Origin of Magic (Dragon's Gift: The Protector #3)(49)

Flint picked up the pace, trotting alongside Torus. The cold night chilled my fingers as we rode across the black desert. Eventually, the sand gave way to pastureland. The grass was as black as the sand though, and the wildflowers were navy blue and a red so deep it was almost black.

A huge castle lurked in the distance, miles away. As we rode toward it, I could just barely make out black mist hovering over the castle walls.





Chapter Thirteen





“This guy picked a proper evil lair,” Claire said from the back of the group.

“He turned it evil,” Torus said. “This was once my pasture. Now… no horse can eat here. Nothing can live here.”

He was right. Though there was grass and flowers, I felt no sign of life. I was still unpracticed with my Life magic, but I should at least feel a hint of something.

But this was just… nothing.

Torus stopped when we were still several miles away. “This is where I must stop. I do not want any guards spotting the horses.”

I couldn’t blame him for playing it safe. I dismounted and gave Flint a grateful pat on the neck. “Thanks, buddy.”

He whinnied, his flame-filled eyes sending a shiver down my spine. I liked him, but he sure was creepy.

“We will wait for you here,” Torus said. “Six hours. After that… You are on your own.”

“Thank you,” Ares said.

I echoed his sentiment, then conjured a couple pots of black face paint and handed them around. “Put this on.”

I wished that Connor had more invisibility potion, but we’d used it all up at Drakon’s Oregon stronghold and the new batch hadn’t had time to brew. So we each painted our faces like we were Navy Seals going in to save the day, then started toward the castle, jogging through the pasture.

Soon, I was panting, regretting all the cheese sandwiches instead of salads and the runs I’d missed in favor of movies. If I’d realized I’d be called upon for a task like this, I probably would have started exercising or something.

As we neared the castle, magic began to spark on the air. Tiny little stings pricked my skin, urging me to turn back.

Of course, we couldn’t listen.

Ahead of us, jagged rocks poked out of the ground, like the earth was objecting to the presence of such dark energy and trying to repel it. The rocks circled the castle in groupings, looking almost like clusters of graves.

We were about seventy meters from the castle when magic rent the air, a shockwave of power that made my hair stand on end. Then the world lit up.

Bolts of bright red magic shot from high on the castle walls, missiles headed straight for us. They plowed into the ground all around. Immediately, I conjured a shield.

Only Claire was close to me—the others were farther ahead. I shoved my shield at her. “Take this!”

She took it and I conjured another immediately, using it to deflect a bolt of magic. It ricocheted off the shield, sending a vibration of power up my arm that shook my bones. I raced for the nearest outcropping of rock, which was still twenty meters away. My lungs burned and my skin chilled.

Jets of magic flew as we ran. Claire deflected them, racing forward. Del adopted her Phantom form, turning bright blue. No doubt she was hoping to avoid being hurt by the jets of magic. We sprinted for the rocks, becoming separated as we dodged bolts of magic. There were several clusters of rocks to hide behind—we just had to make it to them and regroup.

I avoided a blast of magic and repelled another with my shield. Ares avoided them by sheer speed, but it seemed that the jets followed us wherever we ran. I thought that we were concealed enough in the dark, but they had good vision.

A magic blast plowed into Del’s leg. She stumbled, crying out and plowing into the ground. Roarke grabbed her and dragged her into his arms, shifting into his demon form in a tornado of gray light. His skin turned dark gray and his massive wings flared out behind him. He used the extra strength and speed to haul a limp Del toward the nearest outcropping of rocks, diving behind them for shelter. The stones towered ten feet above them, providing temporary cover from the blasts.

A moment later, a blast of magic hit Connor’s shoulder. He stumbled, and fell. Ares diverted his path, veering toward Connor. He dragged Connor to his feet, wrapping an arm around his waist and helping him stumble toward the outcropping where Del and Roarke hid.

Though I wanted to join them, we’d become separated and they were too far away. I’d get hit before I reached them. There was another cluster of stones closer to me—they were my best bet. I hurtled toward them, nearly making it before a bolt of magic hit my shield. Power blasted me onto my back. Pain flared as I skidded on the grass.

I sucked in a ragged breath, trying to heave myself to my feet when another bolt hit me in the calf. Agony flared so bright and hot that I nearly blacked out. I doubled over, retching.

What was this dark magic?

I tried to drag myself to my feet, but the pain made my leg give out.

Footsteps thundered toward me. I twisted my head, catching sight of Cass in her griffon form. She skidded to a stop near me, kneeling so that I could clamber onto her back. It was painful, but I managed. Aidan ran beside her in his human form, deflecting bolts of magic with his own blasts of fire. Whenever his flame collided with a jet of magic, the magic deflected.

I clung to Cass’s back as she galloped toward the rocks that I’d been heading for. She skidded to a stop in front of them and I fell off, leaning against the stone. She shifted quickly, returning to a size small enough that she too could hide behind the stone. Aidan joined us.