Dark Promise (Darkhaven Saga #3) - Danielle Rose Page 0,29

as my magic thrusts outward and slams into the four witches entombing me. They are flung backward, soaring through the air as they are hit by a blast of energy far stronger than their combined magic.

The witches scream, relinquishing their hold on their own air magic, and crumble to the ground several yards away. They claw at the ground, fighting to stand, to protect themselves, but it is no use. My magic has already stretched from within me and is creeping toward them like heavy fog on a dark day.

When it reaches my victims, it wraps endlessly around their frail frames, encasing them in a fiery tornado. It takes only seconds for the witches to succumb to my power, and like a staked vampire, their mortal bodies combust into ash, with nothing to remember them by but their cremains in the wind.

With my captors eliminated, I stand. My legs are wobbly, and I teeter as I move forward. Exhausted from using such powerful magic, I take breaths in quick bursts. In shimmering iridescent waves, my power flows all around me. It stretches outward, never straying too far, always connecting to me in some way. After all, I am its host.

The other witches are surprised by my escape, and some weep for their fallen sisters. I ignore them and trudge forward. My legs are heavy, my arms weak. My stomach burns from hunger. Every second I use this magic, my energy depletes. I’m not sure how long I have before I’m too weak to summon it at all.

Two witches attempt to corner me, blocking me from reaching Will. Angry, I throw out my arms before me. The fire in my heart spills from my palms, lashing forward at my attackers. Morphing from a soft, shimmery iridescent glow, it becomes a violent and blinding orange. It breaks through skin, leaving behind gashes in flesh.

One of the witches cries out when I pass her, but I ignore her fear. Instead, I search for Will. I call to him, seeing him battling his own demons. He’s wounded and frightened. The anger in his eyes shoots ice down my spine. I suppose this isn’t the best welcome to Darkhaven he could have received.

I trip over brush, my ankle twisting awkwardly as I tumble forward. I yelp, landing in a heap of icy snow. Before I realize what’s happening, Will is at my side. He lifts me from the mound, and we both watch as the remaining witches surround us.

Leaning against him, I attempt to cocoon us both within my magic, but I’m growing far too sluggish. I anticipate the other witches will combine their strength, and in my weakened state, I’m not confident I can withstand their fury.

“We need to get out of here!” I shout.

The witches lock hands, forming a half circle before us. Immediately, the elements are bared. The wind whips my hair feverishly around my face. The snowflakes falling become plump and moist, blurring my vision as clusters of ice collect around my eyes. Slowly, Will and I dip into the earth. The frozen ground at our feet turns to mush, and we sink deeper into the mud.

Before we can escape, another witch approaches us, her dark gaze as black as night. Her cheeks are pink, her lips chapped as she shouts an incantation. Her hair whips around violently as her element is intensified by her allies.

She stands before them, a leader before her coven. She’s floating, carried by air. Her ankles slack, the tips of her toes pointing directly to the ground as she’s lifted by her magic.

With arms outstretched at her sides, she shouts several Latin incantations, and her magic rushes at us. Hardened bullets of beaded air, the wind assaults my magical barrier, tearing it down with little effort.

Other witches stand beside their leader, lending their strength to intensify her magic. With each air shard working its way deeper into my magical shield, I begin to feel the effects of wielding a power far stronger than me.

I slump beside Will, letting him carry my entire weight. My forehead is slick from sweat and snow, my nerves raw. My head aches, and my stomach growls.

“I can’t hold on anymore,” I whisper, closing my eyes.

The moment my magic dissipates, evaporating into the air and sinking back within my core, Will steps forward. He wraps one arm around my body to hold me upright and lashes forward with the other. A blast of swirling white light tears through his palm and shoots