Origin of Magic (Dragon's Gift: The Protector #3)(48)

Our horses climbed a great black sand dune, their wide hooves moving easily on the sand. Thunder cracked in the distance, followed by a chill wind that bit into my cheeks.

“That thunder will never bring rain.” Torus’s voice was edged with sadness.

“Is it his magic?”

Torus shrugged. “I think so. Things began to change when he built his castle, according to my father. It was a great operation that dug deep into the earth and dark magic spread across the land. The magic wanes when he visits, then grows when he is gone.”

“What do you think that means?” Ares asked.

“I don’t know.” Torus shook his head. “There’s a story that says he absorbs it for strength.”

“So he comes here to regroup?” Del asked from behind. “How often?”

“Several times a year at least,” Torus said.

“This isn’t his only stronghold,” I said. “We destroyed one in Oregon.”

Torus grinned. “Good.”

“But it was nothing like this,” Cass said. “There was no well of dark magic.”

“Then this is probably his home base, isn’t it?” I asked. It was perfect for an evil bastard like Drakon.

“Seems like it could be.” Ares pointed ahead of us. “What is that?”

There was a dark shadow ahead, filling the air.

“The Cumulus,” Torus said. “Whipped up by the wind. We must go through it.”

“Aren’t cumulus a type of fluffy cloud?” I asked. It was rolling toward us so quickly, a dense black mass that made my stomach clench.

“Yes, but they’re nothing like this.” Torus’s voice was strained. “This is a cloud of dark magic. Your horse will take you through, but you must help him. And whatever you do, don’t turn back.”

The cloud was almost upon us, bringing with it the overpowering stench of dark magic. The sound of a roaring wind followed it, though I felt no breeze.

“How do we help our horses?” Claire shouted over the false wind.

“You’ll feel—!” Torus’s words were eaten by the wind as the black cloud rushed over us. If he was going to say anything else, I couldn’t hear it.

Immediately, I lost sight of my friends. Blackness closed over me, and Flint began to gallop. I clung to his back, bouncing wildly in the saddle. This was way harder than riding a camel. Despite Flint’s speed, the darkness remained. My skin chilled. Close spaces made me cringe and this was no different.

Chill out. I sucked in a calming breath, but got nothing. No air. I gasped.

Nothing.

Oh shit.

Don’t turn back. Torus’s words echoed in my mind. Oh fates. My lungs burned as I clung to Flint, every atom of my being screaming to retreat. To go back to safety.

But there was no safety. There was only forward.

And I couldn’t breathe.

Then Flint began to tire, stumbling as he ran. His gallop slowed.

We’re not there! I wanted to scream. My lungs ached, desperate for air.

I could feel the horse’s exhaustion, feel his strength draining. Could he not breathe either?

Panic lit my mind on fire.

You can do it, Flint!

Of course the horse couldn’t hear me. But he picked up his pace a tiny bit. Or maybe that was my imagination. I could still feel his misery, his exhaustion. It was like we were connected by a thread, our two souls becoming one.

I clutched the reins with one hand and pressed my hand to his neck, feeling his cool skin beneath my palm. I tried to push my magic and strength into him, praying it would help.

My muscles sagged and my brain slowed. But Flint picked up his pace. I gave him more of my strength, imagining it was a light flowing into him.

Though I was tempted to imagine that this was my new Life magic, it felt very different. I kept it up, encouraging Flint with my thoughts and my strength.

Finally, as I was beginning to lose my grip on the reins, we burst out of the blackness. I sucked in a massive breath. Nothing had ever felt so good in all my life.

I gasped as strength returned to my limbs and my lungs stopped aching. Around me, my friends plowed out of the Cumulus, gasping and choking for air. In the dim light of the moon, faces were pale and eyes stark.

“Oh my fates.” Del wheezed beside me. “That was awful.”

“Did you have to feed your horse your strength?” Connor asked.

“Yes,” Claire said. “For a moment I thought we wouldn’t make it. Then this instinct just came over me.”

As I’d thought, it hadn’t been my Life magic, but rather something between me and Flint. Partners.

“Fates, if I never see one of those again.” Cass sounded as winded as if she’d run up a mountain.

I glanced at Ares, who looked natural upon his horse. “Cumulus huh? More like Doomulus.”

A grin tugged at his mouth.

Cass laughed. “That was horrible, Nix.”

Ares chuckled, and I could tell he’d liked my dumb joke. I might be going to face my potential death against an evil of unknown power, but I wasn’t going to do it while moping.

“Come,” Torus said. “We are close and I don’t want to run into another Cumulus.”

“I can get behind that,” Connor said.

“Seconded,” Del added.