Page 66 of His Blazing Witch (The Silver City #3)

"Nice," I chuckle.

¨ This feels... pretty awesome, 〃 she growls, moving her limbs as if to test it.

"You don't have a lot, though, and unlike real witches, you're not going to be able to replenish it easily, so be careful to not run out right away."

¨ Got it. We just need enough to get you back to that hurricane thingy anyway, right? 〃

"I guess... Nora, are you sure you want to do this too?"

She steps forward and nods. Meanwhile, Ayesha steps back with a grimace and a groan.

"I'm fine, thanks for asking the guinea pig... Also, who the hell are you going to get to do that crazy new spell?"

"...I was thinking Naptera?"

She scoffs, staring at me as if I was crazy for a couple of seconds.

"Wait, you're serious? You do know she tried to kill you, right? Also, she's been sitting the whole fight out!"

"She can keep sitting it out, but I don't care if she likes me or not. Last time I checked, she wants that curse gone and so do we. ...Do you know where she is?"

Ayesha grimaces.

"You really are a crazy one... Last time I spotted her, she was somewhere west..."

Right, I can actually feel her. It's faint, but... there's definitely the trace of a Water Witch in that position. I nod and turn back to Ayesha.

"Can you get yourself to the general hospital?"

"As long as I don't get bit on the way..." she mutters, looking down at the wolves.

¨ I promise no one will touch her, 〃 Selena nods.

"Yeah, you'll be fine."

"Nice. Also... I hope the wolves remember, when this is all over. That I helped..."

I nod, a bit thankful indeed. Looking back, Ayesha was certainly a huge help in all that mess. Perhaps she will ask for some sort of payback once this is all over, but I'm not too worried. I know now that Dark Witches aren't all bad, and some also stand in between with more complicated motivations... She quickly leaves the area, limping a bit, but at least she should be able to get out of here.

¨ Let me guess... The other one isn't going to be as easy to convince? 〃

"I don't want to force Naptera," I say, "but I think I can convince her, at least. After all, she may hate me for being a Cursed One, but she probably hates the curse more. She helped me earlier too, it must mean something."

All the wolves remain silent, but I know this isn't going to be as easy as I make it sound... Still, I ought to try. I start running again, in the direction I felt Naptera. Now charged up with flames and that Light Magic, Selena flies ahead like a lightning bolt, visibly enjoying her new powers. She was already strong before, but now she's scary powerful. The White Luna already figured out how to keep her flames brimming despite the rain, and she jumps on two golems on the way, frying them effortlessly like a thunder witch more than a fire one... At least I don't have to worry about Selena for now, she's obviously doing great without my guidance.

Meanwhile, Nora runs by my side, her snow white fur like a shooting star in the darkness, her blue eyes looking right ahead.

¨ Mara, I keep thinking... If we get rid of the curse, will you be alright? As a Cursed One 〃

¨ I hope so. Perhaps something will change, I'm not sure. It's not really important for now, though, don't worry about me 〃

¨ Stop saying things like that, we already told you a thousand times. You're family to us... you're like our little sister. Of course we worry. 〃

I can't help but smile, her words warming my heart more than worrying me. I know. I know I found a new family here in Silver City, a real one.

The warm feelings are quickly cooled down by the never-ending pouring rain, though, and the sight of Naptera. As I suspected, she didn't leave the area, only watching the fight from the sidelines. She makes a sour expression as we approach, already glaring at the wolves. Only Nora and I dare approach at a distance, but the Black Brothers stay back, all growling as a warning.

"...So you did come out," she says.

"Naptera, I'm almost there. I found out the secret behind the curse, and I can end it. But we need your help."

"We?" she repeats, her eyes still defying the wolves.

"The curse is strong, and it was created by the first Royal," I quickly explain. "Not just a witch, but a werewolf witch, who had access to a very powerful magic, and carried very dark feelings inside. I can't get rid of all that darkness by myself. If I go inside again, she may consume me just like she did with Ravena. I know you felt it too."

