Feral Magic Read online

  Zak leaned forward to catch her attention. “Were you serious before?”

  “About what?”

  “About breaking my arm.”

  Her lips parted at the way he gazed at her and something in his eyes had her heart racing. Those strange feelings stirred, tightening her stomach and though she looked away, Vixin couldn’t help the shy smile that crossed her face. “I wouldn’t push your luck.”

  Zak laid back and crossed his arms behind his head. “I’ll break through that hard shell of yours eventually.”

  Vixin found herself hoping he would.

  Chapter Six

  With morning, their training continued and somehow she felt...lighter. Vixin smiled a little more and those around her seemed to welcome the shift in her demeanor. With all her talk about awareness, she really should have noticed how she affected the rest of them.

  Vixin observed the people around her, struggling with how she should feel. Honestly, she hadn’t cared before, and couldn’t decide if she should care now. Did she want them close or cautious? Did she want friends?

  Zak stood before her; sword raised. “I feel like you’re going to accidentally slit my throat.”

  She smiled at his nervous shift. “Oh, it wouldn’t be an accident if I did.”

  “That’s comforting.”

  Vixin tilted her head. “I’d have to be pretty heartless to kill my friend.”

  “Will we ever be more than that?”

  Her breath hitched and the night before flashed through her mind, but Vixin shook it off, charged, and flipped him over her shoulder. “Depends. Can you stay on your feet?”

  He huffed and struggled to his feet. “Again.”

  ~~~

  Three weeks later, Vixin readied them for their first day of offensive training. She’d spent the time creating drills where they’d run through the woods, searching for ‘attackers’ she’d hidden in the trees. Vixin tested their endurance and strength and gave Zak’s group a confidence she hadn’t seen in them a few weeks ago.

  Much to her dismay, Zak insisted there were a few among them who didn’t need to participate, and no amount of convincing could get him to see otherwise. Everyone should at least try. Their age didn’t matter. Nor did their gender. After a time, she’d simply ignored them. If their comrades wanted to come to their rescue then so be it, but she wasn’t about to risk her life on people who wouldn’t learn to protect themselves.

  Everyone stood at the ready, their stances practiced and at least up to par. Many were still far from perfect, but she couldn’t expect perfection in this short amount of time. They’d learn on the fly or die trying.

  “Go.”

  A series of grunts followed her command and Vixin eyed those tossing their partners over their shoulders. Thankfully, Zak had chosen Sam as his partner today, enabling her to observe and correct.

  “Again.”

  They lined up, and another series of grunts followed.

  “You,” she pointed to a young man, “your stance isn’t wide enough. If you want to be able to toss your opponent, you need to be balanced.”

  He threw up his hands. “What’s the point?” Vixin raised a brow. “We have weapons. Not to mention magic. Why do we need to learn hand to hand?”

  “You need to learn yourself before you can learn extensions of yourself.”

  “I mean no offence.” He glanced toward Zak. “Honestly, but we were doing just fine without all this extra work.”

  Vixin crossed her arms. “How tall are you?”

  “Almost six foot.”

  “And how tall would you estimate me to be?”

  “I don’t know. Five three I guess?”

  “Five one, but close enough. And how much do you weigh?”

  “Two hundred, give or take?”

  “And me?”

  “What?”

  “How much do you think I weigh?”

  “Um, I don’t know.”

  “I’m one fifteen. Now, you have close to a foot and a hundred pounds on me. Pick up a weapon.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “I said pick up a weapon. I didn’t ask if you understood.” He glanced around at the others and did as he was told. “Now, cross your blade with mine and push.” He did so but Vixin growled at him. “I said to push.”

  At that, he shoved and Vixin fell onto her backside. Some in the crowd murmured, but she resisted the urge to grimace and picked herself up. “Now do it again.”

  “I don’t—”

  “I said, do it again,” she yelled.

  This time he came at her full force. She ducked under his weapon, scooted her body close to his, and threw him over her shoulder. It was a technique she’d practiced with her father a thousand times.

  He hit the ground hard and all those watching gasped.

  “You outsize me and believe it or not there will be people who outsize you. When that happens, brute force will not be enough to bring them down. Awareness, sizing up your opponent, attention to detail, all this ties in together so don’t forget it. Anyone else have questions?” They remained silent. “Good, then get back to work.”

  ~~~

  “You were pretty brutal today.” Zak sat beside her.

  “I don’t like being challenged.”

  “They’ll have questions. Daniel might look like a brute, but he’s pretty soft on the inside. Maybe go a little easier on them next time?”

  “Easier gets you killed. Speaking of, when are we leaving this place? I thought you guys didn’t stay in one spot too long?”

  “They needed a break and we had everything we needed to get by. But you’re right. It is about time to move. We’ll probably hit another spot then head back to the second realm to trade out our weapons.”

  “We haven’t even started working on magic.”

  Zak gave her a sideways smile. “Are you going to convince me you’re an expert in that already?”

  “I practice every night. I don’t see them doing the same.”

  “Is everything always this hard core with you?”

  “Get used to it. I’m not dying here, and I’ll utilize every second of every day to ensure it.”

