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Enid.

Chapter 35: Enid

The pain started on her cheek, then flashed across her entire face. Enid groaned as awareness of all her injuries came back to her. Then the sharp pain on her cheek came again, but this time she heard a smack accompany it and her brain registered that someone had slapped her.

“I can see you breathing, Enid,” Onora said, her voice like the growl of a bear. “Wake the fuck up, princess, I need your help!”

Enid blinked, her vision cloudy and dark at first, then finally focusing on the woman leaning over her, a plait of blond hair fallingacross her shoulder. Screams and snarls came from outside, chaos swirling.

“How am I alive?” Enid asked, sitting up.

A tug pulled along the thread between her and Avenay, frantic, searching, grasping. She sent out her senses, giving a gentle caress, and the desperation turned to something that felt like the oranges and pinks and yellows of a brilliant sunset.

Onora gave her a hand, hauling her to her feet. “No clue. But it sounds like the beasts are back and killing our guards. And there’s a lot of them.”

Something slammed against the door, growling and howling. Enid flexed her hand, feeling her power slowly return. How in the darkest pit had she survived? There was no time to question it, though. She grabbed the sword from the ground, feeling its weight in her hand and how expertly crafted it was. Clearly made by smiths from The Darkened City.

“We have to make our way back to save the others,” Enid said.

Onora fixed her with a long-suffering look. “Yes, all in good time, but can you focus for one moment, Enid?”

Enid looked at her then, frowning. Arcs of lightning shifted and flowed along Onora’s body. There were already burn marks on herclothes and armor, and she had a wild look in her eyes. Swirls of darkness formed around her body, black as the clouds of a storm sky.

“Oh shit,” Enid said.

“I don’t know what the fuck you did to me, but undo it,” Onora replied through gritted teeth.

“I don’t think that was me.” Enid reached out her hand to touch one of the arcs and Onora swatted it away.

“Don’t be foolish. This is lightning.”

“I think your power has been unlocked. Now that the well is open, it’s flowing freely through you.”

A distressed frown creased the Hunter’s face. “I don’t know how to control it.”

Enid searched her mind for any answer, but none was forthcoming. Magic had always been second nature to her. She had no idea how to break it down.

“I can’t help you with that, unfortunately, but from what I do know, you’d better learn how to disperse some of that power quickly or you’re going to burn out.”

“What does that mean?”

Enid grimaced. She’d seen it once. A powerful conduit, overconfident and undertrained. They’d tried to talk her down, butshe’d insisted on using multiple power charged crystals to perform a spell. The power became contained within her, in a loop, and being unable to disperse it, she died. “If you can’t get the magic to leave your body, it will just continue to cook you from the inside out.”

Onora’s nostrils flared. “You’re a magical being. Tell me how to disperse it.”

“Ah see, I don’t know how. Have you tried casting it out around you? Just push it out.”

“Wonderful explanation. Thank you for clarifying. I know exactly what to do now.”

Enid huffed, searching for any words that might help. “Imagine the power within you is water, a rushing river. Right now, it’s looping around your body—the pathway is in your veins. You need to create a new pathway that lets it flow outside of yourself. You have to find a weak spot in your banks and blast it open.”

Onora let out an angry huff and Enid threw up her hands.

“Fine!” Onora barked. “I’ll try your silly river analogy.”

She closed her eyes, and Enid watched with bated breath for anything to happen. Onora’s brow furrowed, face contorting, but nothing happened. Seconds passed, then minutes, on and on. Enidshifted on her feet. The arcs of lightning grew stronger, striking along her arms, her legs.

That couldn’t be good.