Starkeeper of the Fractured Crown - Page 187

I felt my entire world slow as I watched her hand come down.

~~~

Cole

I had been in countless battles before, a war, I had heard the cries of the anguished, the exact moment someone had lost a loved one, my own cries after losing Rose, but this?

Maybe it was the explosion that came with it. Maybe it was because I knew Mark was all she had left, but as soon as his blood hit that snow, as soon as something shot from Evanora’s hands straight at us, I knew that her scream would haunt me for the rest of my days.

It tasted of ice and freedom, the white magic that exploded from Kyra.

She screamed loud and long, snow exploding in a harsh wind, her hair whipping around her wildly. The sound echoed around me, something else behind it, something I couldn’t quite distinguish, something ancient and forever. She lifted her hands as if she were going to shoot an arrow, but she had brought nothing out with her. Her weapons were still inside.

“White magic?” I shouted above the roaring, looking over to Trick, but Trick was looking back towards the trees, up at the sky, eyes confused, troubled, shocked.

Itwas something I hadn’t expected with him being so obsessed with Kyra. I had expected more. I had expected him to die to reach that boy and it enraged me that he had done nothing.

I turned back to the scene before me, Evanora’s magic flaring, Mark laying in the snow, and Kyra?

My eyes widened. Her hair had changed color. Once a beautiful brown with reddish strands, her hair was now the color of snow. A silver-white, those red strands now looked like blood dripping from root to tip.

She was now holding a bow of glistening white, pulling back a string, an arrow popping into place out of thin air, the tip exploding in black flames.

Evanora laughed in unhinged glee.

Kyra released the arrow, but it wasn’t aimed at the witch, rather, it slammed straight into Norella’s head.

I expected her to wither and collapse, but instead her skin started to crystallize, hardening, starting from that impact all the way to her fingers and toes, and then she shattered, crumbling to the ground in a pile of sparkling dust.

I felt my jaw drop, heart pounding as my eyes lifted back to Evanora who suddenly looked terrified. She had known Kyra had magic, that much was clear, but it seemed to me that the witch hadn’t realized how powerful Kyra would be.

It explained the burn marks, but I couldn’t comprehend what was happening.

A blast of magic shot towards Kyra, a shield with a sheen of black appearing in front of Kyra only to disintegrate as soon as the power hit it.

I looked towards the Soldiers, one dropping, and then I turned to Trick, finding him looking at his hand, rage sparking in his eyes.

No magic, but the Soldiers only had one good blow. That was easy to dodge.

No weapons, but that was fine, I could—

“Cole, don’t.”

I turned back to my former High King, Trick’s eyes wild. “Why?” I half growled, ready to fight.

Trick nodded back towards Kyra.

I followed his gaze.

Kyra was releasing arrow after arrow, one replacing the last in less than a second. She downed every Soldier without trying, Trick throwing up a shield every time one got a blast of magic off. He was wasting too much energy, but so was she.

Finally, Kyra turned to Evanora and continued her firing.

Evanora blocked each hit one after the other, worry sparking in the rage in her eyes.

Kyra started forward, shooting, shooting, shooting, snarling.

Evanora gasped, her magic lagging.