Page 104 of Tricky Magic
Ros threw a knife made of shadow and the man waved his hand. Electricity cut through him, and he sent another wave of electricity at Ros’ chest, but he dodged it in time. Ros slowly gained ground on him, ready to send up a wall of shadows to trap him, but the vision of the hill and fire blinded him. He was alone, and the sound of burning and death was deafening. He heard Cerce’s laugh ringing through the world, an evil cackle, and Ros roared into the nothingness before him.
He no longer felt the cool autumn night, but fire and the heat of destruction. It burned through his boots, and he looked down to see his hands were bloody. This was a nightmare, one he’d had before, but how could that be?
The vision you have always feared, dear daughter.Cerce’s words rang through his mind. If this was what Ellea saw, how had he seen it all those months before? Ros turned and he found Ellea on the ground. She was covered in mud and blood. She wasn’t moving. He rushed for her, and the vision disappeared again.
57
Ellea
“Cerce,” she heard her father scold. “That’s enough.”
A cold, wet nose nudged her again, and Ellea peeled her shaking hands away from her face. The first thing she saw was Ros crawling toward her, his eyes blank, and she knew her mother was sending visions into his mind.
“Stop,” Ellea croaked from the ground. Her father gave her a pained look, and Ellea flinched away from it. He took one step toward her before Sam attacked.
Sam lunged for her father, and as his large teeth snapped inches away from his face, he sent his electricity through the wolven. She screamed with Devon as Sam crashed to the ground.
“That’s enough.” Her father’s voice boomed through the clearing. “Cerce, go wait with the prince.”
The prince? Why would she wait with Ros? Ellea looked toward Ros, whose eyes were now clear. He blinked a few times as he continued to crawl to her, surer with each step. He ran his hand across her face when he reached her, searching her eyes. Ellea looked up and saw her mother head toward the shadows of the forest.
“Ellea,” her father loudly addressed her, and her head snapped to him. “It’s time you came back with us. No one will be harmed if you obey now.”
Ros snarled at him from her side. She took a moment to glance over toward Devon, who knelt next to Sam. She saw a giant heave of the wolven’s chest, and Ellea suppressed her sob of relief. He was still alive.
“We will be back if you say no,” her father said. “We will not be as kind.”
Ellea couldn’t let anything else happen to her friends or her family. They didn’t deserve to be punished for who she was, for what her parents wanted. She went to move and Ros held onto her. He gathered her into his arms and held her as he knelt on the ground.
“Don’t you fucking dare,” he growled into her ear.
Her father stepped closer to them, and Ros moved to hide Ellea from him. But he bent toward them and whispered,
“I’m so sorry, daughter. Please come with us. I can’t protect you for much longer.”
Ros cursed his lies as Sam stirred from the corner of her vision, but she couldn’t take her eyes off of her father and the sadness painted across his face.
“Come with us,” her father pleaded again. “Please.”
She’d never seen him like this, so desperate and afraid.
“Please, Ellea, don’t leave me with her. We can figure something out,” he begged quietly, gripping at his own shirt.
Don’t leave me with her?she thought. What was this? Memories flashed before her eyes.Her father showing her control and her mother stepping in, pushing her to use more magic, generate more chaos. Her father gripping at his shirt as her mother laughed in his face for being too soft. Him shielding her from one of her mother’s episodes. Him walking in while Ellea was curled in a ball, shaking and afraid of what she’d created. Her mother torturing her until she used so much of her power.
Had it been her all along? She looked past him to where her mother stood at the end of the forest, Belias at her side.
“I won’t,” Ellea hissed to her father.
Ros cradled her against his chest, shielding her from anyone that wanted to cause her harm. His voice was low and vicious as he said one final word to her father. “Leave.”
Ellea glanced at her father over her shoulder. He straightened and gave her one final, sad look before he plastered boredom across his pale face.
“Let’s go, Cato,” her mother called. “She had her chance, and she failed us once again.”
* * *
She failed us once again.It kept ringing in her head. She knew she hadn’t failed her parents, but she had failed her friends. Sam had been attacked. Would the wolven ever look at her the same? Would they still be kind?
