Page 61 of His Blazing Witch (The Silver City #3)

"Now!" I shout.

Both wolves jump out of the way, running as fast as they can away from the golem, as instructed.

Left alone, that stone giant seems to look my way, and advances forward, aiming right at me. The thunder resonates in the distance, and I smile. I prepare to channel all that energy, and suddenly, guided by my fingers, the air starts crackling and sparking between us. The golem takes another step, and I make my move; A gigantic lightning bolt rips the sky apart and violently strikes that thing down.

It's amazing and terrifying. I feel the electric current literally bursting through me, the sparks running on my skin. It's... electrifying. Literally. The power blast travels throughout my body. I feel as if I'm about to explode, but I keep my arms like antennas directed at the golem. I'm absolutely frying that thing. It's just a matter of seconds, as long as I can hold it. The golem vibrates, a bright light coming from all the gaps between the rocks. It's working! Suddenly, that thing implodes from the inside, wrecked apart by my lightning bolt. I let go at the last second to protect my eyes. Mud flies everywhere, spilling on us and all around, but so do the rocks. Several of them hit me, but I barely feel them. I'm still high from the strength of that lightning bolt, and my whole body is kind of numb too...

¨ Holy Moon Goddess, Mara, that was fucking epic! 〃

I smile, still a bit excited, but I stumble back. Wow... My body feels strange, I guess the electric shock didn't leave me completely fine, after all. I feel tingling all over, and there are white dots in my eyes when I blink. I need to close and open them several times to make sure I'm not about to go completely blind.

¨ Mara, are you alright? 〃 asks Nora, sounding worried.

I nod, but I might need a moment to get back to reality. That was... brutal. Did I seriously just conjure a lightning bolt? That was awesome! I chuckle, still in that strange thrill, but I know I also need to get back to the fight. I focus on my breathing, and on what I see to get back there. The golem has been simply blasted apart, the remnants of its legs still standing there, a bit of dark smoke coming out... Well, that's done. I wipe the mud off of me, and the girls shake themselves too. Selena carefully approaches that thing to sniff it, but just from the burnt smell, I'm sure that thing is done, at least for now.

¨ Well, looks like you literally fried that thing 〃

"Yeah... I might need some time before doing that again, though," I confess.

¨ Don't overdo it, Mara, 〃 says Nora.

Just as Nora said that, a terrible rumbling resonates under our feet. Again? I crouch down, ready for anything, but the ground just keeps vibrating, and I have no idea what's going to happen this time. Another golem? The two wolves come closer to me, Selena growling loudly, ready to attack whatever comes at us. I try to calm down, but my body is still feeling strange from the previous attack. I try to focus on my inner fire, but... it's sort of extinguished right now. Shit, did I really overdo it?

¨ Mara, watch out! 〃

I jump to the side as Nora yells, rolling down in the mud just in time to avoid the large gap that opened right where I stood a second ago. I feel another rumbling under me, and I have to roll again to ignore a large fist of clay emerging from the ground. What the heck now? All over, the ground is starting to open and close like giant mouths trying to swallow us whole. I can't be trapped now! I'm tired as hell, but I still try to keep moving. This is the only way to avoid those things and the giant fists that emerge from the ground all around us.

I glance to the side, but Nora and Selena are doing much better. Their wolves are quick and using their instincts to know where to jump next. It might finally be time I shape-shift... However, something feels strange. I glance up as the thunder is seriously picking up, but the dark aura is still just as thick and getting larger. It's spreading like a mist all around us, and I don't like that at all...

¨ What's the situation on the other side? 〃 I ask Selena after another jump to safety.

She glances my way, and jumps again to avoid another hole trying to grab her. We can't seem to get closer to Ravena, those things are keeping us at bay...

¨ Apparently, not getting any better. Your witch friend had to pull her fire back as the human chicks began acting crazy and trying to actually burn themselves. There are more wolves in the area, though, so it's turning into an all-out war on the other side 〃

¨ The guys are doing okay,〃 adds Nora. ¨Damian said they are winning over that bear, for now 〃

She and Selena exchange a glance, but I already know what they are thinking. Even if they suffered real damages, their husbands would probably keep quiet about it for as long as they can. They don't want to worry each other, we just all need to focus on our fight... I'm dying to mind-link Liam, but I'm scared I'll distract him at the wrong moment, and I can't afford that. I have to stay focused and finish this fight right here.

