Wicked Magic (The Royals: Witch Court Book 2)

by Megan Montero

  I ran forward and banged on the bubble. “Poseidon! Look!”

  Just as the Greek’s head whipped up, a large chunk of ice broke off of the giant’s arm. He swung it forward and smacked into Poseidon, sending him reeling out of sight.

  And then the bubble burst.

  Chapter 15

  Zinnia

  Water rushed into my face. I sucked in one gasping breath before I was thrown back into the ice-cold sea. My body instantly seized up. My arms and legs felt heavy, and I couldn’t move them. I tried to kick to the surface, but we were so far down there was no way I’d make it up with soggy clothes and boots filled with water. Haziness dragged me under, and I let it. The cool seeped into me, lulling me into a peaceful drifting. I wanted to let it take me, to give into the dark abyss where my lungs didn’t burn for air and water didn’t fill my mouth and nose as I gasped and failed to fight even for a second.

  A warm object speared around my waist. Heat, precious heat, radiated all over my body. Tucker! I could suddenly move my arms and legs. I didn’t hesitate. I gathered all my magic around me and pulled from whatever power the giant had over the water. Silver streams lit up the murky darkness, and I forced the water away from me, reforming the bubble Poseidon had used on us. Tucker was wrapped around my waist. We both sucked in gasping breaths as we lay on the bottom of the bubble in a sprawling heap.

  He rolled over on all fours and coughed up water. “We”—gasp—“have”—cough—“to”—gasp—“the others.”

  I couldn’t answer him between my breaths. I closed my eyes and sent streams of my magic through the water like octopus arms. I didn’t know what I was doing, all I knew was I had to help them all somehow. With my instincts going on nothing but adrenaline I focused my magic and connected with the ocean the way the giant was. I felt their lives seeping away like a gift to the sea. I wrapped a water tentacle around the first person I felt and dragged them forward into the bubble. Gray fell to the floor in a soggy heap. Three more tentacles and Serrina, Nova and Ashryn were lying on the floor at my feet, shivering and barely breathing, but alive.

  Tucker rose to stand and brushed gentle flames over all of them, drying their clothing and warming them while not burning anyone. I started sending my magic tentacles out further, looking for Tabi and Beckett. “Shit, Tuck. I-I can’t find them!”

  He rested his hand on his shoulder. “You’re doing all you can, Zin. Breath.”

  But I couldn’t breathe. Panic overcame me, and my heart raced. The longer they were out in that freezing water, the more of a chance they wouldn’t make it. Tears prickled the backs of my eyes, and I spun in a circle, sending my magic out even further. A body came surging at us, then Tabi dove through the bubble I created to land on the floor next to Serrina. She looked better than all the others. The water had barely affected her. She was the Queen of Elements, so she’d fared much better than the rest.

  She huddled in on herself, shaking. “That water is deadly.”

  “Beckett!” I didn’t know why I screamed or if he would indeed hear me, but I had to find him.

  Tabitha shot to her feet. “You haven’t found him?”

  I shook my head and turned to face her. “Help me, Tabi.” I grabbed the tops of her arms and shook her. “Please.”

  She closed her eyes, and I felt her magic slip into my body. Yellow light flooded out and surrounded us. I knew where every life was, felt every fish and every move the ocean made. I drew more magic from the giant and used everything I had in me to find Beckett. A wave rippled out from our bubble, and there, over a hundred yards away, I found him floating. I couldn’t feel his pulse through the water like I could the others. He didn’t move. I quickly wrapped one of my magic tentacles around his waist and tugged him toward us. His body fell onto the floor of the bubble like a dead fish. Water seeped from his blue lips in a stream.

  “Oh god!” I dropped to my knees beside him and pressed my hands to his chest, one over the other, and began pumping them up and down the way I’d learned in my first aid class. Still nothing from him. “It’s not working. Oh god. Breath, Beckett! Breath!”

  I shoved my hands down on him harder. Tucker dropped to his knees behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist to pull me back. I shoved at him. “No, no! He’s not dead.”

