Ashes of Chaos (Legacy of the Nine Realms #2) - Amelia Hutchins Page 0,29

if time had stopped or not.

“Tell me who I am. I cannot fight this war alone and hope to win if I don’t even know who and what I am!”

“You’re not alone, Wee One. We are with you. When these witches captured you, we came. In the forest, when men sought to harm you, we killed them to protect you. You are one of us, so you are not alone unless we feel you wish it to be so. Come with us and let us show you the truth of who you are and why you are here.”

“I can’t,” I admitted through a lump forming in my throat.

“I told you she was not ready,” the warrior I’d first encountered stated, exhaling as a frown creased his brow. “When she is ready, she will find us and come to where she belongs. Maybe once she’s scratched her itch, and stops causing us issues with her scent, our time would be otherwise unhindered. Though, I do enjoy the sound of breaking bones when they come from men who would harm an unclaimed female.”

“Indeed, it is a beautiful sound, isn’t it? Still, she belongs with her people. Not with some king who mistreats her. Our warriors would duel each other if they caught a whiff of her, which admittedly, would offer some sport to the otherwise droll of the day.”

“When you’re ready, Aria Primrose, find us,” the warrior whispered, smiling as he bowed and stepped back, turning to speak to the others as he joined them through the portal.

The world went deafening, forcing my hands to my ears as all sound sucked out of the room. The place where they’d stood shimmered, and then a blinding light cut through the room with a surge of immense power. I held my arm up to protect my eyes as the shockwaves sent red-hot pain slicing through me. The moment I could see again, I peered around the room, finding it empty.

My nose lifted, and I inhaled, noting the subtle scent of sage and lemongrass. Not even a whiff of their scent remained. Swallowing past the unease that knowledge created, I worried my lip, as the sound of footsteps filled the hallway. Hurriedly, I started forward as familiar magic slithered through my body, igniting everything around me.

Corpses filled the hallway leading up the staircase. Whoever that man was, he’d sent his magic through me, clearing my path from witches. I paused, midway up the stairs, noting the carnage. The witches weren’t just dead; they were ripped apart and left in mangled heaps of flesh and bone. Snorting, I continued up the stairs until forced to stop, coming face-to-face with a group of black-eyed witches.

“Aren’t you pretty?” I asked, unleashing magic on them.

They recoiled, shrieking as I bathed in the chaos that ensued. My hands pulsed with magic, sending it rushing toward those who stood between me and exiting the keep with the books I’d come to retrieve.

I’d watched this place for over a week, unable to gain entry, and during that time, these withes had slaughtered people like they were cattle. I’d tried to get in, to no avail, so I’d made sure I was in a spot well patrolled, and that they’d bring me in through the front door, locking their death warrants soundly into place.

Witches detonated as I dropped my head back, enjoying the sounds of diminishing evil. My house was so freaking dirty that bleach wouldn’t cut it. It needed more than just elbow grease to rid the world of the evil that had taken root in the realm of my bloodline’s good intentions.

Fire leaped from the candles, rushing toward the curtains that barred the moonlight from entering their dark home. Rolling my head back, I heard Ciara’s rendition of Paint It, Black in my mind, humming the song as I moved through the witches. I watched them burn to nothing more than ashes as I passed by, the intensity of my flames burning too hot for the naked eye to see until it was too late.

“I see your red door…” I laughed before continuing to hum, pushing my tongue between my teeth. I sent fire sailing toward the strongest witch, watching as she combusted. My arms went wide as I twirled, slowly moving through the castle as my clothes disintegrated, and everything around me caught fire.

The flames danced seductively, echoing with a crackling sound that sung to my soul as my creature rejoiced from within, dancing to the song I sang as