Page 61 of Hunted By Wolves and Shadow
“Do you feel it?” Amber asked.
I closed my eyes and let myself feel the thrum of magic all around us. Like I’d noticed the first time, the enclave was a bright well of it, but I looked past that and found the bleak pull of dark magic below that. It was everywhere, seeping into every crevice and crack in the dry dirt, casting the forest into shadow. The more I noticed it, the more it pulled at me, hunting down any joy I held and filling those holes with dread.
“I feel it,” I said with a shudder.
“Good, now don’t let go.” Amber reached out her hand for me.
Our magic connected with a jolt. Between our palms, we clasped two stones, one amber and one emerald. That bubbling energy from deep inside me swelled to meet her calmer force, and my confidence swelled with it.
She planted her other hand firmly against a massive tree that wove into the thorny enclave wall. As soon as she made contact with the plants, magic surged through us. It took my breath away.
I could feel all of it. The whole forest was connected, and Amber was my bridge to every root and bright thread of mycelium woven underground, to every straining leaf seeking light far above us. Our ambers and emeralds around the enclave were blinding portals funnelling our magic together in ribbons of green and gold, threading through the vast woven walls into the fabric of the forest.
The underground mycorrhizal network and all the plants reaching above it were one brilliantly complex map of lines andsparks, swirling and stretching far beyond where we stood. It crawled to the mountains at the very top of Anterra and dragged far down to the sea at the other end. I felt all of it, along with the misty pall that clung to it.
My mind pulled in every direction. Amber’s magic was a writhing, living thing. It reached tender shoots to wrap around stems and branches and dragged my vivid pulsing magic up tree trunks along strangling vines.
She was far better at controlling the channel of magic through her gemstones, and I tried to follow the sensations as she coaxed it this way and that, pushing our combined forces out through the community of flora. Amber could grow new plants and fresh shoots, but could I help the already dying parts of the forest recover from the curse? The plants closest to us trembled and grew, unfurling new greens in front of my eyes. I focused on the drooping fern beyond which prowled my tawny wolf.
Seeing Wolf there watching me with eyes of gleaming silver brought a hot lick of power to my palm. I remembered how it felt to heal those awful wounds on Wolf’s body. Just like watching his flesh repair itself and knit back together, I watched the fern shake off the forest’s neglect, new fronds replacing the shrivelled brown. Was that me? Had I healed that one plant?
My bright surge of success faded fast. One plant was nothing. Even if I healed every tree, branch by branch, that wasn’t a solution. Sure, I could help trees to reach above the hovering shroud, but breaking the curse was much more than that. We had to heal the essence of the forest, chasing out the shadows of dark magic that still lurked under everything.
I would have to use the full extent of my power tohelpthe forest to heal itself—help everything within it to shake off the curse the way the fern had done. If my experiments so far had shown me anything, it was that I couldn’t simply banish theMist. But with the might of an entire forest fighting with me thanks to Amber, maybe we could do it together.
Of course, that simple wish would have been too easy. A crash of branches had my eyes flying open to see a bulky shape hurdling toward us. Wolf growled a warning that raised the hairs on the back of my neck, but Bear had it covered. His huge form barrelled into the hairy monster before it could reach us, and they tumbled away into towering Mist.
Now that my eyes were open, I realized how much the Mist was churning and thickening, swirling around us with furious intensity. I lost sight of Wolf and Bear in Mist so dense it engulfed everything, obscuring my own hand in front of me. My heart pounded so hard I feared it would burst free.
“Keep going!” Amber’s voice encouraged through the haze.
The warmth of her hand in mine reassured me that I wasn’t alone. As I reached deep to extend my power, the darkness of the curse pushed back.
It was like the curse recognized me as a threat and it began to pull everything it had into fighting against me as hard as I fought against it. Roaring, crashing, pounding…the forest came alive with Mist and shadow.
Monsters came crashing in from everywhere, racing toward us. The beasts long ago claimed by Aglonbriar closed in on us as Ruby’s curse drew them to its protection. It knew it was under attack and it had teeth and claws to fight back.
Well, I wouldn’t let it win.
Somehow, Amber and I remained untouched, though for how long was anyone’s guess. Sounds of battle rose all around us.
“We have to hurry,” I shouted to her, redoubling my efforts with a surge of power.
Panic was already rising in my throat at the thought of what was happening beyond the veil of white. Beasts roared and howled in fury or pain, it was hard to tell which.
I couldn’t sort friend from foe, but it was clear the enclave shifters were at war to protect us. My heart clenched at the thought of them getting hurt—or worse. Was I worth their protection? What was the cost?
Branches crashed as monsters swarmed us. I couldn’t see much, but our allies fought hard. A dark form darted past, chased by impressive antlers atop a towering moose. I’d met the man named Moose, I realized with a start. More of the shifters from inside the walls must have joined the fight.
Where was Wolf? I couldn’t see!
Something enormous rushed at us, and I almost lost my grip. A scream lodged in my throat at the sight of long hairy legs clambering through the Mist. Too many legs. I suddenly regretted the spiders I’d saved because this one…Oh,clouded skies. It was coming straight for me, all scuttling and clicking and horrifying.
I couldn't stand against that! A sharp ache that had no place in this moment twisted my gut at the thought of never seeing my father again, never knowing if he’d missed me. This really wasn’t the time to lose focus! If I died now, it was all for nothing.
I tugged Amber’s hand. Maybe we could shelter behind a tree. Maybe we could…no. It was almost on us. I could put her behind me. Keep her safe as long as I could…
Hairy limbs flew at me. But at the last heartbeat, my wolf was there. Sharp teeth bared, he leaped from the Mist at the giant spider. Wolf’s fierce snarl should have frozen me with fear, but it warmed my soul.
