Page 102 of Taken By the Fae King

Turning my gaze back to the wooden post, I hold out my hands. Gritting my teeth, I concentrate on trying to reach deep within for the magic inside, struggling to bring it to the surface with as little use of my life force as possible.

Sweat beads across my brow as my focus remains locked on my pretend enemy. My hands tremble as I try to conjure my power.

Emryll comes up beside me and gently touches my shoulder. “It’s all right,” she whispers. “It will come eventually.”

“I don’t understand. Why can I not do this?”

She gives me an understanding look. “Magic is not an easy thing to master, and you have only recently inherited your powers.”

I nod and then raise my arms again, but she calls out. “You should rest, Grayce. Give yourself some time to relax before you try again tomorrow.”

I’m impatient. I want to learn how to wield my powers now, but I know Emryll is right. I nod, and we start back for the castle. Although I’m disappointed that I cannot access my power like I want, I’m determined not to give up.

Something shimmers in the trees, catching my eyes. I stare into the darkness, searching for the source, but I can see nothing.

“What is wrong?” Emryll asks, moving to my side.

“I thought I saw something,” I murmur. “It was like a flash of light.”

She turns her gaze in the direction of the trees, her entire body still as she scans the woods.

Only now do I realize the forest is completely silent. The ambient sounds of birds and insects are absent; even the wind has grown deathly still. My breath begins to fog with each exhalation as the air around us grows cold.

Mist billows from the woods and onto the training fields, rapidly covering the ground and rushing toward us.

“Get behind me!” Emryll calls out.

Raising her arms, she creates an invisible barrier. The fog slams into the shield. The dark tendrils of smoke covering her magic completely, blocking the light of the sun.

Glowing red eyes pierce through the inky blackness as a dark-cloaked figure stalks toward us. Fear trips my heart at the skeletal face beneath its hood. Its gray lips pull back to reveal two rows of gleaming, dagger-sharp fangs. “A Wraith,” I barely manage to speak through panic.

Emryll’s entire body trembles as she struggles to maintain the shield around us. Fine fissures spread across the surface, threatening to crack the protective barrier as the fog continues its assault.

I raise my hand, desperately trying to call upon my own magic, but it is no use.

“When I tell you to run, you must run,” Emryll grits through her teeth. “Get to the castle and—”

A sharp crack rings out as the barrier collapses. Dark tendrils rush inside, completely enveloping Emryll before wrapping around my form like icy fingers. Sharp pain stabs at my body, and I open my mouth to scream, but nothing comes out.

The Wraith’s blood red eyes fix upon mine and it extends one skeletal hand to my neck, gripping me in an iron vise. I thrash against the dark tendrils of magic that hold me immobile, but it’s no use.

My pulse pounds in my ears and all rational thought is stripped away as terror wraps tight around my spine.“Kyven!”I call out with my mind, praying he will hear me.

A maelstrom of emotions—fear, panic, and unbridled rage—consumes me. And somewhere within comes the understanding that it is not mine. It is his.“Grayce!”

Heat builds in my chest, flowing through my veins. Power erupts from my palms in a brilliant display of green light. Vines burst from the ground, their thick, long tendrils curling around the Wraith and tightening before jerking him away from me and slamming him to the ground.

Another Wraith races toward me, flying through the trees with inhuman speed.

I raise my hands and send an arc of power rushing to him. It explodes on the ground before him, and vines burst from the ground, churning rock and soil as they grow and expand to capture their prey.

The Wraith releases an ear-piercing shriek before the vines tighten, cutting him off abruptly and trapping him against the earth in a living cage.

The fog recedes, and Emryll pushes to her feet beside me.

Movement in the trees catches my eyes, and a bolt of bright red light races toward us. Desperate to stop it, I raise my hands. Heat surges through my veins and magic erupts from my palms, striking the ground. A wall of vines shoots up from the soil, forming a barrier to shield us.

Time slows as the dark magic slams against the protective barrier, scorching the vines and threatening to burn through it.

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