Page 105 of The Dryad Storm

“We’ve allied with you to wall off Vogel’s forces,” Vang Troi bites out to my allies in a tone that brooks no argument. “Nowhand over the Black Witch.”

Yvan rises and faces her down, his hands and wrists taking on a violet glow. “Move against Elloren, and you move againstus all.”

My pulse quickens as a low growl works its way up Diana’s throat and my horde flexes their wings and gathers fire while the Vu Trin and their allies draw up power, all hell about to break loose. Forced into a fight I do not want, I move to take my sheathed branch in hand.

Without warning, several dark vines punch through the base of our huge dome-shield and slash around my ankles. I yelp as my feet are pulled out from under me and the world tilts, my back hitting stone.

“Elloren!” Yvan cries, both his internal fire and Raz’zor’s and Ariel’s surging with defensive heat as they leap toward me along with Diana, my brothers, kindred ravens, and other allies, Errilith letting out an urgentCAWas I’m dragged, in a blur, toward the small opening in our shield where the vines punched through.

An opening, I notice with alarm, that Vestylle’s and Ra’Ven’s net of emerald Varg magic had failed to reach.

“You need tofreely link—” Alder cries out to me in Dryadin, her words cutting out as I’m pulled through our shield into the Shadow storm, the hole snapping shut behind me, Vogel’s net of Shadow coursing over our entire dome-shield.

Fierce winds buffet me, dark lightning scything above and unnatural thunder booming as I’m dragged away from Yvan and the others. Fighting the pull, I twist onto my belly, my stomach scraping against the huge ledge, my tethered ankles on fire with pain. Yvan’s and my allies’ magic blasts furiously against Vogel’s Shadow net to no avail, even Yvan’s violet firestorm unable to break through.

“Yvan!”I cry out as the living purple world rapidly recedes, Yvan’s winged, crimson-haired form obscured by the thickening Shadow net and his repeated attacks on it, Yvan’s rage and concern lashing through our bond, his incandescent violet eyes the last thing visible before Vogel’s darkening Shadow net blots him out.

I come to an abrupt halt near the edge of the huge stone ledge, the whipping gray storm pulling back to create a roiling dome, a broken dragon’s shriek sounding out.

Heart thundering, I yank myself around and look up to find Marcus Vogel flying toward me on a multi-eyed dragon, smiling as he swoops in from his Void storm and lands before me.

Chapter Ten

Dryad Witch

Elloren

Shadow lands

Vogel dismounts from his multi-eyed dragon and strides toward me across the Shadow half of the huge Dyoi Mountain ledge.

Terror leaps through me, but I hold his gaze, refusing to succumb to my well-founded fright. Vogel’s aura of silver gray fire power is stronger than it’s ever been, Yvan’s stolen Shadow-corrupted Wyvernfire still burning through it. His pale green eyes are ringed with a steely glow and fixed on me, his storm pushed up into a roiling dome above us.

“My Black Witch,” Vogel croons in a tone of pained fondness, “stop fighting your destiny. It’s time for you to surrender fully to me.” He stills and raises his Shadow Wand, the gray storm raging around us dying down to reveal the panoramic view beyond the ledge.

My throat clenches as I peer through the gray mist. The section of his army that came through the sky portal is massed at the base of the mountain range. I take in the destruction they’ve wrought, that they seek to wreak throughout the entirety of Erthia—leagues upon leagues of grayed land and charred trees.

Vogel’s bindings slacken a trace, and I spring up, pulse spiking, and lunge back toward the living Forest, its purple color visible just beyond the Shadow-netted dome-shield.

Vogel’s bindings around my ankles reassert themselves with a cruel yank. My belly slams to stone, the breath punched from my lungs as Vogel viciously drags me back.

I claw at the stone and growl out my fury, desperate to get back to Yvan and my other allies and loved ones, their repeated explosions of multicolored powerbooming against Vogel’s Shadow netting.

The branch, I suddenly remember.I have a living branch.

Desperation spasming through me, I move to take hold of the branch sheathed at my side before I once more remember Oaklyyn’s impassioned words—Your bastardized Mage spells won’t work!And even if they could, my rootlines are severely weakened, my faint indirect linkage to Yvan’s distant Zhilaan Forest stretched too thin.

The frustrated will to fight back pounding through my veins, I slowly turn to face Vogel.

He comes into sharper view as he strides toward me through the Shadow mist. His skin’s pale Mage-green glimmer stands out in bright contrast to his color-stripped Shadow world, his irises increasingly overtaken by Yvan’s stolen Wyvernfire.

Stolen by this Mage fiend who also murdered my fastmate.

Burning rage ignites, fury for Lukas slashing through it.

Vogel scans my face, my heart like a hammer against my chest as his eyes widen then sharply narrow. A flash of his heat sears through me, his immense fire power almost escaping his tight hold as a look of world-severing hate overtakes his expression.

Viper quick, he lashes out his Wand.

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