Page 158 of Rising Out of the Darkness
That was until a familiar guard stepped onto the road in front of us.
Blood stained the cruel face of the guard who had harassed me the day of the Ascension. When he caught sight of me, his lips curled into a sneer and his hands began to fill with frost.
I let down the children and shoved them behind my father, and Declan lowered Thomas to the ground. Rushing to my side, he interlaced his fingers with mine and a rush of dynamis flooded through me, stealing my breath.
A violet glow shimmered over us, and I could feel the shadows come alive around me. Even when he released my palm, the surge of power still radiated within me.
“One more time, love?”
“One more time.”
Our dynamis flew through the air, meeting the guard’s icicles and incinerating them into icy dust. He attempted it several more times, but each one was met with failure. The man frantically looked from left to right, searching for backup, but no one was coming.
His panic made the shadows around me swirl and a smirk grow on my face. One look at my face and he bolted.Coward.
“He’s running, Wildfire.”Declan chuckled darkly.
“Not for long, my love.”
We launched our dynamis once more, and the guard fell to the ground with a deafening thud.
We carried Ophelia and her family to where the rest of the survivors had huddled together in a makeshift camp. When they were settled, a small group of us went back and used our dynamis to help put out the fires.
Overwhelmed with exhaustion, Declan and I found a quiet spot back at the camp and passed out until my father roused me awake the next day.
“Time to go, Sunshine.” His tone was sweet, but he glared at the man beside me.
“Good morning, Warren.” Sleep clung to Declan’s words, his tone low and graveled.
“Declan.” My father’s curt tone made me roll my eyes.
With a deep sigh, I rose from the hard ground, stretching the bones in my back into place with a crack.
Some of the horses had been wrangled, as well as a few carts. We would use those to carry those who couldn’t walk as we made our way to Oria today. Apparently, Oria had been our neighbor for quite some time.
Hidden within the mountains behind our small town was the Rebellion City.
The sun beat down overhead as we made our way up the winding path between the mountains. Rushing water flooded into my senses, and I peered over the edge of the rocky path to see a creek down below.
At first my father argued to keep going, but then he looked at the sweaty, fatigued faces behind me and conceded. I tended to a few cuts and bruises with the few supplies we had, and Declan used some of his dynamis to heal where he could.
Overcome with thirst, I grabbed my waterskin and made my way down to the creek to fill it. As I approached, a familiar blonde threw open her arms and tackled me to the ground.
“Good to see you too, Bri.” My giggle strained under the weight of the priestess.
“Oh, my.” She laughed, rolling off me and then helping me up. “My apologies, for not rushing to you earlier, Lena. I’ve used up my dynamis during the battle, and was passed out in the back of the wagon. I’m so happy to see you safe.”
She squeezed me once more as a deep voice cleared their throat behind us.
“Elena, can we talk?” My father looked filled with unease. He threaded one palm through his dark hair while the other fumbled inside his pocket.
“Yes, I think it’s time you both told me the truth.”
Exchanging a glance with each other, they nodded in unison.
Chapter 65
Elena