  I scrambled back over his body and pulled Tabi down next to me. “Get the water out of his lungs!”

  She nodded. “Give me a boost.”

  This time, I shoved my magic into her giving her more power. She held her hands over Beckett’s body. Yellow streams of light shot from her finger tips into his mouth. His back bowed up off the ground as each and every drop of water came up his throat and out of his mouth. His eyes flashed wide open, and he rolled to his side, curling into fetal position as he coughed and gagged.

  Before I said a word, Tucker looked down at him. “This is going to hurt, dude…bad.”

  He lifted his hands over him, and heat shot out from his palms. The air in the bubble became as hot as a sauna, and sweat beaded my brows. On the ground, Beckett threw his head back and screamed.

  I grabbed onto Tucker’s shoulder. “What are you doing to him?”

  “The hypothermia is too deep in him. I have to warm him up before his heart stops. Think about it. He’s nearly freezing. Extreme cold followed by immediate extreme heat is going to hurt.”

  Beckett’s face crinkled in pain. “Stop! Just stop!”

  Tucker gritted his teeth. “No.”

  I pulled Beck’s head into my lap and brushed the hair back from his face. “It’s almost over.” I turned to Tucker. “Isn’t it?”

  He nodded, then the heat from his hands began to subside to a low warmth that kept the rest of us from freezing. Beckett’s features smooth out, and he sighed, yet his eyes didn’t open. The blue tinge that’d stained his lips only moments before was slowly fading away.

  I kept patting his hair the way my mother used to do whenever I didn’t feel well. “You’re okay, Becks. You’re going to be just fine now.”

  “Oh…my…god! What is that?” Serrina pointed out toward the glacier. I pressed myself up against the side of the bubble, using all my power to keep it up and surrounding us. Without Poseidon’s power over the sea around us, the bubble tossed and turned. Though I tried my hardest to keep it steady, I was no match for Alaska or the giant about to break loose from its ice prison. We spun and tilted like we were on a rollercoaster. The others huddled together on the floor, holding onto each other for dear life.

  “Guys, I don’t know about you, but I’m thinking if that giant gets out it’s a bad thing.” I squinted my eyes, looking at the jet stream of water heading straight at the giant.

  Grayson pressed the back of his hand to his mouth. “I need out of here or I’m going to toss it all.”

  “Shut up, Gray,” Tucker snapped, then moved next to me. “It’s Poseidon.”

  Poseidon held his trident pointing it at the giant’s arm, then fired off a stream of ice, coating the loose arm in layer after layer. The water churned violently, tossing us around like a rowboat in the middle of a hurricane. Grayson rushed to my side and placed his hands on my hips, holding me still. I froze in place. His hands felt wrong on me somehow. Like they didn’t belong there. Now? You’re going to do this now?

  My eyes shot to Tucker’s. He just pressed his lips together and turned to hold Serrina and Nova as best he could. Beckett continued to lie unconscious on the floor, while Ashryn and Tabi seemed to ride the waves like balance was their natural talent. Poseidon titled his head back and roared. His mane of black hair drifted around him, and his eyes glowed a shocking green. The trident lit up and shook in his hand. I could feel the vibrations on the side of the bubble. Then a blinding white light shot out from it, and everything within a one-mile radius froze solid, including the giant…and us.

  Chapter 16

  Tucker

  The sea around us froze solid. One second, we were standing in an air bubble, and the next we were in an ice cav
ern. I dropped my hands from holding on to Serrina and Nova. “Damn it. This can’t be happening.”

  “Tuck, how are we going to get out of here to free the dragon if we are buried miles under ice in a tiny pocket of air?” Zinnia paced back and forth. “Can you melt it?”

  I shrugged. “I could try. All I know is we will get out.”

  Before I could let the flames burn through me to melt the layers over us, a tunnel opened above our heads and the ice beneath our feet shook and groaned. It cracked beneath us, sending small shards skittering across the ground. I threw my hands up. “What now?”

  The ice rose up into a platform, and we drifted up the hole above us like riding an elevator. Nova and Serrina pulled Beckett to his feet and wrapped each of his arms over their shoulders.