  Zak lowered his voice. “What if you spend your whole life preparing and die anyway?”

  “Then at least I’ll go without regrets.”

  ~~~

  Zak didn’t let her drill them the next day, but Vixin still went around asking about their magical abilities. Even if she couldn’t prepare them before their next hit, she could start preparing a training regime. She paused and laughed to herself. Zak really was rubbing off on her.

  Vixin stalked through the camp and thoughts of other groups in the realm plagued her. Clearly, someone was nearby and operated with more lenient rules. They were willing to kill, maim, possibly even torture. What would happen if they encountered this group? Zak didn’t seem like the type to yield and she couldn’t envision a fight going well.

  Vixin glanced at him while he conversated with a young man, readying the people he called ‘family’ to embark on another adventure. Zak leaned to one side, stretching his back and guilt washed through her. She’d caused that. Here they were, getting ready to hit another target and Zak was still feeling the pain from her throw. If that pain hindered his ability—Zak waved, her cheeks heated, and Vixin stormed off to address another she’d seen with a red stone around his wrist.

  Will we ever be more than that?

  She’d ignored his words but hadn’t forgotten them. They were friends, but...more? She’d already messed up the friendship thing more than once so how could she hope to—Vixin shook her head. She couldn’t think about that right now. She needed to focus. They had a mission to plan and with any luck it’d go a lot smoother than the last.

  ~~~

  One look and Vixin knew this was a bad idea. They didn’t have a wall to guard them, but wall or no, these people were ready for an attack.

  “You should pick a different location,” Vixin said.


  Zak eyed her. “I didn’t think you were one to get cold feet.”

  “I’m not, but it doesn’t feel right. Look how attentive the guards are. Only one seems to be slacking and I’m willing to bet it’s only due to lack of sleep. They have traps set up in the grass and who knows what else.”

  “We’re already here, might as well give it a go.”

  He stood, but Vixin grabbed his arm. “I’m serious.”

  Zak stared at her and then looked back toward the guards. “We’ll switch plans then. You’re the most apt with magic and have the keenest eye. If you’re that worried, function as the backup instead of the assault. If you see something go wrong, yank us out.”

  “I already see something wrong.”

  “You think something’s wrong, that’s different. We’ve done this a hundred times. It’ll be fine.”

  Vixin tsked but let him go. He informed the others and several glanced at her with worried expressions. She half hoped they’d take her advice, talk some sense into Zak, but they trusted their leader more than her it seemed. Fine, let them get themselves killed over stupid pride.

  Vixin eyed the guards again and the hair on her arms stood on end. Magic charged the air, causing her own to hum with it. She clutched the knife in her belt.

