Page 31 of The Dryad Storm

A flash of sapphire light rays out from the portals behind them, and a Subland soldier yells something in Smaragdalfarin, too fast for Gwynn to translate. She looks at Mavrik in urgent question as the Alfsigr runes continue to multiply, Gwynn’s light magery rushing through the Verdyllion and into the thickening runic barrier, the magic in her lines and Wynter’s rapidly depleting.

“Only a few minutes before the portals are charged,” Mavrik translates.

Relief surges through Gwynn but it’s immediately punched down as another echoing, earsplitting shriek rattles the cave. A gigantic, insectile mass squeezes into the geode-cavern, its upper head covered with a riot of gray-glowing eyes. The creature pushes the rest of its body into the cavern and unfolds into a barn-size spider. Black, chitinous half-moon horns rise from its head, and Shadow-tainted Mage deflection runes are marked all over its body. Four extra pairs of legs made of what looks like dark lightning bolts sizzle out over its eight limbs.

“Goddess help us,” Valasca murmurs from beside them. “Fallon bound a queen.”

The queen spider slams its lightning legs onto the floor with a thunderousCRACK.

Dark lightning buzzes out over the floor’s flat expanse and forks toward and against their runic barrier, the barrier’s runes whirring into a solid silvery blur that spits reactive threads of lightning.

“My light magery,” Gwynn rasps to Mavrik and Wynter as the magic flowing out of her sputters. “I can feel it depleting...”

A tide of dark mist billows from the queen spider’s underside and slithers towardtheir barrier and then over its expanse, their barrier’s silver coloration pulsing away in strobing fits of storm gray.

Mavrik yanks his hand from theirs, and Gwynn’s light magic contracts into its trapped state with such slingshot force that she sways on her feet, her hand dropping from Wynter’s.

Drawing his Varg-marked wand, Mavrik grits out a spell and throws a bolt of glowing emerald energy that quickly expands into a huge half-orb shield of shimmering, emerald light in front of them, walling off their side of the geode-cavern, the soldiers beside them blasting their emerald magic into it.

The queen spider lunges forward, the very air gaining a stinging charge as the beast hurls out a prone, whirling tornado.

The tornado slams into their original rune shield and shatters it in an explosion of bright silver light, the spider’s storm rushing forward to pummel against Mavrik’s green orb barrier.

Gwynn’s heart slams against her ribs as another flash of sapphire light rays out from behind them.

“The portals are charged!” a woman’s voice rings out in the Common Tongue, her words barely cutting through the roar of the attacking storm as Mavrik feeds power into his half-dome barrier, leaning into it but skidding back alarmingly as the Subland soldiers make for the charged portals.

Mavrik grunts, muscles tensing as he jabs his wand arm harder toward his orb shield, slapping his free hand around his wrist to steady his wand hand, the bolt of power he’s feeding into his shield brightening its forest green glow as Shadow wind gusts and dark lightning cracks against it. The queen spider lets out a floor-rattling shriek and intensifies her onslaught of storm.

“Go!Go!” Mavrik urges Gwynn and Wynter, Valasca and the purple Urisk woman hugging Valasca’s side as he keeps tenuous hold of his orb shield. “Get that Wand out of here!”

Valasca grips both the purple woman’s and Wynter’s arms and tugs them into motion. Wynter casts Mavrik a tortured look before the three of them sprint toward the charged portal while Gwynn finds herself frozen as she realizes what Mavrik is doing.

Sacrificing himself so they can escape.

The image of Mavrik’s look of horror when he took in Bloom’ilya’s and Ee’vee’s cropped ears burns through Gwynn’s mind. He’s the only Mage she’s everencountered, in her closed Styvian Mage world, who actuallycared.

Who saw the cruelty and responded with full-on rebellion.

A visceral panic strikes through her, over the possibility of losing both their confusing magical connection andhim.

Through Mavrik’s green orb shield, Gwynn can just make out a new swarm of spiders pouring into the geode-cavern, scuttling over and clinging to every surface, their queen’s dark lightning scything into Mavrik’s weakening shield with mounting force. The air grows more charged, all the spiders’ bodies seeming to swell and take on a steely glow. A static sting courses through the air, setting Gwynn’s teeth on edge, her hair lifting along her scalp as her terror rises.

“Mavrik!”she cries.

He turns and spots her, and his eyes ignite with fury. Snarling out an epithet, he launches himself toward her, the urgency in his gaze sending a bolt of resolve straight through Gwynn’s center, static rising in the air.

Mavrik grabs her arms and tries to push her toward the portal, and an explosion of multicolored sparks races through her lines from the contact. She grabs hold of his wrists in turn, the skin-to-skin contact abruptly unblocking the remaining shreds of her light power. Her magic rushes into his lines, and their eyes meet in a flash of intensity as they’re hit by a violent blast of energy.

A fiery, forking sting assaults Gwynn’s sides, and she cries out in pain as Mavrik’s body is blasted against hers and they’re blown straight across the cavern’s floor toward the portal’s golden maw, a chill sweeping over her skin.

Fallon Bane sweeps into the cavern, ice shimmering over the cave’s stone. Her wand is raised, her vicious gaze pinned on Gwynn.

Fallon’s cry of“Nooooo!”is the last thing Gwynn hears before she and Mavrik are blasted into the portal’s golden depths.

Chapter Seven

Selkie War

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