just wanted to test her magic. She was fine until... Well, until she wasn't, and now I can't get her inside."
I'm not sure who he's talking to. My eyelids are too heavy to look, but strong hands wrap around me, hoisting me up and bending me over a shoulder. Their steady footsteps echo in my ears as they cross the bar, and glass shatters on the ground. I'm laid onto a solid surface, and warmth blazes around me.
"Dammit, Brenn! What part ofstay out of troubledidn't make sense?"
Suddenly, it's like every limb of my body fell asleep all at once, and now, it's finally getting blood flow back. My skin prickles and burns as they wake up, and my eyelids flutter open to find Loric and Vik standing over me, laid out on top of the bar. Their hands glow, wrapped in flames... They're onfire.
Trying to sit up, my eyes flare wide, but hands pin my shoulders down.
I look up to find Jesper peering over me, a toothy grin splitting his face. "Good morning, your majesty."
Loric growls low in his throat, so deep I can feel it in my bones.
Jesper straightens. "Welcome back from the dead."
"I died?" I ask, my voice hoarse, panic clawing at my throat.
"No, not really. Just teetered on the brink of it," he says, nodding quickly and for far too long than necessary.
Loric curses under his breath, leaving my side and rounding the bar. I try to lift my head, to tell him what happened, but Jesper keeps me still while Vik continues to warm me up. "I convinced him to take me out there. Don't be mad at Brenn," I say, swallowing in a desperate attempt to wet my bone-dry throat.
Jesper moves slightly, allowing me to see the room, and Loric's silver eyes flash, the iridescent glow landing on me. He’s gripping Brenn's shirt like it’s the only thing tethering him to control. Brenn's face is a mixture of apology and defiance, violet eyes flickering with unease.
"Let him go," I say more firmly, and this time there's a growl lacing my words—a warning from my beast that demands obedience.
Well, that was new...
"I thought you needed some help getting his attention."
Where was your help when I was freezing?
"I told you enough, that we were done for the day. I was tired."
Loric's grip slackens, and Brenn steps back, smoothing down his rumpled shirt.
