As my hands snap, crackle and pop, I hold them out and toward him, pushing the intention of my powers toward my father. Magic shoots out of my hands, uncontrolled, and flies everywhere, in all directions. Nothing in this hall is flammable but a rug hanging on one of the walls, and it catches fire instantly, nearly singing my father who has to step to the side to avoid getting burned.
Instead of being scared, he claps.
“Don’t you see, Bernadette? We can tap into this and become the most powerful sorcerers the world has ever seen.”
“We?” I ask.
He nods. “Of course. Ever since I felt my first surge of power, I’ve studied the witch’s ability to transfer and share magic. You don’t have to bear this burden alone. If you only allow me to help, together we could do great things.”
My stomach clenches at his words. He wants to steal my magic.
“Sorry, I’ve already had my powers stolen once this lifetime. That’s quite enough.”
He frowns. “I would not be stealing your magic. Only helping to give it focus. You would still be the most powerful witch in the world.”
“I need my wand,” I say, skipping the argument. “Please.”
I hold out my hand as another random lightning burst shoots out and hits his right shoe, burning the leather with a hiss.
I’m close. Zev’s voice is a reassurance I can’t let show on my face.
I just need to keep Timót focused on me.
“You don’t need it. You just think you do,” he says, frustrating me beyond comprehension. Thanks for the mansplain about my own powers, dad. Just give me my damn wand. I work hard not to let him hear my thoughts, though, since I’m still playing the nice game.
As I open my mouth to plead some more, my wand suddenly travels from Timót’s hand to mine. My look of surprise is matched by my father’s, and the flurry of activity in my blood tells me a certain vampire I know has joined the conversation.
Darius moves in a blur and stands beside me, his mind still shuttered, but this time I feel regret and pain and sadness. I can’t let myself soften or think about him. Not yet. Not while everything is still so volatile.
Instead, I channel all my hurt, all my rage, all my fear and pain into my wand and point it at my dad. “Call off your men, father. Release your dragons and surrender. I have every right to kill you here and now, and unless you beg forgiveness and then try to right some of your wrongs, I will.”
My father laughs, which is not at all the reaction I was hoping for. “Dear girl. You’re still not seeing straight. In that case, I’ll take what’s mine by rights and go. You’ll change your mind eventually.”
He whistles and the stone walls around us begin to shake, the rocks cracking as dust falls around us.
I try to take cover, but it’s impossible to find anywhere that’s safe. It feels like the entire structure is collapsing.
As the ceiling begins to crumble and stone falls in large chunks around us, a dragon pushes through the rubble and my father grabs hold and mounts.
I scream and begin shooting him with my wand, aiming all that pent up magic his way, but he calmly flicks his wand and creates a protective shield that deflects my blast.
As I continue my attack, his dragon blows fire between Darius and myself, sending us diving in opposite directions. I hit the ground, understanding his intention--he’s slowly separating us with uncrossable lines of fire.
Darius’ mind breaks open, his fear for my safety palpable. Bernie!
His panic spurs me to move, and I leap away from a wall just as it falls. Enormous columns are crashing to the ground and light from the sky above has started peeking into the dark halls. This ancient chamber isn’t going to last much longer.
I feel Zev in my mind, and Rune’s calming presence nearby. I know they’re all here, but the fire separates us. I can barely hear anything over the sound of walls crumbling and dragons screeching. It’s hard to see or breathe with smoke burning my eyes and choking me. I cover Rain loosely with my shirt and try to block the worst of it.
With all my senses a jumbled mess, I’m taken off guard when my father rushes me with his dragon, zapping the straps to my child carrier and swooping by to grab her from my arms.
The girth of the dragon knocks me back, and I stumble to the ground as my baby is wrenched away from me. Giant gusts of wind send dirt and ash into my face as the dragon pumps its mighty wings, lifting higher, taking my daughter further from my arms.
“No!”
I react without thinking, jumping to my feet and pointing my wand at the ground.
“Dob val vel tűz!”
A blast of light shoots into the stone beneath my feet, propelling me like a rocket toward the flying beast above. When it comes to saving Rain, I will not hesitate to turn myself into a missile.
The jolt of magic launches me at a horrifying speed, giving Timót no time to get away. When it’s within reach, I hold my wand between my teeth and grab the harness around the dragon as tightly as I can, then start pulling myself up toward Rain, tucked tightly under my father’s arm. I’m reminded of how horrified I was when my car seat back home would jiggle slightly, and now she’s unsecured on a dragon a hundred feet in the air.
Timót’s focus is forward, not having expected me to fly at him. I didn’t really expect it either, but here I am, inches away from taking my child back.
As my hand finds her leg, Timót notices the stowaway on his dragon.
“How in the name of--”
Everything happens so quickly. I let go of the harness while pulling Rain free from my father’s grip. As we start to fall back, I unleash everything I have into my father, blasting him directly in the chest. I don’t use an incantation or try to summon a particular spell, I just shoot pure energy into this man and pray that it hurts.
Then I scream.
And we fall.
I look up into the sky, no idea how far the ground is below me, no idea when I’ll feel the crushing impact as my body connects with stone.
I wrap my body around my daughter, fearing what will happen next.
In trying to save her, I have killed us.
And then my body hits… but it’s not the rocky floor I expected.
Strong arms wrap around me, pulling me close as our momentum changes from straight down to a new, lateral, safe trajectory.
I squeeze my eyes closed, clutching Rain, tears leaking onto my cheeks.
All anger is gone, for the moment at least, as the familiar voice settles into my mind once more.
I’m sorry.
Darius… my thought trails off as I feel the motion stop and we come to rest on the solid earth. I look down at Rain, her eyes open and yet she’s somehow not crying. Either she’s scared stiff or she’s getting too used to almost dying.
I look up from her and into the face that I’d come to love, then come to hate, and now can’t understand.
Darius stares back at me, his dark eyes flooded with sorrow, remorse, and relief. Looking into those striking eyes, it’s clear he thought he might lose me.
We hold eye contact a moment longer, then Darius drops to a knee.
And weeps.
Chapter Five
I stare at Darius knelt before me, head bowed, body trembling as he sobs. The sight stirs up a mix of empathy and apathy within me. My feelings are too conflicted for my own good, but one thing I am super sure of is that I’m tremendously relieved Rain is okay and I’m still alive.