Page 203 of Barbi and the Villain

“Search the house,” the man commands.

No, no, no! Who knows what they will do if they find the dogs. Oh, Lord! They can’t get their hands on my babies!

Right as the cuffs are about to click around my wrists, I let out a loud scream that brings my energy to the surface.

The blast from my scream sends the entrance door and everyone in my vicinity flying away from me.

I slowly turn around.

The men are groaning in pain on the ground. But before I can get my bearings together, they get up and channel their own energies, preparing to strike.

I gulp down.

Where the hell are you, Nyk?

Letting my energy surface, I watch as the pink glow envelops me, creating a powerful shield. And as the first men send blows my way, I focus on deflecting them. Their energies are dark, similar to Nykander’s, but there is another layer of foulness that reminds me of Baine’s putrid influence over Damien.

I rush out of the lighthouse, worried any blow might harm the structure and in turn hurt the dogs. The men, seeing me flee, follow me. I run toward the shore, my pulse pounding in my temples as I try to remember what I learned in the last few weeks. If Nykander isn’t here to help, then the only thing I can do is help myself.

The men assemble in a triangular formation, uniting their powers into one huge cloud of energy. Like a cannonball, they aim it toward me and fire. A ball of dark, dangerous energy heads my way, and I turn just in time to reinforce my shields to deflect it.

Yet this time it’s too powerful.

I’m thrown back, spinning in the air before I tumble to the ground.

My shield disintegrates.

Bones crack and snap, the sounds drowning among the battle cries of the soldiers rushing toward me. My tibia breaks through the surface of my skin, the bone broken in half. One part is sticking out, shattered from the impact.

My breathing turns harsh as a ringing echoes in my ear.

The soldiers eat the distance in seconds.

Stumbling to my feet, I bring my fist against my lower leg, pushing the bone inside. The pain is astounding. But the fear of what might happen to me if they catch me is stronger.

Once the soldiers are close enough, they resume their formation. It strikes me that this is the only way they can channel enough power as independently their blows had been mild. That means the key to getting out of this situation alive is to eliminate them one by one in order to ruin their formation.

While they merge their energies together, I close my eyes, willing my shield to take shape—but this time stronger, more durable.

The pink mist surrounds me, the shield thicker than before. From a shimmery shadow, it turns more opaque as if I were enveloped by a border. To bolster it, I imagine the layer expanding, becoming broader. Slowly, it bleeds into the space around me.

What had Nyk said? The moment it becomes thick enough, I should pull from it and mold it to my will. The goal is to create a weapon of pure energy as he’d done with his sword.

The darkness around the soldiers increases, becoming more opaque too. The triangle becomes filled with a black mass that seemingly morphs and moves as if it has a life of its own. Out of that dark pit, a creature of a sorts takes shape.

It has a head, arms, and legs. But its interior is entirely black. The same putrid stench comes from it, filling my nostrils and threatening to make me sick.

The dark creature stands tall above the triangle until it’s fully formed. Stepping outside of the formation, it presses its heavy feet on the ground, which results in a slight quake—enough for the lake to become unsettled and water to spill over the pebbled shore.

The soldiers move in tandem to avoid contact with the water. I do as well, knowing one touch might prove fatal at this time. But the creature doesn’t. It remains unmoving even as drops of that cursed water wash over its dark surface.

Despite having no eyes, it follows my movements with its head, orientating itself toward me and releasing a loud roar.

Damn it!

“Where are you, Nyk?” I ask for the thousand time.

The commotion makes the dogs agitated, and I can hear their little terrified barks as they scratch at the locked door.

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