Page 105 of A Conduit of Light
Karusclosed her eyes and let herself fly.
Sheimagined unloading her pain, her anger, her aching chest that had been bleeding inwardly since she had leftRevich’sside.
Sheimagined she was flying above the blackened trees, touching each one to give them back the life that had been stolen.
Heimlen’shand squeezed tighter as she pushed all of herself into him.
Hewanted her magic?
Fine.He’dget it.
“Karus.”
Itcame out low, like a warning, but she’d never heed a warning from him again.
“Karus,Ican’t hold this.”
Sheopened her eyes to see him engulfed.
Theorb he would use to mimic the sun had grown to the size of a boulder and was barely hovering above the ground.
Thegreen tendrils of her magic were wrapping around his body, squeezing his torso, his legs.Acruel smile lit her face as he lifted his head in pain, more of her power wrapping around his throat.
“Sayit.Youhave what you need.Sayit and be done.”
“I…Ica-nnot sp-peak.”
Howdisappointing he was.
Theonce most powerful man on the isle struggled under the weight of the magicshewielded.
“Thengive it to me.Giveme your power andIwill do it, if you cannot.”
“N-no.Ith-has to be m-me.”
“THENDOIT!”Herscream echoed through the forest as the last slip of the sun fell beyond the horizon of trees.
“L-let g-go.”
Shewilled his throat to breathe and loosened the tendrils on his chest.
Hegasped in the night air while she urged her magic into the orb.
Theball of green light illuminated theBlightbelow them.Theinky vines crept along the forest floor quickly, like the slither of a snake stalking prey.Theywove around her boot, lacing up her skirt, pulling her forward toward the abyss, welcoming her back, theBlight’sheart pounding in the warm night.
“SIMULAIRSOLUM!” he roared beside her, the spell resonating throughout the grove of trees, dead and alive.
TheBlightaround her waist recoiled instantly as the orb of magic shone bright as the sun at midday in summer.
Theeffect was instantaneous—the light bursting through the mist of black death, the unnatural growth of it sizzling away from the ground and trees it desecrated.Thevines fell back, receding before them as they walked forward together, hands still clasped, stepping onto the newly healed earth.
Theywalked over bones, now clear of putrid death, and over fallen branches once clutched within the vines’ dark embrace.
“HOLD!IT’SWORKING!HOLD,HEIMLEN!”
Shepushed into him further as they began to run, the ebbing black disease loud in its destruction.Likethe sound of burning flesh, it popped and crackled in every direction—anywhere the light touched its withering corpse.
Theyran and ran, no longer hindered by the vines of death.Nolonger stumbling on pieces of decayed forest.
