Page 141 of A Blightress of Wrath
Mymother made her way to the inner circle whereIstood withThevin.
“Whatdo we do?”Iasked her at first sight.
“Wecontinue forward after a short rest,” she answered, then addressedThevin. “Yourpromise still stands?”
Henodded once. “Whereshe goes,Igo.”
“Good.Here,” she held a skein of water to me. “Carrythis with you for now.Ineed to speak withClairanniaandFiguerah.”
Mutteringmy thanks,Itook a long swig, handing it toThevinbefore looping the tie on the end to my belt.Anotherhowl arose and all of us tensed, scanning the wasteland of ash, partialBlightlying in wait to be destroyed.
“Something’swrong,”Iwarned.
“Whatdo you feel?”Thevinasked, tensing at my words.
BeforeIcould answer, the cry boomed across the army with a call to close into tight formation.IheardBlightbeastechoed across the lines, andIspun around, looking for the creatures which would surely be upon us soon.
Iglanced up to the sky, clouded in gray, waiting for my signal to begin the spell.Iwas to look for a single flair of green above us, as if my mother would begin her shield.Itwas all to be a farce to urge theBlightressto act quickly and begin her attempt to take me.
Themoment she appeared, my mother would feel her presence and call theWieldwrynsto her aid, forming a chain ofCosensianMagicwhich could allow them to siphon their power to her, enhancing the sleeping spell and suspending theBlightressinto a sleep-like state.
Wealso had my power to reverse time if need be.
ThevinandIhad discussed how best to use it, knowing theBlightresswould expect it of me if plans went awry.
Anotherhowl erupted andIfinally caught a glimpse of the beast, rampaging through the ashes behind us, a great mass of black with silver eyes.
“Boros?”Icalled softly, unheard over the calls to hold the line.
Myloyal friend pounded over the earth, something calling him all the way out here fromFelgrento protect me.Thesame realization hit my mother as she called to hold the attack whileIscreamed to let him through.
Fromwhat felt like nowhere, trueBlightbeasts emerged from the ashes behind us, hundreds of them forming over the ground, endless vines of black shaping in twisted limbs of beastial claws and teeth that emerged from their elongated snouts of thorns.
“Reformthe line!”Iheard my uncle shout, the command echoing as we turned our back on theBlightyet to be demolished.
Icould no longer see my lumen through the sproutingBlightbeasts, prowling closer to theRunnersin a slow, careful gait of predators assessing their prey.
Thecrack of tree limbs came next to the sides of the line as great creatures of bone-snapping jaws roared, swiping across the sea ofRunnersat our sides, sending them flying across theBlight.
“Steadyback!”Iheard over the screams of soldiers and the sound of the attack we knew would come.TheBlightbeasts launched forward, ripping and tearing into our front line.Thecommand for theWieldwryns’ suns came next as the battlefield lit in the brilliance of hundreds of channelers and conduits syncing together to take down the threat that had finally come for us.
Mymother’s signal came in a flash of green brilliance, blinding me for a moment beforeIrose my hands above my head and screamed into the battle, “SimulairSolum!”
Reachingup to the sky to hold my sun,Isaw the abyssal black portal, lying in wait behind us as our army retreated back toward theBlight’sedge.Thevinsaw it too, calling down the line at the danger as several at a time, soldiers fell into the illusory wall of mist, slipping into the portal theBlightresshad formed to be rid of them.
Aroot shot through the earth behind my boot, andIyelped, falling backward.BeforeThevincould right me again by his hand,Ilanded hard, my breath leaving my lungs completely.Mysun fizzled out and just asThevinbent to pull me back up andIdrew in another breath to reverse time, wet roots shot from the earth, pinning my arms and legs.Severalroots ofBlightspread over my mouth, silencing me completely.
Myeyes grew wide asIstruggled andThevinshouted my name, flicking a dagger from his baldric, slicing at the vines around my face.
TheBlightress’spower only dug deeper, pulling my entire body slowly into the earth.Shoutsraged above me asThevinpushed soldiers out of the way so they wouldn’t trample my head and render me unconscious.TheBlightover my mouth squeezed tighter and no matter how many he cut away, moreBlightedroots wound over what remained.
Mymind whirled in a panic, andIstrained my eyes downward, hopingThevinwould understand my movements.
Hecaught on quickly, focusing instead on releasing my arms from my sides.Withone precise swipe of his blade, my arms were free and he started on my legs asIformed my hands in the the long, circular shapeI’dseen my mother do before she wielded a portal.
Ithovered wide above me, not in the shape of my body, but in an ever-changing formation of white, hazy light.Ireached for it with one hand, digging at the roots over my mouth with the other.Ididn’t know where it led—allIknew was thatIneeded to get through orI’dbe consumed into the earth below, buried completely as the battle raged above me.
Aboot knocked into the side of my head and the world faded in and out with screams and snarls, the snap of branches and the smell of burning.Myhands fell limp to my sides as my own blood trickled into my eyes.Thevin’srage was a clear anchor in the screams of war.Thelast momentIstayed conscious for was the rip and slice of root, violently torn from my face beforeIwas pulled toThevin’schest and jumped with him into an oblivion of white.
