in her mind was the image of Paul’s face as he struck Myrkur.
He had not betrayed her.
He had tried to save her.
Feeling the grip around her lessoning Nicola pushed with all her might and found herself tumbling to the ground. She picked herself up, the gale now roaring in her ears. The Guardsmans’ forms were moving around as if disjointed, the Serenti still in the clearing doing the same. Seizing her chance she ran past the remaining horseman to where Alex was still sitting struggling against her captor’s grip.
Alex looked down to see Nicola standing below her, arms outstretched.
“Help me,” she screamed.
Nicola jumped up trying to grab her leg but she could not reach.
“You have to jump,” she cried.
Terrified Alex pushed against the cold metal of the Serenti’s armor, straining against the heavy arm that was trapping her. Suddenly everything gave way and she found herself falling forward. Below her Nicola moved to try and break her fall. Their bodies touched as they tumbled to the ground, the skin of Alex’s hand making contact with Nicola’s bare arm.
A blinding white light expanded outwards.
Nicola felt a gateway open within her mind. Knowledge and power flooded through her to meet the raw presence that was already within. Her consciousness expanded exponentially as she connected with the energy. She could see how to manipulate it, to meld it to her will, to shield herself and others so they left no trace for the Dark to follow. She saw how to defend and attack, to nurture and heal.
Instantaneously she saw its weave within all the life surrounding her and within her. Centuries of experience and wisdom from all the Warders before her became accessible and seamlessly slotted itself within her very being. Urgently they began to speak to her through images, thoughts, and feelings. They showed her how to draw a colossal amount of energy within her and construct a complex weave to pull herself and Alex away to safety. Nicola complied and then hesitated. The weave lay open before her, one last action being all that was required to complete it, yet something was stopping her. Suddenly the possibility formed in her mind. With all this power surely she could save Paul?
It was then that something called to her. She allowed a minute part of her awareness to examine the sensation and, as she looked deeper, she felt the fertilized egg inside her womb already lodging itself on the wall of her uterus.
She was pregnant.
Paul was the father.
A complex wave of emotions threatened to engulf her, yet she had to force herself to focus. Unaffected by Myrkur’s injuries, the wolves had regrouped and were moving again, sprinting across the clearing towards them. Pushing herself up, she reached for Alex, pulling her up with her. With seconds to spare she expanded her awareness, allowing her magic to sweep across Paul and her heart chilled to the core. He was barely alive, his soul corrupted by the dark energy in an intricate manner she did not understand.
“Nicola,” screamed Alex pulling desperately on her arm. Nicola turned, seeing the open jaws of the wolf as it leapt towards them. A desperate anger flared within her and instinctively she swung her free arm across the wolf’s path feeling the burning force rush down her limb to erupt in a wall of flame that engulfed the animal in a soul-tearing scream of pain and death.
The remaining wolves wheeled around them as Nicola staggered from the effects of the power. Still clutching her, Alex kept her upright and they stumbled forward.
Howling viciously the wolves regrouped. Nicola forced herself upright, her mind still reeling from what she had done. Voices and feelings within her consciousness urged her to conserve her energy, to use less force. The wolves lunged forward, coming at them from three sides.
“Let go,” Nicola cried to Alex who was still clutching her arm in panic. Wide eyed with fear, Alex released her grip and Nicola spun round, fire arcing from her fingers to surround them with a wall of flame forcing the wolves away.
“Paul,” Nicola shouted hoarsely.
“I know,” replied Alex, tears running down her face. “You believe you can save him.”
“How did you?” mouthed Nicola in surprise.
“You’re in my mind,” cried out Alex as she fought against the torrent of alien emotions and feelings that were flooding into her consciousness through some kind of gateway between them.
Blindly Alex followed as Nicola fought her way forward surrounding them with arcs of fire. A few meters away her brother’s