A Dawn of Strength Read online

  I was relieved as Corrine and a dozen more of our battle-worn witches appeared alongside Ibrahim and began to help him arouse the prisoners.

  “Watch out!” I yelled. Half a dozen of our werewolves and vampires were flying through the air toward us—which meant that the black witches were heading our way too.

  Ibrahim, Corrine and the others made themselves invisible, and I was disappointed to see that none of them had managed to free even one of the captives. As the new wave of captives were lowered to the ground alongside the rest, there was an anguished scream. Julisse appeared from thin air and knelt beside her sister, rolling her over and clutching her in her arms.

  “No!” she sobbed. “No!” She looked around at her companions who’d appeared by her side and pounded the sand with her fist. “Who did this?” she screamed.

  Silently, I raised my gun again. I didn’t have enough ammunition on me to attempt to shoot all the black witches who’d just appeared here, but I could make a start.

  I was about to pull the trigger on Julisse when a burst of flames engulfed the group of witches and blocked my vision. I turned to see an armored figure riding atop a giant black dog with ferocious red eyes.

  So Derek Novak is back for more… I’d hoped he’d be more careful this time, but the blazing in his eyes told me that his almost death at the hands of Rhys had done nothing to mellow him out.

  By the time the flames had cleared, all the witches had vanished along with Arielle’s body. Ibrahim flew toward Derek and, gripping him by the waist, vanished with him and the dog too.

  I breathed out in frustration. I don’t know how long it’s going to take to make any headway if everyone keeps vanishing like this. More and more stiff bodies were being added to the pile of hostages by the minute. If we didn’t find a way to free them before too many piled up, it wouldn’t be long before the witches headed straight for the mountains… Those chambers were protected by various spells, but I had no doubt that it was only a matter of time before they figured out how to penetrate them. They’d easily broken through Mona’s shield around the island, after all.

  I climbed higher up in the tree in an attempt to get a better view of the struggle and perhaps catch sight of more witches I could shoot down when a symphony of howling broke out on the beach below.

  I stared down in horror to see the werewolves among us had begun to transform into their wolf forms. I cast my eyes toward the darkening horizon outside the boundary of the island.

  Of course.

  Night has arrived outside The Shade.

  It was impossible to fire a gun with paws. Without the ability to fire long-distance, werewolves were hardly of use against these witches.

  We’d just lost half of our already waning army.

  Chapter 27: Derek

  There was only one thought circling in my head as I surveyed the damage that had been done since I’d been away: We can’t let them reach the mountains.

  Now that the werewolves had transformed into their wolf forms, their guns lying useless on the sand, they’d become horrifyingly easy targets. Hordes of invisible black witches swooped down at once and grabbed them, paralyzing them and carrying them over to where they’d piled up the rest of their captives.

  Now just the vampires who hadn’t yet been taken and a few witches were the only ones left to distract them from venturing further inland.

  “We have to free them, Ibrahim,” I growled beneath my breath as we stood invisible in the waves.

  “We tried, but their bonds are tougher than we could have imagined. We’re going to need time.”

  “We don’t have time.”

  From the corner of my eye, I caught sight of three of the vampires in alliance with the black witches approaching to our left. Their eyes were fixed on Xavier and Landis, who were crouched down behind a bush in combat. The trio yelped in shock as I shot a blaze of fire toward them, forcing them to retreat.

  Ibrahim gripped my shoulder and Shadow’s collar, moving us all again to a different location along the beach. We had to keep moving around to keep the black witches off our trail. As soon as one of them spotted my flames, at least two would be headed toward me. For Sofia’s sake, I couldn’t allow myself to get hit by a curse again.

  “Where’s Mona?” I whispered. “Corrine said she was in combat with Rhys.”

  “I don’t know where she is,” he replied. “But we need to find her. I’m sure she’d be able to free the hostages much faster than the rest of us witches combined.”

  My gut clenched as several black witches came into view in the clearing leading up to the Port—Rhys leading the way. They were heading toward the forest.

  Ibrahim swore. “Seems we’ve already lost the battle to keep them distracted.”

  “No,” I breathed. “Not yet.” I dug my fingers into his forearm. “Take me to them.”

  Even if it meant burning down every redwood in The Shade, I was going to delay them getting to those mountains.

  Chapter 28: Rose

  But how could it be that Ben and I possessed powers like our father? It made no sense. How could we have passed all these years without knowing it?

  I went through every reason why the idea was ridiculous, yet the image of my father shooting flames replayed over and over in my mind. It was as though it had been engraved in my mind and I could think of nothing else even though I tried.

  Even though I felt stupid for it, I decided to humor the idea for a moment. I stood up straight and positioned my hands downward.

  So, fire, where art thou?

  After standing still for a minute, flexing my fingers and feeling like a fool, I flipped my palms over and stared at them.

  It must just be that my father’s powers aren’t inheritable. Cora endowed him with those powers, and him alone.

  “Hello, Rose.”

