Ruins of Chaos (Legacy of the Nine Realms #3) - Amelia Hutchins Page 0,63

Lowering my head, I gritted my teeth against the agony. As I ensured it hadn’t done too much damage, another one impaled my arm. My hand shook as I ripped the arrow from my arm, screaming as I got to my feet. More arrows were let loose, and I dropped to the ground, lowering my head as they peppered the surrounding dirt.

“Aria,” Knox whispered. I lifted my head, finding him at the same level as me. His eyes searched mine as I spat out blood.

“I thought you said she was the most powerful witch you’d ever encountered. She seems rather disappointing, King Karnavious,” Lord Carter snorted beside Knox.

“Fight,” Knox growled.

I stared at him, knowing that I could end this here. I could be free of the pain he and this world wanted to give me. Knox searched my eyes, seeing the indecision dancing within them. His worry-filled gaze lifted as I heard the volley of arrows sailing toward me. All I had to do was let them reach me, and it ended. However, I wasn’t done yet.

I spun and lifted my hand, stalling the arrows’ descent toward me. They froze in place, hovering in the air, and the world went silent around me as magic flowed through my veins, igniting the power of the Nine Realms rushing to heed my call. I sent the arrows flying toward those who released them, smiling as their screams echoed through the keep.

I turned my hands, pointing my finger before twirling it, producing a portal that opened in the middle of the field. Dropping my hand, I used the other to force the warriors standing behind the witches into it, hearing their cries as they exploded through the other side of the barrier and into the hands of Knox’s army.

Slamming the portal closed, I smiled wickedly at the witches. Silently, I walked toward them, flicking my finger, forcing the leader to land behind me against the barrier in front of Knox. Both of her knees shattered along with her pelvis as I twisted my lips into an evil grin.

The witches called more magic to them, and I allowed it, pausing midfield to prevent it from reaching me. The moment they sent it toward me, I unleashed my anger and frustration from the moment Knox had caught me until I’d entered this barrier.

The ground exploded directly in front of me, rushing toward the dark witches until their bodies imploded, sending blood into the air in clouds of pink mist. The castle trembled from my fury. Fiery stones rained from the sky as my scream ripped through the clearing, rushing toward it with the magic I’d stored over the past several months.

The men assisting the dark witches on the battlements splashed against the ground with a popping sound. The wind sent the flames leaping toward the heavens, and I screamed until I was hoarse. Giant meteor-sized balls of fire continued slamming into the stronghold until reduced to ruins. I didn’t stop the fiery assault until satisfied that nothing else was alive within the keep.

Explosions erupted from within the castle, sending shrapnel of the fiery rocks sailing toward me. I didn’t move, didn’t feel fear at the moment, then peace settled in my soul from creating chaos. A smile played on my lips. The soothing inner peace from raining down hell on evil sent a rush of warmth through me.

Lightning crashed, slamming into anything that still breathed. All sound sucked out of the barrier, and my heartbeat echoed loudly in my ears as my blood pulsed. The ground rumbled, drawing the remains and wreckage of the keep deep into the earth, ripping a hole where the once magnificent castle had stood. In its place were fresh soil and the fire that continued to burn with my rage.

I whispered a spell to expel the flames. Then I whispered another, watching as flowers grew, budding and blooming with beauty. Trees pushed through the ground, filing the meadow, appearing as if they had always been part of the forest, untouched by man. I silently took in the beauty before a shrill scream pierced the serenity I found in creating beauty.

Turning, I glared at the dark witch, knowing my eyes danced with flames. I walked toward her as fear filled her obsidian gaze. My hair floated around me, and no mark marred my forehead, just the power bestowed to me by the Nine Realms and those who had created the monster I was becoming.

“Tell the High Queen of Witches I will