Page 193 of The Tribrid Princess and the Taste of Chaos
Brock has had flight lessons, as all seniors have to. He knows how to fly a jet if needed, but hopefully we can all return together – safely. Just the thought of having to leave someone behind sickens me.
“Make every second count,” Enrique growls as the protective barrier surrounding us shatters, fragments of energy dissipating into the wind. The silence that follows is short-lived.
Kataleya steps forward, her arm lifting just as a colossal blast surges towards us. It should have obliterated everything in its path, but it doesn’t, as Kataleya’s aura glows. The petals of power swirl around her like a soft breeze. She absorbs the attack without flinching, and the ground trembles at her feet, but she keeps going until it’s gone, and then with one flick, she sends the same attack right back at them.
Dante kicks off, launching into the air, fighting against the sheer weight of the power. Four wolves materialise, each one holding immense power. Dante’s wolves! They snarl as two are on the offence, tearing into the enemy, and the other two prowl the ground, guarding us. The energy building around us is unbearable. It melts into the burning heat of the desert.
Enrique is already up against Velasara, blades clashing with sparks. Their duel is vicious, but Enrique has an edge over her for now. She’s strong, and whatever hybrid she is, she’s holding her own against Enrique.
Kataleya’s eyes glow as she flicks her wrist, redirectinganother attack she had absorbed. The magic launches from her palm like a meteor, screaming through the air towards the two shadowy figures watching from the dunes. One is a witch draped in dark silks. The other, a hybrid covered in jagged bones and black runes, snarls like an animal tasting blood.
When the sand finally settles, I see them. A whole legion of masked warriors, standing behind the witch and the hybrid. Each one bears a twisted mask with curved horns. Their features are lost behind those eerier masks, but towards the front is-
“Song…” Kataleya breathes, her voice faltering for the first time.
From amongst the lines of the enemy warriors, her platinum hair shines, a smile, that doesn’t quite reach her eyes, is full of malice.
“Aw, hun,” Song croons. “It’s been so long.” The sarcasm makes me sick. She tossed their friendship aside.
“Song-”
“Oh, spare me the drama,” Song cuts in.
“Shut up, please,” Ahren sighs, appearing between them in a blur, his twin swords now out, eyes narrowed. His tail curls behind him as he moves faster than the eye can follow, slashing at Song as she chants under her breath, making magic crackle in the air.
“I’ll hold her!” Ahren shouts. “Kataleya, go!”
But Kataleya doesn’t move. She stares at Song for a long heartbeat before she shakes her head. “This one’s mine.”
Ahren doesn’t argue, giving her a small nod before he vanishes into the chaos.
Kataleya moves, her power surging. She slams into Song witha force that sends her skidding across the sand. Song laughs through the pain, rising slowly.
“You’ll kill your friend? Do you have it in you, Kat?” she mocks, her voice dripping with poison.
“You are no friend of mine.” Kataleya’s voice is steady now, stronger. “You made your choice.”
Song flings her hands out. Poison-tipped daggers race through the air, humming as they fly. Real steel, not just magic; she knows magic alone won’t work on Kataleya.
Kataleya is ready, and with a flick of her fingers, she sends them scattering. Her sword appears in her hand in a shimmer of light, and she swings it forward, sending a shockwave straight into Song’s chest.
Song crashes to the ground just as two more witches flank her, chanting spells with raised hands. Their voices weave together, becoming louder and stronger.
We need to join.
Don’t engage unless it’s important.
They need my help. There’s too much happening. The ground is a battlefield of explosions, blood, shouts and power.
I run forward, the shadows spreading from beneath my feet. My aura swirls around me as I strike again and again – the shimmering hue of my power destroying all in its path.
This is where the chaos resides. This is how the chaos feeds.
Screams rise, but they fade into the roar of battle. Across the field, Brock and Artemis are fighting back-to-back, blood painting the sand around them. Theo has shifted, his wolf glossy black with a stark white face. His eyes glow an eerie milky blue as he tears through a line of wolves, ripping out their throatssavagely.
As I spin, cutting down man after man, my gaze flits to the sky where Velasara and Enrique are facing off.
Velasara is strong, but Enrique has her in a corner. She’s not laughing like she did when she faced me. I want to join him, to finish her, but something pulls me back, and I focus on what I’m doing.
