Page 10 of Lera of Lunos
Tye grins. “I cower helplessly behind your slender back, oh Great Protector.”
“You have teeth, claws, and several hundred pounds of deadly muscles the moment you want them, kitty cat.”
A shadow passes over Tye’s face, almost too fleeting to see. “Very true.” His quick smile and light voice churn my heart. “But it still sounded good.”
Before I can reply, River takes my hand, his magic immediately rousing an echo inside me. The force of his power is so strong that I stagger as my body wakens to it. The phantom limb of magic, utterly absent moments ago, now uncurls like a bear stomping along the ground.Ba-bum. Ba-bum. Ba—
“Easy, Leralynn,” River murmurs, beckoning for the others to join us. The males connect to me slowly, feeding me their power as gently as they can manage. Nonetheless, when all four cords of magic light up inside me, the sudden tsunami of magical force takes my breath away. My heart pounds. My lungs stretch. The energy inside me roars an untamed fury strong enough to eclipse the sun.
Strong enough to rip me to shreds.
Across the arena, Viper’s quint is busy drawing something on the sand. The blue-clad warriors may be our assigned opponents, but I know that our true enemy is the one blazing inside my chest.
“Easy,” River repeats, his voice firm but soothingly low. “The power obeys you, not the other way around. You are a weaver. Feel each stream of magic.”
I draw a shaky breath and do as River says, focusing my awareness on one cord at a time. River’s earthy power is dark brown, heavy, strong, with all the delicacy of a grizzly bear. Tye’s feline fire is hot, orange impertinence. The silver of Shade’s healing power carries a wolf’s need for connection, for rounding and protecting a pack. I use it to wrap around the first two, combining the squirming brown and orange cords into a single broad rope. And then there is Coal.
The last male’s power is unlike the others. All those years as a Mors slave turned Coal’s magic inward, its purple cord splitting into hairs that work their way everywhere. Filling my muscles, waking my nerves, spiking my senses until each grain of sand seems its own stone. The thin purple strands spread through everything and hold on tight.
The thick weave of silver, brown, and orange cords whips violently in my hold, but Coal’s purple strands reinforce my body. Make me strong enough to withstand the pressure of the others.
This feels new. A slight improvement over any time I’ve wielded the magic before. I let cautious hope fill my lungs. Maybe Coal was right to agree with the council—maybe now, in the arena, will be the moment I take true control.
“I’m all right,” I tell River, my voice shaking only slightly. “You can let go. I no longer need the direct contact to reflect your magic.”
Obediently, River pulls his hand out of mine and draws the dulled sword strapped to his waist. On my left, Coal does the same, pulling a sword off his back. They begin to pull away in either direction, forming into a short line across the sand. Shade’s wolf gives me a forlorn look then lopes to the other side of River.
A rush of panic makes my throat close as I realize I am on my own, no River to take control of the power if things go badly.
“You’ve not destroyed the arena or the sun quite yet,” Coal calls dryly, one blond eyebrow quirked, as if reading my thoughts. “A better start than I expected.”
I give him a vulgar gesture, though my heartbeat slows.
He tosses me his sword, drawing the spare blade he has sheathed down his spine for himself.
“Seriously?” I call, splitting my attention between the weapon suddenly in my hand and the coil of magic flailing in my preternatural weave. “I’m not sure I need another means of destruction just now, Coal.”
“No, but trying to kill someone can soothe the nerves.” He hefts his spare blade into a better grip. “Try it yourself against Viper.”
Looking across the sand, I see that Viper has conveniently separated from his quint, the other males fanning into a line behind him. Seeking me out, Viper sets a course in my direction. The blue flag waving from his belt is plainly bait, but I have my own game to play and this works well enough for my purposes. As he gets closer, our eyes meet across the sand and Viper smirks, though the crooked smile holds more mischief than malice. His quint mates move more slowly behind him, aiming for my males.
I glance compulsively back at Tye, who’s pulling at a thread on his uniform sleeve with a bored expression.
“Mortal,” Coal snaps, his patience with me plainly wavering. “River, Shade, and I will try and protect the wee red-haired princess while you go play with Viper. Get a move on.”
Fine.
Gripping my blade tighter, I walk toward Viper, who’s growing larger in the shimmering heat. His grin widens. Up close, his smaller stature gives way to a wall of lean, ropy muscle. He has sharp features, a constellation of freckles, pale red hair, and blue-green eyes. The sword in his hands might be dull, but the steel still gleams in the arena’s sunlight.Not alone,I tell myself, my mouth dry as Viper and I enter weapons range.Not alone. Not alone.
Viper’s blade swings for my head, the blow clean. Crisp. Skull-shatteringly strong.
I snap my sword to parry the blow, Coal’s power surging through my muscles. The blades meet with a deafening clash, the force of which rattles my bones.
Viper kicks me away, his boot sinking painfully into my belly.
I fall backwards, desperately gulping air. It’s all I can do to roll over my shoulder and scramble to my feet before Viper’s blade impales the sand where I lay a moment earlier.
The dry heat is sapping my energy faster than I’m used to in training.
