The Hunter and the Mage (The Raven and the Dove #2) - Kaitlyn Davis Page 0,143

went a blinding white was his crimson hair blowing in the breeze as a furrow appeared in his freckled brow. She closed her eyes against the mage light, fighting back tears from the sting. With her magic, she didn’t need to see. No matter how much power Kal pushed into the air, burning up the mist, she could still feel his soul. There was no way to hide. She knew exactly where he was. One with the spirit of the air, Lyana pulled on the wind and sent a gust barreling toward him. It slammed into his chest, knocking him clean off the dock, and he dropped into the sea.

The ivory flare snuffed out.

Lyana lifted her head, daring Jacinta and Nyomi to face her. Green sparks flared and two daggers rose clean out of the scabbards around Jacinta's waist. Lyana hardly paid attention. She was the queen of prophecy, and she knew, no matter what Malek's orders, they wouldn't kill her. They wanted to scare her, but they wouldn't succeed. Fury had burned all her fear away.

A flute of water shot toward her.

Lyana lifted her palm and bid it to stop.

A dagger sailed for her throat.

She simply swatted it away.

Run, she thought, their bodies trapped beneath the weight of her command. Run into the city, and don't come back.

They did.

Swirls of green and blue magic filled the air as the two women sprinted past, but the attacks were too little too late. Lyana easily deflected the metal Jacinta sent soaring in her wake. The ocean surged, but she held it back. A beam of ivory light erupted from the sea, and she turned to find Kal had resurfaced.

Swim, she thought, her grip on his soul absolute. Swim away, and don't look back.

He did.

Lyana closed her eyes, feeling their souls drift farther and farther out of reach. Eventually, when they were at a safe distance, she'd release them. She didn't want them dead—she just wanted them out of her way.

As she stood, Isaak glanced over his shoulder, the wrinkles on his face harsh in the firelight. Red magic and flames enveloped his fingers as he fought to control the blaze attempting to swallow the warehouse whole.

"I suggest you let me pass," she said.

His light brown eyes darkened with defeat. "Very well, my queen."

Lyana soared across the distance and used a blast of wind to throw open the warehouse doors. As she tore inside, a sea of gold immediately swept her away. Malek's power churned like a cyclone, catching her in its vortex. She couldn't see beyond his magic. It was everywhere. He was everywhere. Embers scorched her feathers and her braids whipped across her face, making her skin sting.

"Malek!" she called, trying to fight through the chaos. "Malek!"

The fire was everywhere and nowhere, in the magic, in the building, in the air she breathed. She tried to reach for Rafe, but she couldn't feel him anymore. A man screamed and she fought with all her might to follow that sound.

"Rafe! Rafe!"

Her feet brushed the ground and she dropped into a run, but it was useless. The wind blew her over, sending her stumbling to the side as she struggled to remain upright.

Your magic.

Use your magic.

Lyana reached for Malek with her power, sensing his soul within the madness. He was too weak to shirk her hold. A scream ripped through the air, but this time she realized it wasn't Rafe—it was him.

What's going on?

What's happening?

Using his spirit as a guide, she took step after step closer, her magic swirling around her like a shield to deflect his power. Through the golden glow, the dark outline of a table came into view. She recognized Malek, his blond hair swirling around his face and his lips pursed. Boils spotted his cheeks. One had broken, the skin red and raw underneath. His hands were pressed against the table, his index finger burned down to the bone. And next to him—next to him—

Aethios help me!

Rafe was strapped to the table, only it wasn't Rafe. It was like staring at a reflection on the surface of a pond, the image shifting as ripples passed through the water. One moment he was the man she knew, and the next, black scales appeared over his skin. One moment his eyes were blue, and the next, they flared a monstrous red. Leathery wings flashed beneath his back, coming and going like phantoms. Every second he changed, there then gone. The only constant was the grimace frozen across his shifting features,