Page 10 of Unraveled
I allow myself to mourn the relationship Irene and I had when we were younger. We used to be best friends and alwaysstuck together. We’d spend hours out on our rooftop counting stars, planning how one day we would leave Penumbra and explore the world. But all of that was before my magic wedged itself between us. Before she put this place first... and before Father died. Still, I’ll never stop fighting to protect her, even if we aren’t the same.
“You don’t have to worry about us, Mia. Skylar is right. The necklace won’t work for someone who has no magic—it wouldn’t do anything.”
She would know, she’s stolen it from me many times before. She wanted to study it, to replicate the protection it provided me, to share it with everyone. If only it worked that way...
“I don’t trust him. You can justify whatever you’re doing down in that horrid room however you want, but you’re killing beasts to use their magic. And my necklace isnota paperweight, no matter what he says,” I hiss, not caring if Skylar hears me.
“So I keep hearing... You can save your lecture for a time when we don’t have a beast flying over us. You came here to help me—help us—and that’s what’s important.”
I nod and move toward the edge of the rooftop, where Skylar awaits. The bells ring loudly, echoing through the city at an alarming rate. I know he’s out there, even if I can’t see him prowling in the darkness.
My heart pounds as I take in the beauty of Penumbra at night. I know what Irene said is true, and there’s no reason to fight about something so minuscule when a beast is here. I’m diverting my attention to something else because what I have to do feels wrong, even though I’ve been studying and preparing for months.
I inhale deeply to ease my heavy breathing and step closer to Skylar. He’s loading his pistol and doesn’t lift his gaze even as he says to me, “Before you ask, I intend to kill this beast today, whether you like it or not.”
He lifts his gun and inspects it before aiming in the general direction of the dome where the ray of light shoots into the sky.
“Irene will hide over there.” He points to one side of the tower where supply crates are piled high, covered in tarps. “And I’ll be over there.” He shifts his hand in the other direction, to the ornate spires and the flying buttresses that support the stone walls of the building. He’d have to walk across the tarnished copper rooftop if he wanted to actually hide from view.
“Once you cast your spell, run back inside the way we came and hide in any room down there. Don’t come out unless we come to get you.”
“I’m not leaving Irene here with the beast,” I say. She’s the reason I’m here. “Even if my spell fails, I’m not useless. In fact, I’ve trained to wield weapons for years.”
I eye his gun and swallow thickly. I guess I never got a handle on how to use a gun.
“Darling, do as you’re told,” Skylar says, and his lips tilt into a smile that doesn’t reach his eyes. I open my mouth to tell him what to do with his condescending words, but he continues on. “If you stay here, it will force me to defend you instead of subduing the beast. Irene is a decent shot, but I don’t trust she can handle the beast on her own. Plus, if she’s worried about your well-being, she’ll be useless to me.”
Irene takes a sharp breath, though she says nothing to defend herself, and it makes the flare of anger running through me burn hotter. I’m one breath away from walking out and facing my fifteen weeks in jail for breaking into this place.
I place my hands on my hips, tapping my foot on the stone floor, and match his glare. “For your information, I know how to cast more than one spell. I might saveyouinstead.”
We stare at each other, and his expression shifts from cool indifference to curiosity. “Is that so? Well, he’s coming. Betterbe ready.” He laughs, pointing to the sky. It’s a blend of red and deep blue shades, and a black dot moves toward us.
My stomach sinks as I stumble toward the wall that marks the edge of the rooftop.
Up here, darkness shrouds us, and I know the beast hasn’t seen me yet, for he flies toward the dome. Placing my hands on the cold stone and breathing deep, I center my focus on the pages of the grimoire.
The old, scripted sorcery flashes through my mind, my skin tingling as my amulet warms over my chest.
I open my eyes, and my heart lurches. The beast is flying so close, I can distinguish the long shapes of his black wings.
He extends one of his hands, and from his fingertips, a massive ray of golden power shoots out, swirling rapidly toward the veil. The beast’s spell collides with it, and a wave of pressure blows the hood of my cloak back. It smells of something familiar, mixed with the bitterness of burning metal.
Lightning crackles around the beast’s spell, and the veil flickers off and on, fluttering like a bird’s heartbeat. The domed shape enhances the shrieks of the beasts in the forest, and while I can’t see them, I know they’re out there, waiting for it to break so they can feast on us.
The iron beams of the building’s dome move with the onslaught, and an intense wind shatters some of the glass beneath it. Metal screeches as it scrapes against metal.
I stretch my arms wide, and my hands prickle as I recall the words of spells written in languages I don’t know, reaching for the whispers the grimoire shared with me. My power doesn’t come from my head or my heart. It comes from somewhere in my stomach, slowly pouring out as waves of magic circle my fingers. I close my eyes and ignore something exploding in the distance.
The alarms of the city grow louder, thundering in my ears.
I press my lips together and force myself to focus back on the memory of the pages of the forbidden book I read hours ago. The surrounding noises fall away.
The words of a great spell flash through my mind, and my skin heats. I’ve never used a forbidden spell out in the open. Especially one that feels like destruction—like this one does.
I remember the spell vividly, and I don’t need to speak the words aloud. I simply focus on the sensations inside me, and magic surges around my wrists and arms.
I open my eyes again, and every inch of my body heats and burns, bringing tears to my cheeks. I direct my hands toward the beast and throw the attack across the rooftop. It’s bright blue, opaque, and it crackles like electricity. It moves so fast, the beast doesn’t have time to dodge out of the way.
