“You should have killed me when you had the chance,” Phillip whispers as he presses my back against his chest, crushing me to him. Thrashing my arms and legs out, I start struggling. This is just like Adam in Dravin’s compound. His arms tighten around my waist, and my advances prove to be unsuccessful.
My magic. I call my magic to me and continue fighting against Phillip. He is a lot stronger than he looks. I wonder if strength is his power. James has strength, so maybe Phillip does too. Is magic power genetic? I throw my head back and hit him in the face. Ouch that is going to give me a headache later.
I hear a crunching noise, and Phillip growls, loosening his grip on me. Warm liquid starts dripping down my neck. I kick him in the shin, and his grip loosens further—enough for me to take a step away from him. Holding his broken nose, he jumps for me again. I turn around and try to run, but he grabs my wrist and twists, pulling me back; the tiny bones in my wrist break with his movement. I cry out as I slam into the front of Phillip’s chest, and the pain starts shooting through my arm.
Moving back slightly, I swing my leg up and kick him in the chest. The added magic causes him to let go of my wrist. Magic, I need you now. I think as I continue to take small steps backward. When Phillip regains his footing, he starts running toward me again. I need more magic. He runs right into me as I push all my magic outward.
My magic ricochets out of my body. As I fly backward from the force, I watch as Phillip does the same. I crash down in the middle of the trail and roll a couple times before coming to a stop. Hearing wood splintering, I look up and find Phillip lying at the base of a tree, unmoving. My arms and legs start to sting as the air hits my cut riddled skin. I take a couple deep breathes and wait for my breathing to return to normal.
“I’d rather deal with James,” I mumble as I try to roll over and stand. When I attempt to push myself up, I cry out as pain shoots up my arm from my injured wrist, and I fall back to the ground. Cradling my arm against my chest, I push myself up with my left arm and start running away from Phillip.
I want to go back.
As I continue running, I start to hear footsteps around me again. I can’t tell which direction they are coming from, so I run faster, hoping that I’ll be able to outrun whoever is chasing me. I am starting to feel drained from using so much magic. I need to rest a little, but I don’t trust my surroundings enough.
A man darts out from between the trees and stops in the middle of the trail in front of me. I don’t have enough time to stop. Colliding into him, we both tumble to the ground. His arms wrap around my waist, and his body cushions my fall, but I don’t give myself time to think about that. I instantly start screaming and fight to get away from him.
His grip around my waist tightens as a hand covers my mouth, silencing my screams. “Ryanne, calm down. I’m not going to hurt you!”
I still as my brain recognizes and processes the deep voice speaking to me. I look up into a pair of grey eyes. “Liam?” I ask in disbelief.
I’m so happy to see him. I can’t control the emotions that take over me. I lean down and cry into his shirt. I really want to go back. I’m tired of fighting everyone, and I’m tired of being chased around this dark forest. I want to get out of here.
“Are you okay? Are you hurt?” he inquires. I raise my head and look at him. He doesn’t know? Can he not sense my injuries here?
“I’m not hurt too bad. I think Phillip broke my wrist though. I’m scared and really confused about all this, and I want to go back,” I tell him. I sniff as I prop my elbows onto his chest and wipe my tears away with my good hand.
He opens his mouth to respond when a deeper voice speaks. “Liam?” I whip my head up and look in front of us. An older man stands a few feet away from us, staring down in shock. Liam jumps up, pulling me with him, and then pushes me behind him. I peek around his arm. This must be Valdus Hamza. I was expecting something different. He is shorter than Liam but broader. He isn’t as fit as all the other mages I’ve encountered. His long graying hair is braided down his back, and he’s staring at us through darkened eyes. A few feathers are tied into the end of his braid that is moving with the slight breeze. He definitely looks like a leader, so I can understand why Liam is really confused that he’s following the orders of someone else.
“Liam, give me the girl.” I grip onto Liam’s arm and throw up a shield around us.
“Why are you helping Dravin, Valdus?” Liam asks.
“He promised our tribe protection if I helped him. He’s promised he won’t kill her, so please give me the girl.”