Origin of Magic (Dragon's Gift: The Protector #3)(17)

I wanted to ask what the hell it was, but Ares had started running after my parents.

“Are attacks normal here?” Ares asked as we raced down the cobblestone street behind my parents.

“No idea.” I looped the leather strap over my shoulders and sprinted harder. I’d made it my mission to not let the beaker out of my sight until I’d harnessed its magic, but it was becoming a real pain in the butt.

People spilled out of houses and shops, running alongside us down the street. They were armed with blades and bows, and dressed in similar old-timey armor like my parents.

It was surreal, to be rushing to the defense of my homeland alongside people I may have known as a child. My heart thundered, joy and fear twined together.

The main street terminated in the courtyard where I’d entered. Ahead, it stretched about two hundred meters toward the gleaming opalescent barrier. There were a few skeletal trees that I now realized had given their life for mine. Their power for mine.

A hundred meters in the distance, the shimmering white veil that protected this place was torn asunder. Figures were spilling forth, racing toward the town’s inhabitants.

My parents sprinted across the courtyard, hurtling toward the demons. A line of buildings extended along the right side of the courtyard.

“I’m going up high.” I shifted the box so it hung off my back.

“Be careful.” He left, running toward the fight.

I ran for the row of houses along the courtyard, jumping onto a windowsill and scrambling up onto the roof. I conjured a bow—old faithful. Once I’d found purchase on the tiles, I knelt, firing an arrow at a demon who was about to collide with my mother. She had her daggers ready and a warrior’s stance, ready to slice the demon to ribbons, but my arrow thudded into his right eye just before he reached her.

She spun, her gaze finding me on the roof. A grin spread across her face. I smiled back.

It was weird, bonding over battle, but it was my kind of weird.

She turned back to the fray, daggers ready. At her side, my father swung a massive sword, taking the head off a demon with the biggest horns I’d ever seen.

I fired my arrows, taking out a lightning mage who’d barely missed striking a woman with a spear.

Ares cut through the battlefield, taking out enemy after enemy. My parents and Ares, along with the other villagers, had it covered on the ground. In the distance, I spotted a mage standing near the tear in the barrier. His hands were outstretched toward the rip. Magic glowed from his palms and streaked toward the tear.

He was keeping it open while attackers continued to pour through.

I drew a steadying breath and sighted my arrow, then fired toward my target. The arrow whistled through the air, straight and true.

Until it was incinerated by a fire mage standing between me and my target. The blast of flame streaked through the air, devouring the slender wooden shaft in an instant.

Shit.

I conjured another arrow and shot at the fire mage, knowing it was likely hopeless. And it was. He blasted the arrow to bits before it ever reached him.

I’d never get to the guy holding open the barrier this way. But Ares wasn’t too far away. He’d just removed both arms from a demon with claws made of flame. One last blow of his shadow sword beheaded the beast.

“Ares!” I called.

He turned to me. I pointed toward the fire mage and called. “Get him!”

Ares shifted, turning toward the mage. He sprinted toward the man, his vampire speed eerie in its grace. I took off across the rooftop, scrambling onto the next and leaping onto the one after. I needed to get closer to the mage. He was protected by the line of attackers who stood between me and him, but if I could come at him laterally…

I felt like Batman as I leapt over rooftops and skidded along tile. Finally, I neared the barrier, which shimmered with a pale opalescent light.

The portal mage—or whatever he was—had his back toward me as he directed his magic at the tear in the barrier. It crackled with electric light.

I knelt and sighted my arrow, focusing on his back as I released the string. The arrow whistled through the air, colliding with his broad back. And then bounced off.

What the hell?

My arrows flew with enough force to pierce most armor, and this guy was wearing just a shirt. I conjured another arrow and aimed for his neck. It flew straight and true, but he dodged out of the way right before it struck.

It plowed into the barrier, shattering.

Damn.

But at least his focus was broken. The portal closed without his magic to sustain it. I leapt off the building, conjuring a sword as I raced toward the mage.

He was tall and young—not much older than I—but his magic stank like week-old tuna left out in the sun. As much as I loathed killing, this guy was just plain evil. His magical signature was a flag, declaring it for the world.

And he’d opened the portal into this peaceful world, bringing death and destruction.

I was ten feet from him when he threw out his hands and blasted his magic toward me. The crackling white light streaked through the air. I dodged, diving left, and narrowly avoided it. He was fast though, and the second blast hit me straight in the midsection, bowling me backward.

Pain flared as I crashed to the ground. The box strapped to me dug into my back before shifting to my side so I lay flat. It felt like stepping on a giant Lego. I sucked in a ragged breath, the shock of the blow keeping me pinned to the dirt. Stunned, I craned my neck to see my opponent. The mage was striding toward me, hands glowing as he charged up another blow.