Laughter broke through the screams.
Alek stared aghast at the appalling display before him, feeling an intense fury when he lifted his eyes to glare at his father’s murderer.
'Jenviet,' he snarled.
She laughed again. 'Oh you do remember me then little prince? I thought you might have blocked the memory out.'
He growled, incapable of speech.
'Not to worry, I’m not here for you. I just want the Thalian Princess,' she looked pointedly at Cat, whose eyes bulged in shock.
I gaped at the psycho blonde in astonishment. Really, how do you reply to that? Other than, you’re nuts? My rational voice took charge. Well, if she’s focused on you then she isn’t harming anyone else, I think it’s time to flee. Let’s get her as far away from here as possible. With as much of a plan as I could hope for in that moment, I turned and ran for the doorway, sprinting down the corridor.
The moment Cat had Jenviet’s attention, Elena blasted the evil creature out of the ballroom feeling a sense of pleasure at the smacking sound when she hit the corridor wall. Alek took the opportunity to dart past her after Cat. Elena and the others ran to the corridor just in time to see Jenviet vanish from where Elena threw her and appear only meters behind Cat and Alek. She turned back to the group rushing down the corridor after her and chuckled. 'Catch.'
Kassie started back-pedaling along with everyone else when Jenviet sent a thick black cloud of something their way. Rumal grabbed her by the waist, swung around and deposited her behind him. When she got her footing she saw Sian lunge through the gap between Daron and Sabyn, both arms outstretched. A torrent of water thundered down the corridor drowning the black cloud. Waiting to see if the water would wipe out the sadistic bitch, Kassie cursed to see her still standing there.
'Clever.' Jenviet cocked her head at them. 'But what about…?' A rush of sound was heard from both Elena and Jenviet when they released bolts of energy down the corridor at each other.
Kassie and Loi wrenched their shields up.
My dress hampered my normal speed. I reached down, grabbing a fist full and yanked it up. I’d heard the others confront Jenviet but hadn’t turned back to check, knowing it was still in the best interests of all present if I could get her far away from everyone. I had an image of the little balcony Alek showed us this morning. God that sounded funny—it felt like days ago. I heard feet pounding behind me and glanced back.
He’d almost reached her when she gave a brief glance back, her eyes wide. He snatched her hand just when they hit the bottom of the turret staircase.
'Balcony?' he gasped.
She nodded, panting hard as they scrambled up the stairs.
'They’ve made it to the staircase!' Yakov sounded jubilant and Elena felt a surge of hope.
'Sian, Kass, joint attack now!' she cried. Both girls drew their energy in. Hearing Jenviet gather hers again, Elena hastily flicked her fingers at the white eyed woman, turning the floor beneath her feet into liquid then back again—freezing her feet within it.
'Oh, very clever,' the blonde snarled.
Indeed, thought Elena, it gave the girls enough time to swell their energies. 'Release!'
Sian sent out another torrent but this time of ice. Kassie blasted it with the strongest gale she could manage. A blizzard roared down the corridor while the group stood tense, waiting. Simultaneously Kassie and Sian both dropped their energies, groaning and cursing.
'What?' demanded the men, while Elena gave them a look of sympathy. 'Vanished?' They nodded.
'Time to go then,' snapped Loi, she took off down the corridor, heading for the turret that Cat and Alek had disappeared up.
Round and round we went with the occasional stumble from me, thanks to my heels. My hair tumbled down from its pins, bouncing around my shoulders in long ringlets. I could feel trickles of sweat running down between my shoulder blades. All I heard was our ragged breathing and my heart pounding. I had no idea if the others were okay, the fear felt awful.
We burst through the doorway at the top, into the solar. Before I could even draw a breath something lifted us off our feet, smashing us into the wall opposite the windows. Yelping in pain when my head connected with the wall, I lay for a moment, dazed. Then I scrabbled onto my hands and knees looking for Alek. My heart made a horrible tight sensation when I spotted him just down from me, unconscious, with blood in his hair. Not thinking, I lunged for him, but got hurled back against the wall. This time my spine took the brunt of it. The pain made my head spin and I rolled onto my side, retching.
That horrible laughter rang out.
Managing to get myself up to a sitting position, I saw Jenviet perched on the table, her legs crossed. The long, deep pink dress she wore had splits to the top of her thighs, showcasing her legs. Bloody hell, I thought, she looks like a possessed doll. Psycho Barbie beamed at me, one hand twisting a long blonde ringlet around her finger. Glaring at the woman, I shuffled a little, hoping it looked like I tried to get comfortable. It got me a couple of inches closer to Alek, I could see his chest rise and fall out the corner of my eye. At least he breathed. She ignored me and stood, shaking her hair back, smoothing down her dress.
In a casual tone she said, 'So you’re the one Elena went to such great lengths to conceal. It did make me curious, but I knew in time you’d return and I’d find out why. Now here you are.' She turned to stare at me.
I fought the urge to shudder, instead glaring at her. 'You really have your wires crossed, lady,' I sneered as insultingly as I could manage. 'All of them by the looks of it.'
She continued as if I hadn’t spoken. 'A Thalian princess with the gift of fire, an Elemental no less. Just what the Mestarns have been waiting and hoping for.' She laughed again, a nasty vindictive cackle. 'Well, it’s only fair that I crush their hopes as they did mine.'
Uh-oh, that didn’t sound pleasant. Stop screwing around, snapped my rational voice. Don’t over think it. Just do it! I lunged for Alek, throwing a shield of fire up around us. The heat made Jenviet leap backward. I hit the floor beside him, concentrating the energy through one hand so I could shake him.
