Page 113 of Tower of Tempest
“Loch,” I started.
“Together,” he said firmly.
“Okay, then.” I pushed out my hands, pulling at the invisible thread inside of me, letting it unspool as power flooded into my veins and shot out through my hands. It was so simple, I could almost laugh. Here I’d been thinking I couldn’t use my magic, when really, it had been there all along. It wasn’t some mysterious force I had to earn; it was already there, inside of me, waiting to be called forth. I’d just needed to realize it.
A blast of wind circled around us in a cyclone, whipping the shadows up and throwing them out. They flew backward into the depths of the forest, only to reemerge within seconds.
Just that blast of power had weakened me. Leoni had told me that building up stamina and strength took time. Years, even. I couldn’t use a huge amount of power like that again without risking depleting my stores. I’d have to use small amounts and pray to the Seven Spirits it would be enough until the sun came out again and gave me and Loch a chance to get away.
Loch grunted behind me as he sliced a sword through a shadow. The shadow separated into wispy clouds before reforming back together.
“Well, I have bad news,” Loch said as he ducked, a shadow grazing his head and flying past. “It turns out swords aren’t very effective against shadows.”
I shoved out my hands, blasting small amounts of wind at them overand over, each blast making that thread inside of me feel harder to grasp, slippery and weak. But I had to keep going. I couldn’t let the shadows take me. Couldn’t let Loch’s shadow escape all the way back to the shadow court.
No. This ended now. It had to. But the wind wasn’t working.
Behind me, Loch kept slashing, jumping, ducking, swerving. He wouldn’t be able to keep that up forever either. He would tire soon. He wasn’t at full strength, not without his shadow. Even if he hadn’t said it out loud, I knew it to be true.
I arched my neck. “Maybe I could move the clouds?” I said.
Loch rolled onto the ground, then popped back up onto his feet, stabbing at a shadow and making it disintegrate into what looked like a thousand shadowy pieces before it reformed. “You’re talented, but that’s advanced sky magic. Something I’ve only seen one sky elemental do. I’m afraid something like that would completely drain you. It’s not worth the risk.”
Four shadows whipped toward me at once, and I moved my hands together in a circular motion, creating a ball of wind that flew out, spinning at a dizzying speed, hitting the four shadows and spitting them away.
I leaned over, trying to catch my breath as a shadow knocked into Loch, sending him sprawling on the ground.
“No,” I said.
Loch’s chest rose and fell, sweat dripping down the sides of his face. “I’m okay,” he said. “Hey, at least I look good with a sword.” He sent me a wink that made me sigh and let out an exasperated breath.
I knew he was lying—and trying to distract me.
He jumped back to his feet right as a shadow whooshed around him. He kicked out his leg while jabbing his sword behind him, making the shadows fracture into pieces. Seconds. He’d only bought himself seconds. We wouldn’t be able to keep on like this. I glanced up, praying to Spirit Sky I’d see any flicker of sun. But through the pined canopies, the sky revealed dark plump clouds. A storm was coming.
“Poppy,” Loch yelled, and I whirled around, too late.
A shadow latched onto me, lifting me up into the air. Loch swung his sword from side to side, then up, then forward, breaking through the fog of shadows to run after me. I struggled against the shadow’s grasp,reaching my hand down as Loch stretched his up. His fingers grazed mine, so close to grabbing hold, before the shadow yanked me farther into the air.
“No,” Loch said, eyes darkening with a promise of vengeance.
I kicked and scratched and clawed, but it didn’t matter. The shadow held me tight, and the other shadows swirled upward, a tornado of inky black, Loch disappearing in their wake. No. No, he had to get his shadow back. I couldn’t let this happen. Lightning cracked the sky above. If only I could move the clouds, make the sun come back. Bring light.
Another bolt of lightning sizzled through the dark clouds. Or I wished Spirit Sky would appear and grab a bolt from the sky, stab it straight into the shadows.
Wait. I stopped fighting, stopped struggling altogether. Lightning. A lightning strike. I could summon lightning, use it to scare the shadows away. I’d summoned it before, briefly. I wasn’t sure how it might drain me compared to summoning wind, but if I didn’t do this, Loch and I might not survive. And I had to survive. Our story wasn’t finished yet.
I closed my eyes, searching for that thread of power, small and dwindling but there. I tugged at it, imagining the jagged, hot light, and soon, the heat of a bolt sizzled in my hand.
The shadow holding me hissed and dropped me. I pumped my wings, flapping them as I swooped down and straight through the cyclone of shadows surrounding Loch. Shrieks erupted from them, and they scattered, the prince’s shocked face coming into view. I landed on the ground, then drew back my arm as Loch’s shadow flew down, swiping at my arm as it shrieked like it was in pain just being near the light. I didn’t know how to capture the damn thing while also repelling the other shadows. It hit the bolt from my hand, and the lightning shot straight into a nearby tree.
The bark exploded in light and heat. Sparks and embers popped and crackled in the air, and Loch tackled me as wood chips vaulted toward us. His big body covered mine, protecting me and my wings from the destruction happening overhead.
I couldn’t see them, but I could hear the shadows screeching, their cries growing faint as they got farther and farther away. No. Now Loch’sshadow was once again gone. Loch stayed like that, lying on top of me, until the sounds of splitting wood died down.
I pushed at the prince, and he rolled off of me, both of us coming to our feet, and—the entire clearing around us was now caught in a blaze. Fire everywhere I looked. Smoke poured in like a thick fog.
“Can you fly us out?” Loch asked as the fire crept higher.
