THE TRAITORS SPELL
1086 Words
AURORA'S POV
The sight of the wolves lunging at us froze the blood in my veins.
One, two, six or eight, too many to count, with their fangs bared to sight, their snarls ripping through the silence we had earlier clung to.
The plan, which had been simple in theory, had shattered quickly within a second.
Without thinking, my hands flared out, my mouth moved, forming a spell that burst like thunder, sending the lycans flying but another batch tore through, rushing like hungry predators.
I felt a strong grip pull at my side, it was Colt. His voice, usually laced with teasing or cold anger, was now a sharp, rough chant. His arms swept up, and a shimmering light flickered but before he could create another barrier, two wolves attacked from the side.
ZA-KA-RIS
I yelled blasting the wolves with a spell enough to leave them wounded.
"Hold steady,” I heard my father's command to the other witches, his voice sharp as the tension in the air.
My pulse drummed faster, and slight pain shot through my arm where my aura was still active.
Colt came to stand beside me, his hand still out with a barrier that prevented a few wolves from attacking
“You good?” he asked
I nodded, though my fingers trembled.
“Good enough.”
“You always say that,” he muttered with a ghost of a grin, but it didn’t reach his eyes.
The ground vibrated, and afterward, came the sound of low, menacing growls rolling through the space as more lycans approached.
Dozens. No… more.
Ragnar raised his hand.
“On my mark...." he instructed and everyone steadied and at his command, I threw my hands forward, murmuring incantations under my breath.
A stream of light erupted from my palm, washing over the front line of wolves.
They yelped, the pain burning with a sting, but relentlessly, they kept coming, faster this time.
More lycans poured from the tree line, herding us and tightening the small circle we'd created.
One of the witches summoned roots from the earth to entangle another, in an attempt to cage them but the wolves simply tore through them, their powerful muscles yielding. Bolts of energy were thrown at them but they easily evaded the attacks
I frowned wondering how.
Something was wrong.
A scream cut through the night, pulling our attention over to Raven, one of the witches who had just gone down when a wolf attacked him, a claw ripping across his arm.
Instinctively, I ran forward, but Colt caught my wrist.
“Stay in formation!”
“Let me heal him....."
“Focus!!"
He hissed and the command hit like a slap.
I turned back to the fight, but my magic was faltering, my concentration was slipping beneath the weight of the chaos.
The lycans weren’t fighting like beasts, they moved with precision and coordinated strikes, almost like the pack knew their plans before they cast them.
Scrambling through the fight, my eyes landed on Leo, one of our own. He was chanting, his hands moving, contributing to the defensive spells we were casting, but his movements were off. Instead of attacking the wolves, he was doing the complete opposite, warding off spells that were cast on the lycans.
“Leo?” I called out, my voice breaking.
He didn’t respond.
“Leo!” I yelled again, louder this time, stepping out of the barrier
“What are you d.....?”
A massive wolf suddenly leaped at me from the side, and Colt’s hand flashed out, slamming the wolf with a spell that sent it flying
“Aurora, focus!” he barked but I couldn’t stop watching Leo, especially when his eyes shifted from the enemy and settled on my father.
My stomach twisted and my blood ran cold as I watched him chant a spell, targeting my father
“Dad, watch out!” I screamed but a second later, a heavy burst of energy knocked him out, sharp and brutal, it slammed him to the dirt, a visible trail of blood covering his skull. He was completely dazed, with a cut on his forehead bleeding freely.
"Ragnar!" Colt exclaimed but that split second of distraction cost him, his barrier shattered and three lycans burst through, their claws ready to tear skin and jaws ready to bite.
With eyes like molten gold, they lunged straight for Colt and instinctively, without thinking, I threw myself between them. A stupid move caused by my panic.
I raised my hands, creating a weak shield spell even though I knew it wouldn't be enough, and just as suspected, it wasn't enough.
Pain exploded through my side as I hit the ground. I felt the hot breath of the beast at my throat, the sharp sting of its claw on my flesh, and the smell of its snarl.
I looked up, my gaze frantically searching for help when it landed on Leo, standing still, not fighting, not defending. He was just… watching. A ghost of a smile played on his lips as he observed our desperate, failing struggle and defeat, my eyes fell to my father who had been knocked unconscious, still bleeding, Colt was also in a dire position as well as the rest of us.
My blood boiled and something within me snapped. The fire I’d always kept buried deep and secret roared awake.
My vision blurred into pure gold, my heart hammered and the mark by my arm burned.
Flames surged out of me in a wave, engulfing the wolf on top of me. It yelped, thrashing its body as fire ate brutally through its fur, but the flames didn’t stop there, they spread, wild and wicked, searing the grass, the air, and the space around me.
“Aurora!” Colt yelled, but his voice was distant, I barely heard him.
The world pulsed red and gold, every sound echoing through my skull. I struggled, trying to hold on, just like I've been doing for the past four years but this time, the beast inside me was done hiding.
My bones cracked. My skin stretched, at first painfully but then freely, as if breaking out from the cage I'd placed it in, and then there was silence.
When the light faded, I was no longer on two feet, and a low growl vibrated from my chest as I lifted my head. The world looked sharper, clearer. The scents of blood, smoke, and dust were more vivid and pronounced, almost overwhelming.
- Writer
