Page 58 of His Blazing Witch (The Silver City #3)

There are at least a hundred young women all around us, like a wall between us and the other wolves, cornering our little group on one end of the harbor. They keep trying to attack with their knives, but the truth is, their numbers are too great and only the first lines are fighting the wolves. I glance further away, and as Liam said, it's no better on the other side. The other wolves aren't moving, blocked by all those chicks threatening to either attack or commit suicide.

I have to put an end to this, we can’t simply lose time here while Ravena is on the other side! I start walking toward those women, and as I thought, they instantly attack me too. No, it would even be fair to say they focus more on me than the wolves. I move my body to avoid the first attack and grab a wrist coming my way to dodge another blade. Selena's training is coming in handy... I don't simply avoid them or dodge them, though. I grab their wrists and freeze or break them. Whatever works to stop them.

"We have to take them all down," I say.

"We will injure them!"

"You don't need to kill them," I retort, out of breath, before dodging another one. "Just make sure they can't attack you or injure themselves more! Moreover, they obey some sort of rule about you not going past them, right? All we have to do is make sure they can't tell when we are out of their way..."

He frowns, but I have an idea. Taking a deep breath, I put my hands together, and focus. Fire and water. It's ironic that Naptera herself is the one who gave me the hint I needed to get out of this situation. I make sure to control my powers the best I can and activate both parts of me. My inner fire burns inside, while the water gently runs along my veins, like a flow that's ready to get as big as a waterfall if I need. I can't help but smile, a bit excited. I opened a new door once again, but I feel this last one I opened is the hardest to take control of. Fire and water aren't really a pair, they're opposites. It takes all of my focus to balance them, as if I was pulling both sides and keeping them from fighting. They want to dominate the other, I can feel it. I manage to keep them in control by keeping them away from each other, but this is a complex exercise. Still, the thrill sends shivers down my skin. It's like holding back two giant beasts ready to attack...

I freeze one hand and heat up the other. Soon enough, and with all of my focus to keep it going, steam starts appearing around me. A strong, thick, white fog that spreads to my surroundings.

"Mara..."

I don't have time to look at Liam's baffled expression. I focus even more to get one hand colder and colder, and the other hotter and hotter. The two beasts are roaring, ready to fight, but I need to keep them in check and just an inch apart to do what I want. It's draining, but exciting. Even more so because I've been used to controlling my fire for a while now, but the water is new, and I need to learn how to control that stream. They are so different, I can't even re-use what I know about my fire. Water is much easier to tame, I know I can stop the flow anytime. It's harder to control, though. It's like the difference between a feisty cat and a vicious snake... They're so different, and I need to learn and adapt fast.

Using my fog, the wolves start attacking again and make their way through. They understood right away; unlike the humans, they can use their sense of smell and their enhanced vision to find the targets, even in this situation. I can even hear them all mind-linking each other, making sure no one gets isolated or separated from the pack. I smile as they figure it out pretty quickly and progress. From the bits I can see through the white steam, they are careful not to permanently injure the girls, but it's harder when they have to hold back... Still, we are finally moving. As I extend my fog, I can hear the sounds of fights coming from all sides, even opposite to us.

As soon as I feel I can, I stop creating more fog and join the fight to help us make our way through. The wolves I can still see have apparently agreed to knock over the girls, and bite their wrists until they let go of their weapons. They are basically harmless once they're disarmed, and with the white curtain I've created all around us, they can't tell where the wolves are, either, so they're not trying to kill themselves.

"Mara, it's working!" exclaims Liam, excited.

"Yeah, it's–"

Before I can finish my sentence, I feel dizzy all of a sudden. Oh, I did not expect that...

"I warned you," suddenly says a voice behind me.

I glance over my shoulder, only to guess that it’s Naptera's silhouette in the fog. So she decided to get out of the water... I glare at her, but ignore her, coming to my senses and resuming the fight. It looks like she's given up on attacking me, but I don't like having her behind me...

"You're going to kill yourself," she hisses. "No witch was made to handle two elements!"

Oh, can't she stop fucking talking…?

I realize I'm asking a lot of my body. I used to get very tired and... damaged when I used my firepower the first few times. Now, I am dealing not only with that, but with an extra new power as well, and those two won't even cooperate. Of course I'll get tired twice as fast...

However, I'm far from done, and far from giving up. I've learned my own limits by now, I can handle this much.

"If you're not going to help, you can leave!" I retort.

She's lost her animosity from before, so I don't think she'll attack me again, but I don't like the idea of leaving her here with the rest of the wolves... She glares, but I glare back, and that’s the last time I look at her before I continue fighting my way out of this crowd.

Ignoring the Water Witch, Liam and I keep going, heading northeast. Because our group is staying close, we progress fast and smoothly while the rest of the werewolves are attacking the humans more slowly from the other side.

