Page 83 of What Lies Beyond the Realms

I shiver in the frigid air, struggling to keep my balance as the earth beneath me convulses with violent tremors. The forest must me shifting again. The tall trees around me sway and bend as if alive and writhing in pain. Suddenly, I’m lifted into the air, engulfed in a raging whirlwind that buffets me from all sides, blinding me with its ferocity.

With a thud, I land on my hands and knees in a shallow marsh, surrounded by tall grass and murky pools of water. The marsh stretches out endlessly, obscured by a dense fog that makes it impossible to determine its true extent. My boots are filled with water, making it difficult to move as I wade through the mire.

Desperate for higher ground, I crawl up onto a small hill, taking deep breaths and surveying my new surroundings. I’m lost in this unfamiliar part of the forest, completely alone. The thought sends a shiver down my spine, but I square my shoulders, determined to keep moving forward.

It’s eerie here. The water is incredibly still, but the fog seems to have a mind of its own. It swirls and collects at random even though there’s no breeze to cause such movement. I hope the forest didn’t take me far. I hope I can find my way back to Nyx and Chepi. I see a flash of movement out of the corner of my eyes. I jump to my feet and whip around, but nothing’s there. I grab the dagger Nyx gave me out of my boot, trying to hold it firm in my quivering hand. I see movement again, and I turn to the side but—nothing. Something brushes past me this time, and I feel a chill down my back as something whooshes past it. I spin to face it and freeze when I come face to face with a group of Monstrauths.

I count five of them as I start to back up slowly. How has Samael had the strength to conjure up so many of these demons? One alone should be draining on his power. A wave of nausea washes over me. He’ll conjure up a whole army if we don’t stop him. I start to worry for all the innocent lives that will be lost because of these vile demons roaming the realms, then I’m snapped back to reality when the one in the front of the pack tilts its head to the side. Streams of black saliva drip from its mouth as it steps toward me. There’s the sound of bones cracking as it moves. I freeze as the leader approaches me alone. The other four remain frozen. Their red slits for eyes make it hard to tell if they’re even looking at me. I grip the dagger in my hand. The smell of rotting flesh works its way up my nose as the demon reaches for me. I duck under its arms and slam my blade into its side. Blood squirts out, and I feel bone crack when I make contact, but the dagger gets stuck. I try to pull it free, and I’m forced to leave it in the Monstrauth’s side. The demon isn’t even fazed by my attack and moves fast, reaching for me again. I stumble back on the grassy hill, falling into the marsh water.

I am going to die.

I dig my hands into the dirt, pushing up and getting to my feet. I start to run, and it nails me in the leg, knocking me to the ground. I choke on water, gasping for air and crawling and scrambling to my feet. The demon hits me again, and I land hard on my knees. I roll back onto my butt as it strikes again. Its long black nails come right at my chest. I’m not fast enough this time. I can’t move in the mud. My eyes widen, and my breath catches as I watch in slow motion as the demon swings its head toward me. One of its horns makes contact with my side, slicing me open. Tears burn my eyes, and I scream, afraid to touch my side and afraid of what damage has been done. One of the other demons makes a loud screeching sound, and they all start moving toward me. I get to my feet and run. I’m stomping through the mud and water and trudging over small hills of grass. I hear splashing gaining behind me, and I know the demons are in pursuit. Something slams into me from behind, and I go flying into the grass, hitting the ground hard. Wet, ugly sobs escape me.

I move to turn around when one of the demons lashes my right side, cutting deep with its nails. I stumble back, bringing my hands to my side as blood slowly pours down and soaks through the tears in my shirt. I don’t feel any pain. My adrenaline is too high for that. These monsters are going to die. I look around quickly, trying to find anything to defend myself with while running away. I grab a long branch and whip around, lunging at the Monstrauths with the branch. The branch just whooshes through the air as they all dodge my attack. One of the demons jumps at me again, and I stumble back as it grabs my leg, slicing my thigh open. I scream as my flesh rips and blood gushes from my leg.

My body feels like it’s on fire. I wonder for a brief moment if this is what it feels like when you die. Maybe this is poison from the demons coursing through my body. My throat swells, and my body feels weak from the blood loss. The heat begins to build, and I feel like my heart is going to explode out of my chest. I bring my hands up in front of me, turning my palms over to examine them. Something bad is happening. I look down at my mangled flesh then up to the demons approaching, the demons Samael sent after me. Rage fills my body to its core. It’s an energy and feeling I’ve never felt before. My blood is boiling. My chest is tight, and a tingling sensation starts to spread over my skin.

And then it happens . . .

Chapter Thirty-Two

I feel the power of my ancestors pulsing through my veins, calling for me to unleash it. I let out a guttural scream and lunge forward, ready to face the Monstrauths head-on. With every fiber of my being, I channel the energy and unleash it in a fiery blast. Heat bursts out of me. Not just heat but fire. I look down to see my skin is glowing. I’m glowing, and this is magic. This is my magic.

