Read Online Ever My Merlin (Book 3, My Merlin Series) by Priya Ardis - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Priya Ardis
Tags: young adult fantasy
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echoed mine.
Matt got up and walked to me. He said harshly, “This shouldn’t have happened.”
I reached out a hand to him, needing his touch, but dropped it halfway when those amber-brown eyes fixed on me. Something profound flickered in those depths. Something hard.
Vane leaned on the trident and watched the scene from a safe distance. Leonidas stood at his right. At a nod from Vane, their king, the other mermaids moved to protectively surround him. Grey stirred and sat up. The gargoyles moved to band together at his side. Beyond the bubble, the wizards on the other rooftops also gathered. All eyes were fixed on the bodies of their fallen brethren, but there was nothing they could do to help.
Vane played with the trident. “Tell me, Merlin, how many more are you willing to sacrifice today before you give me what I want?”
“No one else is going to die here today, Vane.” Matt stood up. To my shock, he grabbed Excalibur from my hand. Heaving the blade like a lance at Vane, he shouted, “ Zikara! ”
“ Zikara! ” The other wizards on our rooftop shouted in unison.
Excalibur flew straight and true across the rooftop.
“ Zikara! ” The wizards on the other rooftops echoed. One-by-one, the cry spread out like a wave.
It hit Vane just above his heart. With a yelp, he sailed backwards as the blade impaled his shoulder.
In a rainbow of multi-colored magic, a mist, spreading rapidly from the ocean behind us, attacked Vane’s bubble. With Vane now on the ground, the bubble dissipated without much of a fight. Dewy mist solidified into fog as it took over the rooftop. I could barely see the sky above, or the ocean ahead of me. Under its thick blanket, Vane lay still on the ground.
“Vane!” Leonidas said. He knelt down at Vane’s side just before the fog obscured my view.
I couldn’t help it. I took a step toward him. Matt grabbed my arm and stopped me.
“We have to go,” Matt said into my ear.
“No.” I shook my head. “Vane. Excalibur.”
“I don’t want to leave Excalibur with him, either, but we don’t have a choice. Excalibur won’t slow him down for long. He’s too powerful. He was surprised this time, but we can’t win against him right now. If we don’t go, we won’t get out at all.”
“He’s right, Ryan. We have to go while we can.” Grey stepped into view through the thick layer of mist. He held Blake. Gia followed behind him. Her hand stretched out to emit a small bubble of yellow light. It pushed back the mist a few feet from us. Two wizards carried Hari’s body. I glanced back into the grey nothingness that had overtaken the rooftop. It was a very bad idea to leave Excalibur with Vane.
An eerie acapella aria filled the rooftop as the mist started lifting. I saw the mermaids surround Vane. Their mouths were open as they emitted the haunting melody. Vane’s body rose in the air. The shroud of mist began to lift along with him.
“They’re fighting back against the fog,” Matt said. “We leave now!”
We hurried to the broken access door, past remnants of wood still attached to weakened hinges. Climbing through the slats, which hung open like drunken sots, resigned to defeat, we got out.
***
Was this my life now? I wondered a few hours later as I stood in a secluded clearing just beyond the outskirts of the city. Once you left the main drag, the area turned rural rather quickly. The darkened sky thundered beneath charged clouds and streaks of lightning flashed through small gaps. The first storm of the monsoon season threatened to drench us. Not that it mattered. We were already drowning in our own grief.
The ones whose families would want to say goodbye in their own way, were left on the roof. Placed upon a heap piled high with bent and broken wood, Hari was one of the six in the pyre in front of me. Sangeetha stood stoically beside the pyre, wearing a white sari. She watched her husband fade into ash. They’d only been married for six months.
Raj, Hari’s
Matt got up and walked to me. He said harshly, “This shouldn’t have happened.”
I reached out a hand to him, needing his touch, but dropped it halfway when those amber-brown eyes fixed on me. Something profound flickered in those depths. Something hard.
Vane leaned on the trident and watched the scene from a safe distance. Leonidas stood at his right. At a nod from Vane, their king, the other mermaids moved to protectively surround him. Grey stirred and sat up. The gargoyles moved to band together at his side. Beyond the bubble, the wizards on the other rooftops also gathered. All eyes were fixed on the bodies of their fallen brethren, but there was nothing they could do to help.
Vane played with the trident. “Tell me, Merlin, how many more are you willing to sacrifice today before you give me what I want?”
“No one else is going to die here today, Vane.” Matt stood up. To my shock, he grabbed Excalibur from my hand. Heaving the blade like a lance at Vane, he shouted, “ Zikara! ”
“ Zikara! ” The other wizards on our rooftop shouted in unison.
Excalibur flew straight and true across the rooftop.
“ Zikara! ” The wizards on the other rooftops echoed. One-by-one, the cry spread out like a wave.
It hit Vane just above his heart. With a yelp, he sailed backwards as the blade impaled his shoulder.
In a rainbow of multi-colored magic, a mist, spreading rapidly from the ocean behind us, attacked Vane’s bubble. With Vane now on the ground, the bubble dissipated without much of a fight. Dewy mist solidified into fog as it took over the rooftop. I could barely see the sky above, or the ocean ahead of me. Under its thick blanket, Vane lay still on the ground.
“Vane!” Leonidas said. He knelt down at Vane’s side just before the fog obscured my view.
I couldn’t help it. I took a step toward him. Matt grabbed my arm and stopped me.
“We have to go,” Matt said into my ear.
“No.” I shook my head. “Vane. Excalibur.”
“I don’t want to leave Excalibur with him, either, but we don’t have a choice. Excalibur won’t slow him down for long. He’s too powerful. He was surprised this time, but we can’t win against him right now. If we don’t go, we won’t get out at all.”
“He’s right, Ryan. We have to go while we can.” Grey stepped into view through the thick layer of mist. He held Blake. Gia followed behind him. Her hand stretched out to emit a small bubble of yellow light. It pushed back the mist a few feet from us. Two wizards carried Hari’s body. I glanced back into the grey nothingness that had overtaken the rooftop. It was a very bad idea to leave Excalibur with Vane.
An eerie acapella aria filled the rooftop as the mist started lifting. I saw the mermaids surround Vane. Their mouths were open as they emitted the haunting melody. Vane’s body rose in the air. The shroud of mist began to lift along with him.
“They’re fighting back against the fog,” Matt said. “We leave now!”
We hurried to the broken access door, past remnants of wood still attached to weakened hinges. Climbing through the slats, which hung open like drunken sots, resigned to defeat, we got out.
***
Was this my life now? I wondered a few hours later as I stood in a secluded clearing just beyond the outskirts of the city. Once you left the main drag, the area turned rural rather quickly. The darkened sky thundered beneath charged clouds and streaks of lightning flashed through small gaps. The first storm of the monsoon season threatened to drench us. Not that it mattered. We were already drowning in our own grief.
The ones whose families would want to say goodbye in their own way, were left on the roof. Placed upon a heap piled high with bent and broken wood, Hari was one of the six in the pyre in front of me. Sangeetha stood stoically beside the pyre, wearing a white sari. She watched her husband fade into ash. They’d only been married for six months.
Raj, Hari’s
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