Page 117 of Ascendant King
Summer was on the ground in front of the fountain. Magic bound her arms and legs, twisting around her neck and forcing her head back. Phelan stood to the side, grimacing.
“Finally. You have been… difficult.” He twisted his wrist, and Summer’s entire back arched at an unnatural angle.
Elizabeth shoved through the water, jumping through the hole back into the park. Water came with her, soaking the pavement, but when she dove at Phelan, she passed through him.
Cade’s eyes went wide, and he inhaled sharply. “We’re still trapped on the other side.”
“What?” I pulled him with me, landing in the park, but as soon as we were there, I understood what he meant. Everything was slightly distant, like I was watching it through a window. Even though I could see the water on the ground, it was like I had double vision and could see the dry pavement under my feet.
Colors were slightly off, the green grass duller, the shimmer of the water in the fountain almost matte. When Cade had taken us to his in-between place, everything had been black and white.But Summer’s magic was colorful, so her in-between place had the same colors as the real world.
“Don’t worry. Soon, you will be a lot more comfortable. I have a cell prepared specifically for you. It’s not as generous as your apartment, but I’m sure you’ll find it satisfying.” Phelan knelt, brushing aside Summer’s hair where it fell over her face.
“No.” Summer blinked open her eyes, and they were white, color dripping out of them and covering her skin.
Streaks of paint flew from her skin, slicing Phelan’s magic. He scrambled back, hissing in pain. But Summer shook off the remains of his magic, pushing herself up onto her knees and then her feet.
Summer stroked her fingers through the air, as though painting some invisible canvas. I immediately recognized what she had drawn. The wooden people from the carousel sprang to life, made of paint and memory rather than flesh. They crashed into Phelan, driving him to the ground.
He gaped at them, his mouth working. Then, he gritted his teeth, drawing his fingers through the air, and the wood exploded.
Summer shrieked, putting her hands up against the splinters of wood. Then, she stood straighter, glaring at him, using both hands to bring more of the wooden people to life. They marched like Nutcracker soldiers, surrounding him, burying him underneath them.
When they exploded again, Summer swept her hand across the air. A flood of water rushed out from behind her, an enormous wave that crashed on top of Phelan. He landed on his back, struggling to rise, only to be hit by another wave.
As he gasped, clawing up to the surface, Cade murmured, “I think I might be able to get us out.”
Elizabeth circled the fight, coming close, her eyes narrowed. “How? We should be trapped here forever until she lets us out.”
“Phelan got in, which means that her transitional space must be different from ours.” Cade pointed back at the tear in reality that revealed Summer’s fun house halfway place. “He got herthere, which means there should be a way for us to gethere.”
Magic struck out from the water, spinning to create a whirlpool, and Phelan rose from it, floating an inch above the ground before he landed hard, shaking the earth, sending the water flying.
Summer’s white shift flowed around her in an invisible breeze. She looked at the three of us, Elizabeth lunging for Phelan again, only to pass through him, falling to the ground on the other side. Cade and I stood off to the side as he frowned down at his hands, a twist of black tattoo framed between his palms.
“I could use some help,” Summer said quietly.
She reached out, drawing her fingers down, and suddenly, we were back. I didn’t hesitate, growling and shifting into my wolf form, leaving my clothing behind as I leapt at Phelan.
He stumbled back, away from my claws and teeth. I growled again, springing for his throat, but he raised a hand, fitting his forearm in my jaws. It burned, but I had torn through the House Bartlett wards with just my teeth. I ripped, spitting out acidic magic.
Phelan turned away, flicking his fingers at me. Magic wrapped around my chest and legs, pulling me down, dragging me to the ground. I yelped, suddenly finding my muzzle underwater as Summer’s water-like magic returned, washing in like the tide.
“Let him go!” Cade shouted. As I struggled to raise my nose above the water, I saw sharp lines of black magic twist, drawing tight around Phelan’s neck. The briar drew blood, slicing into his skin, and he clawed at his neck, but he couldn’t touch it.
I growled again, forcing myself up, feeling the twist of magic rake against my skin. He wouldnotwin.
When I broke the surface, I reached with my teeth, pulling at the magic on my legs. Suddenly, Summer was next to me, dropping into the water, her own magic soaking into her dress, dyeing the fabric blue and purple.
She stroked her fingers over the threads of magic, and they became textured like oil paint. She pulled them off me, one at a time, letting them fall heavily into the water and disintegrate, becoming part of her own magic.
“You two are always fighting. With each other, for each other. You’re both kings now. You should command armies, not raise your swords yourselves.” She stroked a hand over my back. “You aren’t alone anymore.”
Then Summer stood, waving her hands in the air. Around us, the park shimmered. She had been hiding something with her magic: my pack had arrived.
Chapter
Thirty-Nine