Page 41 of Awakened Destiny (The Dark Ascendant #3)

Laria

Another knock at the door, this one expected and welcome. My pulse quickens.

"Come in," I call, my voice shifting to something softer, sweeter.

Nester enters, his red-gold hair catching the candlelight. His normally confident stride is replaced by hesitant steps, eyes slightly unfocused with the effect of my compulsion. As a fire elemental, his energy burns bright even now, making him perfect for what comes next.

"You wanted to see me?" he asks, confusion evident in his voice.

"Yes, thank you for coming. I needed help with a... project."

He nods, though his brow furrows. "Is everything okay? I feel strange."

"You're fine." I guide him further into the room. "Just a little tired, perhaps."

His gaze drifts to the ritual circle, then back to me. The compulsion keeps him from understanding what he sees, from recognizing the danger. He blinks slowly, like someone fighting sleep.

"What's this about?" he asks, gesturing vaguely at the candles arranged in a perfect circle on the floor, at the strange symbols I've drawn.

I move closer, placing my hand on his forearm. His skin burns hot against my cold fingers. Fire elementals always run several degrees warmer than others. Perfect. The ritual requires opposing forces.

"I've been researching ancient elemental enhancement techniques," I lie.

His interest perks up despite the compulsion's fog. "Enhancement? For fire manipulation?"

I slide my fingers up his arm, feeling the heat beneath his skin. The blood in his veins pulses with power that will soon be mine. "In a way. It's about energy transfer—combining your natural affinity with my... unique abilities." I turn him gently toward the center of the circle. "I discovered it in the restricted section of the archives."

"That's not allowed," he mumbles, but his feet move where I guide them.

"Rules are for those without vision, Nester." I position him precisely over the central symbol, a twisted spiral that seems to move under the flickering light. "Besides, do you think the Council tells us everything? They hoard the most powerful knowledge for themselves."

I need to hurry. Eira might return with someone, though her shattered confidence makes that unlikely. Still, I can't risk interruptions.

"Stand here," I instruct, placing him at the focal point. "And remove your shirt."

He hesitates, some self-preservation instinct fighting through. "Why would I—"

"Because I asked you to." I push the compulsion harder, feeling it strain against my control. Using it this intensely burns through my energy, but it won't matter soon. "You trust me, don't you?"

"I... yes." His hands move to his buttons, revealing the tanned skin beneath. Fire elementals spend hours in the sun, drawing strength from it, unlike me. Another perfect opposition for the ritual.

"Good," I purr, circling him. "You're helping me achieve something remarkable, Nester. When this is done, things will change." I trace a finger along his spine. "No more Brigid. No more Council manipulations. Just pure, honest power."

"That sounds wrong," he manages, even as he stands obediently in place.

I laugh. “ Someone needs to restore balance. The natural order of things has gotten pretty fucked up, if you ask me.”

I reach for the blade on my desk, hiding it against my wrist as I return to him. His eyes track me, growing clearer by the second. The compulsion is weakening. I need to complete the positioning now.

"Arms out," I command, reaching for his wrists to guide them. "Like you're channeling fire. Show me how you'd prepare for your most powerful flame."

His arms extend outward, tension visible in his muscles. Perfect. I drag the knife across my palm in one quick slash, the sting barely registering. Blood wells up, dark and thick.

I begin the chant, my voice dropping to a guttural whisper. The sounds aren't words exactly, they're older, the language that predates language itself. The rhythmic syllables vibrate in my chest as I let my blood drip onto the floor, forming the first point of the pentagon.

I move clockwise around Nester. Each drop of my blood sizzles when it hits the wooden floorboards, the sound like bacon in a hot pan. I continue the chant.

The air shifts. Not thickening—thinning. Like we're suddenly at high altitude, making it harder to breathe.

"Something's wrong," Nester says, clarity breaking through my compulsion. "I need to leave."

"Stay," I command, but the magic in my voice is directed elsewhere now. The ritual has begun to feed on my power, weakening my hold on him.

I need to work faster.

The third point bleeds into existence, and shadows begin crawling up the walls. Not ordinary darkness, these move with purpose, gathering like storm clouds preparing to unleash lightning.

The fourth point blazes with unnatural blue light when my blood touches it. The shadows writhe more violently, and Nester takes a stumbling step backward.

"Don't move!" I grab his arm, my nails digging into his flesh. The compulsion isn't working anymore, but physical restraint will have to do.

I complete the final point, and the pentagon ignites, casting Nester's terrified face in sharp relief.

"Please," he whispers.

"It'll be over soon," I tell him, and for once, I'm not lying.

Nester screams, his elemental nature rebelling against the dark magic. His skin flashes orange beneath the surface, his body attempting to ignite defensively.

"That's it," I murmur. "Fight it. The resistance makes the transfer stronger."

Five connections—one from each point of the pentagon. I feel them sinking into my flesh, not painful but invasive, like roots taking hold.

"What transfer?" Nester struggles against the magic binding him in place. "What are you doing to me?"

The blood rushes from his body into mine, cold yet burning. I open my mouth in a silent scream as power thunders through my veins. I've never felt anything like this—not in centuries of existence. My skin splits at the seams, dark veins spreading like cracks across porcelain, and my vision blurs into crimson.

Time slows. Nester's body collapses, a husk now. The room pulses with residual energy, books falling from shelves, furniture sliding against walls.

I stand in the aftermath, blood pooling at my feet. My body has changed. I can feel it in every movement, every breath.

"It worked." My voice sounds wrong to my ears.

Brigid's face floats before me, her stupid gray eyes, her shadow magic. The chosen one. Special. Important.

"She thinks she's untouchable." I say to no one. "But I'm going to show Brigid what real power looks like." The name tastes like poison on my tongue. "Her death has been postponed long enough."

In my mind, I already see her bleeding out beneath me, her precious shadow magic extinguished. I see myself absorbing what makes her special, becoming the only one who matters.

I step over Nester's body, my new power surging with each heartbeat.

This ends tonight.