...How, though? She's managed to keep all three of us at bay, and although one of us manages to get closer at times, she gets twice as violent in that zone until we have no choice but to back away. We haven't been able to get closer than an arm's length, and that's not enough... While I'm still thinking, something violently hits me from behind. A rock. Damn it!

¨ Mara, don't stay there, keep moving! 〃

¨ I know, I know 〃

I run before another gap opens under me, and manage to avoid another rock flying my way. Oh, for Moon Goddess' sake! I can't think and focus on the ground and my surroundings at the same time! I jump again, and glance at Ravena. Oh, hell... She's losing blood. From her eyes, nose, mouth. This really can't be good... I don't like this at all. The curse is going to kill her at this rate!

¨ Selena, Nora, I need to get there now! 〃

¨ What the hell do you think weˇve been trying to do?! 〃

I want to roll my eyes, but Selena's right. However, this is not working. We can't keep running around like this; the longer the curse keeps using Ravena as a vessel, the faster she'll die. She may be one bitch of a witch, but she doesn't deserve to be killed like that. I can always make her pay for all that crap later... I keep running, trying to think of another plan. What do I have left? My fire is practically exhausted, and I won't be able to replenish it anytime soon. There isn't enough water for me to control, and I'll definitely kill myself if I try summoning another lightning bolt. Unless....

¨ Nora, Selena, I think I'm going to do something really, really risky. 〃

¨ If you say it like that 〃

I'm not lying, though. This might be one rather suicidal move, but... it might also be the only one that will work right now. I take a deep breath, and at the next move, I jump into my wolf form. It's so easy, I land on all fours, running to get away from the next gap trying to swallow me. I growl, a bit excited, and shake my body. Well, my wolf seems in good shape... I use her inner strength and summon my power again. Come on, get back at it. We have conjured much more fire than that before... A warm feeling invades my stomach, and I feel it. That blue flame perking up in the darkness. It's small, but very excited, like a spark ready to get much bigger and explosive. I run again, excited. I need to charge up more... I keep running, fast. I don't stop anymore to be careful of the ground. I just keep running and jumping, fast, faster. I only focus on my inner fire, the adrenaline and those little sparks now running through my whole body. They are still blue, but such an intense light that they could also be white and blinding. Hard to tell. I don't stop to analyze it, though. I just focus even more to get that feeling rushing through my whole body.

¨ Mara...? 〃

¨ I'm going to make a run for it, 〃 I say, ¨ and I'm not going to stop! 〃

¨ You're going to get yourself killed! 〃

¨No. I won't stop. I'll charge and use my power to destroy any obstacle. 〃

¨ Mara, you can't! You're going to get hit! 〃

¨ I won't stop. 〃

This fight has to end, and soon. I can't stay back and be careful not to get injured anymore. I'm already injured, and all three of us will get more hurt if I don't act now. There are humans and werewolves dying on the other side of that mountain Ravena created, I can feel it. I feel the sorrow and anger of all the werewolves. I hear yells, screams, and the faraway sounds of a raging battle. I hear the black wolves fighting a giant bear on the other side, our mates fighting like beasts for our survival. Everything is happening here. That curse is driving us crazy, and building fear in us. Even more so in the minds of the humans. They are making both groups fight each other, and I won't stand for it. It has to stop. Now.

¨ Get ready, 〃 I say, even my inner voice is out of breath.

I feel it. The electricity, charging up all around me. It's like I'm burning inside and outside. Flames are now surrounding my entire body, flying behind me as I don't slow down. I hear the crackling all over my body, as if it was getting ready to break or explode. My blood's burning and rushing. The speed helps me focus as I summon the hot air, both above my head and inside my stomach. I'm a wolf, but I'm also a witch. I can control the magic regardless of the body I'm in. I'm a Fire Witch, a powerful witch. I can do anything. This is my fire, this is my power. I'll summon the sky's wrath to this ground if I have to. I've never felt this powerful, as if it was all coming together. Fire Magic and Water Magic. The two reluctantly mixing, fighting, and melting inside to make something much more powerful, more dangerous. The electricity starts crackling and hissing along my fur. I'm charging up like a lightning bolt, and the heat starts to devour me from the inside.

