Page 31 of Prince of Blaze and Embers
But instead of breaking every bone in my body, the golden orb around me stopped the thick muscles in its huge fingers. The huge mouth of the ogre clenched its rotten teeth, and its beady eyes narrowed. It groaned, squeezing with all its might. But instead of crushing me, it watched helplessly as I stood fully, my body enveloped in a golden light that glowed like embers smeared all over my skin.
“You’re not taking me anywhere.” My words were deep with spite and ill intention. The man had no qualms about stealing me away or killing me for the queen. How many other young girls had this man taken from their homes or killed because he enjoyed it? “You’re not going to hurt anyone, ever again…”
My Gilded Radiance shot from my hands in two spinning pillars blasting into the ogre’s shoulders and chest. It roared in pain, echoing throughout the forest as it recoiled. I fell from its hand, landing back in the water on my feet, with the cool water rising above my knees. My spell never stopped, and the two magical pillars continued spraying from my hands.
The magic burned into the ogre, and I could smell its searing flesh. But the water on my legs sent a rush of fresh energy into my magic, pulsing even more power into them.
“That’s it, Ash! Keep going!” Cornelius shouted beside me.
Both pillars gushed with such raw power that they both blasted through the ogre, emerging from its back in a brilliantgolden light that illuminated the forest behind. The ogre roared as my magic tore through its thick body. It fell onto its back, and I heard the man scream in pain. I left the pool, striding toward the monster, pulling the magic back into my hands. Out of the corner of my vision, I saw my reflection in the pool; a bright golden light poured out of my neck.
The corner of my mouth smirked up. I had it. The Gilded Radiance was alive inside of me, and I gushed with excitement and power.
The ogre lay motionless on the ground, all life gone from the monster. As I approached the man, he lay with his brow full of sweat and his nostrils flaring. Both his legs were crushed under the fallen beast, and his crossbow was feet from his grasp.
“You little cunt! I’ll squeeze your life away with my bare hands!”
I raised my hand, brimming with golden flames. “You’re not going to hurt anyone ever again.”
Golden flames unleashed from my fist, engulfing the man in a blinding fire that killed not only him, but also his screams, which lasted only seconds in the blazing inferno.
Once he stopped writhing and his life left his body as well, the Gilded Radiance disappeared. All light faded from my body, and I felt my magic completely gone. Exhaustion washed over me like a tidal wave, and I crashed to my knees. My hands shook, and an aching feeling grasped my bones. My vision blurred, and my head fogged.
But there were figures coming through the forest beyond the ogre and the man of Emberveil. I squinted hard, trying to clear my blurred vision. There were over a dozen of them, taller than men, with long, pale arms; bony arms that nearly reached their ankles. They held curved swords and spears as they stalked through the Faewood.
I got upright on my knees, but that was all I could muster. All energy had left my body, and there was no magic left in me.
“Run, Ash, you’ve got to run!” Cornelius was fully visible next to me. His words were harsh and forceful. “Get up! You’ve got to run to the house!”
“I—I can’t move my legs…”
“Oh no…” Cornelius gasped. “They’re coming, Ash. You’ve got to get out of here!”
I tried to get up but collapsed to my side, barely getting a hand under me to lessen the fall. Deep exhaustion overtook me, and just before the darkness took me, I saw two men rush past me, both with swords in their hands, both shouting loud battle cries as they rushed at the encroaching monsters. One of the men had a dark mask and a staff with the head of a Phoenix at its tip.
“Cade…” I moaned. “Help me…”
CHAPTER 14
The battle erupted into bittersweet chaos.
Unable to move, with every ounce of energy sucked from my body, I lay helpless to defend myself or aid in Cade and Hunter’s fight. The sounds of the frenzy filled the forest. Battle cries from the men echoed in my ears as they swung their sharp swords and Cade cast his fire spells at the monsters that stalked me. The monsters growled and roared as they fought, outnumbering the prince and his soldier over twelve to two.
Through my blurred vision, I tried to watch the madness of battle. Cade’s sword flashed in moonlight with one hand, and his magical fire staff in the other spewed magma-hot spells upon the legion of monsters. The hunters of Emberveil and their ogre were dead, and I’d been able to call my magic, but the fatigue that left me helpless and drained also left me completely and utterly vulnerable. I lay in the wet moss, left half-watching the battle with my head cocked to the side.
The last thing I saw was the world turning to fire. An explosion of sun-orange flames tore through the forest, incineratingeverything in my vision. It was so blinding I shut my eyelids, trying to drown out the vivid light.
And then everything went black.
When I awoke,having no idea how long I’d been out, the glow of candlelight pierced through my squinting eyes, and my dry lips smacked. I reached up and pulled the cool, wet towel from my brow. Rubbing my eyes and letting the room come into full focus, I realized I was in my bed in the forest house, glaring up at the beams above the bed.
I sat up quickly, startled, throwing the covers off my body. I was half-naked, with my legs bare and only my underwear and a bra on. And there was no one in the room. Not that I expected anyone, perhaps Cornelius, though I thought the tortoise would at least be there—that is—if I hadn’t created him in my dreams. The bruises on my arms and the aches in my bones screamed at me that I hadn’t, though. It all was real, and my feet hit the floor, creaking the floorboards. I heard footsteps run toward my door in the other room.
The door flung open inward, and out of all the faces I expected to see, it was certainly not the prince’s. Cade ran into my room, his piercing gaze half stuck in an icy glare at me, and half worriedly scanning my body for what I assumed was for injuries.
My hands tore the sheet up from the bed to cover my chest, but he didn’t withdraw his gaze. No, instead, he shut the door behind him and stood with his strong arms folded over his chest, a dark expression growing on his extremely handsome face.
He wore no armor, only a thin linen shirt, exposing the muscles in his chest, the black hairs that covered it, and even the veins that ran down his neck and forearms. I felt myself moanuncontrollably. God, he was perfect. I bit my lip, forcing my lips shut, and I felt a rush throughout my whole body.
