Ashes of Chaos (Legacy of the Nine Realms #2) - Amelia Hutchins Page 0,46
air, just out of reach of the barrier. I perked up seeing Greer, but white light rushed at me as Knox howled a warning too late.
Pain shot through me, and I groaned, touching my hands and feet on the ground as the remaining witches attacked in a well-planned magical assault. My ears rang as my heartbeat slowed. I stopped breathing, conserving strength until the assault stopped. They began to cheer, and I smiled coldly, standing as the light dissipated to reveal my unscathed form.
“Mother!” one witch shouted, and I watched as she rushed toward her mom, who turned, staring at me and the mark of Hecate. It covered my forehead, lighting my face with the magic of my bloodline in a silverish glow that caused my hair to float while glowing silverish-blue.
“My turn,” I laughed coldly, holding up my hands as the witches began to burn from the invisible flames consuming their flesh, wafting more ashes and embers into the night. The head witch howled, rushing toward her daughter, who was becoming ashes along with the others. “You were judged and found guilty. Your magic will return to the Nine Realms, your souls forever forfeited to the Void of Nothingness. Blessed be, bitches.”
My fist closed, and embers shot into the night like fireworks. The witch who allowed monsters to rape and breed innocent women like animals, fired white orbs of magic at me in her grief. Each one slammed into me, but I effortlessly absorbed them and stored the magic while slowly walking toward her, bathed in blood and glowing glyphs of magic covering my arms, belly, and legs.
“Don’t make this harder than necessary. I have other castles to visit this week, and you’re boring me. Come,” I smiled, lifting my hand, dragging her to the altar that rose from the dirt, pushing corpses off to the side onto the ground while candles appeared on the altar, leaping to life.
My other hand rose, and the corpses on the field became nothing more than dust. I was eco-friendly, if nothing else. My army of the dead stood silently, their heads lowered. I clucked my tongue three times, and they dissolved into embers drifting through the air, returning to their corporal forms, hidden behind the keep.
I’d learned a lot about myself since being on my own for months in a strange land. Like the ability to call the dead, and that my magic wasn’t just more potent here, it was intensely amplified until it scared me. I’d learned that when evil was present, I needed to remove it, cleaning the land of its presence. It wasn’t just something I had said I would do. I had to do it as if compelled by something more profound than I could understand.
The protection barrier around the altar began to glow, exposing the witch’s circle the moment I stepped through it. I slammed the witch onto the altar, standing above her crying form as the candles flared, sending flames shooting into the air around us. When I touched her, she went limp, paralyzed.
My eyes lifted to Knox, who studied me silently, his anger palpable. I raised my hand and smiled as the dagger from his sheath landed in my hand. Before he could respond, I sliced through my palm, using the blood to paint the mark of Hecate on the witch’s forehead.
“Thank you for your sacrifice,” I whispered, slicing through her wrists before hanging them over the edge to feed the protective barrier.
I silently observed her blood pooling over the edges of the altar to fill in the circle surrounding us, touching the crystals as they hummed with magic.
“May the goddess forgive you from your trespass, witch. I sure in the hell won’t!” I stated in a singsong voice.
Stepping away from the altar, I walked toward Knox, who watched every single move I made. His eyes slid down my bloody mouth, to the dress covered in crimson, reeking of copper. My nipples pebbled beneath it, hard from both arousal and the wetness of the fabric.
“Did you miss me?”
“Drop the barrier, Little Monster. Let me in,” he ordered.
“I don’t think so,” I whispered. My hands went flat against the barrier, allowing myself a moment to admire him. “Are you ready to see what real magic looks like?” I laughed, tilting my head as Knox lifted his hands, slamming them against mine on the other side of the barrier. I inhaled his scent, running my fingers over his before closing my eyes.