“ Mara, here! ”

Selena found a way out, at last! We run through the opening, ladies first while the Black Brothers make sure none of the human girls can attack us or something. It feels good to finally move toward where we're actually supposed to go! Like last time, I run alongside the werewolves, but I'm not as joyous as before. I had hoped they'd do okay while I was underwater, but Ben's got more blood on his fur, and Nathaniel Black is limping a bit...

We don't have time for a checkup, though. We get closer to East Point Ground, and there's a strange feeling in the air. I don't like this... We meet with some other wolves, maybe about a few dozen or so, but as per the Alphas' orders, they remained at a safe distance, so I'm not sure how many are really waiting in the area. Our two groups meet, and to my surprise, Lysandra Jones is standing there, the only one in her human form, a smirk on her face as we approach.

"...Took you long enough," she says.

"We were held back by another witch... How's the situation here?"

"Boring, at best. We stayed at a distance as you recommended. The witch arrived half an hour ago, but all she's been doing since is tracing circles and weird symbols on the ground. I warned everyone to stay away, and keep the humans at bay too. If there was–"

Before she can finish her sentence, a terrible noise shakes the whole area. It's violent, sudden, and deafening. Even worse, it sounds like an explosion. I block my ears by reflex, and a lot of the wolves crouch down. Liam jumps in front of me, covering me with his body, and for a few seconds, I'm completely unable to tell what's happening. It's just so strong and powerful, I have no idea what's going on.

Slowly, after that first loud bang, the noise dissipates, but there's an odd feeling lingering in the air... Shit, I don't like this at all. I'm very uneasy, and I stay close to my mate. I need to know what's going on. I finally look over Liam's shoulder, and it's clear no one understands what happened. It's not over, though.

Right after that, the ground literally starts trembling under our feet. Not just a little wave, but more like a violent rumble. The sound is almost as bad as the first explosion. We fall down, on all fours or on our knees, completely at a loss. I see wolves rolling down some hill or on top of one another, unable to keep standing. What the heck is going on?!

"Witchy, do something!" yells Lysandra.

I glare at her, but while the ground is still shaking like crazy under us, I grab Liam's shoulder to try and steady myself, and look toward the center of that plaza.

The chaos is even worse down there. The wolves that were close try to crawl away and retreat carefully as the vibrations are even worse at the center of that area. Of course, that's exactly where Ravena is. I need to control the feeling of sheer panic growing inside to try and see what's going on. Is she doing this herself? Or is something worse happening? I can't tell from this distance. All I know is that those symbols Lysandra mentioned were definitely witchcraft, and whatever she was trying to do, Ravena may have succeeded. I can barely believe my eyes, but the ground is opening all around her. This is clearly no normal earthquake. This is her doing, but there's no telling if she's actually aware of what she's unleashing. Long and deep cracks are running all around, and despite all the soil flying left and right, I can tell those cracks are positioned exactly where the lines of her magic circles were. This is the work of an Earth Witch at full power...

I wouldn't say Ravena looks alright, though. I keep staring, and I don't like what I'm seeing. I don't like that at all... Fucking hell. Something strange is happening to her, but it looks way too familiar to me. Long black lines are running on her skin, even up to her face. She is in a weird position too, her face turned toward the sky and her mouth open as if she was screaming. Even weirder, her eyes have turned entirely white, and her hair is floating all around her... Oh, Moon Goddess, I don't like that. It has to be the curse trying to take over her body. I see the movements of a dark aura all around her, growing like a roaring storm ready to unleash. I can see this earthquake is the work of Ravena fighting at full power, but this is definitely not a good sign. I don't know how she thought she could endure the curse, but she was wrong. Things are looking really bad, and if I don't stop this madness soon...

“ Mara, what the hell is going on?! ” yells Selena in my head.

"It's Ravena! She's trying to overtake the curse!"

I really don't think things are going well for her, though. Her state is odd, to say the least, and I can see that dark cloud of magic growing stronger and thicker all around her. She definitely awakened that curse, but it might have been a really, really bad idea... I didn't expect it would be this bad. I don't know much of what's going on from where I am, but the ground is shaking more and more, and she's alone at the center of this earthquake. This is not going to end well. Those cracks are getting larger and larger, and I even spot actual chunks of the ground falling inside those large gaps.

"Oh, she really is that crazy!"

Somewhere behind us, Ayesha just arrived, and she's barely standing up, fighting the terrible shockwaves underneath like the rest of us. She has no choice but to fall on her knees with a grimace. Yeah, welcome to hell... Ignoring all the wolves that growl at her, she lifts her head up to me.

"What's the plan?" she yells over the noise.

"I need to get closer and stop her! If this goes on, she'll destroy all of Silver City and us with it!"

“ Mara, you can't! ” shouts Nora. “ This is too dangerous, we can't even get close! We can barely stand, and the ground is full of holes everywhere! If you fall into one of those, we can't tell where you'll end up! ”

"Nora, if I don't stop her, this is going to get much worse! Ravena is currently fighting the curse, and once she loses, it will be free to do much worse! This is an earthquake, this is Ravena's doing! She might not even be controlling it!"

