Page 70 of Alien Warrior Seduced

The best way to his power was to get rid of the sigils carved into the ice under the snow.

But how could I do that? If he weren’t shooting fireballs at me, I could deface them with my Qualtl’eth blade.

But Zyair would never allow it. He’d kill me before I’d gotten through the first one.

That left only one option.

Using the olde magick.

I need to see Gwen at least one more time. What is one more transgression when I am already resigned to self-banishment?

That was the impetus I needed to reach down inside myself, searching for the power I had used when I rescued her from Trumble.

My power was there, flickering deep inside me, and when I touched it, it flared, filling me entirely.

And yet, I was hesitant to turn the full strength of my anger toward Zyair.

He had not been the one who trapped me here, on this hellscape of a planet. In fact, my family had imprisoned his decades before.

He wasn’t to blame.

Besides, he had saved Gwen. I owed him for that.

No. I would not destroy him.

Dodging another fireball, I mapped out my plan.

I drew the power up through me, imagining the sigils my grandfather had taught me.

Purple fire crackled between my fingers.

This time, I wouldn’t let it rage out of control.

This time, I would direct my power. I would keep it in check.

And the first thing to do was to create a shield.

Standing to my full height, I imagined a glowing blue forcefield.

And although I had heard about such things all my life, I was still stunned when it actually popped up before me, its protective glossiness shot through with sparks of purple magic.

Zyair tossed another fireball at me, but it bounced off my shield, landing in the snow in front of me and sizzling out.

Then I strengthened the shield, sending it deep into the ice beneath my feet and high into the air. When I was certain it would meet my needs, I began pushing it outward, so that it slid across the ice, creeping toward Z.

The other Orendan began throwing fireballs fast and furiously, and every time one bounced off my shield, I felt a zap against my power.

He cannot hurt you, I told myself, pushing the shield outward and walking behind it, step by agonizing step.

As it moved forward, the shield melted the snow and the top layer of ice so that I was walking ankle-deep in freezing water. But I didn’t care that it soaked through my boots, chilling my skin—the sigils were disappearing, and I could feel Zyair’s power weakening.

Unfortunately, my own power began to wane as the sigils disappeared, too. I hadn’t realized I was drawing on them, but I must have been.

And although his fireballs might be slowing down, Zyair’s ice-wall illusion stayed steady.

“Causing yourself as many problems as you’re creating for me, aren’t you?” Zyair called out mockingly from behind his cover.

“You should come out here and say that directly to me.”

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