each were made up of air. It threw the three brothers back with only Lucius, who actually fought against it and remained standing. However, even this didn’t look easy.
Then after the angry cloud of power had continued so far it started to evaporate, leaving me just standing there utterly stunned. I was panting heavier and heavier until suddenly I couldn’t seem to breathe!
“Luc…ius I…” I tried to say as I looked down at my hands that wouldn’t stop shaking.
“I am here!” He told me, at the same time taking my hands in his and telling me,
“Breathe, Amelia…just breathe now…calm, calm for me,” he said wrapping his arms around me and trying to breathe with me, no doubt hoping for me to follow his rhythm.
“That’s it…deep breaths, just in and out again,” he said soothingly, now stroking the back of my hair down to my back as he kept me cradled to his chest.
“Whit th fck wis that?!” I heard Vern ask in a bewildered tone.
“Silence!” Lucius growled before asking me once my breathing had evened,
“Are you alright?” I pulled back so I could see him and nodded a little, feeling completely unsure of what was going on.
“Ah thought she wis mortal?” Trice said making Lucius snap,
“She is mortal.”
“Aye and she’s also yer Chosen One,” Gryph added making Vern suck in surprised breath and Trice look pained,
“Yes, she is and if a word of this is…”
“We wull nae speak a word o' this, we care fur th' lassie,” Gryph quickly assured him and just as I raised my hand to cup his cheek I started to feel strange.
“Lucius, please don’t be angry at…I…feel…”
“Amelia?” Lucius said my name and the worry was clearly there in both his tone and in his face. But then that face started to go blurry and soon my mind was finding it difficult to focus on small details.
“Whit's wrong wi' her?” Vern was the first one to ask and I could just make out a blurred form pushing his way through.
“Amelia?!” Lucius shouted this time as my legs suddenly gave way beneath me.
“Turn her around.” I could just hear Trice’s order making Lucius snap back,
“Why?!”
“Just dae it!” Trice demanded again and that’s when I felt myself moving. After that I felt the air hit my back and pain suddenly cut through me like a lance! It was unbelievable and of the likes I had never felt before!
I screamed before it turned into small whimpering cries of pain. I heard Lucius trying to calm me and the hiss of air being pulled through teeth.
“What is it?!” Lucius demanded through the fog and the very last thing I heard was from Trice, who sounded both angry and anxious…
“The hex...tis…”
“Tis trying tae claim her.”
28
Hex of a Time
The next time I opened my eyes I had to give myself time to understand where I was and even then it didn’t help. For starters I was lying on a bed of ash and the second I focused, I could see the little paper snowflakes of grey falling down all around me. I reached up a hand and let one catch on the tips of my fingers before bringing it closer to my face so I could discover what it was.
But it was only when I finally sat up that I knew something bad had happened here…wherever here was? Had I caused this destruction?
It was like a wasteland of grey, with nothing but water in the distance washing even more ash up to the shore like dead skin floating on the surface. I frowned the longer I looked at the desolate place and for some reason an overwhelming sadness overtook me.
I got up from what strangely looked like an old cart that was without any animal to pull it. Where was everyone, had everyone run from the oncoming ruin? I turned around to look behind me expecting to see the same dead land when I could just make out a line of life beyond.
I turned back to where the destruction seemed to be centred around and felt the ash clinging to my hair, like snow that wouldn’t ever melt. But then something caught my eye as footsteps seemed to appear out of nowhere.
“What is this?” I muttered aloud jumping a little when my own voice echoed back at me. Then, as if responding to the question, more footsteps appeared as if an invisible woman was walking in the grey sand. I decided to follow it, making sure I wasn’t stepping in the same