Page 36 of Pure Magic
Bashing down the remainder of the wall I had erected to keep Adam out of my thoughts, I open my mind fully. “Pull yourself out of this trance this moment, Adam. I need you.”
Adam blinks awake, and he looks at me. “I hear you.”
“Your siblings have paid us a visit.”
Jumping to his feet, he draws a fireball into his hands. “What do you want?”
Ariana keeps her gaze focused on me. “Impressive magic, high priestess. You are the first to wake someone from one of my trances. How did you do it?”
“It’s time for you to leave Windsor, both of you.” My wind magic swirls to life, contained in my hands.
She laughs. “You don’t have the power to remove me. I’ll have you drowned or burned by the very creatures you protect before the week is out.” She shifts to look at Adam. “As for you, brother, you will fulfill your destiny, or I’ll destroy every witch or human who has ever meant anything to you.”
“Why, Ariana? What drives this evil inside you?” Adam asks.
“That is our destiny, Adam. It’s what we three were born to do. I was created by those people you loved so much for the purpose of dominating the world. I’ll admit, it’s taken me longer than I expected. You see, there is power in blood, our blood, together.” Ariana lifts her hands, and the air fills with smoke that seeps through my magic.
Gagging, I let loose my air and blow the poison back in her face.
She coughs and doubles over.
Kaden roars and throws his body against my ward. The magic bashes him back, and he lands on his backside. He conjures a fireball and hurls it at us.
It’s not strong enough on its own to penetrate my magic, but nothing is unbreakable. The trees catch fire.
With a flick of his wrist, Adam removes the air from the fire and area surrounding his siblings. “You will leave this place.”
The fire snuffs out.
Ariana’s eyes are wide as she gasps for air. Even so, she beats back the magic with a dark cloud. It’s magic I’ve never seen before. It looks as if her magic has a life of its own, and it pushes back Adam’s magic to allow Ariana to breathe again. Whatever it is, as soon as she’s safe, it retreats back inside her. “You can’t kill me, brother.” She gets back on her feet. “Our lives are intertwined. There is no you without me.”
Kaden walks to his sister and wraps an arm around her. Dark rings mar the undersides of Ariana’s eyes, her skin is ashen, and she leans against Kaden to keep her feet.
“She’s injured by either your magic or her own, Adam. This is over for today. Let them go for now.” With my strongest wind ready to help them leave the park, I will Adam to stand down.
Narrowing his eyes, Adam studies his siblings and lowers his hands. “You should leave Windsor before I’m forced to prove you wrong about destiny, Ariana. I don’t wish to kill you or Kaden, but I will if you harm anyone in this town.”
Her laugh is hollow. “You would kill me over the peasants who bake bread and make shoes? What has happened to you, Adam? Magic is to be used, not hoarded. Become the man you were meant to be.”
Warm feelings flow from Adam to me. He shakes his head. “Go away, both of you. Take your evil with you and leave Windsor as the high priestess has commanded. Don’t make me force you out.”
With a weak laugh, Ariana turns and pads across the clearing. She calls back, “You don’t have enough magic to make me do anything, brother. I’m not a little girl anymore.”
Chapter
Twelve
ADAM
“How did she entrance me?” I remember talking to Sara Beth on the bench, and then nothing. Despite the openness of her mind, I speak out loud. “How did you reach me?”
“Through our connection. Once I completely took away the wall I built, you were right there and fully open to me.” Body tight, she’s hurrying out of the park, toward the coven house. She’s worried that Ariana may have struck there.
I know it, but I need to talk. I need to know what was said when I was unconscious.
“I will tell you everything, or you can look in my memories for the information, but I need to see my witches are safe.”
Of course, she’s worried. What a fool I am. Taking her hand, I pull her to a stop. “If you’ll trust me, I’ll have us there in a minute to two.”