The Monstrauths circle around me, pulling me back to the here and now. I stand, panting, sweating, and feeling a mixture of exhilaration and fear at the realization of the power that lies within me. I know that I must use it wisely and control it, or it will control me. I look down at my hands and the liquid fire pooling there. I turn my hands to the demons and visualize Samael’s face. I remember all that rage I felt a moment ago. All the rage that’s been building inside of me all these years, and I feel the tingling spread from my chest to my hands. The liquid fire pulsing beneath my skin explodes out of me in a waterfall of flames headed straight toward the Monstrauths. I scream as my magic flows out of my body and crashes into the demons. All the heat and pain building in my body flies out toward them, encircling and suffocating these vile monsters, melting them into nothing.

My magic pulses inside me, and a shockwave of fire and magic leaves my body, decimating everything around me. The grass turns to ash. I see the wave of power in slow motion as it spreads across the land, flattening trees and changing the landscape. In the distance I can see trees on fire. I look down at my hands, and the fire is still spilling out of me. It’s not just coming out of my hands; it's radiating off my body like I am on fire. I don’t feel like it’s hurting me, but panic starts to set in. I don’t know how to control it. I don’t know what I’m doing. The magic senses my unease and seems to take on a mind of its own, pulsing down my body. The flames dance around me. How am I supposed to trust my magic when it does this?

“Stop,” I yell at myself, at my magic, but it flares to life even brighter and hotter like it's taunting me.

“Stop!” I scream, falling to my hands and knees and burying my hands in the mud. The ground gets hot, and the hill I’m on begins to crack. The marsh around me starts to boil. I’m boiling the earth. I pull my hands free as blue and orange flames shoot out around me like I’m a fountain of fire. I start to panic, but that rage inside me has died off, and I’m beginning to feel weak. Nyx says the magic will feed off my emotions. I need to relax. I look down at my side, and the mud and sludge hides my wound. I know I’ve lost a lot of blood, and the thought doesn’t help to calm my racing mind.

“Stop.” My voice comes out as a whisper.

I fall back on my head, hitting the ground. I’m weak, and the tingling sensation under my skin has subsided. It feels like years’ worth of pent-up rage just ran through my body and exploded all around me. My body has stopped emitting fire, but now I’m realizing it’s hot. The forest is burning, and the heat is radiating toward me, threatening to melt my skin and choke me. It’s so hot it makes it hard to catch my breath. I don’t have the strength to move. I lie here staring up at the sky. The sun has started to rise, and the sky is full of smoke. It's dark black and gray and billows all around me, dispersing into the sky.

What just happened to me? How did that happen? That fire . . . it came out of me. I don’t know how it’s possible. I cough and choke. It’s too hot. I roll onto my stomach, but I feel so weak. I don’t know if it’s from magic or from the loss of blood. I start to crawl, but I don’t know where to go. The smoke is burning my eyes, and I can’t see anything past the fire, the fire that’s surrounding me. I want to cry. This is the end. But I don’t even have the strength to muster tears. I push myself to keep crawling. I make it down one tiny hill and sink into the muddy water, which offers some relief from the heat.

My heart is racing, and my skin is no longer burning. I feel as though I might fall asleep. My eyes are heavy, and I no longer feel the pain from my wounds. I sway on my hands and knees in the water, trying to gather strength or willpower to get myself out of here. That’s when I smell him, Nyx. I must be dreaming now. Wings crash down around me, shielding my body and darkening the world.

“I’ve got you.” Nyx gathers me up in his arms, cradles me to his chest, and leaps into the sky.

“You found me.”

“I’ll always find you, Princess,” Nyx says, squeezing me a little tighter.

“Wait. You’re flying. Samael.” My thoughts come out jumbled and breathless.

“My flying is the least of our worries after the magic you just unloaded back there. It was felt for miles. Samael will have sensed it for sure. Now I need to get to Athalda’s.” Nyx stoops down lower now that we’re away from the smoke. “How injured are you?”

A moment ago I thought I was on the brink of death, but now that I’m in Nyx’s arms and safe in the sky I think I may be okay.

“I’m okay. Nothing too bad. Where’s Chepi?”

“He’s here flying with us. He’s safe. I found Athalda’s cave while searching for you. Just hang on. We’re close, and when we get there I’ll do a thorough exam. We’re going to get you fixed up. I don’t trust the old Sorceress, but I know she wants you alive. She wants you to unlock the bridge to Zomea, and she won't do anything to jeopardize your life.”

“Okay.” It takes all the energy I have to say that. I relax and set my head against his chest.

“We’re close. I promise,” he says again into my hair, kissing the top of my head.