Page 57 of A Storm of Fire and Ice

My eyes widened in horror, and a cold sweat prickled across my skin as I realized her attack was aimed directly at me. There wasn’t enough time to dodge the blast. All I could do was throw up an ice shield as quickly as possible and hope I would survive.

“NO!” Fannar’s voice tore through the air like a whip.

My vision narrowed as Fannar zoomed toward me with superhuman speed. In one powerful leap, he sent himself hurtling through space. Before I could figure out what he was doing, he barreled into me, knocking me out of the way like a rag doll.

The raw power of Chaos Magic slammed into him with the force of a meteor, catapulting him backward helplessly.

The sickening crunch of stone and bone reverberated through space as he collided with one of the administration building’s tall spires. Chunks of stone and slate broke free, plummeting downward like violent confetti.

Fannar’s broken body left a crater in the spire. He tumbled down the wall, his motion marked by a trail of blood that followed his descent until he lay motionless in an unconscious heap of scorched flesh and smoke at the edge of the roof.

“FANNAR!” I screamed. My heart hammered in my ears as I sprinted toward him, the enchanted stone creating stairs up to the roof. My vision tunneled to focus solely on his crumpled form.

“BROTHER!” I barely heard Gwyneira’s muffled shriek behind me.

Every other sound and sight fell away. All that mattered was reaching him. I crossed the shimmering shield that encased the building. As I neared, the dark energy continued to crackle around his body for a few moments until the black tendrils snaking over him finally disappeared.

“Oh, my God,” I choked out, dropping to my knees beside him. “Fannar.”

The full extent of his injuries became horrifyingly clear. His clothes were charred and tattered, barely clinging to his body, revealing singed flesh beneath. The blast left an angry, blackened trail across his chest, marring the once smooth surface with gruesome burns. My stomach twisted as I fought back the bile rising in my throat.

Fannar’s chest rose and fell in a weak, ragged rhythm, each breath seeming to take all the strength he had left. He struggled for every inhale, and it tore at my heart.

“Helena . . .” he whispered, wincing as he tried to move before gazing up at me through pain-clouded eyes.

“Shh, don’t move,” I insisted, brushing my fingers lightly over his singed hair. “Save your strength, Fannar. Everything’s going to be okay.”

“You . . .” he rasped, his gaze locked on mine, “you need to . . . stop Obsidia.”

“No, I need to get you help!” I snapped, my fear for him turning into anger. “Headmaster Moira can take us back so we can get you to the Healing Center.”

“No, Helena . . .” he said through his bloodied lips, his voice weak and strained. Fannar’s eyelids fluttered ominously.

“Stay with me, Fannar,” I whispered fiercely, fighting back tears. “You have to stay with me.”

“Go, finish it.” Then his eyes slid closed as he succumbed to darkness.

Chapter Eighteen

Gwyneira

Aterrifying,primal,brutal,savage howl. The sound of pure rage.

I hardly recognized the raw, guttural cry of my anguished scream as it tore through the astral void.

“BROTHER!” I couldn’t breathe. My heart pounded against my ribs as my eyes locked onto Fannar’s broken body. Blood pooled beneath him, a bright crimson against the black tiles of the roof where he lay.

“Foolish Prince,” Obsidia mocked. “Oh, well. I needed him dead anyway.” Violet flames wreathed her hands as she gathered herself for another attack.

Not this time.

A storm ignited inside me. My anguish had taken form, a chaotic whirlwind of emotion and power tumbling inside me, and I couldn’t hold it back any longer.

Never had I felt such blistering fury. I embraced it. Fed off it. Fueled by it. I would avenge my brother or die trying.

Ice crystallized along my body as rage kindled a fire in my veins. I strode toward her, a torrent of ice shards swirling violently around me like a protective barrier. The cold bit at my cheeks, freezing the tears trailing down them, but I welcomed it. The chill focused my rage.

Focusing on the powerful storm tearing within me, I released an electrifying blast from my hands. It struck Obsidia with a loud scream, her smug expression replaced with an agonized grimace.

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