Page 99 of A Petal in the Crown

Lea pushed another tendril of darkness inside Alaric, grabbing another string of stolen magic and tugging it toward her. Alaric resumed battering against her shield, small cracks forming beneath his stream of fire, but it did not break. Not as she felt the last piece of foreign magic leave Alaric's chest. And not as she began taking his own magic.

She was exhausted, tired to her bones, but she dug deeper into her never ending well of darkness, stretching Alaric’s power tighter and tighter until a piece of it snapped. His magic surged into Lea, and she screamed, the searing pain spreading through her body so rapidly, it made her retch again.

She wiped her nose, the blood running from her nostrils so heavily now that it was choking her, but she couldn’t give up. She collapsed to herhands and knees, closing her eyes and focusing solely on pulling the rest of Alaric's power from his chest. He bellowed again, sending his flames into the ground and beneath her shield.

Her pants caught on fire, but her charred skin barely registered as she suffocated the flames. Alaric threw funnels of fire at her again and again, but his attacks were growing weaker by the moment. He picked up his sword, ramming it into her shield over and over, but Lea pushed on, pulling more of his power inside herself.

Death screamed in her ear, his claws raking against her ribs and his fists pounding against the shield around her soul, but Lea persisted, pulling away Alaric’s power bit by bit, each surge rocking through her body with such agony that it caused her to heave up bile.

She pulled another chunk of power inside her, screeching as the pain became so severe her vision dotted, the edges going black.

Alaric struck her shield, a thick fissure appearing in the thick, shadowy darkness. She gasped, death’s fingers squeezing around her lungs and heart, as if it could crack through Evangeline’s protections. Alaric howled, baring his teeth in a bloody grimace as he struck again, the fissure in Lea’s shield growing longer, widening. A gap formed, just large enough for him to stab his sword through, and Lea rolled backward, the pain so intense it felt as if her bones were shattering.

She tried to push more magic into her shield, but Alaric continued his assault against it, her strength fading as he crashed the heavy metal into it again and again. Eudora stuck her hand through the fissure, ripping apart the shield piece by piece, her hands bloody and ribbons of skin hanging from her palms.

Lea coughed up blood, but she pulled at Alaric’s magic again, feeling it draining, but there was still more, always more. She screamed, severing another piece from his chest, and her shield faltered again. With the strikeof Alaric’s sword, it cracked like broken glass, shattering around her in a blast of fire.

Lea pulled herself to her feet, gripping her sword firmly in her hand as Alaric stalked toward her, his teeth bared and his chest heaving. "You willneverbe more powerful than me," he spat. "Never!" He threw his head back, his arms out to the side, the ground beneath their feet shaking and Alaric’s fire spreading closer.

But she couldn’t stop. Gritting her teeth, Lea continued her assault. Disassociating from the pain as she yanked bits of his power inside herself. She could feel death chipping away at her mother’s shield, so close to claiming her. Her body burned as if it was on fire, as if every bone had been ground into dust, but still, she pushed forward, dragging her sword behind her as she approached Alaric, too weak to raise it until the final blow.

She yanked another stream of Alaric's magic into her chest, almost collapsing to her knees, but she forced herself to remain steady. She was so close. She couldfeelit.

Alaric threw another blast of fire in her direction, much smaller this time, and she dodged it, crying out in pain at the jarring movement. She blew the fire away with a gust of air, but Alaric sprang forward, arcing his sword down toward her throat. She raised her own sword, her muscles shaking as she blocked his attack, but he was so strong.

Inch by inch, he gained ground, the sword coming closer and closer to Lea’s neck until it was mere inches from her skin. She pushed back with all her strength, desperate. She would not fail—refused to die for nothing. She had to get the last of Alaric's power.

With a surge of strength Lea didn’t know she had, she pushed back against his sword. Grabbing the last dregs of Alaric's magic, she screamed, her vision fading as she ripped it backward as hard as she could. She was close. So very close.

"Stop!" Eudora said, stepping forward with her arms outstretched. Lea's eyes widened in terror as Eudora began to chant again, moving closer and closer, her magic pricking at Lea's skin. With every word, Lea’s pain grew, the agony intensifying until it was unbearable. She wanted to fight back,neededto fight back, to kill the witch before she killed her, but Alaric pushed his sword down harder, once again getting closer to her neck.

As the cool metal kissed her throat, Lea felt death’s fingertips break through her mother’s shield, just a crack, but it was enough. Eudora chanted louder, shouting now as she pulled the magic from Lea's grasp before she could sever it from Alaric. "No!" she cried. She couldn't do this, couldn't win against them both—not if Eudora could keep her from taking the final pieces of Alaric's power.

But as Eudora smiled, her chanting now deafening, Lea crumbled under the weight of Alaric’s sword. The weight of knowing there was no chance she could continue to fight them both.

Chapter 65

Erik

Janelle screamed—a piercing screech that caused the fenrir to look up in surprise. The distraction only lasted a second, but it was all Gray needed. With a grunt, he rolled to the side, swinging his sword sideways to plunge it between the giant wolf's ribs. The animal whimpered, struggling to rise to its feet, but Erik didn’t allow it to stand up again. With all his strength, he brought the sword down over its neck, severing its head from its body in one fell swoop.

Gray picked up his sword and rushed forward again, Erik close on his heels, but a growl ahead made them freeze. His hair stood on end as he peered through the trees, his heart pounding harder with every second that passed. A line of fenrir spread to block their path, and Erik grabbed Janelle by the arm, shoving her behind him. There were more than he could count, all nearly the size of horses. All of them with their teeth bared and their hair standing on end.

Gray raised his hands in front of him. “Let me through,” he rasped, desperate. “Please. I don’t want to kill you,” he said, as if the animals could understand him. “But I will—I’ll kill each and every one of you, without hesitation, to get to her.”

A deep gray fenrir stepped forward, meeting Gray’s eyes for a long moment before raising its head to howl, its body language unmistakable.We will not let you pass,it said.

Erik searched between the enormous wolves, looking for a path of escape as Gray tightened his grip on his sword, lowering his chin. His shadows whipped around him like long trails of vengeance, and Erik followed his lead, calling flames into his hands. His blood whooshed through his head, but even through the roaring in his ears, he could hear Janelle’s heart pounding behind him, a furious rhythm of uncertainty and fear.

“Please,” Erik whispered to Janelle, speaking without turning around, afraid that any sudden movements might make the wolves launch into their attack. “Please, run. Hide,” he begged, allowing his desperation to seep into his voice. He didn’t care. Not if it convinced her to flee. There was no surviving this. They were outnumbered twenty to one, the wolves’ heads lowered in determination and their teeth bared.

Janelle stepped forward, placing her shaking hand into his. “Erik,” she said softly.

“Please,” he begged again, his voice cracking, but he knew it was futile. That she would never leave him, just as he knew there was no way he could dissuade Gray from trying to fight his way through these monsters.

“Together,” Janelle said as the fighting behind them grew closer, the clash of swords suddenly clearer, louder. Erik’s stomach dropped, but he squeezed Janelle’s hand tighter.

“Together,” he replied. “Always.”

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