¨ Mara! 〃

I ignore them, and keep running. More. I need more. I need to be unstoppable. I ignore the pain, I muzzle it. I'm not suffering, I don't feel a thing. My whole body's about to burst, I'm nothing but power. The crackling gets louder in my ears, a monster taking over my body with hisses and high-pitched screams. Series of blinding flashes blink before my eyes, making everything else dark and almost monochromatic. I stop seeing with my eyes; I have to trust my senses to not get completely blinded by the random flashes. I feel the lightning forking all around my body, violently ripping and streaking the ground. I hear the furious rumbling of the sky above. The thunderous booms echoing my race, as if trying to get back ownership of that running lightning power. But it's not the sky this time. It's me, just me. The thunderous power coming from my guts, from my growling wolf like a beast of electricity and fire.

¨ Now! 〃 I shout.

I change direction and this time, aim right at Ravena. The wind flies in my ears. I keep running, charged with electricity like a thunderous bolt ready to strike. The ground is ripped apart all around me, nothing can stop me. I jump past a gap that opened too late, and another one, and dodge a clay fist that emerged from the ground. My wolf only relies on her instincts, we're almost flying above the ground. I'm blind, but I know exactly what to dodge, where to step. The crackling increases like a ticking time bomb above, ready to explode. The bird screeches around me are deafening. I just keep running toward the mass of darkness in front, like one would run inside a thunderstorm. I feel its power, I feel its fear. Something tall appears in front of me, but a white wolf-shaped form jumps on it to get it right out of my way with furious growls. I lost sight of Nora and Selena, only to hear them furiously fighting those new obstacles. I feel something hitting me, again and again, but it's blasted against the electricity running throughout my body. I feel like a lion, all my senses on edge, my hair standing up to the last bit. My whole body is electrified, I'm summoning this tremendous power like a goddess would summon thunder. I only borrow it for a minute, but for that minute, I'm beyond all the magic power I could have imagined...

I finally get inside the hurricane, right beyond the dark cloak. I see a human body. Ravena's body. I'm there! ...I jump right on it.

The thunderous boom explodes right above my head. I hear the sky break, and the lightning violently strikes my body. I feel as if my whole being is exploding in a thousand pieces. I fall, and I hit another body under me.

Voices call my name, but I'm... really out this time. I can hear faint crackling, remnants of the electric power summoned in this place. I try to open my eyes, but either I'm blind, or... they refuse to open. I can't tell. My body is heavy, and some parts I can't feel... at all. I just know for certain I'm not dead yet. I'm in a tremendous amount of pain, but that pain comes as if it was from behind a glass wall. I'm... numb. I feel cold, all of a sudden. I feel... the darkness. The cold, scary, and swallowing darkness surrounding me. I can only feel that. What is this? It comes to me slowly, like a scared creature. I feel its power, though. Like shadows, ready to engulf everything, a hungry and blind beast ready to swallow me... I feel it circling around me, coming closer and closer, sensing me.

¨ ...Yes, come. Come to me. I came for you, after all 〃

The darkness touches me. It feels as cold as ice over my skin, my fingers, my nape. It's penetrating through all of my pores, getting inside and taking over like a demon looking for a host... I feel the darkness filling me... it's taking a hold of my body, trying to swallow everything it touches. To taint it, to corrupt it. It wants it all... my fire, my wolf, my power. My magic, all of my magic, to devour it...

¨ You can't have me. 〃

I don't know where I find the strength to speak. That thing hesitates, and like millions of small little black snakes, it scatters all around, trying to get away from my fire. Oh, no. You got close, now you're going to get burned... I can't feel my body, but I channel all the power I can. If you want it, come and take it, you damn curse.

I grow my fire, I make my wolf growl and my water flow. My inner self is gearing up for battle against that thing, and the shadows react. Like a dark cloud, it gets thicker, almost hissing back at me, ready for a fight. Come here... Let's get to a common ground where we can talk. If you want my power, come and get it... I tease it with my flame, taunting it, making that thing approach until I can get a hold of it for real. It knows of my power... It knows I know who they are. Who it really is behind the shadows, lurking, waiting for hundreds of years. Waiting for revenge, poisoning minds, and growing in the darkness.

¨ ...I see you. 〃

A shy white light appears, and I let myself be pulled toward it. I know who you are. You can't run from me like you hid from all the others... I know you You and I are the same. We are the same The same darkness. You can take my power. I'll give you what you want, what you've always wanted. I'll free you from your madness... and then, you'll be free.

Free to unleash your wrath.