  When his eyes met mine, he gave me a half-smile. “I died, didn’t I?”

  I nodded. “Yep.”

  My ears popped as we went higher. We passed by large cracks in the ice, all leading back toward the giant. Shards the size of cars fell off one by one, tumbling downward as water rose up beneath the platform we stood on. Frozen mist sprayed us from all directions, as if the water was going to break through at any moment and swallow us whole. Our speed increased, forcing us all to drop down onto our knees under the blistering winds. Just as I was about to light everything on fire to stop the wild ride, the platform came to a sudden halt. We all shot up into the air as though we’d been launched from a catapult. I forced my wings from my back. They exploded in hot, burning flames. I swooped down and caught Zinnia, then dropped her back on the shoreline before I shot back up and caught Nova and Serrina. Tabi had her hands out at her sides and used her wind powers to gently place herself down. Grayson grabbed a hold of Beckett and landed in a crouch with Beckett at his side. Once again, the snow that’d been falling stopped in midair, hanging there like dust particles.

  “Is everyone okay?” I landed at the center of them all and spun in a small circle. My crew looked beaten and worn, but we were all still alive. Thanks to Zinnia. I nodded my head toward her. When she gave me that shy smile of hers, I wanted to walk over to her. I wanted to scoop her up in my arms and press my lips to hers. But I didn’t. I held fast, forcing my feet to be glued to the ground.

  As Grayson strolled over to her, I had to stop myself from stepping between them. How could he? He knew the rules. Anything between a Knight and queen was forbidden, and yet he dared cross that line…with her…my Zinnia. I didn’t know what I was doing, but I took a step toward him. My temper burned like acid in my veins. After all we’d been through, she couldn’t be with him. I balled my hands into fists. When he wrapped his hand around her back, I gathered a ball of fire in the palm of my hand, ready to launch it at him.

  He leaned in closer to her, whispering in her ear. It wasn’t his place to be close to her. It was mine. How could this be happening? We all almost died, and he was flirting with her. No! I was so close to them I could hear her whispering back to him.

  “Ah, you’re all alive. Excellent.” Poseidon walked across the ice slow-clapping his hands. “I was sure at least half of you had died.”

  Rage erupted from me, and flames shot from the wings on my back, turning the snow around me to watery slush. Though I didn’t want to, I turned away from Zinnia and rounded on Poseidon. “No thanks to you.”

  “Watch your tone, phoenix,” Poseidon snapped.

  “Or what? You’ll drown us? Too late for that. Or freeze us? Also too late.” I crossed my arms over my chest. “Tell us why you took us down there or we are gone.”

  “Are you demanding things of me?” Poseidon twisted the trident in his hand, and bright magic flickered around it. “Demanding things is not the way to go.”

  I didn’t have time for this. None of us did. We had a dragon to save, not nearly drown and get killed by ice-encased giants. I turned away from Poseidon and snapped my finger at Beckett. “Portal now.”

  Beckett didn’t hesitate. He began gathering his blue sphere of magic in his hand. It was weak at best, and I didn’t know if we would be able to get back. But I was done with this little field trip, done risking my crew with no explanations, done nearly dying, and done watching baby leeches hanging all over my soulmate.

  “Wait,” Poseidon called after me.

  I spun on my heels and raised my eyebrows. Should I have answered him? Yes. Did I? No. I crossed my arms over my chest and waited.

  Poseidon shook his head. “Let it never be said you aren’t a difficult, Knight.”

  I met his gaze yet didn’t say anything to him. We were here for a reason, and it was time to tell us.

  He sighed then pointed out over the cracking ice. “That giant you all just saw is Karroust.”

  He paused, waiting for one of us to say something—anything.

  Zinnia took a step forward and faced Poseidon with not an ounce of fear on her face. “Who?”

  “Tell me you know who I’m talking about.” He glanced around to all of us once more. “Karroust.” He threw his hands up. “What do they teach you in that damn school?”

