The spell. I sat up. “Fuck, the spell.”
I tried to move out of Nico’s arm, but he held strong.
“Let me go!”
His grip loosened and I stumbled out of his lap onto my knees. I pulled at my hair as I took in the sight before me. All that remained of my salt perimeter was ashes burnt into the snow in a dark line.
“I need to try again.” We needed the spell to be active so we could take down Keziq. We needed her weak and distracted for this to work.
“You can’t try again.” Nico took my hands in his. “I saw it Lucy, you were using too much magic. Your body can’t take it anymore.” He let go of my hands and wiped the blood from my face. “I won’t let you do it again. You can try again another day.”
“No.” I pushed myself away from him. “It has to be today. To be now.” He would not sway me.
“I won’t let you.”
“I don’t remember asking for your permission.”
“Luce,” Nico warned, but I ignored him.
“Zienna, keep him away from me,” I instructed.
I fell to my knees, slicing my dagger across both of my palms before digging my hands into the earth, my nails scratching the dirt. I couldn’t replicate the spell without the salts, but—but I had read about another spell.
I thrust the remains of my magic into the earth, begging it to release energy into me.
Please, I begged the earth.
The blackened veins in my arms pulsed, the magic digging it’s claws in deep, the pain a constant throb as I continued to push my magic into the earth.
More,It asked.
I pushed the rest of my magic out, but not a drop remained, I could feel it, the hollow cavern where my magic should be.
More,It demanded.
The earth consumed it, the soil eager to eat up mymagic. I pushed out with whatever I had left. I gave myself over to the magic.
Take it all.
“Luciana stop!”
My hair whipped around my face, but I ignored Nico’s pleas. Giving myself over to the earth and the dark magic that consumed it.
This power will cost you.
I don’t care.
Power slammed into me. I gritted my hands in the dirt as the power pushed into me, more power than I’d ever felt—it was euphoric—the feeling of it.
My veins throbbed, the sensation making its way up my arm.
With this magic—I could end this war with this amount of magic.
I felt drunk on the power—on the feeling of it.
71
NICO
