Page 86 of Awakened Destiny
"The blood gives me everything," she snarls, grabbing the lead bar from the shattered window and hurling it at me. I duck, and it hits against the wall.
Inside me, I feel the Morrigan stirring. A cold, familiar presence rising like dark water.
Let me out, she whispers in my mind. Let me tear her apart.
My fingers tremble as I block Laria's next blow, the impact numbing my forearm. Her strength is unnatural.
Laria grabs my throat, lifting me off the ground. Her grip tightens, crushing my windpipe. "I've been waiting to see fear in your eyes."
The darkness inside me throbs and begs to be let out fully. It’s hungry.
But I've seen what happens when I give in completely.
I kick hard at Laria's knee, hearing a satisfying crack. She howls but doesn't release me.
"You're dying," I choke out, clawing at her wrist. "Can't you feel it? That magic is consuming you from inside."
For just a moment, uncertainty flickers across her face. The blackened veins have spread to her neck, her face. Her skin has begun to crack, revealing darkness beneath.
"Liar!" she howls, throwing me across the room.
I land hard, feeling something inside give way. Pain lances through me with each breath. Laria stalks forward, summoning a ball of corrupted magic.
I could kill her now. The Morrigan's immense power is simmering through me. I could end this before she hurts anyone else.
But there's another way. I see it in the threads, the path I couldn't see before.
I stand, shaky. Blood trickles down my temple, but I don't wipe it away.
"Laria, stop. It's not too late." I hold up my hands, palms forward. "I can help you contain this before it destroys you."
She hesitates, the magic in her hands flickering. "You're afraid of me. You should be."
"I'm afraid for you." I take a cautious step forward. "The blood magic is killing you."
"You'd love that," she spits.
"Look at your hands," I say softly.
Laria glances down. The blackness has spread to her fingertips, skin splitting along her knuckles. Her eyes widen, fear replacing rage.
"What's happening to me?"
"Let me help you," I urge, reaching out. "We can stop this."
Laria would never show me mercy.
But I’m not her.
Laria's expression hardens again, the moment of vulnerability gone. "No," she says, gathering the corrupted magic into her. "I'd rather die."
I have seconds to decide. Do I use the Morrigan's full power and destroy her completely, or try once more to save someone determined to kill me.
What a choice to have to make.
Heavy footsteps pound across the stone floor. Familiar energy signatures wrap around me before I even turn to look.
"Brigid!" Rory's voice breaks through my concentration, wild with panic.
