Queen of the Fae (Dragon's Gift The Dark Fae #3) - Linsey Hall Page 0,39
some space to work. Her magic was so strong that she had to be within only a few yards of me. I crouched behind a huge block of marble and peered out.
The sight before me dropped my stomach to my knees.
I could see the backs of the four goddesses, each of whom knelt on the ground in front of my mother. All four goddesses were surrounded by an individual bolt of white, electric energy. It extended from a two-foot tall crystal shard that had been plunged into the ground in front of them, somehow holding them tethered. My mother stood in front of the crystal, grinning malevolently.
“I’ll know what you know soon enough,” she murmured.
The goddesses fought, jerking against their lightning chains, but they could barely move.
I could hear Fae attackers all around, ransacking the temple or fighting Tarron. But there were none around my mother. She was confident in her ability here.
She probably didn’t even sense me yet, so enraptured was she with her victory over the goddesses. But she hadn’t gotten the information yet.
I had time.
I drew my bow and arrow from the ether and raised it, getting my mother in my sights. I pulled back on the string, then released.
The arrow flew true and straight.
I held my breath.
It slammed into my mother’s chest, then disintegrated. There wasn’t even a burn mark on her pale skin.
Her eyes flashed up, wide and enraged. “Who’s there?”
I hid, silent. I needed another damned plan.
“Daughter?” She sniffed the air, then tilted her head. “Ah, yes. I believe that must be you.”
Shit. Powerful, miserable hag.
I frowned, mind racing. The only power I had against her was reflecting her magic. She’d probably be prepared for that.
A blast of energy smashed into the marble block behind which I hid.
I flinched back as it slid toward me, shards of stone flying off the front.
“I’ll drive you out!” she shrieked.
Another blast of energy hit the stone, nearly destroying it.
Shit. One more blast and I’d lose my cover.
And she was stealing the information from the goddesses as we spoke. Every delay was dangerous.
My eyes darted to the streams of energy that trapped the four kneeling figures.
If I could reflect a magical attack back at the attacker, maybe I could even divert magic.
I charged forward, hiding behind my shield.
With everything in my soul, I prayed to fate that this worked.
My mother shrieked and sent a bolt of power right at me. It slammed into my shield, nearly making my arm go numb. Clumsily, I tightened my grip so I didn’t lose it. I could try to reflect her magic back at her, but I didn’t want to drop my shield in case she had one of those potion bombs.
When I neared the electric current, I lunged for it, reaching out my hand and bracing myself.
My fingertips collided with the bright white light, and energy zipped through my veins. With all my strength, I threw my shield at my mother, and it smashed into her, making her shriek. The energy coursing through me almost froze me solid, but I forced it out of me, channeling it through my other arm and out my fingertips.
Please work.
I directed the stream of white light at my mother, who was rising from beneath the metal shield that had knocked her to the ground.
The light crashed into her chest, and she shrieked. Something small hit me in the back, startling me but not slowing me down. I forced the magic toward my mother, who went to her knees.
She gave me a vicious look, then one of triumph.
Fear tore at my heart.
Then she disappeared.
Shit!
I dropped to my knees, yanking my hand from the stream of current as pain surged through me. Weakness followed. Horrible dizziness.
But the goddesses were still trapped. I crawled for the crystal that was still stuck in the ground. It continued to shoot the electric light at the kneeling figures. With my remaining strength, I drew a massive ax from the ether. I rarely used this one, but kept if for special occasions.
Rising to my knees, I slammed the ax into the crystal.
The shock reverberated up my arms, but nothing happened.
I was too weak.
Darkness began to close in around me.
Through bleary vision, I saw Tarron appear. He hurtled from the sky like an angel of death, fear and anger on his face. Blood speckled all of his visible skin, and his clothes looked soaked with it. He landed and conjured a huge mallet, then swung it at the crystal.