There's no way she didn't feel the Earth Witch's passing. The curse used her, emptying her magic before it killed her. It was much more aggressive and reckless than the spell I used on Ayesha. Crossing her arms, Naptera glances toward the large tower of darkness on the side.

"...That arrogant Earth Witch brought her own demise."

"Are you going to stand there as more of us die, then?"

She stays silent. Oh, Moon Goddess, she's not making it easy, and it's not like I have a lot of time to argue with her, either... I take a deep breath, and try to remember everything she said earlier. Wait, there's something...

"...How old are you, Naptera?"

She glares at me, and although it could seem legitimate, I know it actually means I aimed just right.

"You're... much older than you look, arenˇt you? I didn't realize before, but... Nephera wasn't Sadia's daughter, she was her grand-daughter or something like that. Sadia gave birth to a human child first, didn't she? She had a son, a human son that didn't appear in the Witches' Ancestral Tree."

"There you go again, talking as if you know anything," hisses Naptera.

"You're the one playing charades. I've studied our family's ancestry, and Sadia was the daughter of a witch named Beatrice Jones, but Nephera couldn't have been her daughter."

"...There are still many things you need to learn about witches, little one. Nephera was Sadia's daughter, but to preserve her child, she tried to... delay her birth."

I frown, trying to understand. Wait, could it be a... reincarnation? That's the only thing that would make sense. Just like little Mara and I... Sadia tried to protect her child by waiting?

"She protected her soul?"

"...She tried. Sadia thought that by having her daughter be born later, after her own passing, she could protect her soul from the curse... but the curse found her anyway."

Now that solves one mystery... Also, I don't know how I should feel about witches actually playing around with unborn children's souls, but I guess I'm not one to speak, with my own history. I take a deep breath.

"But it didn't work out, anyway. You stayed alive all these years, Moon Goddess knows how long, just to see your friend's daughter be taken by that curse again. I understand you hate that curse, maybe more than anybody. Wouldn't it be time to stand up and fight now, though? Aren't you tired of being on the damn sidelines?"

"Says the child who came to steal my magic to give it to a wolf..." she hisses, her eyes going down to Nora.

"Borrow," I correct her. "Plus, if you're as old as you pretend, I'm sure you've got plenty to spare. And... and it's raining, for Moon Goddess' sake!"

She can't tell me she is going to run out of Water Magic anytime soon, we're literally almost swimming in a giant mud puddle! I step forward, deciding to end this quickly.

"Naptera, please. I don't care who you do it for, but this curse has to be stopped. You know Sadia wanted to protect her child, how much she sacrificed for it. If she was your friend, why would you stand back when you have a chance to help defeat what she tried to fight?!"

She glares at me, but this time, I see doubt in her eyes.

"...Do you even know what you're risking?" she asks.

I take a deep breath, and look inside to wake my Water Magic, taming my fire at the same time. It gently flows in like a river, and I feel my left eye changing, most likely turning back to that gentle blue again. Naptera looks stunned by my eye, and finally uncrosses her arms. After a while, she sighs.

"...And here I thought you didn't look like her. Freaking Jones... Fine, I'll help you. But if you fail to take down that curse"

"I won't," I retort, showing how determined I am.

Naptera gives me one more doubtful look for the sake of it, but her eyes then go to Nora, checking the white wolf out. I'd rather act before she changes her mind. I take a deep breath and once again, activate the spell. Unlike Ayesha, Naptera is probably charged with Water Magic, so this will be a bit trickier for me...

¨ Ready, Nora? 〃

¨ Anytime. 〃

I nod, and after a deep breath, begin the process. Once I reach out for Naptera's magic, I see the difference between a witch who has had several decades of experience and myself. Compared to her Water Magic, mine feels like a furious uncontrolled stream. The flow I touch is like a gentle river, spreading throughout her body like a perfectly controlled tide, so perfectly imbued in her it's as if I was looking at her veins rather than at a magic network. I am impressed, but I am also wondering if I can ever dream of achieving such perfect control over my magic...

