The Storm Tower | Vol.4, The Eldenarian Artifacts ✓

32.

Makaela felt as if she'd been put through a meat grinder. She tried blinking the dust out of her eyes, but she might as well have kept them closed. Darkness swam around her like an ocean under the night sky.

By Lumi's light, she hadn't been crushed by the collapsing tower. She wasn't sure if it was because of the goddess within her or pure, dumb luck. Large blocks of white stone formed a point above her, shifting ever so slightly as more debris fell. Just enough space remained above her face, allowing her to take in the little bit of oxygen infiltrating the burrow trapping her in.

She pushed on the stone and immediately winced. Pain shot up and down her arm. Wincing, she dropped the aching limb and shut her eyes. She laid her head on whatever was beneath her and focused on breathing.

If she couldn't push it off, perhaps a blasting spell would do the trick. As she pressed her hands together to begin the sequence, she stopped herself. What laid above her? For all she knew, the slabs of stone were protecting her from even more remnants of the tower. Not only that, but she could barely move her arms. The spell in question required significant motion to perform correctly. She didn't want to risk accidentally blowing herself up.

An annoyed yell erupted from her mouth and echoed around the short, enclosed space.

Thorian's wicked grin penetrated the darkness around her, haunting her like a bad dream.

She should've known he wouldn't fight fair. He never did. The man did whatever it took to win. Destroying the tower with them standing inside was the perfect ploy. He likely shadowjumped out the wreckage. She would've done the same had she known what trick he had hidden up his sleeve. Lumi might've been sharing space inside her head, but even she didn't see that coming.

Her breath hitched as she thought about Karin and the others. Had they made it out of the tower or were they killed in the collapse? If they did manage to escape, had the Shades gotten to them?

She grit her teeth, her hands grabbing fistfuls of the air at her side.

There had to be a way out of this.

Shadowjumping wasn't an option since she couldn't even see where she'd be jumping to. Casting was out too. With her limited movement, she wouldn't be able to cast any meaningful spell—

Her eyes widened.

Maybe she didn't have to move.

For centuries, magic had been performed using specific finger, hand, and arm movements; they were used to unlock and manipulate the vitalae in one's body, channeling it into the mark in their palms. But what did they do before that? Magic wasn't always bound by the brand given to them on their ninth birthdays. It lived within them. It was a part of their very essence.

She slowed her breath to a steady pace. Closing her eyes, she focused on the magic hidden in her veins. The bright light from before returned to her, spreading throughout the dark abyss that was her mind. She let it fill her to the brim. Through her eyelids, she could see light.

When she opened her eyes, her entire body was glowing. Golden rays pulsed from her ebony skin. Her internal temperature rose significantly. Steam rolled off the stone she laid on. Before she knew it, she found herself sinking through the solid material and deeper into the ground.

What the...

Her body fell through the new hole she'd created. More steam poured off her body as she fell face-first into the snow below. She never thought she'd be happy to see snow again. The light coming from her skin retreated into her body. Breathing heavily, she propped herself up on her hands and knees. Looking over her shoulder, she finally got a good look at the carnage around her.