  I jumped. My first thought was that someone from within the mountains had found me hiding up here, but as I spun around toward the source of the voice I found myself face to face with a beautiful blonde woman. I recognized her instantly. She was the witch who’d hidden in the yacht Caleb, Micah and I had travelled in. Hermia Adrius.

  I’d been so wrapped up in my own thoughts, I hadn’t even heard her approach.

  “You need to come with me,” she said.

  To my horror, she lunged toward me and motioned to grab my arm.

  I didn’t know how my reflexes were so fast—perhaps it was just the allergy I’d developed to being kidnapped—but before she could touch me, I lifted my knee and thrust it into her groin.

  “Not again,” I growled.

  She staggered back, cursing beneath her breath.

  I lost no time in racing back to the hole. Lowering myself into it, I’d almost lost sight of her when her hand reached down and closed around my forearm.

  “No!” I shouted.

  I jerked my arm downward, but as it turned out, there was really no need. The moment her palm touched my skin, she yelped and leapt backward as though I’d just… burned her.

  I stared down at my palms, hardly daring to believe my eyes. My fingertips were glowing orange.

  This isn’t real.

  Almost as soon as the thought entered my head, heat erupted between my shoulder blades. My forehead broke out in a sweat as the warmth flowed down my arms toward my hands. Pulse upon pulse of heat began pumping through my body until sweat was drying on my skin before it had a chance to form in drops. My fingertips were now a bright red.

  I was an oven.

  The tunnel was suddenly horribly claustrophobic. I could barely breathe. I needed the wind, the fresh air that only climbing back out onto the cliff would bring. Even though Hermia was still up there, in that moment of madness, facing off with a witch actually seemed more desirable than remaining inside.

  Climbing back out of the hole, I looked up at the witch, who was frozen to the spot, staring at me in astonishment as she nursed a nasty-looking burn on her right palm.

  My arms began to shake
, the heat rising beneath my skin until I could no longer contain it. A giant blaze of fire burst from my fingertips. My eyes watered as I stood before the fire, my throat drying out as I breathed in the heat.

  Whoa.

  As the fire subsided, the heat began to build again. I gazed at Hermia, who was now looking beyond nervous.

  Although I felt crazy for doing it, I moved closer to her. “Why don’t you touch me again, Hermia?”

  She stepped backward as I approached her until she reached the point where one more step would send her off the cliff.

  “Hm? What’s wrong?” I raised my eyebrows, feigning confusion. “Come on, let’s go. I thought you were in a hurry.”

  As I lunged forward to grab her arm, she disappeared from the spot. I couldn’t help but grin as I stared at the blank space where she’d been standing.

  Well, that takes care of her.

  I was so used to being taken advantage of by supernatural beings more powerful than myself, I couldn’t describe how exhilarating it was to see the fear in that white witch’s eyes as she looked at me.

  I turned back to look out at the beach, where the struggle was still going on in full strength.

  Perhaps now I had an excuse to go down and help. If I could wield this fire on a whim, I would no longer be a hindrance.

  But that was a big if.

  I glanced down at my palms. What had suddenly made this heat build up in me?

  Several theories whirred through my brain, but I was sure of none of them. For now, I had to leave that question and focus on discovering whether I could control this power and call upon it on demand. If either of these two things weren’t possible, it would be a huge risk leaving the mountains.

  The second wave of heat was still building up in my palms. I spread my legs out, steeling myself against the blaze as it shot out from my palms and licked the darkness. As it died down, I balled up my palms and placed them at my sides.

  The first thing I had to accomplish was controlling when the blaze came. If I couldn’t, it would be too dangerous to expose myself to those I cared about.

  I tried to turn my thoughts to other things for the next minute or so and not think about the fire, but to my disappointment, it didn’t make any difference. A third wave of heat took over my body and I had no choice but to expel it.

  I could really do with some fatherly advice right now.

  I decided that if I’d made no progress after an hour, I’d leave the mountains and try to seek out my father. I had no doubt that I’d be able to control these newfound powers much faster under his tutelage. In the meantime, I’d keep trying to figure it out by myself.

  I tried everything I could think of to suppress the flames—from burying my hands in a pool of water I found among the rocks, to sitting on my palms. Nothing made a difference. When the fire wanted to escape, it escaped.

  After half an hour had passed, I realized that I probably wouldn’t have made any more substantial progress in another half hour. I’d just have to try to travel as inconspicuously as possible through the forest in search of him.

  I scoffed. Yeah. As inconspicuous as a walking firework.

  I was about to begin searching out the safest route in climbing down the mountain when something caught my eye far out to sea. I might have mistaken it for a cloud, except it was moving too swiftly. I walked to the edge of the cliff, straining to make out what it was.

  Slowly, it became clear that the cloud wasn’t a solid mass. It was made up of a number of individual bodies… a flock of birds, perhaps.

  Large birds.

  Very large birds.

  I kept trying to convince myself that they must be birds until the flock drew too close for me to continue deluding myself. My jaw dropped as the truth sank in.

  A horde of dragons was racing toward The Shade.

  Angry dragons.

  Very angry dragons.

