She couldn’t affect him, so she needed to do something else, but what?
There was one thing.
She’d only ever done it once before and that had been by accident nearly twenty years ago as a child.
Yet she knew it was possible and she remembered how it had felt, the memory ingrained into her being. It took all elements and a great deal of power. She had no idea if it would work, but it was her only hope, the only magic she could think of to free herself. Desperation pushed her. She had to try, even if she had no clue what would happen. She knew only if she stayed with this man she couldn’t imagine a worse fate.
She tried to calm herself as he began his descent, gathering her energies. First, she drew upon water, her most significant talent. She felt her own blood, the liquid life within her as well as the aura that was her soul. These were like her hands or face, so well known to her as to be taken for granted. Then she gathered her strength in earth, her second strongest talent, the ability to heal, which had gotten her into the Daughters of Ehlani. She used the knowledge of the body to strengthen her muscles and harden herself for what was to come. Next was fire and spirit, closer to soul than mind, but still not a strong element for her. She reached out with her spirit to a distant place, sensing the world around her, knowing the feel of all things, as spirit was the element that created and connected all things. Finally air, her weakest element and connected to the mind. She calmed her thoughts, ready now for the extreme effort she needed to push herself out of her own being, taking mind, body, soul and spirit with her to another place in an instant.
The only problem was, she couldn’t control where she went.
She felt the tearing of the fabric of reality as she pushed herself to some other, distant place. Her body would have been torn apart if not for the earth magic she’d pushed into it. There was disorientation and pain. It was incredibly intense, but only for an instant. There was a cry, from whom, she didn’t know, she was a being of magic at the moment and the needs and sensations of her body were distant. She floated free, detached, in all places at once and none. The sensation lasted a mere heartbeat and yet stretched for an eternity, one breath drawn out for what seemed like hours.
She landed, feeling solid earth under her feet. She’d done it. Her soul elated, celebrated. She was free!
Snapping out of the trance she’d needed to teleport herself, she came to her senses despite her entire being: body, soul, mind, and spirit, feeling drained and weak.
Instantly she realized something had gone wrong.
When she’d done this as a child, she’d been alone. This time, she hadn’t been, and somehow she’d taken her captor with her.
By all the Gods, no!
Yet even as her heart sank, his grip loosened and released. He fell to the ground behind her with a heavy thud. She wanted to run away, to cry out with joy, but with her own weakness she couldn’t do anything but collapse to her knees. She sat there for a moment, still trying desperately to get up, away from this place and that man.
There was no strength in her however. She doubled over onto her hands.
Perhaps she could crawl.
Instead, she found herself taking several long, deep breaths to keep from blacking out. It wasn’t enough. She sank to the ground as everything slowly went dark.
For a moment, her mind still functioned before unconsciousness took her. One thought circled in her mind: she lay in some unknown place with her captor still close by. The Gods must hate her.
BUY SCION’S SACRIFICE
Other Books by R. Michael Card
TALES OF THE SEVEN KINGDOMS
The Goblin King
The Swordmaster’s Apprentice
GUARDIANS OF LIGHT
Book 1: The Last Scion
Book 2: Scion Rising
Book 3: Scion’s Sacrifice
About R. Michael Card
R. Michael Card has loved fantasy since he read his first Dragon Lance book so many years ago. He has been writing for twenty years, but has only recently decided to start sharing his work with the world. He has always enjoyed the lighter side of epic fantasy, the grand adventure, and has infused that love into his works.
He lives near Toronto Ontario with his beloved wife and their cat. He has had a plethora of careers, working in software, insurance, trades, and education, with jobs ranging from washing cars to career counseling.
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