Bound Book 2

Chapter 58 - Climax

Skylar

"If you just came willingly, this would be so much easier," Gael says, moving slowly in a wide arch around me. I counter his move, every now and then checking on Dmitri, who is holding his own against the snake that has been a feature in the very nightmares created by this fucking monster.

"I will never make this easy on you," I say to Gael, his whip dragging across the forest floor and creating an eery scrape that is grating on my nerves. I need to separate him from it, but that may prove easier said than done.

My mind goes back to the conversation I had with my gran. If she is right and I can access not only all elemental magic but chaos magic as well, then I need to learn fast. Magic involves a certain amount of instinct, especially when it is ingrained or part of one's makeup. And one of the most important lessons Ally and Raina have taught me so far is that sometimes words are unnecessary. If the intention and emotion behind the magic you are trying to cast are strong enough, you can achieve as much as those witches that use chants and verbal spells. I know this to be true as Geal rarely, if ever, has had to utter a word to wield his power.

Concentrating on the point where Gael's whip meets the forest floor, I imagine the whip sticking to it as if the entire thing is coated with glue. Seconds later, bits of fibrous root start pushing up through the ground, the tendrils curling around the whip so that eventually, Gael is tugging on it as it halts his movement. His brow furrows, and then he smirks as he tugs hard, the whip coming free. I need to do more. It has to be stronger.

"Ahh, bringing a puppy to a pit bull fight," Gael says as he laughs, the sound infuriating me and causing a surge of power to flow through me. Perhaps that was the key. Maybe I should try channeling my anger with this one. Anger that he brings out of me so easily.

He looks over to where Dmitri and the snake are still going at it, dismissing them with his hand.

"Come, my Skylar, while they are playing, I will give you another chance. Let's see if you can do better," he mocks as he laughs heartily, his underestimation of me just fueling the fire of the emotions that I will channel.

Overhead, a large branch hangs over Gael, its leaves barely moving in the stillness of this night.

I pull the anger up, the magic surfacing from a dark and dangerous source, making the hairs on my neck stand up.

The branch starts moving while, at the same time, the color fades from brown to black, the leaves dropping off and disintegrating into ash. Geal looks up, turning his back to me while he takes in what is happening. He brushes the ash from his cloak, his eyes on the blackened branch overhead. It spreads like a disease until all that stands in its place is a blackened tree. The branches move all at once, some hooking onto Gael's cloak as they swing towards him while others land a blow against his body, a groan from him sending a thrill through my body. It is like the tree is alive, its roots lifting from the soil so that now the tree is moving along the surface, some branches wrapped around Gael's body while others are pulling on the whip in his hand.

His face comes into view, and the smirk that was there is gone, anger and fury replacing it. Realizing that he, too, amplifies his power with anger, I step back as I see his hand flick out towards the large trunk of the tree, a black ball of energy leaving his palm. The tree is obliterated in the center, all the energy powering it abolished as all its parts fall to the ground, Gael along with it.

He grunts, dusting himself off as he stands.

"I underestimated you. You have access to chaos magic? And without a talisman?" He asks the last questions thoughtfully as he looks at me. Gael is greedy for power; having this one would mean he could wield black magic more freely, without consequence.

I look down at his whip, now understanding what Dmitri meant about separating Gael from it.

"Ahhh, you know my secret. Cleopatra's serpent," he says, a flick of his hand making the whip hit the ground with a force that makes me jump.

"If I had your power, I wouldn't need this." And there it is. His greed vocalized.

"Sorry, Skylar," he says while pushing his black cloak off, his body flexing before he closes his eyes and hunches over. Black smoke peels out of his mouth and onto the ground before it consumes him, his whole body obscured.

This is not good.

As it dissipates, something else stands in his place, something skeletal and lifeless. It is so quick, it's bony arm around me before I can blink. Its touch is death, my life force being sucked out of me. I call on my chaos magic, my hand pushing against his chest as we both fly backward. While he lands on his feet, I am thrown to the floor, the wind knocked out of me. I cradle my stomach, looking down to confirm our little one's scent is still there.

Fear courses through me as fight or flight kicks in, me choosing the latter as I get up and start running. My hands fly up as I use my elemental magic to pick up branches and loose rocks, tossing them in the air behind me in the hopes of at least slowing Gael down. The more magic I use, the bigger the object that I can pick up until I am able to lift boulders the size of a small animal. A glance behind me confirms that he is still behind me, his hands countering most of the objects thrown in his path with a swipe of his bony hand.

While there is no skin on the face I glimpse behind me, none is needed to understand anger is the emotion driving Gael. Nothing else could sustain the creature hot on my heels.

My mind is running wild as I think of what to do next, adrenaline coursing through me, and preservation of our unborn child the only thing keeping me going. This whole thing was becoming exhausting. Who was I kidding? The last couple of years were exhausting. My life felt like a constant battle. I shake my head, trying to clear it as I think of what to do next. Up ahead and to the left, I see an overgrown path, the brush so thick and tall that I think I might be able to hide in it. I speed up, calling on my Lycan side as I push forward into the path, sticks, and branches scratching every surface of exposed skin.

Minutes later, I almost fall as the brush immediately thins, the clearing and scene in front of me making my heart beat painfully inside my chest.

I don't bother rushing, knowing full well that I was herded here. He wanted me to come here. He slowly exits the path behind me, his eerie laugh floating around us and drawing my attention to the silence. I can no longer hear Dmitri and the snake thrashing about. Sounds of leaves rustling or even little critters in the forest behind us are missing. It is ominously quiet.

I approach the edge of the cliff, the feeling of coming full circle settling deep within my soul. The beginning was now the end. I peer over the edge, the recurring dream Gael is responsible for flashing through my mind.

Resolute, I turn around, straightening my shoulders and making sure my head is held high. This was it—the end of this nightmare.

Something large is crashing through the bushes to my left side, Gael appearing bored as he looks in that direction.

I take another step back, small rocks coming loose from the edge and falling into the darkness behind me.

Gael smiles as if he knows he has won. He steps forward just as I step back, Dmitri bursting into the clearing.

"I love you," I say, registering the shock on his face as I pivot backward, a breath leaving my body and an intention so strong filling my whole being. And then I give in. Into the darkness.

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