Luna Queen's Fury

32 Burn It Down

Blackness begins to break and sounds come back. Screams, snaps, and snarls as the battle rages all around us. Jude once again sets me down near the wall and Ryker, taking a defensive stance.

Willow stands in the middle, no one daring to get near. The Shadowman writhes under her grip, unable to get away as she drains every ounce of energy from him. My jaw drops, seeing my cousin light up like a supernova as the last drop of energy snuffs out from him.

Kane breaks through a moment later, scooping her up as she wraps her arms and legs around him. He lets out a furious roar that has everyone near him flinching back and scrambling away.

A swirl of fire dives towards them, only to be met by a wall of water from below, filling the area with steam, giving him the time he needs to get away.

"Give it up," Leah snaps, turning to Sasha. "I'm tapped into the palace source, you can't possibly win."

I close my eyes and focus on the flow of energy, pushing everyone away, leaving just the witches.

She's right.

Whatever she did with Rebecca's blood broke the ward and she's siphoning its power. The ward has always felt somewhat alive and I see it fighting against her, not letting her take the power easily.

'She's like a parasite,' I mumble, trying to explain what I see.

'My mother must have skipped the chapter on parasites,' Mira grits out as she focuses on fending off Leah's attacks without gaining any ground.

'No she didn't,' Sasha cuts in. 'What'd she tell us about bullies?'

'Cut 'em off at the roots,' Mira replies with the ghost of a smile.

'So burn the bitch's roots and get her out of the ward,' Sasha presses on with a 'duh' tone.

'People are gonna panic,' Mira warns.

'They're already panicking!' Sasha's frustration mirrors my own, but Mira's uncertainty holds her back.

"Light it up," I call out, ending her hesitation.

Blue flames engulf her, swirling and growing until they're an inferno. People gasp and back up, but Sasha never flinches from her sisters' side, completely unaffected.

"Do it," Chris echoes, standing tall beside her.

Mira's eyes take on the silver-green of Sage's as the two tap into her full potential. She looks over her shoulder at him and nods. "Yes, Alpha."

Leah takes a step back, eyes darting around the room like she can read the writing on the wall. Defiant to the end, she casts her own wall of flames between them, red and black, oozing with tainted energy.

Mira lifts her palms and her flames lick around the room, trapping her in a circle. Leah tries to push the blue flames back but they continue to close in, burning the taint from the ward and robbing her of her added power.

People cower around the edges of the room, with nowhere to go, their gazes locked on the battle between good and evil unfolding before them. In a last-ditch attempt, Leah shoots her flames higher, trying to cave in the roof but Sasha already saw it coming.

She took the water, making ice spires like trees to support the crumbling structure. The momentary distraction is all Mira needs to cinch her flames closed and cut Leah off from her source, completely breaking her connection to the ward.

Leah screams as the blue flames devour her, yet I can't find an ounce of pity for her. Brilliant white light flashes and the flames blink out of existence, leaving a blue and white crystal in its place.