Soulbonder

Chapter 50 - The Return

As Shale soared over Shimmer Bay, she was amazed at how easily she could command her flight. All it took was balance and learning how hard to press on that reserve of power simmering inside her.

Dipping down, she glided a couple of feet over the water, close enough to smell the salt. It was like she had been doing this for years. It felt so natural.

In the reflection of the grey water, amid the clouds, she saw a circle of bright light, shining as fiercely as the sun. Except it was nightfall and the sun had already set. What she saw was her own reflection, a mirrored radiance.

Eager to test herself, she leaned her chest downward, then arced her back at the last moment. Her fingers and toes skimmed the surface as she rushed back upwards. A whoop of ecstasy escaped her lips as she flew just under the clouds.

In all her life, she'd never even felt a fraction of this. It wasn't just the exhilaration of the flight, but the embrace of something that had always lain inside her. For the first time in her life, she knew herself fully, she was finally expressing that integral part of herself which had been aching to come free.

She laughed and spiralled.

But as the tendrils of low-hanging mist gave way and the plains of Starstone came starkly into view, like winter flowers emerging through melting snow, she reminded herself that she must remain serious. There were still lives in the balance.

Everything was at stake.

Her first point of contact was with the beach. It was so full of a chaotic cluster of bodies that it made her head spin. They were all tightly pressed together and shrouded by the blizzard. It was difficult to tell man from monster. They were just shaded blurs in these conditions. She couldn't begin to imagine the blind confusion of those on the ground.

She identified one figure, however, that was unmistakably the latter.

The giant had to be nine or ten times as big as a man. It towered above all else on the beach.

A tremor of fear reverberated through Shale's body, but it was just an echo from a version of herself that now resided in the past. She swept it easily aside, like a strand of loose hair, and made straight for the lumbering structure of wood and stone.

It was using a massive pair of sweeping scythes to tear down entire units of men with each swing. Many of the soldiers and Kersaja formed together to attack the giant, but even their combined efforts created little overall damage.

Nearing the giant, Shale held out her palm and focused. It came just as naturally as her flight. First her arm buzzed with heat, before a golden light exploded forth and ripped through the air like an arrow.

It struck the trollish amalgamation in the centre of its chest and stuck there like a beating heart. Enraged, the giant forgot about those on the ground and swept its scythes up towards her, attempting to swat her like an annoying bug.

But she was no insect. She was a phoenix.

Again she attacked, spraying its twisted face with another blast of fire for good measure. Then she watched, wide-eyed, as her golden flame ate through wood and stone like ants over an animal carcass. In short order, it was covered, lighting up the field of battle like a beacon.

The men, finding renewed strength, attacked again, more vigorously, creating cracks and wounds that bled torrents of dark essence. Eventually, the giant caved in and became a bonfire in the middle of the beach, illuminating all within its vicinity.

Shale was still marvelling at the sight when she heard the thrums.

There was only half a second to react, but that was all she needed. Previously, she'd been impressed by how her magic enhanced her speed and strength. But now she realised that'd only ever been a trickle through the cracks. Now, the dam had broken and she had access to a river of power.