Page 115 of Wedded Witch

“Don’t stop,” Ri adds, his voice low but filled with conviction. “We’re here.”

Their support fuels me, strengthening my resolve. I dig deeper, pulling more magic from the Aether, feeling it twist and surge through my veins as it knits with the guys’ earth, air, fire and water magic.

The power is almost too much, a tidal wave threatening to drown me, but I hold on. I have to.

“You think you can beat me with parlour tricks?” Morfran snarls, his amusement fading into something darker, more dangerous. He lifts his hand, and a tendril of dark energy shoots toward me, aimed straight at my chest.

I barely have time to react. I throw up a shield, instinct driving my magic forward, and the tendril smashes into it with a deafening crack. The force of it knocks me back a step, my breath catching in my throat, but the shield holds. Just.

“Not so easy, is it?” I snap, my voice shaky but defiant.

Morfran’s eyes narrow, his expression hardening. “I’ve been toying with you, witch. But no more.”

The ground beneath us shakes violently, and his power gathers, increases, grows. It’s a storm of dark energy swirling around him.

He’s preparing for the final blow, the one that will shatter everything.

I can’t let that happen.

“Now!” I shout, my voice carrying over the roar of the earth, and in an instant, the others spring into action. Kel and Ri rush forward, moving in unison as they channel their own magic into the wards, strengthening them, reinforcing the barrier between us and Morfran.

Sol stays close to me, his focus sharp as he watches for any sign of weakness, ready to shield me if necessary.

I focus on the Aether magic again, feeling it pulse inside me, wild and untamed. Elias’s words echo in my mind, reminding me of what I’m supposed to be—a master of balance, of power.But how? How do I control something that feels like it’s ready to tear me apart?

I grit my teeth, forcing the magic to bend to my will. “Come on,” I whisper, my hands shaking as I push the power outward, feeding it into the wards, into the earth, into the very air around us. The energy ripples out in waves, creating a protective dome, a final barrier between us and Morfran’s darkness.

For a moment, everything is still.

And then Morfran strikes.

A wave of dark energy slams into the wards, and this time, the force is unbearable. The barrier cracks, splintering under the weight of his power. It buckles, the strain too much for even the Aether magic to hold.

Pain radiates through me so sharply, that I gasp and lose concentration for a split second.

“Swyn!” Oland’s voice cuts through the chaos, but I can’t focus on him. I can’t focus on anything but keeping the wards intact, as I pull my focus back and redouble my efforts to keep evil at bay.

The world around me blurs, and the magic slips from my grasp, unravelling.

“No,” I gasp, pushing harder, but it’s too late. The wards shatter, and the darkness surges forward, crashing toward us like a tidal wave.

I brace for impact.

But it never comes.

Suddenly, the darkness stops, as if it’s been yanked back by an invisible force. I blink, disoriented, and then I see it—him. A figure, cloaked in light, standing at the edge of my vision.

Elias. Gramps.

His voice rings out, calm and commanding. “The balance, Swyn. Remember the balance.”

I don’t have time to question how or why he’s here. I just know what I have to do.

I close my eyes, letting the magic flow through me, not trying to control it this time, butguidingit, balancing it with the force of Morfran’s darkness. It’s like walking a tightrope, one wrong move and everything will collapse.

But I don’t falter. I can’t.

I am the master of Aether.