She’s there. We don’t have much time, I said, my voice shaking as much as my hands were.
Ilyan caught my nerves, his magic flaring as he jumped over the few branches that separated us to land right above me. His magic kindled as he lifted me up to him, his power a soft caress against my body as I flew into the tight grip of his arms.
We stood against each other as the sky cut apart, his soft hand running over my cheek as my magic reacted, sending warm vibrations into me. The strength of our magic moved together, our power ready for what we were about to plunge ourselves into.
“I have trained you for this; you are ready,” he promised, his voice a whisper as he leaned forward, pressing his lips against my forehead.
The warmth from the kiss seeped through me, lighting me on fire and supercharging my magic until I could feel it buzz into my blood stream. I nodded once at him in understanding, his answering smile illuminating the maniacal light that was in his eyes.
I didn’t need him to say anything to understand what that look meant. I smiled as the warmth in his hand grew, his fingertips soft as they traced the line of my jaw before his touch was gone and the last precious beat of our time was over.
I closed my eyes as my magic stretched and I exhaled, stepping away from Ilyan’s hold, off the branch and into the open air below me.
The air rushed passed me as my magic stretched away, my hand stretching forward to wrap around the strong branch that extended from the tree. I swung from branch to branch as I had so many times before. Adrenaline beat through me as I felt the tree warning me of what was coming, guiding me through the correct path of limbs, thunder covering our descent.
It was as natural as breathing.
I dropped to the ground before Ilyan did, my red shoes silent against the forest floor as I landed. My magic prickled in excitement as I stood, Ilyan landing right beside me just as another flash of light cut through the sky.
The garden of tents that we had landed in sprouted up like weeds, the filthy white canvases casting shadows and creating dangers that we hadn’t really planned for. We had expected them to be asleep, but now they could be anywhere, a wrong turn could easily end in our failure.
I stretched my magic through the tents from where I stood, seeking out the location of each of our enemies. My magic pulsed the information right into Ilyan without me having to focus on it. I saw him nod once from where he stood, his excitement flaring as the precise plan of what was going to happen fell into place. Ilyan’s hand trailed up my back as he stepped in front of me, his muscles tensing under his t-shirt as he led the way.
We darted through the darkness between the tents, hiding among the canvas city with each lightning strike. Every few tents, Ilyan’s magic would prickle, the air shimmering as he placed a shield over one of the many filthy tents, blocking the inhabitants from sound and sealing them inside. Ilyan’s intent to save as many lives as he could was clear.
Part of me wished he wouldn’t, that we could just wipe them out and finish this war in one clean fight. I knew better, though. Ilyan wasn’t only King of the Sk?íteks, but of the Trpaslíks as well, and even if they didn’t recognize that, Ilyan still held the same respect for them as he did for all of his other subjects.
Our subjects.
I shook the thought from my mind as we moved around another tent. My magic flared in caution and I reached toward Ilyan on instinct, the painful warning coming a second too late. My fingers wrapped around Ilyan’s arm just as a Trpaslík came to face us, his eyes widening in confusion before the light of anger clicked in understanding. The Trpaslík’s brain moved far too slow to grant him an escape, however; his mouth opened in warning just as the ground began to shake with Ilyan’s magic, the dirt shifting as it swallowed him whole. A wave of dirt sealed itself over him, leaving only a small salad plate-sized patch of hair visible, the small spot almost indistinguishable amongst the dirt. The man had disappeared before any sound had escaped him, the whole process moving so fast that I didn’t fully understand what I had seen.
I stood still as I stared at the ground in awe, my body moving forward only when Ilyan grabbed my hand and led me off in the opposite direction. We had only darted down another dark trail of the maze when voices yelling about earthquakes sounded through the jungle of tents, the voices drowned out by yet another rumble of fire in the sky.
Stay close to me, my love, Ilyan pleaded, his hand warming against mine before he released it.
He didn’t need to tell me twice, I could already feel the magic of the enemies that surrounded us awaken; the sharp, angry points of their terror and want of blood shaking through me until I fought the need to vomit. Their magic had changed from apprehension to the bubbling torrent of a blood hungry war. I could almost hear their teeth gnash together as they scattered, darting between tents. Searching for us.