'Alek. Wake up!' The fear in my stomach pinged about. I had no idea what to do next. The moment I weakened, reducing the shield, Jenviet would kill us.
In the turret the girls and Elena knew Cat used her gift. They urged everyone on harder. Rumal swung Kassie on to his back while he took the stairs three at a time. Yakov kept the lead with Daron, Sabyn, Loi, and Sian right behind him, Elena and Rumal just behind them. They raced up the last few stairs and screeched to a halt at the doorway, gasping at the scene before them.
Cat shielded herself and Alek. Her energy, in its physical manifestation, roared with flames while Jenviet paced just out of reach, waiting for it to relent. When she saw them in the doorway she gave a nasty chuckle. 'Excellent, a diversion.'
'Divert this, bitch,' Sian snarled, drawing her hands in front, focusing and released another torrent at Jenviet.
I watched open mouthed at the strength of water Sian released. It wiped out a good portion of the far wall. Then I realized that Jenviet stood amongst it, not a hair out of place; she’d shielded. Sian finished, slumping to her knees from the exertion.
'I’m getting rather sick of you, sprite.' Jenviet’s voice dropped the pleasant tone, a nasty harsh sound now. Elena must have realized what she was about to do. She lunged for Sian at the same time Daron did. They were hurled backward, smacking into the staircase wall, falling to the stairs. Before we had time to register it all, a white light surrounded Sian. Sabyn dove at it but was thrown off by what looked like an electric shock. I watched in horror when Sian tried to move but couldn’t then realized she couldn’t breathe. Jenviet sucked the air out from within the light Sian stood trapped in.
Everything seemed to speed up then, we heard loud thuds on the roof and the furious roars of enraged griffons. The violent tearing and wrenching noise distracted Jenviet for a moment. Taking advantage of it, Yakov raced at her with his s
word. He actually managed to catch her arm before she tossed him against the ceiling. I screamed in fear at the sight of Yakov hitting the ground like a rag doll, not far from me. To his credit, it worked. The light that surrounded Sian vanished, she slumped unconscious to the ground. Rumal dragged her to the stairwell.
The fear coursed through me, unlike anything I’d ever felt before. Everything I knew, all those I cared about most were being snapped and broken, flung about like toys. I felt that horrible sensation of helplessness and my shield began to wane. A hand gripped mine, I looked down in shock. Alek stared up at me with a dazed expression. The sense of relief at seeing him conscious felt intense and my energy swelled. I recalled something Elena mentioned to us one session. 'We really have no idea what you girls are capable of. For all we know once you develop your skills, your powers may be limitless.'
Hell then, I’m going with that theory. I’m not taking this lying down.
I increased the strength of my shield while Jenviet hurled bolts of energy at me. Her energy couldn’t reach me, but it did push against my shield, putting me back against the wall. I realized Alek stood beside me.
'You have to do this, Cat!' he yelled, above the din that the flames and the griffons made. I nodded, closing my eyes.
Loi was in a serious amount of pain. Her right arm felt broken and one ankle swelled against the straps of her shoe. She felt guilty that she wasn’t able to help more, but where they were at this moment there wasn’t much for her to work with. It got harder to pull her shield up repeatedly so she conserved her energy, her shield her only defense now. Rumal managed to get Sian breathing again but not conscious, they’d put her in the stairwell with Daron, both of them out of it. Elena came to a moment ago and tried to gather her energy.
A sudden swelling in the air made Kassie look to Cat. Something seemed different. Whatever it was it pissed Jenviet off no end and she continued to hurl bolt after bolt at Cat, who didn’t flinch. Feeling a sense of awe, Kassie watched while Cat’s energy went from its usual bright red to a deep, darker than blood shade. She could just make out Alek standing beside her.
'How’s she doing that?' Loi yelled at her, Kassie shook her head. 'I have no idea, but I could really use some of that right now.'
Loi nodded in agreement, then grabbed Kassie’s arm. 'Kass, is Alek glowing?'
Rumal leaped up from Daron and Sian, and with Sabyn, stood behind Kass and Loi, peering at Alek. 'Elena!' he turned to the Sorceress, still very pale. 'Are you seeing this?'
Before their eyes Alek glowed an intense gold while Cat’s energy had swelled to the point that even her hair stretched high, flying about her head.
'SHIELD!' screamed Elena calling on her last reserves.
I perched at the brink of control, every cell within screaming for release. Drawing in a deep breath I focused my mind on Jenviet, readying for it.
Alek grabbed my arm, the world exploded in red.
To be continued in
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The Author would like to acknowledge and thank
My wonderful, hard working editors: Cathey, Vicki, Trish, Marisa, and Kerrin. Keary Taylor, for another fabulous cover. My friends and family for continuing to encourage and support me.
And most of all, Glenn, for support, suggestions and lots of inspiration.
If you wish to know more about Nicole MacDonald and her writing, you can visit her at Damsel in a Dirty Dress
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Table of Contents
Glossary of Characters
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty One
Chapter Twenty Two
Chapter Twenty Three
Chapter Twenty Four
Chapter Twenty Five
Chapter Twenty Six
Chapter Twenty Seven
Chapter Twenty Eight
Chapter Twenty Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty One
Chapter Thirty Two
Chapter Thirty Three
Chapter Thirty Four
Chapter Thirty Five
Chapter Thirty Six
The Arrival: An Epic Fantasy Romance Page 36