  Chapter 29: Derek

  Ibrahim transported us about a hundred feet away from where the black witches were hurrying along the forest path.

  One advantage we had was that they didn’t know exactly where we were keeping our humans—at least, I assumed that was why they didn’t just vanish themselves to the Black Heights directly. They’d have to search the island first. But that wouldn’t take long with their abilities if we didn’t throw a wrench in the works fast.

  Crouching down behind a thorny thicket, Ibrahim let go of Shadow’s collar, slapping his backside and sending him scampering away. This forest would be no place for a dog in a few moments.

  “Now,” I whispered, “leave me and try to find Mona. Send her here along with the other witches to help me head them off.”

  I sensed he was about to argue, but he didn’t. He did as I’d requested and left my side.

  It was time to start walling them off. Even though it killed me to damage our forest, I stepped out and began pulsing flame after flame until all the trees surrounding us were ablaze. The witches stopped on the path, staring around at the fire encroaching on them. As I stood in the center of the path, Corrine appeared by my side along with seven other witches. But to my disappointment, Mona wasn’t among them.

  “Help me keep these flames up,” I said.

  Torrents of water began to shoot from the black witches’ palms toward my fire. I created more flames with the help of my comrades. Rhys and his people soon tired of this game, however, as they began aiming curses in our direction.

  Although—as I’d almost experienced firsthand—one of these curses alone would be enough to end any one of us, I couldn’t help but feel grateful that at least my plan was working. We just had to keep this up for as long as we could. I shoved aside thoughts of what would happen when we could continue no longer. I couldn’t think that far ahead.

  An unexpected blast of fire erupted from my left, breaking through my thoughts. I couldn’t understand how. I’d thought I’d just distanced myself from the other witches. Spinning around toward the source of the flames, I almost had a heart attack.

  “Rose?”

  Chapter 30: Rose

  “Dad, we’ve got a problem.”

  My father’s face was contorted with shock, his mouth opening and closing like a fish.

  “What… How…What in hell’s name are you doing out here?”

  “Watch.” Feeling the fire once again demanding escape, I spread out my fingertips and aimed them at the wall of flames my father and the witches were creating.

  He let out a gasp. “How is it possible?” he whispered.

  “I don’t know, but you need to listen to me.”

  “Derek, get down!” Corrine screamed.

  My father grabbed my arm and leapt with me behind the trunk of a thick tree, narrowly avoiding a curse.

  His bright blue eyes flickered in the firelight. I’d never seen my father look so terrified. “You can’t be here,” he said, shaking me. “Return to the mountains!”

  “No! Dad, listen to me! The d—”

  I couldn’t even finish my sentence as Corrine appeared by my side and, grabbing my arm, vanished me from the spot. To my horror, we appeared again outside the clearing in front of the entrance to the Black Heights.

  The witch swore as she stumbled back away from me. She looked from her burnt palm to me. “What is this?”

  “I don’t know! All I know is that a horde of dragons is about to reduce this island and everyone on it to ashes.”

  As if on cue, a deafening thunder of roars echoed down from the sky. My spine tingled and the hairs on my arms stood on end.

  “They’re here for me, Corrine,” I breathed. “And they won’t stop until they’ve found me.”

  All the color drained from her face as she hurried toward the entrance of the mountain. “We need to get you inside!”

  “No!” I said. “Locking me away will only sentence every single person on this island to certain death. I have to reach them before they begin breathing fire.” I wanted to grip her shoulders and shake her into u
nderstanding, but stopped myself as I remembered that my touch would burn her again. “Please, Corrine. I’m the cause of so much trouble for our island as it is…” My voice choked up. “I-I can’t bear to see any of my people suffer more because of me.”

  Everything about Corrine’s expression told me that she was battling with herself to refuse my request. I was now beginning to sorely regret going to warn my father at all. I should have expected him to try to protect me, but I’d just wanted to warn him about the threat so that he at least knew what was coming.

  I was relieved when I finally saw a flicker of resignation in Corrine’s eyes.

  “What are you going to do?” she asked, her voice trembling.

  I paused, biting my lip. The truth was, I had no idea what I was going to do. All I knew was that I was the person who had to do it.

  I cleared my throat and looked at her darkly. “I’m going to settle some unfinished business.”

  Chapter 31: Caleb

  It felt as though the whole island trembled when the deafening roars echoed all around us. I’d been so preoccupied, I hadn’t looked up at the sky to notice the dragons’ approach. But now that I did, they’d already flown within the boundary of the island.

  My fear had come to pass. Charis had made it back to his realm and stirred up the fury of his countrymen. The worst part was, this was my fault. I’d had the opportunity to end Charis, but I’d blown it. I’d let him get away.

  Everyone on the beach froze as we all stared up at the sky—even our enemies were arrested in their spots. Nobody knew what to do. Did we continue struggling against one another? Did we turn our energies toward the dragons? Or did we attempt to flee?

  I was blown away by the sheer magnitude of the dragons’ horde. There must have been at least fifty of them. One alone was enough to burn down The Shade within a couple of hours. I shuddered to imagine the destruction that was about to ensue.