Page 44 of Whispers of the Magical Forest

The shades attacked in waves. They moved with the terrible grace of the truly dead. Thanos's weapon flashed in my witch fire as he swung it in precise arcs. Thanos and I fought like one thanks to our mate bond. We knew where the other was and didn’t have to worry about hurting one another by accident. We were covered in black, decayed blood as we cut them to pieces. Unfortunately, there were so many.

"Watch the backlash!" I called as I incinerated another cluster. Their final screams echoed off the tunnel walls like that scene inThe Grinch. "He’s using the defeated ones to try and grab me!" I ducked another grabby hand.

Each destroyed shade released bursts of congealed blood. It was like being struck by waves of rotten, frozen fire. Through my bond with Fiona, I got the sense that she and Bas were embroiled in a battle as well. Worry for my best friend made my heart race.

"Behind you!" Thanos called. It snapped my attention back to our fight. I spun and unleashed a wave of witch fire that reduced three shades to purified ash. Their final screams held notes of relief. That choked me up and made my eyes burn with unshed tears. Whatever fragment of their original selves remained was grateful for the release.

The communication crystal at my neck flared withArgies's voice. "The scent's getting stronger," he reported. "But it’s changing. I’m afraid we’re going to be too late." His voice cracked on the last part.

There was another burst of static that brought sounds of fighting. The crystal pulsed with transferred power, and I felt Argies's magic flare repeatedly. His rage burned through the connection. It was hot enough to make the crystal warm against my skin.

"Marcus is trying to feed on his bond to Aislinn to take his dragon magic," I told Thanos as we fought through another cluster of shades. Their cold essence made the air crystallize around them.

Thanos sliced a particularly aggressive shade to pieces. "Argies's rage will protect him. So will his love for Aislinn. I’m more worried about him losing his shit entirely. I just hope he doesn't bring the whole place down around our ears. Dragon fire and underground tunnels aren't exactly a stable combination."

"Would that be so bad?" I asked as I burned away another wave of shades. My magical energy was beginning to wan. Each blast required more and more effort. "It might solve our corrupt magic problem rather efficiently."

"And take our oxygen in the process," he pointed out as he carved through a shade that had tried to flank us. "We'd be buried under half of Hambledon. Given all of this, the idea is tempting."

Movement at the edge of my vision drew my attention. More shapes were emerging, but these weren't shades. The corrupted pack members that slunk toward us were barely recognizable as shifters. Shadow magic had consumed almost everything they once were. Distorted amalgamations of darkness and bestial fury was all that was left.

"Gods," I breathed as my chest tightened. It had suddenly become harder to breathe. "Thecorruption has eaten away everything they were. There's nothing left to save."

One of them laughed. "Save? We don't need saving. Marcus has made us strong. Made us pure. Soon, all will know the freedom of true chaos. The barriers between powers will fall, and magic will return to its primal state."

"That's not strength," I said as my witch fire blazed brighter in response to my command. It was driven by my fury over seeing magic so perverted. "That's corruption wearing your skin like a cheap suit. And you're not even pulling it off well."

The blood wraiths surged forward like someone had rung the dinner bell at a zombie convention. Time to show these nightmarish gits what happens when they crash our rescue party. My flames caught the first wave, and I couldn't help but smirk as they shrieked. The wraiths' liquid forms bubbled and boiled away like overheated jam. There was nothing but empty space beneath their grotesque facades. That was freaky.

Beside me, Thanos went full warrior god. His sword practically sung as it sliced through the horde. "Show off," I muttered as he bisected three wraiths with one swing. He was cutting through them like Grams through her Sunday roast and looking annoyingly magnificent while doing it. The git didn't even have the decency to break a sweat.

But each death weighed heavily on my soul. These had been people once. Someone's family, friends, and pack members. Now, they were just vessels for darkness. Their very essence had been consumed by Marcus's twisted vision. The crystal flared again with Argies's voice. "We found another ritual chamber," he reported, his words tight with barely contained rage. "There are more victims. They’re all dead. The walls are practically bleeding with purple fire here. Please tell me you’ve found her."

"Working on it," I grunted as I immolated another shifter. Its flesh had been melted away like wax. "Bit busy with quality control issues in pack management. These guys really need a new HR department."

"Something's wrong with the energy pattern," Fiona's voice crackled through the crystal. Her usual snark was replaced by analytical focus. "It feels like it’s reaching harmony. Like a corrupted orchestra tuning up. Each nexus vibrates at a specific frequency. Holy shit... they're actually using Aislinn's innate resonance as the conductor."

"Brilliant deduction," I muttered, ducking as crimson liquid whipped overhead. The wraith's form splattered against the wall when Thanos kicked it. Ugh, it was trying to reform. "And terrifying. Marcus is creating some sort of magical symphony of corruption."

The last wraith dissolved into mist, leaving behind only the steady plink of water and the low hum of whatever waited in the depths below. I pressed my palm against the tunnel wall to feel the vibrations. My magic stirred restlessly and seemed to be trying to... listen? That’s how it felt. Horror washed over me as I wondered if he was already taking what he needed from Fiona and me.

"There's something else," Thanos said quietly as he cleaned his blade. "I’ve been studying these tunnels. They were created for a specific purpose. Look at the curve of the walls and the spacing of the support arches. It's inverted sacred geometry.

“Basically, you’re saying they took a temple blueprint and turned it inside out," I surmised. “We need to rejoin one another. It suddenly feels far more dangerous to be separated.”

CHAPTER 17

FIONA

The shifter hit my side like a freight train. Pain wracked every fiber of my being. One moment, I was walking beside Bas in the western tunnel. The next, I was on my knees, gasping while Bas shredded the beast. Using the wall, I got to my feet. My wound blazed with purple fire that spread through my veins like liquid nitrogen. Someone had shoved a live wire directly into my magical core and cranked the voltage to maximum.

"The final phase," I managed through gritted teeth as Bas steadied me. His hands were warm against my cold skin. "It's starting. Whatever Marcus has planned, he's not waiting for midnight. I think he’s managed to get what he needs from Violet and me already."

I sensed Marcus channeling massive amounts of energy, and that was the only thing that made any sense. He was forcing power through Aislinn like water through a filter. The other vessels in the network were screaming as their remaining essence was forcibly extracted. Each cry carried notes of agony that made my stomach turn.

"Fi?" Bas's voice seemed to come from far away as anotherwave of backlash hit. The world spun sickeningly as corrupted magic surged through the complex. Bas’s love and Fae magic wrapped around me protectively. It allowed me to think straighter.

"I can feel it," I gasped as I clutched his arm. My senses were overwhelmed by the sheer volume of power being channeled. "He's forcing everything through her. I can feel him using her ability to bridge different types of magic to stabilize the chaos. It almost feels like he's using me as a transformer."

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