I fought back, his power pushed my hand closer to the blade.
“Your arrogance will be the end of you, Mr. Williams. Just as it was your arrogance that killed your mother.”
I reached inside and called for my elements. Earth magic charged through my body, and although my hand was wrapped around the handle of my blade, I could feel the earth come alive beneath me like a sixth sense.
“How dare you bring her into this!”
Magic drilled from my body into the earth. It poured out of my soul and dripped down through my knees, swirling like grains of sand into the ground.
Cool, moist air pushed back his magic and the ground shook. Vincent stumbled and his magic wavered, leaving me a moment to get everything under control. I jumped to my feet and brought my fist up from the ground. Dirt and rocks floated through the air, wrapping around my hand and arm. Earth magic pulsed through my fingers, pulling the power tight around me. My fist smashed into Vincent’s chin and the earth that came with it plowed into him.
His jaw shifted beneath my fist and jerked to the side. The force shattered the bone and his jaw unhinged, sagging off his face. Vincent stumbled back, and his eyes rolled back into his head.
The power that had invaded my mind vanished, and I threw my other arm toward him. Heat rose in my chest and down my arm, sparking at my fingertips. A stream of blue flame exploded from my palm, flashing red, and then an intense white.
Vincent screamed as the flame swallowed his body and he crumpled to the ground, but the pain was not only his. Anger flooded through me, and heat seared the wound on my chest.
“Chase Williams, stop this!” Tiki’s voice rang in my ear, but I didn’t hold back. I pushed through the pain with a clenched jaw and let anger guide me. This was the last time Vincent would get in my way. “Chase!” Tiki shouted again, before his hands gripped my shoulders and threw me to the ground.
Magic sucked itself back inside me and anger burned in my eyes. Tiki stared down at me, the orange of his eyes gone and replaced by a solid white. Long bone claws were half extended from his fingertips and the tips of white bone had started protruding from his arms.
Tiki was stronger than I’d imagined and I fought against his hold, but the spikes on his arm were touching my throat, and struggling would only force me to stab myself.
“That is enough,” Tiki said.
“Get out of my way.”
“And this is the anger that puts us all at risk!” Tiki shouted. “I will die for you if that is my destiny, Chase Williams, but I will not let you kill us with your rage.”
I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. Tiki’s words had snuffed out the flame that had burned inside me.
“We told Vincent we’d help him. A warrior never goes back on his word. Not ever.”
“I never gave him my word, and I promised him nothing.”
Trolls gathered around us, smashing their cups together and watching with anticipation.
“He asked for help, and the moment we brought him here, we agreed to honor that request.”
“No, I didn’t agree to anything! I saved his life and that was more than I needed to do.”
“ I was the one who brought us here. That is my gift to wield, not yours. If you want nothing to do with that commitment, so be it, but as I once offered my services to you, I have now extended that invitation to him as well.”
Vincent screamed and flailed on the ground, trying to pull himself towards the river, but his body was slow and sluggish. The smell of burning skin filled the air, and it singed the back of my throat.
Tiki looked fiercely determined, and I felt it in his eyes. He had made up his mind.
I relaxed my body and stopped fighting against him. He was right.
The moment I nodded, he pushed himself off me and ran as close to Vincent as he could get.
I sat up from the ground and rubbed my throat, but Tiki’s eyes were still burning through me. His demon had fully receded, and he motioned me towards
“Your arrogance will be the end of you, Mr. Williams. Just as it was your arrogance that killed your mother.”
I reached inside and called for my elements. Earth magic charged through my body, and although my hand was wrapped around the handle of my blade, I could feel the earth come alive beneath me like a sixth sense.
“How dare you bring her into this!”
Magic drilled from my body into the earth. It poured out of my soul and dripped down through my knees, swirling like grains of sand into the ground.
Cool, moist air pushed back his magic and the ground shook. Vincent stumbled and his magic wavered, leaving me a moment to get everything under control. I jumped to my feet and brought my fist up from the ground. Dirt and rocks floated through the air, wrapping around my hand and arm. Earth magic pulsed through my fingers, pulling the power tight around me. My fist smashed into Vincent’s chin and the earth that came with it plowed into him.
His jaw shifted beneath my fist and jerked to the side. The force shattered the bone and his jaw unhinged, sagging off his face. Vincent stumbled back, and his eyes rolled back into his head.
The power that had invaded my mind vanished, and I threw my other arm toward him. Heat rose in my chest and down my arm, sparking at my fingertips. A stream of blue flame exploded from my palm, flashing red, and then an intense white.
Vincent screamed as the flame swallowed his body and he crumpled to the ground, but the pain was not only his. Anger flooded through me, and heat seared the wound on my chest.
“Chase Williams, stop this!” Tiki’s voice rang in my ear, but I didn’t hold back. I pushed through the pain with a clenched jaw and let anger guide me. This was the last time Vincent would get in my way. “Chase!” Tiki shouted again, before his hands gripped my shoulders and threw me to the ground.
Magic sucked itself back inside me and anger burned in my eyes. Tiki stared down at me, the orange of his eyes gone and replaced by a solid white. Long bone claws were half extended from his fingertips and the tips of white bone had started protruding from his arms.
Tiki was stronger than I’d imagined and I fought against his hold, but the spikes on his arm were touching my throat, and struggling would only force me to stab myself.
“That is enough,” Tiki said.
“Get out of my way.”
“And this is the anger that puts us all at risk!” Tiki shouted. “I will die for you if that is my destiny, Chase Williams, but I will not let you kill us with your rage.”
I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. Tiki’s words had snuffed out the flame that had burned inside me.
“We told Vincent we’d help him. A warrior never goes back on his word. Not ever.”
“I never gave him my word, and I promised him nothing.”
Trolls gathered around us, smashing their cups together and watching with anticipation.
“He asked for help, and the moment we brought him here, we agreed to honor that request.”
“No, I didn’t agree to anything! I saved his life and that was more than I needed to do.”
“ I was the one who brought us here. That is my gift to wield, not yours. If you want nothing to do with that commitment, so be it, but as I once offered my services to you, I have now extended that invitation to him as well.”
Vincent screamed and flailed on the ground, trying to pull himself towards the river, but his body was slow and sluggish. The smell of burning skin filled the air, and it singed the back of my throat.
Tiki looked fiercely determined, and I felt it in his eyes. He had made up his mind.
I relaxed my body and stopped fighting against him. He was right.
The moment I nodded, he pushed himself off me and ran as close to Vincent as he could get.
I sat up from the ground and rubbed my throat, but Tiki’s eyes were still burning through me. His demon had fully receded, and he motioned me towards
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