Page 77 of When Storms Ruin

It was weak.

The sound of clashing swords rang loudly in my ears as a body appeared before me, parrying Fletcher’s attack. I opened my mouth to cough, and blood splattered the cobblestones before me.

I needed to heal.

I needed my magic, and I needed itnow.

“Diana! Fuck, Diana. No, no, no…” Nik had found me, his hands shaking as he pulled me against him.

The orange flames danced in the reflection of Nik’s eyes as he knelt before me. He pressed his palm to my chest wound much harder than I had the strength for. His lips moved in a spell, but I could barely hear the words.

“Listen to me, Diana. Stay with me. I need you to stay with me. Baby,please.”

His face was blurry, but I could see the utter terror in his piercing blue gaze. The hard set of his mouth. His brow creased with effort as he spoke the spell again and again, swearing under his breath.

If Nik was here with me…who was fighting Fletcher?

As my eyes focused on the fight over Nik’s shoulder, a guttural scream tore forth as Fletcher’s sword hit home. It sliced through the stomach of the witch before him, all the way to the hilt.

The sword looked odd protruding from his back as the witch fell to his knees, red staining his mouth as he gurgled blood. He sank to the rubble in a lifeless heap, his face turning towards me as he fell. There was sorrow in his eyes right before they glassed over.

He took one final breath, then his body was still.

Tyr.

Tyr had fought Fletcher to protect me, to protect all of us, and he had paid the ultimate price.

Tyr was dead.

The sight of Tyr’s lifeless body lying among the rubble would live with me until my last days.

Tyr was my cousin.

He was only aboy.

He had his whole life ahead of him, only for it to be snuffed out. All because of me.

Tyr was dead, and it was my fault.

Rage brewed in my gut so deep it pulled my magic free of its own volition, thunder cracking loudly overhead. Fletcher’s eyes turned to the sky in alarm before falling back to Tyr’s limp form. He braced his foot against Tyr’s chest as he slid the sword free.

Flames swam before my eyes as my magic swelled inside of me, and all I could see wasred.The wound in my chest was nothing but an afterthought as I pushed to my knees, Nik’s voice calling out for me. I could hear his voice, but not the words he spoke.

The sound of my own blood pumping through my veins was rushing through my ears as I pulled on my magic again, a burning sensation reaching my fingertips as lightning shot out of the sky.

The screams of the surrounding witches were drowned out by the spitting rain that violently tore from the sky, torrents of it cascading down on the battle. My hair stuck to my forehead, the back of my neck, as I pushed to my feet. Rivulets of water ran down my face, washing away the dried blood and dirt.

“Diana…” Nik warned, his grip tight on my arm as I raised my palms towards Fletcher.

My chest rose and fell rhythmically as I drew on my magic. I drew, and drew, and drew until it filled me up to the brim. I almost buckled under the pressure of the storm, the intensity of it, as it swirled overhead. But I held my footing.

Fletcher shuddered as the sword dropped from his grip.

“Diana, you are drawing on too much magic.” Nik’s voice was a whisper in my ears, one I could easily ignore.

I reached out to the angry clouds overhead and grabbed its magic. An earth-shaking thunder enveloped everything, leaving a ringing in my ears. A smile graced my lips as my eyes fell on Fletcher. I cocked my head to the side, another crash of thunder sounding overhead.

The wind was picking up, whipping my wet hair back and forth, cloaking the battlefield in a haze of driving rain. I reached out to the storm again and grabbed whatever power it had left. I waited until it filled me to the point ofphysical painbefore I unleashed it.

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