Page 86 of Tangled Power
She couldn’t worry about what would happen to Aiden now. They needed to finish this. They wouldn’t waste the time that Aiden and Aurora had bought. Rose took a deep breath and aimed the magic spiraling inside her—the power of the four Compass Points—directly at Aterra.
Luc wasn’t where he had been in the cavern. She felt through the channel for him, the Suden child whose father walked out on him. The Suden Point who was blamed for all of Aterra’s wrongdoing. The strong fae who didn’t let any of this stop him from being the male he wanted to be. She couldn’t see him but knew he was with her—his magic flared as a reminder.
All of Aterra’s wrongs hadn’t changed Luc’s course. Just as the list of grievances she held against Aterra hadn’t changed hers. Aterra had taken her only friend from her. He killed her family. He all but banished her and stole her place as Norden Point. He made her path more difficult, but ultimately, she drew strength from the pain she’d experienced.
This path had brought her Arie and Tara’s friendship. This path had put her on a collision course with the Suden Point. She couldn’t imagine what type of relationship they would haveif they had met in a Compass Point meeting instead of her dismissal at the market booth and a scuffle in the woods.
Her path wasn’t easy, and it had been filled with grief, but it had made her who she was.
The Compass Points’ magic flowed as she thrust out her hands, melding wind, water, fire, and earth together to create a single flowing channel—instead of four tangled streams. She wasn’t sure what to call the result, but the elements swirled and mixed to build a solid attack as they shot across the chasm toward Aterra.
Still distracted from Aurora’s attacks and flinging Aiden across the heart of the mountain, Aterra wasn’t prepared for what hit him. The vortex slammed into his chest. He couldn’t find purchase with his earth magic to hold himself in place as he had before. He stumbled backward.
Rose pushed her advantage—taking a step toward him across the cavern. Aterra stumbled again. Rose continued. She let out a small sigh with each step she took as she saw Aterra fall further.
Luc remained out of sight, but his magic pulsed as she reached for more. She funneled more of their connected power forward alongside the fire and wind magic pouring into her.
A plan formed in Rose’s mind as she took another step. Aurora had cleared the collapsed tunnel when she burst free. She would have to walk Aterra right into the cage that could hold a god. Could the now empty cell contain Aterra if she got him there?
A step.
Another step.
One more.
The Compass Point’s power pulsed through her. They’d moved across the cavern. Each step cost Rose, though. Her magic lagged, and her knee buckled as she tried for another. She didn’t think she could continue.
“Just hold on,” she swore she heard, whether a secret on the wind or a whisper from Luc’s tendril of power that circled her, she didn’t know. Her eyes widened to search again for the magic’s bearer as it tightened its grip on her, steadying her stance.
Aterra hadn’t found a way to repel her. Her gaze remained locked on him, focusing their power, while she did what the voice asked. She held him where he stood—no longer sure she could reach the cage. Even with the reassuring strength of Luc’s magic, another step was beyond her. Aterra flicked his fingers and flailed his arms desperately, trying to call to his amplified power to fight the Compass Points’ attack.
“What are you doing to me?” Aterra shouted as he stood his ground but could not escape her hold. Sweat dripped down her brow as the magic she commanded strained to hold him in place.
“Just a little bit more.” The whisper was at her ear again, and more of Luc’s magic flooded her senses.
“We’re reminding you that gods don’t like prisons!” Rose yelled as she tried to lift her foot for another step. Meeting too much resistance, she let her foot fall back to the ground. The earth around her caught and stabilized her—additional support from the Suden Point’s power. “The only way to teach you this lesson seems to be for you to experience it yourself.” He was still held—contained—even if it wasn’t the cage she had hoped to put him in. He couldn’t escape the combined power that locked him in place. She didn’t know her endgame. She only knew she had to hold him here—just a little longer.
“You can’t contain me! I’m more powerful than all of you!” Aterra bellowed.
He was panicking now. His magic pushed back against the unified power she wielded. He seemed to realize he had no escape. His eyes darted around the heart of the mountain, searching for a solution.
“I think we might finally be your match,” Rose said, her voice struggling. She thrust her arms out again to help physically keep the magic stream in place. She had him—but she was losing her hold.
An influx of power flowed through her. Carter and Juliette seemed to dig deeper into their power stores and thrust more magic through their connection. Her spine straightened as she reached for what each of them offered.
Breathing deeply from the exertion, Rose lifted her foot, successfully taking another step forward. “You see, Aterra, you meant to destroy, abandon, and weaken us, but we chose differently than what you destined us for.”
Aterra tried to lift himself from the ground, making himself a moving target. He flailed as his heels rose and fell, restricted from their usual movement. Rose, keeping the stream of power barreling toward him, lifted herself with an extra burst of Luc’s magic. She aimed their unified stream at a downward angle, pushing Aterra into the earth he usually commanded. His foot sank into the ground below him. Luc’s magic was warm and supportive, like a quick squeeze through intertwined fingers. He would never let her do this alone.
“You seek only to sow chaos and destruction. You seek to elevate yourself above the other gods. But we will leave this continent better than we found it. We will protect the humans and fae living here. We will restore the balance—no matter the price.”
Rose took another deep breath and sent a final push of the power she stewarded forward. Aterra’s body folded in on itself as the unified magic hit him like a punch to the stomach.
As his body unfurled, she realized it hadn’t been only the punch of magic that had kept him in place. Luc stood behind the Suden god, and even from her vantage point, she could see thering on his finger had the needle point outstretched—piercing Aterra’s neck.
“You idiots. You can’t contain me here,” Aterra ground out, though he stumbled as the magic of his artifact used against him overtook his body.
The ground below them shook, Aterra’s earth magic taking root. The ripples in the cavern floor didn’t make it far, though. Aterra’s power momentarily muted.
