Page 55 of Magic's Rise

I drop to my knees and press my hand to the earth. I am ethereal, connected to all things.

So why do I only feel dirt and wet leaves beneath my hand?

“Anything?” Tris steps closer to me.

About to shake my head, his leg presses against mine, and blue sparks shimmer to life. All at once, the forest shivers, taking a deep breath, and my palm buzzes, like dipping my hand into a pool of electricity.

It blazes through my body, lifting the fine hairs on my arms and the back of my neck. My eyes widen as the darkness vanishes, replaced by a world of silver energy.

“What the hell…?” Levi whispers before someone shushes him.

Tethers of light spool out from my chest, connecting to Haut and Tris, while others streak off into the distance. I feel Aspen, alive but in pain, then farther out, stretched thin but still there, the surprised concern of Owen and Ros, along with my coven.

In the other direction, I sense enough energy to feed a star, and smaller energies streaking toward us. So much life, so much potential, so much magic waiting to be summoned.

A hand touches the back of my neck, blazing with Haut’s possessiveness and his dedication to protecting what’s his. “I feel it.”

Unsure what he’s talking about, I glance up to see his moss-green eyes glowing, the outline of his wolf a living creature around him. I follow his line of sight, to a shadow among the light, a malevolent darkness eating away at the magic.

The monster.

“Levi! Left side!” Haut shouts a heartbeat before the creature rushes toward us.

Without hesitation, Levi swings, his clawed hand striking the monster and sending it hurtling back into the shadows.

Pain flares across his face, and he shakes his hand. “Feels like I punched a tree.”

Haut grunts, searching for the dark spot once more. “Better a broken hand than a torn-out throat.”

“True.”

My hand tightens on my wand, the energy of the forest humming through me, awaiting my command.

If I accept, though, it will demand a cost, not just from me but from those who live here. Because that blaze of energy is the dome that protects Silver Hollow and all of its citizens. Taking this magic will destroy the very thing I came to save.

I turn my head, instinct drawing me to the spot of darkness in the light. It wants this magic gone. Either through my hand or by killing me to stop us from fixing what’s been done.

“Lights out, Haut,” I warn, and lift my hand from the ground, breaking the connection.

An enraged howl tears through the forest, and blinded, I sense the monster rushing toward us.

Then more howls fill the night air, and the darkness freezes.

“That’s my pack!” Levi raises his head and howls in answer.

The forest floor shudders with the pounding of the new arrivals, as wolves and men burst from the trees to surround us, their eyes glowing red and shadows roiling from the wolf-like shapes of those at the front. Werewolves, every one of them.

Our attacker, sensing the tide turning against them, snarls and flees into the night.

Levi’s hand drops to the shoulder of the biggest shadow-wolf. “There’s an injured witch a dozen yards back.”

“He’s wounded,” I add, “So approach him with caution.”

The werewolf chuffs and jerks his head. A smaller werewolf peels away from the group, leading two humans back the way we came.

“Thank you.” Haut dips his chin in the barest sign of deference, one Alpha showing respect to another in his territory.

Shadows boil around the shadow-wolf, and he rises onto two legs as the black tendrils suck inward to reveal the naked body of a muscular man only slightly shorter than Haut. A silver pendant dangles from a cord at his neck, a match for the one Levi wears.

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