Origin of Magic (Dragon's Gift: The Protector #3)(29)

He grinned. “Works for me.”

Man, this was so different than working at my shop. There, I was in control. The unexpected happened—but it was always the same variety of unexpected. Demons breaking in, thieves trying to get away with our hard work. I knew how to take care of that.

But this… this was all different kinds of unexpected. And that’s where the trouble was.

I saluted Ares and stepped off the ledge, skidding along the slope down into the crater. The gravel was loose under foot, and a breeze blew my hair back as I slid down. I felt a huge grin stretch across my face. I was sliding into danger, but this part was fun.

Ares and I reached the bottom at the same time. It was darker in the pit, shadows cast by the setting sun.

“Warmer here,” Ares said.

“Yeah. Feels like the crater trapped the heat.” The other side was probably about half a mile away. A shame we couldn’t transport across. Even if it wasn’t impossible, it violated the earn your way in rule. That meant crossing the crater.

I bent down and picked up a rock, then hurled it into the middle of the crater. It landed about fifty meters away. Not the worst throw. Thankfully, it didn’t sink into the ground. “No quicksand there. You try.”

Ares picked up a rock and hurled it. His bounced to the ground about a hundred meters in the distance. He picked up another and threw it farther. It, too, bounced.

“Good enough for me.” I stretched, meeting his gaze. “Ready to run?”

“Let’s do it.”

“Go faster than me if you need to. I can take care of myself.”

“Sure.”

“Ha. Liar.” It was in his eyes. He wouldn’t leave me.

“Don’t worry about it.” He took off, sprinting ahead of me.

I followed, close at his heels. As expected, he didn’t race ahead of me.

At first, it was fine. The heat sent sweat rolling down my spine and my breath came hard as I sprinted. We made it halfway across before the air turned cold, an icy chill that smelled of snow and felt like a dark winter night. A bit like Ares’s magical signature, but not.

It was more than normal cold, and fear shivered over me, raising the hair on my arms.

Ahead of us, the air shimmered, coalescing into the forms of men and women. They glowed a transparent blue.

Oh, hell. “Phantoms.”





Chapter Nine





Most were dressed in old-timey wear, like the hapless souls who’d crossed this desert in carriages in the nineteenth century, looking for a better life. They hadn’t found it. They’d died here.

“They’ll go for your worst memories or fears.” I panted. “Try to close off your mind.”

Easier said than done. There was no fighting Phantoms with blade or bow. Only Del could do that, because she was half Phantom. I was about to press my fingertips to my comms charms and call her when the Phantoms surged forward.

They were fast. And hungry.

Within a second, they were nearly upon us, their soulless eyes devouring us. I felt the cold tendrils of their magic inside my mind, reaching for my darkest memories and dredging fear to the surface.

Too late to call Del.

I sprinted forward, trying to avoid them. We just had to get past them before their influence drove us to our knees with misery and pain.

But that was the hard part. Their dark magic seeped inside my mind, tendrils of dark mist that pulled at memories of my time in the Monster’s dungeon. Of being all alone in the dark and the cold. Once again, I was fourteen, huddled against the wall of my cell.

Then an image of my deirfiúr, killed by Drakon. Their bodies, lifeless in the dirt.

A sob burst from my chest, but I pushed myself faster, running past Phantoms who tore at my mind with their magic. They reached for us, flowing toward us as we passed their haunting grounds. I dodged around them.

A glance at Ares showed his face twisted with pain. What was he reliving?

There were more Phantoms ahead, and we were only a quarter of the way through the crater. My muscles weakened as I ran, as if the strain on my mind were too much for my body.

“Failure,” one of the Phantoms hissed.

“Unworthy,” hissed another.

They’d found other fears to go for. I could feel their glee at my pain, a dark magic that pulsed on the air.

I sprinted harder, but somehow only managed to run slower. They were too strong, too fierce. And we were only halfway across.

We wouldn’t make it.

“Go!” I cried to Ares. He was fast enough.

But he stuck by my side, actually veering closer. Like he was considering picking me up or something. But that wouldn’t work. He’d still be too slow.

We wouldn’t make it across. He wouldn’t make it across. Images of him being devoured by the Phantoms’ dark magic streaked through my mind. I couldn’t bear it.

I stumbled, going to my knees. He dragged me up, though he didn’t look much stronger than I was. The strain was too much. The misery overwhelming.

Desperate, I called upon my new destroyer magic. I’d never successfully thrown it before, and it wouldn’t work against Phantoms, but I had to try. There was nothing left to do but try. I gathered it inside myself, then hurled it outward at the Phantom who reached for me.

A blast of gray smoke collided with him and he stumbled back. Victory and hope lightened my heart, lending strength to my muscles.