"How about we let the curse kill her, and join the fun after that?!" shouts Ayesha.

"The curse won't wait! It's already getting stronger each second! Can't you see it?!"

Ayesha frowns and glances beyond, but she seems at a loss. What, she seriously can't see that crazy dark cloud? It's almost big enough to be over our heads now!

"I only see that old bitch's aura, and it's going freaking crazy!" she yells over the ruckus.

“ No, I see it too, Mara! ”

I turn around, and Selena's golden eyes are turned toward the sky, as she's growling toward the dark cloud.

“ Me too… ” says Nora.

What, so only those two can see the curse's dark aura...? And Ayesha can't? What the hell is wrong with that curse?! However, I need to save my questions for later. For now, I need to get to Ravena and stop this madness somehow...

"Mara, what do we do?!" asks Liam.

"Remember when the curse was possessing me?"

"You think I'd forget?!"

"It has to be the same kind of thing!" I shout, making sure our allies hear me. "We have to knock her out, so at least the curse lets go of Ravena! I'm sure she is fighting it from the inside as well, so if we can force it out of her as we did for me..."

"...We can stop all this craziness," nods Liam.

We both stare at the large field of ground between us and Ravena. This isn't going to be easy; there's a long way to go, and the closer to Ravena, the crazier it gets... The cracks are opening wider and wider too, so we can't even predict if one spot isn't going to crumble next!

"...I'll do it," says Liam.

"Liam!" I protest.

I don't want to see him of all people run into that battlefield! It would be almost suicide! However, he grabs my shoulders, forcing me to look at him, looking more determined than ever. It's strange how clearly I can hear his voice despite everything going on around me. It's as if we were alone in a room, not in the middle of dozens of growling wolves and an earthquake.

"I'm the fastest wolf around," he says, his eyes shining. "You said I just have to knock her out, right? If I can get there, this whole crazy earthquake thing will stop, and you can get to her."

"Liam, don't. I'll do it! I'm fast too, and I'm a witch! If I get hurt or trapped, I can get myself out of there, but you–"

“ Mara, enough! ”

I turn around, and Selena fights the shaking to come closer.

“ We know the risks. Liam won't go in alone, wolves attack as a pack. If several of us go, at least one of us will make it. We pick our fastest wolves, and as soon as one of us makes it, you can do your part. ”

"No, no," I shake my head, "this is my fight, this–"

“ Mara, enough! I know what you're feeling, but you have to stop that. I know the curse is your fight, but it's targeting all of Silver City! ” she shouts back. “ You're not alone, you're one of us. You're a wolf, and we are your pack. We attack as a pack, whether you like it or not. You're not the Luna, so don't discuss. Everyone works together. ”

I slowly nod. I understand her words, her reasoning, but my heart isn't happy with that. Not just Liam, but the idea of so many of us running to Ravena, toward death and danger, is terrifying. I'm not afraid of getting injured, even killed, but if something happens to someone else because of me...

“ Think of Kelsi, ” adds Nora, as if she'd read my thoughts. “The faster this is over, the more chances she has. Come on, Mara, get ready. You're running with us. ”

I take a deep breath and nod.

Right, we're one pack, and they all know what's at stake. I can't protect everyone, but I can do my very best to end this fight as soon as possible. They are all fighters, better ones than me. All I need to do is to focus on the fight, not on them. This is more important, for now. I turn to Liam, determined. He gives me a proud smile and quickly kisses my forehead.

"Get ready, tiger," he whispers. "This might be the run of our lives..."

I nod, and he gets up with me. We're now used to the ground shaking, enough so we can somehow stand up and face the mess in front of us. I look around and see several other wolves get in position. Ben looks ready to go, growling already, his fangs turned toward Ravena.

Selena looks ready to go too, but her husband and Nora stay back. Damian Black is the one to come forward a few steps away from her after a quick lick from the white wolf next to him... I feel my throat tighten again, seeing wolves I don't even recognize about to run with us toward danger. Lysandra, who had fallen down like all of us, rolls over and gets back up on all fours in the form of a dark brown wolf.

"Mara, you stay behind me," says Liam

"But–"

"No buts, babe."

Before I can retort anything, Liam turns into his black wolf and growls softly. Oh, Moon Goddess... I better not lose that furry black butt of his.

"Alright," I sigh, with a quick kiss on his muzzle. "Don't worry about me, I'm not leaving you for one second."

“ Everyone get ready! ” shouts Selena in our head. “ The goal is to get to the witch and knock her out! You get there as fast as you can! If you can't make it, keep running until you get out of there, and watch out for those gaps! ”

Those large openings on the ground are what worries me the most. I haven't looked at one from up close, but I can guess I'm not going to like whatever's down there. There's a strong smell of fresh, labored soil in the air, and something more bitter, like soot... That might be me, though. For a split second, I consider shape-shifting into my wolf form, but I'm pretty sure I can keep up as is. Moreover, I'll be more efficient with my powers if I can move my hands.