Daughter of Tide and Illusion

Chapter 57

Chapter 57

As soon as Mik's eyes went black after just the few moments he had with Allel, Lyv and Jai knew they didn't have much time. Corliss had been distracted, realizing that her hold on Mik had somehow lessened without her knowledge. That's what happened when you had a self-imposed prison sentence.

It was just long enough for the two of them to coordinate their own attack on the Dark Mage, whose darkness radiated in waves around her then, crashing and raging in a sea of black. Both of them had to put up wards to stop their advance, keeping themselves and their family safe. But after every single one and every step they took only made them be pushed back, they knew there was even less time than before and they had to do something.

The obsidian stones were still on the ground.

Conduit Mik now had Allel by the throat. Her face was turning bright red as he pulled her forward, his face just a few centimeters from hers as he grinned wickedly.

And then threw her as if she weighed nothing.

Allel's head cracked against the stone with so much force it echoed around them. Kalla screamed in panic as she stared blankly up toward the ceiling.

No matter how much Lyv wanted to go to her or how her healing magic jumped and demanded for her to, Lyv knew she had to take the split-second opportunity she had.

And dove for the stone that was closest to her.

As soon as her hand wrapped around it, her magic sparked and flamed, shattered it and sending a shockwave through the air as her previously captured magic surged back into her.

It hadn't been the stone Allel warned them about, the one where the darkness had integrated with hers. No, this one was the one intended for Guinevere.

There was no way in hell Lyv was going to let her have even a fraction of her magic.

That shockwave rolled over Corliss just as it did the others and she knew exactly what was happening when she saw the stone in pieces at Lyv's feet.

"Lyv! The other one!" Jai called out to her just as he dove for it.

But Mik reached it first, suddenly stepping out from the shadows of the dungeon cell to reach down and pick it up.

Oh, gods. This one...this one was...

In the two seconds it Lyv took to realize just what was about to happen, the shadows latched on to her legs, locking her in place with no way of escape. They moved up then, constricting around her chest and her throat, cutting off her scream, her chance to call out Jai's name.

She screamed it down the bond, though Jai seemed to be moving in slow motion as his head whipped around to meet her gaze. His own widened in terror as Mik disappeared from behind him back into the shadows, taking the stone with him.

And appeared right next to Corliss.

Corliss then lifted a hand and closed it in a fist.

And locked herself, Mik, and Lyv in a ward clouded with shadows. 

***So...

*takes a deep breath and holds it*

*blows it out slowly*

Yeah.  

Guess who's going to be finishing this book tonight?  Me!  

Happy reading! 

- Ansley***