Page 31 of Magic & Secrets
Shaking my head, I answered, “To avoid the distracting magic, we should have left them back at Opal Outpost. Discarding them now won’t help.”
Stepping to the edge of the forest, we found a valley filled with sunflowers. Across from us, on the other side of the valley, stood a Sorcerer. He was stout with a bald head and deep lines across his thick forehead. His pointed ears implied an Elven bloodline, but he could have just as easily been poisoned by his magic.
The Sorcerer wore battle garb. In his right hand, an orb glowed brightly. Wolf Shifters stood on each side of him. Each one was half transformed, standing like men, yet wearing the snarling faces of beasts.
“I intend to tear off the Sorcerer’s head,” I growled, recalling his magic hiding the violence against our friends.
“Roque, wait,” Koda suddenly said. “This feels like a mistake.”
Delta was already on the move, transforming into a massive tiger as he raced across the valley.
Nearby, the warriors were off their horses. Mina cried out in a foreign language before breaking into a sprint and drawing her sword. Her sisters quickly followed. I hurried to stop Calla, but she was as fast as the wind.
Delta had erased half the valley in his haste to draw blood. The Wolf Shifters transformed into their animal form. I spotted more of them lurking behind rocks to the right and left of Delta’s path, waiting to ambush my packmate.
No doubt Delta understood their location. He was aware he was putting himself at risk. His bloodlust was too strong. Or the magic in the air sent him into madness. Either way, I couldn’t hesitate.
I shifted into my bear form, knowing I would have the size and power to defeat any Wolf Shifter. Running into the valley, I tried to focus on the targets. In my mind, I zeroed in on each of them. I saw their deaths as if they were predestined.
The cinnamon scent hit me hard, and my thoughts instantly shifted to Calla’s safety. I couldn’t allow her inexperience to leave her dead on the battlefield.
Perhaps sensing the warriors’ weaknesses, Koda changed into his dragon form. I heard the deafening sound of his massive wings flapping. Koda took flight, sailing across the valley and creating a shadow over the warriors.
Ignoring Koda, the Sorcerer fired flaming arrows at the three warriors. Even from a distance, I recognized his annoyance at their presence. This ambush was meant for the Bane Shifters, not these three young warriors.
The sisters effortlessly blocked the arrows with their shields. Despite their ease in battle, I felt a surge of rage at how they were in danger. Calla blinded me to everything else. I shifted into a wolf before shifting back into a bear before turning into a monstrosity long extinct in this world.
The air crackled with pungent magic. Everything felt wrong. The sky above the battlefield darkened. The warriors stopped running and now stared confused upward at the heavy yellow clouds. The Sorcerer appeared pleased by their reaction.
The fetching cinnamon magic slammed against the Sorcerer’s ancient incantations. I stopped running, staggering to a stop.
My mind swam with images of creatures below my feet, trapped underground and waiting to break free. Disoriented now, I looked up at Koda flying toward where several Wolf Shifters hid. He came down hard on them, clawing open their flesh with his talons. Their pained howls filled the air, amplified by the foul magic drawing in around us.
Delta stood very still to my right, seeming entranced. He swayed as if he couldn’t bear the weight of his tiger form.
To my right, Koda roared as the Shifters tore into his flesh. He seemed unable to lift his body or coordinate his movements.
Magic swirled around us, trapping me in place. I couldn’t go to Calla or rip the head off the Sorcerer. I felt struck in the eye of a tornado as the magic tightened its grip.
Sensing our confusion, the Wolf Shifters attacked. I imagined Calla torn apart. Her gaze met mine. She was as overwhelmed as I was. We couldn’t battle. Ivitithi’s ancient magic allowed the Sorcerer to erase our training and concentration.
Ignoring everything else, I moved on pure instinct. My gaze left the warriors and zeroed in on the Sorcerer. I wanted him dead. I needed to tear him apart. I longed to make him beg andbleed. Nothing else mattered. Not my packmates or the warriors. I only wanted to destroy this one creature.
My mind still swam, but I could focus enough to erase most of the space between the Sorcerer and me. He saw me coming. His revolting smirk disappeared. Did he already imagine my claws tearing into his flesh?
Afraid now, the Sorcerer backed away as he fumbled with his bag of spells. He tossed one after another at me. The magic seared my flesh, burning and festering, only to be suffocated by my Bane Shifter power.
Feeding my bloodlust, the pain kept me focused. I ran unfazed toward the Sorcerer until Calla’s fearful voice slammed into me.
Coming to a screeching halt, I lost my balance, tumbling forward as my gnarled limbs struggled to control my massive form. I turned back to see Calla, Enya, and Mina encircled by the Wolf Shifters. Delta wasn’t far away, swatting away their attacks yet seeming unable to harm them.
A disoriented Koda flew overhead, dropping down before flapping his wings enough to avoid crashing.
I looked back at the Sorcerer. If he had no head, my senses could return.
Standing up tall, I fixed my gaze on the Sorcerer. Nothing could distract me. I would only see him. Calla didn’t exist. No one did except the Sorcerer and me.
Moving again, I erased the last bit of space between us. He called out to the Wolf Shifters to save him. I didn’t look back to see where they were. I remained focused on my target. Nothing else mattered. Not even the blonde warrior whose voice I heard on the wind.
