As Sotz neared, the moth folded its wings and dove. Sotz pursued, his wings pumping. Like a meteorite, they hurtled for the lunar floor, wind racing over her skin. Her pulse raced, a dark thrill rippling through her.
The moth burst out of the cloud, fleeing for his life. Ursula pressed herself tight against Sotz’s back. The moth twisted and spun, but inch by inch, they gained on it. The ground neared, and Ursula started to direct Sotz out of the dive, but the moth was only a few feet from his nose. With a final burst of speed, he hammered his wings, snatching it from the air. Only a few hundred feet above the ground, she tugged Sotz’s fur to pull him up again before they smashed into the lunar floor.
Sotz chewed happily on the moth as they carved a slow circle around the base of the spire. Now, she could feel the night magic emanating from the tower. It washed over her skin in waves, but it didn’t seem to chill her as it had before. Her heart raced with the thrill of the hunt, her body energized.
After she caught her breath, they climbed back into the cloud. Sotz beat his wings, taking her higher and higher, above Asta’s spire. He raced upward, until they nearly reached the edge of the magical dome.
The moths thinned, and the crater spread out before them—a great caldera, full of Nyxobas’s brethren. And beyond, more craters, ancient lava fields. A great expanse of barren land.
Ursula shivered. Suddenly Sotz tensed. A flicker of movement above caught her eye. Her gaze landed on the great white bat. The Gray Ghost’s steed.
“Can you follow it?” Ursula asked.
Sotz beat his wings, rising higher behind the albino bat. The creature flew with powerful beats of its wings and they raced to keep up with it. It moved swift as the night wind, its downy fur stark against the dark sky. They winged upward, skimming the edge of the dome.
But when the bat reached the shimmer of shadow magic, it simply passing into the shadow beyond.
Ursula swallowed hard. How can it fly in a vacuum, with no air?
Ursula directed Sotz right up to the edge, until the magic shimmered only inches from the tips of his outstretched wings.
She peered into the darkness beyond. The bat was gone.
Chapter 36
Ursula arrived a few minutes late for their second magic training session, and she hurried across the stone floor. This time, she’d worn a soft velvet cape to keep her warm. As before, Bael sat in his onyx throne, cloaked in shadows. Bael gazed down at her, his pale eyes piercing the shadows. “You’re late. Take off the cloak.”
“Why?”
“I need to see how your body uses the magic.”
She swallowed hard, untying the cape and letting it fall to the floor. She wore another of Cera’s creations—a purple silk gown, with slits cut all the way up to her thighs.
She cocked her head. “Would you like me completely naked, or is this good enough?”
A low growl rose from his throat, and for just a moment, his eyes darkened before returning to gray. “That will be fine. We’ll start with you standing there. I’m going to let the shadow magic wash over you once again. See if you can root your body to the ground. Use the basalt at your feet as an anchor. Feel it beneath your toes, and let the night magic inch slowly up your legs, up to your hips, and don’t let it fill your chest until you’re in control.”
She nodded. She wasn’t entirely sure she knew what he was talking about, but she’d give it a shot.
“Close your eyes,” he said.
She did as instructed, and in the next moment, she felt a wave of powerful night magic wash over her, spilling through her body like ink. An image rose like the flames—the old man, his wrinkled hands handing her an athame. Bael, pressing a knife into her heart.
The wall of blackness slammed into her, knocking the life from her chest. Darkness threatened to consume her from the inside out.
“Ursula!” Bael called to her.
Shivering, she opened her eyes. Bael had pulled her into his lap, wrapping his arms around her. His warmth enveloped her, and she could feel his heart beating hard against her body. Once again, he pressed his hand between her breasts, drawing out some of the magic.
“That didn’t go well,” she said through chattering teeth.
He shook his head. “You let it happen too quickly. The magic completely overtook you, like it was drawn to you. Whatever you are, Ursula, the darkness wants you.”
“Aren’t I the lucky girl?”
“I’m going to try it one more time, allowing through only the smallest amount of magic. I’m going to see if I can help your body control it.”
As his body warmed hers, her pulse began to speed up.
“I could see your muscles tensing when you stood there, like you were scared of it. Maybe if you don’t resist so much, you’ll have greater control. Are you ready?” His breath warmed the shell of her ear.
She nodded, straightening.
Bael allowed the tiniest wisps of magic to curl from him. With his arm wrapped around her back, his fingers rested on the hollows of her hip. Her back arched.
A soft, electrical buzz kissed her ankles, moving up her leg. A delicious vibration—cold, but thrilling at the same time.