Page 59 of Shift of Morals
It collided with Finn. His bark of pain settled my resolve, but when I tried again, a tearing, horrific pain in my chest sent me to my knees.
Finn’s bloody grin loomed above. Wild vines blooming with purple and crimson flowers rose from the ground, tanglingaround me. My bones cracked and shifted, the tips of my fingers turning to lethal claws. Every vein in my skin glowed golden, a low keening from my throat the only sound I could make. My hair lifted from my shoulders, floating around my head and neck, as power crackled through the air.
“Finn,” I moaned, my voice a low, distorted moan of pain. Never-ending pain.
“Let it be, Evie,” Finn urged. “Your transformation is almost complete.”
I forced my innate power into my veins, but it couldn’t compete with the Chimera’s magic. The shift forced itself upon me, skin and bones morphing and shifting, flickering in and out of different forms, human, non-human, Magic poured into the ground, the sky, my body, burning me alive.
Finn’s dark laughter echoed above until he popped out of existence, leaving me to die alone.
Again.
My eyes fluttered shut, the pain too much to bear. Darkness claimed me a moment later.
“Evangeline.”
The voice was a wild forest in the tangles of my mind, a rumbling thunderstorm bringing me out of my pain.
My eyes opened.
Cernunnos, the fae king, crouched beside me, a glowing hand resting on my shoulder.
“Am I dead?” I croaked.
The god’s mouth tightened. “Dying,” he confirmed.
“Shit,” I breathed.
“An understatement.” Healing magic flowed through my body. “I cannot interfere more than to give you more time.”
“I can’t handle the magic,” I whispered. “It’s too much.”
“You must. Or you die.” Cernunnos wore simple brown pants and his chest was bare. His moss-covered antlers glowed with bioluminescent fungi, and his eyes glowed with ancient magic.
“Where’s Hazel?”
“Inside. Trapped by my magic for now. She cannot help with this. You must accept the Chimera, Evangeline. You’ve gone far too long with dual magics. Your body is failing.”
I hissed as I moved my arm, realizing with horror that Finn had damaged my thistle tattoo. Slapping a hand over it, I tried to sit up, unable to do so without assistance.
Cernunnos braced one muscular arm behind me, gently raising me until I could sit up on my own. Mostly.
“That is the least of your worries.”
“Not true,” I muttered. “If anyone scents what I am, I’ll sign my death warrant.”
“Won’t matter if you die on the ground,” Cernunnos said simply. “Choose. Death or rebirth.”
My lower lip wobbled. “I don’t want this.”
“Few good people want power thrust upon them. Becoming Chimera is not a death sentence. It is…new. That is all.”
Our eyes met. “I won’t be like Finn.”
His mixed color eyes swirled with power. “Finn was like this before he was changed. Power has only corrupted him over time. You are not like him and never will be.” He lifted his hand, leaving behind a glowing, golden palm mark behind. “Dark days are coming, and you must be prepared to meet them at full strength.”
“I don’t want to give up my Floromancy,” I whispered.