  He paced back and forth across the beach. The rocky shore crunched under his bare feet as he used his trident like a walking stick. “Karroust is half titian, half giant. His powers lie in the sea. Evil powers.”

  “What’s he got to do with the dragon?” Grayson again sped to Zinnia’s side. Was anyone else seeing this, or was it my jealousy eating at me from the inside out?

  “The dragon, Aldesse is her name by the way, is the one who has kept Karroust encased in ice for ages. And now that she’s gone…we are all in danger.” He stopped mid-step and looked directly at Zinnia. “Did you feel his power?”

  She nodded. “It was toxic almost smothering.”

  “Think of that times a thousand.” He turned and met my eye. “If Aldesse isn’t returned soon, Karroust will get loose, and if that happens…may the Creator help us all.”

  “How come you can’t keep him here?” Even now I knew he couldn’t. The water that he’d frozen solid was already breaking up like a 7-11 ICEE.

  “Isn’t it enough of a job for me to control all the seas?” He turned toward Tabitha. “Elemental witch, I need your help.”

  Tabi pressed her hand to her chest. “Me? Why?”

  Poseidon bent low and met her eye. “You, my talented little witch, will help me control the seas while I stand guard and try to keep Karroust contained until the others can rescue Aldesse.”

  When she glanced over at me, I gave her a subtle nod. The last thing the world needed was a sea giant wreaking havoc on it. I turned and motioned for Beckett. “You’ll stay here with her.”

  Serrina stepped forward. “I’ll stay too.”

  Poseidon wrinkled his nose at her. “You? Why you? The giant doesn’t need a crush, little girl.”

  She crossed her arms over her chest and tapped her foot impatiently. “First of all, ew. Second of all, don’t you think dealing with a giant of this power would be a lot easier if he was, say, calm and willing to do whatever you wanted?” At Poseidon’s pause, she tilted her head to the side and snapped, “Yeah, that’s what I thought.”

  “Hold on a second.” Zinnia held her hands out, stopping everyone else from talking. “What I don’t understand is how Alataris got the dragon in the first place. Clearly it’s powerful and can defend itself.”

  “The only way anyone can take a dragon against its will. He stole the dragon heart scale off of it.” Poseidon shrugged, as if this were common knowledge.

  I pressed my lips together. “The dragon heart what?”

  He rolled his eyes. “Honestly, do they teach you nothing in that school? The…dragon…heart…scale.” He spoke in slow, halted words, as if I were a toddler. “The dragon cannot live without it. That scale protects the dragon’s heart, and if Alataris has the heart scale, the dragon is trapped to do his bidding…like, oh say, I don’t know. Freeze the whole eastern coast.”

  “Great. So we have to find where Alataris hid the scale b
efore we can even come close to freeing the dragon. Excellent. And how long do we have before the giant unfreezes and the seas go to shit?” I threw my hands up. Gotta love being a Knight.

  “As long as your Elemental witch can control the water long enough…” He started walking backwards into the water. Before he dove in backwards, he smiled and said, “I’d say four days max…good luck.”

  “Beckett, we’re going to need a portal.” I turned toward the rest of my crew. “This is going to be a shit show. Ladies, I need each of you to give Zinnia a hit of your powers.”

  Zinnia’s eyes widened. “Wait. What? Why?”

  “Because, we are splitting up and we’re going to need all the power you can get.” I titled my head to the side and met her eyes. “You can do this.”

  Without hesitation, the other three queens hit her at the same time. Zinnia levitated off the ground, and her mouth opened in a soundless scream as streams of power filled her. Her hair fanned out around her face. Ribbons of yellow magic flew from Tabi and wrapped around her waist. Purple sparks from Nova danced all over Zinnia’s body. Red glittering lines drifted into her nose and mouth. Then as if she’d taken control, all the different colored magic turned into silver swirls that wound around her and disappeared into the palms of her hands. She slowly drifted to the ground, gently touching her feet down to the ground. Her skin shimmered with magic.

  She narrowed her eyes at me. “Next time you decide to light me up like a freaking firecracker, how about you ask first…”

  She walked right past me without stopping and went through Beckett’s portal back to the school.