I don't have time to gather more inspiration from Naptera's mastery, though. I slowly start pulling the strings of that water stream, trapping more and more of it in my spell, as much as I can entrust Nora with. I feel some resistance, but it's like undoing the knots in a complex network of water strings, and as soon as I manage to pull one little stream after another, more naturally follows. I try to save as much as I can since I don't want to completely deplete Naptera or give Nora more than she'd be able to handle. Soon enough, I reverse the spell, and slowly transfer all of the Water Magic I could gather into Nora's body. To my surprise, her body seems even more easily accepted as a new host by the Water Magic than Ayesha's fire in Selena's. Is it because she has more Royal blood? I am not sure, but her white aura is definitely quickly figuring out how to handle all of it, and the magic starts to resonate with her in a new way.

When I open up my eyes, Nora's body has changed again. Amongst the white fur, I now see very faint, tiny, white sparkles, like... like snow. Nora's white aura seems to have grown even more icy and stronger, as if her body was surrounded by a cloud of blizzard. The air around her really is colder, and I step back after a shiver.

¨ That's... interesting, 〃 she says, shaking down her body.

"...Ancient blood wakes ancient magic," says Naptera, looking down at the now truly snow white wolf. "Your kind may carry some of the witches' forgotten powers..."

"You mean... there might be more than the three elements of water, earth, and fire?"

"There are only three core elements," she says, "but who said they couldn't be used in different ways, to do... more? You did it before, didnˇt you?"

Now that she mentions it... I used lightning and even fog. This was only possible because I could combine both fire and water. Until now, I thought that witches were restricted to the use of only one element, but... in the illusion, weren't the two Lunas using all three of them? They were so much more powerful. Is it still possible we could one day achieve the same thing again? Even if it was centuries ago, as Naptera said, perhaps not all of those powers have been lost, just... locked.

Naptera lets out a long sigh, her eyes going beyond me to where Nora is.

"Perhaps you were right... Perhaps the new generation has more to teach us about ourselves than we thought. Even the ones we thought to be... broken."

Whoa, she's almost sounding nice now. At least she's let go of the whole "Cursed One" thing... I nod, and suddenly, my eyes land on my finger. The butterfly tattoo, it's still there. Now that I focus on it, I feel some sort of energy, but it's very tame, I'm not too sure what's hidden there.... Maybe it would be good to remember it for later, for the final assault. I feel like itˇs going to take everything we've got to defeat the curse for real this time. I take a deep breath, and look down at the newly powered wolves by my side. Both Lunas are absolutely... impressive. Selena looks like a lightning bolt, shining so bright it's hard to look for too long, while Nora is winter personified. I smile, and look inside for my own magic. I feel my inner fire, shining in all its full glory again, making my blood boil and ready. There's my Water Magic too, gently flowing like a slow stream inside. I think "touching" Naptera's has made me more conscious of my own, and I quite like the idea of gaining knowledge through other witches' magic...

Naptera slowly steps back, and I turn around, facing the two Lunas and the Black Brothers.

¨ Ready, ladies? 〃

¨ Ready when you are, Mara. 〃

Liam smiles and steps forwards, looking more confident than ever despite his ragged appearance.

"Let's take this curse down, tiger."

We all turn around and get ready.

The hurricane from before has grown much bigger, like a black storm taking over the battlefield. Perhaps because it felt our rise in power, the curse ought to have grown stronger too. If I am completely honest, it is scary to look at. The rain is still pouring down on us, the thunder growling above, and we're just about to run into much worse than that. The storm is loud and yet it doesn't fully cover the sounds of the raging battle all around us. The golems are like hellish silhouettes of mud scattered around the battlefield to slow the groups of wolves and men down. And many are down already. I feel a heavy weight on my heart as I take a second to notice the bodies, furs of all colors dirtied by blood, and the lifeless limbs sometimes sticking out of the ground...

