cheeks and neck scratched and bleeding, his arms mottled with welts from where he’s been struck. Ragnar isn’t faring any better, blood spotting his pure white pelt.
I turn to Narah. “What do we do, witch girl?”
That gets everyone, including Ragnar, looking at her for a moment.
Her mouth opens with a response when a thin branch lashes around her throat and yanks her backward so fast, she’s taken from us in a heartbeat.
Terror grips her face as she reaches out for us.
I lunge after her when the sharp bite of a whip strikes me across the back, sudden and vicious. I hiss and drop to my knees with the pain. Before I can recover, vines snake around me, sliding under my clothes, over them. I tug at them, my heart pounding.
Suddenly, I’m ripped off my knees and hauled across the ground.
I buck and thrust against my attacker with only our screams ringing through the forest.
Narah
I choke, and I’m clawing at the vine strangling me, squeezing tighter around my neck.
Panic flashes across my mind, as all I can think about is death… my death. Being dragged backward, my legs peddle to keep up as I’m drawn farther from the men. But like me, they are each fighting their own battle against damn magical trees.
I refuse to go down like this because Crius tripped a spell. I grabbed his arm to stop him, but he brushed me off and charged ahead. Now I’m going to die because of his stubborn ass. That only makes me angrier and more determined to escape so I can make him suffer at my hands.
My heart slams into my ribcage as I gasp for air, my lungs straining. Stars dance in my vision, and it’s just happening too fast. I buck my body and fight, but the limbs are so strong. Each passing moment stings like the lash of a whip to my chest, to my head. Knees buckling, I open myself up to magic, not caring what comes out. No more holding back my power.
And in an instant, a zap of electricity runs up my spine, every hair on my body standing on end. Sparks race from my fingers, and an explosion erupts in front of my face.
Golden light pops.
My skin crawls.
I’m shoved forward to the ground from a great force at my back, the noose around my neck unravelling. A terrifying screech pierces the air, but I don’t care about anything except feeding my lungs. Each inhale hurts so much.
Unbearable heat licks across my back, so excruciatingly hot that I finally flinch around.
All I can see at first is a golden explosion, but then the image comes more into focus. My fire magic bites across the warring tree, burning it, devouring the leaves and limbs. A screeching cry floods my ears from its suffering, and I cringe, recoiling, doubt crawling over my mind at the agony I’ve caused it. Except, it’s just an animated tree, right?
The thing shudders and stumbles about for freedom like a lost soul. It bumps into other trees, but the flames never leap anywhere else.
A chill runs up my spine.
The tree disintegrates before my eyes, turning to ash, becoming nothing. But the sounds of pain are relentless, and it hurts my ears, my heart.
In a final burst of light, the magical fire fizzles to nothing, and I don’t know how to feel… happy, devastated, confused.
Screams come from behind me and distract me from falling apart. I whip around to find the four Alphas battered and bleeding, fighting regardless. Breaking branches, ducking them, wrapped in vines. They are bleeding so badly.
Stone is on his knees when Ragnar catapults in front of him, taking the brunt of a whipping branch. He falls, growling with pain, and blood collects quickly around him on the ground. But he’s on his feet again, and I’m running to them before I can think straight.
Anger laps against my insides, rousing more magic, bringing forth whatever I called to earlier.
Power bursts from my body like a ruptured dam, rushing outward in a tremendous wave. Rage embraces me, and I let my magic roar. It streams from my hands, pushing right past the men, and like a hungry zombie, the power slams into the four attackers.
Starved.
Vicious.
Ravenous.
Golden flames swallow our enemy, twisting and entangling around every limb, every root.
I barely catch my breath as my body rocks on the spot as more and more energy rushes from me, draining me. “Stop,” I murmur under my voice.
Nothing.
Fear floats to the surface, and the