Page 103 of Ashes of Aether

Twenty-Nine

Kaely’sbraidfluttersinmyconjuredbreeze.Maliceburnsinhermagentaeyes.

She seeks to destroy me once and for all.

“Is now really the time for this?” I spit.

Kaely strides through the tunnel and closes the distance between us. “Now is the only time for this. To settle our debts and ensure that someone as undeserving as you does not become a Mage of Nolderan.” Her gaze snaps across to Eliya. “But you may go. Continue through the tunnels, pass this trial. I have no quarrel with you.”

Eliya’s jaw tightens. “That’s a shame. Since I have a quarrel with you.”

Kaely snorts an unhumorous laugh. “So be it.”

Aether sparks in her fingers. In the next heartbeat, it turns to earth magic, swirling like gaseous emeralds inside her palms.

“Tera!”Kaely calls, her voice echoing through the shadows. The green light slams into the ground a few paces ahead of us. It burrows into the stone and digs out an enormous chunk. A chasm is left in its wake. Kaely raises the rock high into the air and hurls it at me.

But aether is already blooming in my fingers. I weave it into air magic. White light whirs in my hands.

“Tempis!”I shout.

My wind spell rushes forth to meet the boulder. The violent vortex slashes through the rock like a storm of daggers. Pebbles rain on us as my magic erodes the boulder and reduces it to rubble.

Before Kaely can launch another attack, Eliya takes the offensive.

“Gelu’gladis!”

Ice shoots out from Eliya’s fingers, forming a frozen sword.

“Ignir’muriz!” A wall of flames wraps around Kaely, preventing Eliya’s icy attack from reaching her. The fire licks the frozen blade until it’s nothing but droplets. The remnants spray across the tunnel’s walls.

“Ignir’quatir!” Kaely roars.

Her fiery wall explodes. The flames spread out in all directions. The inferno scorches the surrounding stone walls and hurdles toward us with as much rage.

I barely have enough time to process the rushing flames, let alone conjure a shield. I cry outaquir’murizand do my best, converting aether to water magic as swiftly as I can.

The resulting defense is paper thin. The flames blaze through it as though it’s merely air.

Boiling heat slams into me. I collide with the ground. The back of my head strikes the stone first, and pain jolts through me like white-hot lightning. But that pales in comparison to the flames which threaten to gnaw on me until I am nothing but ash.

“Aquis! Aquis!”I scream, desperately trying to extinguish the fire engulfing me.

It takes two blasts of water before the flames die down and I can roll away. The embers at the front of my robes are snuffed out as I press my chest against the cool stone and suffocate them.

Footsteps ring out as Kaely approaches. I struggle to push myself upright. Specks of darkness scatter across my vision. Agony courses through the back of my head.

My cheek presses against the coarse stone as I turn to look at Eliya. She seems to be faring better, probably because Kaely aimed her attack at me. Though Eliya was also flung off her feet, the flames were more merciful to her. Her robes are singed, but she staggers upright and manages to stand. Unlike me. My arms fail to even push me into a sitting position.

Kaely halts before me. Smugness distorts her expression. “And here I thought you might actually put up a fight—”

“Telum!”comes Eliya’s cry.

A blast of aether flies from her hands.

“Muriz.” A powerful shield encases Kaely and absorbs Eliya’s blast. “Quatir.” The shield erupts.

Aether surges toward Eliya. She criestera’murizand hastily shapes the ground into a barrier.