“Mother, what have you done?”Pallasstumbled over to the wall, running her hands over the glyphs.Isaw the sparks of her blue magic again, but they were swallowed into that horrible, grey magic.
“Pallas, what is happening?”
“It’sa failsafe of some kind.Mymother must have built it into the enchantment.Somethingto prevent anyone from leaving should something happen to the heart.”
Junlurched to her while everyone else stood back-to-back in the center of the room.Athick black line traced overKaleos’ cheek, and it slowly grew as dark liquid flowed out of it.Blood.
Moreslashes appeared onKaleos, and then onAvlynandNoki.Raulagrunted as even her orc skin was cut open by the spell.Theonly one who seemed unaffected wasSpinner, but he was panicked, running between all of us.
IheardJunscreaming in pain and trying to use his magic to stop the spell, but he fell to the floor, coughing.Theenchantment did not waver.Pallasthrew herself ontop of him, and her blood ran down his torn clothes as her arms were ripped open.
Itried to scramble to them as a sharp and inescapable burning cut across my shoulder and leg.Ifell to the floor and tried to crawl to them, leaving a gruesome trail behind me.Spinnerran to me and lashed his web around my waist, dragging me towards them, unaffected by the spell.
“Pallas, how doIstop it!”Ireached out to the enchantment in my mind, but it wasn’t a lock like the others.Itwas writhing and terrible, unbelievably sharp, so any attemptImade to undo it only opened new wounds along my skin.Whereasthe enchantment around the heart had been a study in perfection and complexity, this one was nothing but rage and destruction.
“Thereis nothing you can do.It’stied to the castle’s foundation.Thereis too much mana left to destroy it.”
Tearswelled in her eyes, and she clung toJun, holding him close as they were both torn apart.
Ireached down into that pool of mana that was greater than anyIhad ever seen.Isaw it flow into the castle, into the enchantment that was trying to destroy us.Lacedalong every stone that held the castle together were roots, rootsIhad grown from the power of the ambrosia fields around the city.Itwas power that had been stolen from the earth, andIwas going to give it all back.
Ibroke the damIhad built with my brother's and my power, and all the mana rushed back to the source, where it so longed to be.Itdidn’t matter what earth, stone, or foundation was in its way.
“Whatare you doing?!”Pallasscreamed.
“Obliteratingeverything in my path.”
Thebuilding gave way around us, the floor crumbling beneath our feet.Theceiling broke apart as the walls snapped.Theenchantment was broken at its very foundation, andIfelt it wink out of existence.
JunandPallastried to stand, but more of the floor gave way, and they stumbled, barely avoiding a huge chunk of the ceiling that fell beside them.
“Outof the frying pan and into the fire, huh,Princess?”Avlynand the others had stumbled over to me.Theyhelped me scramble up, and we all pushed towardsJunandPallas.
“Anygood ideas on how to get out of here before the whole place comes down on us?”Iasked everyone and no one.
Thefloor cracked completely open, and the great river underneathKoronbroke through and started flooding what was left of the chamber we were still in.Avlyn’seyes lit up.Theygrabbed onto my shoulder.
“No.ButIdo have a stupid one.Holdon tight, everyone.”
Chapter 71
Hadeon
Mypower carried me across the sky.Darkclouds filled with static gathered around me, giving me cover asIfelt the dragon follow.Hisgreen dragonfire streamed behind me, but he was slower thanIwas.Idarted around him, over and under the clouds following in my wake.Istruck out again and again until each landed with the smell of burnt flesh, and the dragon let out a roar that echoed off the earth below us.
“You’llnever be able to best me,Abraxas.I’llclaim your heart, just likeIclaimed your father’s.”
Hisdeep laugh echoed off the clouds around me as his voice penetrated directly into my mind.
Comeand try.
Hisrage was palpable.Thesurrounding clouds, heavy with the power of the storm, buzzed and sparked with my command.Theywere mine, just as he would be.
Witheach beat of his colossal wings, he surged towards me, an avatar of fury bathed in the green glow of his own flames.Hewas a vision from my nightmares, but he was hopelessly predictable.Itwould be easy to draw him in.
Isummoned a dense vortex of purple electricity around myself, a shield crackling with raw energy.Hisfire met my storm barrier, exploding in a cacophony of steam and blinding light, turning the dark sky momentarily bright.
Neverone to waste an opportunity,Isoared above him, my agility in stark contrast to his brute force.Lightning, my only faithful ally, arced from my outstretched fingers, forging bolts of destructive beauty aimed directly at him.Thefirst bolt was a miss, a mere warning shot, but the second seared a path across his underbelly.Thesmell of scorched scales filled the air.Hehad grown cocky, andIwould remind him who he feared these past centuries.
