Page 37 of Fallen Angel

Hannah lurched backward and gasped at the strike. Raven didn’t even flinch. Fighting through her flaring nerves, Hannah made her way back to Raven’s side and watched young Mara seize beneath the electrifying force that pierced through her body. Her parents watched, their eyes bewildered at the dark color of the magic surging through their daughter. After about a minute, the current dissolved into smoke. Mara rolled lifeless to the floor.

When she rose, her parents gasped. Her eyes glowed an unnatural amber.

“Are you all right?” her father asked.

Mara’s mother clutched her husband’s hand.

Mara looked from side to side. “I may do that?” she asked quietly, looking over her shoulder.

“Who are you speaking with, darling?” her mother asked.

“Always asking so many questions. I wish you would leave me be,” she responded, a gritty tone in her voice.

“Please do not speak to your mother this way,” her father interjected.

“I shall speak however I desire, and no soul shall possess the ability to do anything about it.” An orb of black smoke formed in Mara’s palm.

Her parents looked nervously at each other and nodded as if in agreement. “Your mother and I shan’t hesitate to bind your magic, if you do not practice it properly. We have already spoken to the high priestess about it.”

“Enough!” Mara screamed. The smoke rippled in her palm, and she breathed it in as if its scent were intoxicating. The smoke expanded and wrapped around Mara, like a soft blanket, luxurious against her skin.

“You have had your time to meld my mind,

But now my magic, you shall not bind.

Take my parents from this life,

Steal their breath, this man and his wife.

Lead them away, like lambs to the slaughter,

For I am no longer their magicless daughter.

I accept the task of devotion to the night,

And spread its will, no matter the fight!”

Mara sang her spell as if it had been living within her the entirety of her life. Her black magic swirled around her body, then thrust toward her parents.

They cried out and choked on the smoke that swam into their lungs. Their bodies writhed, collapsing to the floor, and dissolving completely into the air like ash. Even after they were gone, their cries echoed in the air.

Hannah’s jaw dropped, and air escaped her. She stumbled slightly, feeling lightheaded at the image that transpired before her. Even Raven’s mouth was agape at Mara’s first spell. But accompanying Hannah’s shock was something else—determination. She forced herself to breath as her hands curled into fists.

Mara was ruthless. Witnessing her cruelty sparked a fire in Hannah. She was more determined than ever to stop Mara.

The smoldering black magic, laced with her parents’ screams, returned to Mara’s palms. Hannah expected her to look devastated or disturbed at the power she wielded, but that was not the case. Though Mara’s hair dulled, her eyes glowed with a frightening intensity. She exhaled a loud sigh, filled with satisfaction. Her lips widened into a bestial smile.

“More,” she said to the empty room.

In the next moment, Hannah and Raven were back with Callan in front of the fireplace. Hannah regained her footing on the splintering wooden floor and adjusted her mind. Raven took the handkerchief with Mara’s strands of hair and threw them into the blaze.

“It was nearly immediate,” she said. “There was light in her, but from the moment she converged, her sole purpose was to serve her dark magic. She is fueled by the spread of dark magic. Mara does not care about you or the witches she turns. Dispersing darkness intoxicates her and makes her more powerful. ’Tis as simple as that. If I could find a way to bring you into the spell with me, you could see for yourself. I am certain it would help you resist…”

“Slow yourself,” Callan urged as he placed his hands on Raven’s shoulders.

“She collected the fear of her parents, Callan. Fed off it. Their cries returned to her through that hideous black smog she exudes.” Raven’s gaze burned with such intensity, it sent a shiver up Hannah’s spine.

Callan’s jaw tensed. “That spell was powerful. You need to rest.”

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