Page 2 of Magic Undaunted

Lifting her staff toward the roiling maelstrom above, her expression was calm, focused. Her pale eyes were locked on the dark heavens, where the storm raged. Below her, the sea churned violently, waves rising and crashing against the cliffs in thunderous roars, the wind whipping her hair around her face, though she stood unmoving.

With a commanding gesture, Elyria activated the power within her staff. The crystal at its head flared to life, emitting a brilliant pulse of light. Slowly, the storm clouds began to twist and spiral above her, bending to her will. A vortex formed in the heart of the storm, swirling with raw energy and pulling the surrounding chaos into its center. The clouds parted, revealing a gaping void of starless blackness beyond, a gateway to something far more dangerous.

Tendrils of magic began to snake down from the vortex, crackling with power as they descended toward the earth. Elyria could feel the storm bending to her control, could sense the vast forces she was summoning from beyond the human realm. The wind howled furiously, but within the eye of the storm she had created, there was only an eerie calm. The stillness was unsettling, a silence that hinted at the immense power she now commanded.

A cold wind swept across the ramparts, and behind her, Mercy Bowen reached out to her, but the moment Mercy’s fingers grazed the fabric of Elyria’s robe, the robe fell away.

Elyria was gone.

There, amidst the swirling storm clouds, a disturbance formed—a vortex, spinning slowly at first but then gaining speed. The dark clouds churned violently, and from the center of the vortex, a single silver slip of light appeared, shimmering with an otherworldly glow. It hung there for a brief moment, like a shooting star caught in the atmosphere, before it shot upward, disappearing into the depths of the vortex before it closed.

Fae Outpost Outside

New Orleans, Louisiana

Present Day

The moon hung low in the sky, casting an eerie silver light over the dense, mist-laden forest as Elyria led her team through the shadows. Beyond the edge of the bayou, where the marshes faded into shadowed mists, the fae High Council had a hidden outpost nestled on hidden, jagged cliffs rising from the murky waters, their sharp peaks cutting into the sky like forgotten sentinels.

Beneath them, the sounds of New Orleans faded away, replaced by the crashing waters and the eerie hum of ancient forces. Few knew of this place; fewer still could even see it. For those that could, the earth seemed to crack open where the bones of the past met the secrets of the deep, swirling water.

Lirael and Finnian moved in sync beside her, their steps as silent as her own. Lirael’s dark hair was pulled tight against her scalp, her bow slung across her back, and her eyes narrowed with focus. Finnian, on the other hand, had a faint grin playing on his lips, his dual blades glinting in the moonlight. The three of them had been through so much together, bonded by blood, war, and survival. They knew each other’s movements before they even happened, trusted each other with their lives.

"Stay close," Elyria whispered, her voice barely more than a breath on the wind. Lirael gave a sharp nod, and Finnian flashed her a reassuring smile, but there was tension behind his usual bravado. They all knew what was at stake tonight.

The outpost wasn’t heavily fortified—not the way some of the larger High Council strongholds were—but it was still dangerous. The Council had grown bolder, more ruthless in recent months. Reports of fae disappearing without a trace were becoming more frequent. That was why they were here—to gather intelligence and find answers.

Elyria crouched beside the outer wall, her fingers tracing the faint glow of the ward etched into the stone. It pulsed gently under her touch, a reminder of how close they were to danger. "I’ll take down the wards. Be ready to move once they’re down," she said, glancing back at Finnian and Lirael.

As Elyria murmured the incantation under her breath, her magic responded eagerly, despite the pain that still lingered from her severed connection to Celestia. She channeled the energy carefully, siphoning off the magic woven into the barrier. With a soft hum, the wards flickered and died.

"Now," she said, rising to her feet.

The three of them slipped inside, moving like shadows through the outpost’s courtyard. It was quiet—too quiet. Elyria signaled for Lirael to scout ahead while Finnian kept watch by the gate. She moved swiftly through the narrow corridors of the outpost, her instincts on high alert.

Something wasn’t right. The unease that had settled in her bones earlier had now become a full-blown alarm.

Lirael returned a moment later, her face pale, her bow at the ready. "There’s no one here, Elyria. The place is abandoned."

Elyria’s eyes narrowed. "That doesn’t make sense. The scouts said this place was fully operational just days ago."

"I checked every room," Lirael continued, her voice low but laced with urgency. "There’s… something else. You need to see this."

She led Elyria and Finnian to a chamber at the far end of the outpost. Inside, a table was covered with maps, scattered documents, and a strange, foreboding symbol scrawled in dark ink. But it wasn’t the maps or the papers that caught Elyria’s attention. It was the cages. Three large iron cages, tucked in the corner of the room, each one covered in dark stains.

Blood.

Elyria’s stomach twisted. "What the hell happened here?"

Finnian knelt beside one of the cages, his fingers brushing the metal bars. "These weren’t just for holding someone… whoever was in here was tortured."

Lirael pointed to the symbol etched on the table. "I’ve never seen this mark before. It’s not High Council. It’s not even fae magic."

Elyria’s pulse quickened, a sense of dread washing over her. "This isn’t just about the High Council anymore." The disappearances. The empty outpost. And now this. Something far darker was at play.

They had to leave. Now.

"We’re pulling out," Elyria ordered, her voice hardening. "This isn’t what we expected, and I don’t want to find out who or what did this."

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