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I don't answer. Instead, I raise my hands, palms out. The air around us thickens, shimmering with barely contained power. The runes on my body glow brighter, casting eerie shadows across the alley.
From the cracks in the ground, spectral hands emerge, grasping at the guards' ankles. They're not real, of course – just another layer of the illusion. But the guards don't know that. They cry out in terror, trying to shake off the appendages.
The woman watches all of this with wide-eyed amazement, her earlier fear momentarily forgotten. I catch her eye and giveher a subtle nod. She seems to understand, inching away from the wall and towards me.
"Last chance," I growl at the guards, my voice echoing unnaturally in the confined space. "Leave now, or face the consequences."
The guards look at each other, then back at me. The fight has gone out of them, replaced by primal fear. Without another word, they turn and run, stumbling over each other in their haste to escape.
As the guards flee, I turn my attention to the woman. She's staring at me, a mix of awe and wariness in her green eyes. I extend my hand, knowing we need to move quickly before anyone else arrives.
"We need to leave. Now."
She hesitates for a split second, then reaches out. The moment her fingers touch mine, a jolt of energy surges through me. It's like nothing I've ever felt before – a rush of warmth, of connection, of…something I can't contemplate right now. The runes on my skin flare brightly, responding to this unexpected spark.
I inhale sharply, my silver eyes widening in surprise. The woman feels it too. I can see it in the way her breath catches, the slight widening of her pupils. For a moment, we're frozen, connected by more than just our joined hands.
But there's no time to dwell on this strange sensation. I can hear shouts in the distance – more guards, no doubt. Pushing aside my shock, I focus on the teleportation spell. It's complex magic, especially with a passenger, but the energy coursing between us seems to amplify my power.
I pull her close, my free hand wrapping around her waist. She gasps at the sudden proximity, but doesn't pull away. I can feel her heartbeat, rapid and strong, against my chest.
"Hold on," I murmur, my voice low and intense.
The air around us begins to shimmer and distort. The dark alley blurs, colors swirling together like paint in water. The woman tightens her grip on my hand, her other arm instinctively wrapping around my waist.
There's a moment of vertigo, a sensation of falling and flying at the same time. The world around us dissolves into pure energy, bright and chaotic. I feel the woman bury her face against my chest, overwhelmed by the intensity of the teleportation.
And then, as suddenly as it began, it's over. The chaos settles, reality reforming around us. We're standing in a small clearing just outside the market's boundaries. The dense forest of Rach surrounds us, a stark contrast to the cramped alleys we just left.
I release my hold on the woman, but our hands remain clasped. The connection between us hums with residual energy, like an echo of the teleportation spell. It's... distracting, in a way I've never experienced before.
6
NAIA
Istumble, my head spinning as the world shifts around me. One moment, I'm cornered in a dingy alley, the next I'm... where? Trees loom overhead, their branches blotting out the sky. The stench of the market fades, replaced by the earthy scent of moss and decaying leaves.
"What the fuck?" I scramble to my feet, whirling to face my... rescuer? Captor? The demon towers over me, his obsidian skin gleaming in the dappled sunlight. Those silver eyes bore into me, and I fight the urge to shrink away.
"Stay back!" I snatch up a fallen branch, brandishing it like a weapon. "I don't know what you want, but?—"
"You're not what you seem." His deep voice cuts through my panic. "There's magic in you, girl. Wild, untamed, but unmistakable."
I bark out a laugh. "Magic? Me? You're cracked. I'm just a slave, nothing special."
But even as the words leave my mouth, memories flicker through my mind. The time I wished for rain during a drought, and storm clouds gathered within the hour. The lock that sprungopen when I desperately needed to hide from a cruel overseer. The cuts and bruises that healed faster than they should.
"No," I whisper, shaking my head. "That's impossible."
"Is it?" The demon takes a step closer, and I tighten my grip on the branch. "Think. Have there been moments you couldn't explain? Times when the impossible became possible?"
I lower the branch, my mind reeling. The demon's words echo in my head, stirring up memories I'd long buried.
"I... there was this time," I start, my voice barely above a whisper. "I was maybe twelve. One of the other street kids, Darro, he'd stolen food from me. I was so angry, I wished he'd choke on it." My eyes widen as I recall what happened next. "And he did. Started coughing and sputtering right there in the alley. I thought it was just coincidence, but..."
The demon nods, encouraging me to continue.
"Then there was the storm." I run a hand through my hair, tugging at the tangled curls. "We'd had no rain for months. Crops were dying, people were getting desperate. I remember standing on the roof of an abandoned building, looking out over Ter, and just... wishing. Begging the sky for rain." I swallow hard. "The clouds rolled in so fast, it was like magic. But that's crazy, right?"