  This night wasn’t going to end well.

  ~~~

  Vixin cursed. She should have seen it. She had seen it but couldn’t tell where the attack would come from. And now, the whole lot of them were trapped in the center of town, surrounded and unprepared.

  People were going to die, but Zak...Zak was her only focus. To hell with the others.

  Plants burst from the ground and wrapped around the first sentry. He didn’t even have time to scream and his eagerness to watch her friends tortured cost him his life.

  Friends. Were they all her friends now? Should she care about them like Zak did?

  Magic crackled through the air, like static before a storm. She could feel the plants wriggling beneath the earth, all poised to deliver a deadly blow. Vixin gritted her teeth and surged her magic through the ground. She wrapped them around the plants ready to strike, strangling her enemies before they became something formidable.

  Vixin could prevent earth magic, but what about the other elements? Judging from her earlier conversations, Zak’s people weren’t as apt at disabling another’s ability. She should have spent a week on it, put her focus on the physical aspects of training instead—

  Vixin skidded to a halt just before a group of guards and yanked herself up the side of a building and onto the roof. She scanned the area and crept forward with the moonlight as her guide and paused just outside a ring of people.

  Zak stood before his friends, a grimace marring his face. He had one hand outstretched as if he could protect those behind him and another on the hilt of his sword.

  She couldn’t see the face of the one who spoke next. “You’re not talking your way out of this.” He raised one arm. “Kill them.”

  Vixin’s skin prickled and the night exploded. Her magic tightened like a lease on a dog’s collar. The earth’s surface crumbled, but the deadly vines didn’t shoot toward her companions. Fire collided with fire and steam rose as water joined the fray.

  Vixin jumped from the rooftop, letting her vines impale those directly below her. She drew her knives, slashing the vital points of any who dared close the distance. There could be no mistakes. There could be no mercy.

  Sweat rolled down her face and her breathing was already uneven but Vixin shoved through the exhaustion, pouring more energy into the plant life she was struggling to restrain.

  Vixin kept her attention on Zak, hacking through her enemies as she moved toward him. A fire user fell with a thick vine protruding from his chest. Another shooting spikes of ice gurgled and hit the ground, clutching at the greenery crawling from his throat.

  “Zak!”

  He whirled at the sound of her voice and she waved him toward her. Zak kicked the man he’d been fighting and sprinted from those about to converge upon him.

  He wouldn't make it. Not with the man to his right about to swing his sword. Not with the two to the left summoning fire and ice.

  Fear exploded though her body and her magic responded, ripping from the ground by the hundreds. Thorns impaled Zak's would-be attackers and lifted them into the air.

  Vixin focused and her magic rushed toward her like a tidal wave, crashing into the walls to her right and left.

  Her vision blurred and she hit one knee, but Zak was on her in seconds, gripping her arm and lifting her from the ground.

  Screams echoed from beyond her walls. Screams from their comrades. She wanted to take him and run but one look and Vixin knew. Zak wasn't running without them.

  She took a breath and followed Zak back into the fray.

  Something exploded to their right and Vixin ducked but Zak didn't stop. It wasn't until she saw Sam that she understood.

  Fear crawled down her spine as she took in the numbers. Most possessed some sort of magic and they were converging upon Sam, rallying their strength while hers was depleting. Failing.

  Vixin tugged at the sluggish roots beneath her feet and used all her strength to keep the men from reaching Zak as he plunged his knife into the side of an unsuspecting victim. He grabbed his friend’s wrist, and charged back toward her, but an air current ripped the two apart.

  Sam skidded across the ground beyond her reach and drew his blade to face an oncoming assailant. Zak collided with the earth at her feet, knocking the wind from his chest.

  Vixin’s heart sank as she gave Sam one final glance. Fire and ice raced toward her and Zak in a cruel, twisted current. She dug deep, and with a desperate scream, Vixin harnessed every last drop of magical energy pulsing beneath her skin. It shot from the ground, layering them in a cocoon of vines and thorns.

  Her body screamed in agony, every cell feeling as though it were on fire. Zak gasped and Vixin hit her knees. Sweat poured down her face and every breath felt like razor blades digging through her chest, but she couldn’t let up. Not until—Zak placed one hand on the ground and ice spread over the grass and up the circular structure guarding them.

  Their enemies hit again, and again, and again. The structure groaned and Zak gritted his teeth.

  “The right,” her voice cracked, but Vixin shouted again, “Hit the right.”

  Zak didn’t hesitate. He blasted a hole right through her structure, grabbed her wrist, and sprinted from the camp as fast as their legs could carry them.

  Two sentinels raised their bows, but water shoved them from the roof before they could fire.

  She didn’t know how many made it out and her heart hurt for those left behind but when Zak hesitated, she grabbed his shirt and shoved him toward the safety of the trees.

  He didn’t turn back after that, but the look on his face told her of his longing to return. To help his friends likely still screaming. They’d give away his name, of that she was certain. None of them were cut out for torture and why would they be? They were normal people. People born in a time where survival wasn’t necessary. She was lucky to have a parent who taught her such skills, but why? Why was she put in a situation like this? In a place where she had to fight? Where innocents died.

  Black specs swam across her vision and Vixin cursed. She’d overused her magic, forgotten about self-preservation. Their enemies would pursue them, and she didn’t even have the strength to keep running. She needed a place to hide. Somewhere safe. If they caught her…

  The trees filtered by, the noise fading as they bolted through the forest. Her eyes scanned the area for anything. A burrow. An animal hole. A ditch. But she couldn’t focus.

  Someone said something, but their voice was muddled, and she turned to Zak’s concerned face. His lips moved again, but somehow she couldn’t understand him.

  A safe place.

  Her gaze swept over the blurring landscape.

  A safe place.

  Vixin fell right into
Zak’s arms.

  Chapter Seven

  A fire crackled, shifting and twisting its way through the dark, blissful corners of her subconscious. Vixin balked at the noise and light, fighting to escape, but it yanked her right back into a painful waking world.

  She groaned and a familiar face blocked out the fire a second later. “Hey.” Thankfully his voice was soft, almost a whisper, which either meant they were still in danger or others were sleeping. “Easy does it.” Zak assisted her to a seated position.

  She’d been exhausted before, pushing her body to its limits just to see how far it could go, but this...this was something different. A new level that made not sleeping for three days feel like a walk in the park.

  “Are we safe?” Her voice cracked and Zak handed her a waterskin. She downed half the contents before he responded.

  “Relatively. At least for the moment.” Comforting. Vixin counted the heads around her. Then counted again. Twelve. Her and Zak made Fourteen. Less than half had made it out.

  A strangled sob met her ears and Zak dipped his head. “I’m sorry. If I would have listened to you…” She didn’t comment. Not everyone needed a verbal reprimand after a mistake, sometimes the consequences were enough. Not that she had much room to talk.

  “Thank you,” Zak continued. “If you hadn’t come for us…”

  Her heart pounded at the mere thought. “I couldn’t just leave you.” Cheesy maybe, but the truth.

  His lips lifted a little, but she’d hardly call it a smile. Vixin finally let herself look at their faces. Anton and Blitz were missing. As was Sam…

  “We should head to the rendezvous point,” someone said. “There’s still a chance.”

  “Rendezvous point?”

  Zak sighed. “We set up a place, just in case we ever got separated.” He glanced at the faces around them, seeming to take in their exhausted state. “We need somewhere to lay low anyway.”