"Let's go," I both say and mind-link.

Moving like one, the white and black wolves start running with me across the battleground, all of us aiming for the gigantic hurricane. Nathaniel and Damian each cover our flanks, and in front of me, Liam, now in wolf form, is running like a bullet shot right ahead, his black figure not slowed down at all by the slippery ground or heavy downpour. Seeing my mate run before me is like a lamplight in the darkness. I just need to follow him, trust him. I feel our mind-link, stronger than ever, like our minds are holding hands and not ready to let go at all. I feel his gentle strength pushing me, and I borrow some of his fearless confidence. I've never realized how perfect we are for each other until this very moment. How Liam is perfect to protect me against my fears, support my boldness, and feed the fire of my bravery. We truly are meant for each other. I feel his trust in me, and it's like another boost I can use. It fuels more of that fire in me, and appeases my heart.

I'm in a strange state during that last race to the end. I feel the pain of everyone around me, all the fights going on. I feel a wolf's body violently hitting the mud. The warm blood dripping, and their pain. The tired body, the fear, and the anger. But I can feel their bravery too as they stand back up. That's right. No wolf is running away, and they are all standing, next to the humans, to defeat the enemy as one. The heart of Silver City is beating right here with them, men and wolves, and I can almost feel its spirit. It's beautiful, powerful, and yet so fragile...

We keep running, nothing able to stop us in our race. I feel like my feet barely touch the ground, we're flying above the mud, the hills, and the traps on the way. Selena is like a flashing bolt, breaking the formation at times to dash through a golem, fry it, and come back, making reckless zigzags all around us. Nora is more careful and sticking to me, probably worried about my health and more cautious about what's coming next. I can't blame her; the closer we get to that thing, the scarier it clearly is...

This isn't about what we see. That hurricane is scary, but that monstrous aura is much, much darker and worse. It feels colder than death, scarier than hell itself, like a mountain ready to crush us at any second. Even just knowing the curse is going to try and instill fear into our minds, I canˇt help but shiver. I have to focus on my inner flame to get over it. I keep running, holding on to my fire and using it to spread that same feeling of warmth and courage to the others through the mind-link. I can hardly describe it, this strong sense of community between the six of us. Like one wolf, one family. One body with very different limbs, and me and Liam at the head. Even his brothers seem to finally let me in. I can't explain how, but I feel their wolf minds, and instead of scaring me as usual, I feel them like two strong beings I can rely on. Like... big brothers, really. That's kind of nice, especially when Damian Black glances his silver eyes at me, and I suddenly feel supported too.

And I'm going to need their support, because we finally arrive at the base of that hurricane, and its strength is already trying to blow us all away. I dig my feet in the mud, and the wolves all do the same.

¨ How are we going to get past that?! 〃 shouts Nathaniel in our heads.

¨ I think I can get us through, 〃 I nod, ¨ but I'm going to need everyone to stick real close, and Nora, Selena, you two need to help me through 〃

¨ We got you. 〃

I nod, and right away, all the wolves get near or behind me, ready for it. I take a deep breath, and try to harness both my fire and water power together. This hurricane is made of a dark aura, some steam, and wind. I may not remember my school days, but I'm pretty sure wind is just cold or hot air... I try to calm down internally, and like before, split my fire and water power, one in each hand. It takes me a few seconds, but this time, I'm not alone. The fact that Selena has Fire Magic and Nora some Water Magic helps a ton. It's like trying to reach out for them, I know exactly where to direct my magic, on each hand. On my left one, I feel my fire, strong like a little brazier, and on the right one, water flowing gently in a small circle. Now, I need to use it all to get us a passage through.

I step forward, fighting against the strength of her hurricane, but at least Selena and Nora's presence near me are like shields against the dark aura. They don't erase it completely, but it's more like they fade it, allowing me to move without too much pressure. They make it so much more bearable for me... I hear the Black Brothers growling together, probably feeling the darkness more than they can see it. Liam's just one step ahead, next to my leg. I take another step, and so does he. If I move, he moves. I know he's not leaving me to face this alone, he's sharing his strength with me.

