Page 84 of Tangled Power
Rose was determined to try. The Compass Points were with her, sending their power back through the open connections. The elements layered to strike.
She hadn’t released the stream when the tunnel cracked. “Arie, look out!” But her warning was too late as the hallway fell on top of him and Aurora.
She sucked in a breath. No tunnel collapse could kill a god. Arie and Aurora would be fine—if a little delayed in assisting in this battle. She hadn’t counted on their help anyway. Her own magic rose again and snaked around the power gathering within her. She rolled her neck. The Compass Points had to do this alone.
She would make this one count.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
The earth danced beneath him with power before it started to shake. Aterra was the god of earth and aided by the wild magic in this place. Luc’s one accomplishment so far was that Aterra no longer had his artifact. Maybe it wasn’t great that Arie, who had it, just had a tunnel collapse on top of him. But at least Aterra couldn’t use it.
Rose’s glance went upward. Luc would bet anything she was thinking about the village of Bury somewhere above them. If their magic was too strong, if an explosion like the one that had happened in this place so many years ago erupted, the village wouldn’t make it. The villagers and Tara, still taken by the mist plague, wouldn’t even be able to evacuate. They would need to be careful about how they won this battle. But he was committed to them winning—no matter the personal cost.
Luc funneled magic to Rose while taking a separate shot at Aterra. Using his signature move, he tore a hole in the ground below his opponent.
“That won’t do you much good.” Aterra taunted. “That power came from me. I know everything it can do.” He took the distraction Luc offered, hovering above the hole.
“I’m more than happy to keep trying.” Luc rose himself and looked down the hole—he couldn’t help but compare it to his abyss in Loch. Definitely not as devastating as that one, but something about the magic here—thethinninghe felt when he first arrived—he knew he could do better.
Rose made eye contact with him. He dropped to the ground and nodded to her as he sent her more magic for their combined onslaught. His magic, already thick around them, grew heavier. It wrapped protectively around Rose as she pulled their powers together seamlessly. He used to think she was used to his magic—used to directing it—but he knew it was more than that now. Luc felt the power build in the stream as she pulled in Carter and Juliette’s elements. Rose whipped the stream of earth, wind, fire, and water at Aterra.
She aimed to knock Aterra back—possibly trap him in the other half of the tunnel he had collapsed. If she could block him into a corner, maybe he wouldn’t be able to see them well enough to attack.
Aterra barely stumbled at the onslaught of magic.
Luc had an idea, but it would not be particularly easy to communicate. Rose wiped the sweat from her face. Her furrowed brow told him that she wasn’t sure what to try next. Aterra retaliated, sending a rolling wave of rock and stone toward Rose. She barely had time to lift herself with her wind to get out of the way.
“I’ve got an idea,” Luc yelled, hoping her wind magic would catch his words and bring them to her.
It did, as she replied, “I’m all ears.” She lifted herself above another earth shake.
“We’ll try the old-fashioned way,” Luc said as he reached for the blade strapped to his back. Rose laughed. He understood the sentiment. This was a life-or-death situation, well beyond their ordinary dealings, and she likely hadn’t even thought to grab aweapon—he hadn’t. But he had a sword, magically imbued by the best weapons master on the continent. Rose grabbed her weapon from the back sheath she wore, and Luc moved to her side, as they positioned themselves to face off against Aterra.
Luc lost sight of Aiden. He must’ve been staying out of the way. Luc could mostly determine where Carter and Juliette were positioned along the cavern. Far enough from each other that one earthquake wouldn’t collapse the ground between them both. Getting into this room and spreading out had been a good idea. It was too bad it hadn’t slowed Aterra. He was relentless—tailoring attacks to each Compass Point simultaneously.
“You are proving to be quite a disappointment,” Aterra said as he shook the ground below Rose and Luc. He was not trying to kill them, only ensuring their magic was distracted in defensive measures. Luc steadied them both as he approached Rose. He knew what this was. Aterra was testing his magic.
Heat flared from the left as Carter and Juliette tried to help with a fanned flame. Aterra appeared to have no problem stopping the wind and fire, building a stone wall blocking the elements on the side they attacked.
He was boxing them in again, forcing them into a smaller space where his control of the earth controlled the battleground.
“Did she even like you? Or did you demand her submission?” Luc spit out.
The disdain in his voice pulled Aterra’s attention back to his son. Good. Luc was angry, no matter how much he pretended not to be. He was angry for himself, and no matter where he and his mother had stood, he was angry on her behalf. Had she even known what she was doing? Or did Aterra use his artifact on her?
These wounds were old and deep, but this was likely his only chance to get his questions answered. Plus, his backup plancould only benefit from his heightened emotions—that’s when his power was most volatile. He let himself sink into the anger.
His mother had met more than unfriendliness from the fae community over Luc’s father disappearing. Bound fae were impossibly rare, and life partners weren’t always common, but it was unheard of for a fae parent to disappear from the child’s life completely. Their village blamed his mother. And when he was older and his power more apparent, they blamed him. Luc could never escape the shadow of whoever passed their magic to him, and neither could his mother.
He had a chance to reckon with Aterra now. He would take it for both of them.
“How dare you,” Aterra spat.
Luc didn’t need a real answer as he lunged across the cavern toward Aterra, bringing a wave of rock and stone with him as he moved.
Aterra created a shield of the earth to meet Luc’s blow. Rock exploded in all directions as they clashed. Luc shielded himself, levitating through the backlash. He glanced at Rose to ensure she was covered. Her wind circled, protecting her, but Luc also felt a strand of his power lying in wait. His magic wouldn’t stray from her in such a precarious situation.
“She wanted me.” He scoffed. “And every time I returned, she was more than eager.” Aterra’s words drew his focus back to the god before him.