I start using my magic with all of them supporting me, each in their own way. I focus like never before and, stronger than ever, I push the winds away from us. It's like trying to undo a gigantic knot, pushing my cold Water Magic one way, the hot fire one the other, and struggling to let our group through. The hurricane resists, and increases its strength, but I won't let go. I extend my arms, one each way, and create a bubble of protection around our little group. I feel Nora and Selena too, understanding what I'm doing and sharing some of their magic, like vessels I can grab more power from. One step after another, we advance through the deafening noise of the winds bashing all around us, trying to crush us. The pressure is so terrible, I feel it in my arms and all of my body. If I let go of my focus for just one second, we will all die. I can't let go. I keep pushing and slowly advancing. I feel all of them, moving with me, like one body again. We are doing this, we're advancing and pushing our way into the eye of the hurricane.

¨ You're doing great, Mara. Just a bit more 〃

I can't answer; I'm too focused on getting us through this. The pressure is burying my feet into the ground, and the pain in my shoulder is getting... too much. I'm sweaty, feeling gross, and like I'm getting squeezed from all sides. The wind is blowing in my ears, and I need to close my eyes to stay focused. One foot after the other, I keep pushing, hoping we're getting close. It's worse that I don't know when we'll reach the middle of this, if there even is one... I feel Liam silently sending me encouragement, and I just focus on my inner fire, on the core, to find the strength to continue.

¨ Get ready, everyone. We're almost there 〃

I keep going, silently praying I'm not going to empty my recently refilled magic on this. I just need to keep us alive, though. To make sure we make it inside...

¨ Mara! 〃

Iˇm suddenly grabbed and thrown forward on the floor. To my surprise, I land on dry, warm ground. Liam runs up to me, helping me up.

"Are you alright? Sorry, as soon as we saw the opening we figured we should rush in..."

"Thanks," I gasp.

I'm still feeling a bit tired from the effort before, but at least now, I can stretch my sore arms and shoulders a bit. Oh, I'm so going to feel that for the next few days. Once I'm up, I finally look around. The others are spread like a square around me, growling at all sides, to the hurricane still going on around us, but it's... strangely quiet in here. I feel the wind, but it's as if we're in some sort of a bubble. I can even see the sky far above, not blue but at least not as dark gray as before. So this is what it's like inside... if what we are seeing is real.

I feel some magic going on all around us. I do not like this...

"So you made it after all."

We turn around and surely, risen from the ground, is... Luna. How is that possible? It's really her, with long, white hair, blue eyes, and wearing a familiar black dress. Where have I seen that dress before? Oh, Moon Goddess. She's using Ravena's dead body as her own. The Black Brothers growl, and I feel disgusted too. I didn't recognize her before because her traits are somehow superposed with the Earth Witch's, and she changed her eye and hair color somehow.

"...Necromancy," I whisper.

"That's right," she says, with a surprisingly gentle voice. "A true witch, who masters all three elements, can obtain power over life and death. Of course, Luna first omitted to mention this when she began training me. However, now I understand that magic was capable of bringing back my mate... of erasing her mistake."

¨ ...Something feels off. And it stinks too. 〃

¨ She's using a dead body, what would be surprising about a corpse stinking...? 〃

¨ No, Selena's right. The corpse can't be that rotten already, but it smells like a fucking cemetery. Something really is off. 〃

I stay focused, but I can't ignore their conversation either. I look down and try to search for clues on the ground. I feel her magic, powerful and overwhelming, all around us, slightly beneath the ground, in the soil... Did she use Ravena's powers again? I look up, and stare at Luna, trying to understand her.

"...You were right," she finally says. "I can't expect witches to stop falling for wolves, for our mates."

"Great," I sigh, wondering if it really could be that easy. "Will you put an end to the curse now, then?"

"No. I won't have to if I get rid of all the witches first."