Chapter 102
The tunnels were heavy with tension, the air thick with the acrid scent of fear and desperation. Every face I passed bore the same expression—terror mixed with a flicker of hope. They were looking to me, and I couldn’t let them down. Jake walked beside me, his presence solid and grounding, though his jaw was clenched so tightly I thought it might crack.
“They’re expecting you to fix this,” he murmured, his voice low but steady.
“I know,” I said, though the weight of those words pressed down on my chest. Magic burned beneath my skin, restless and ready.
Jake stopped walking, catching my arm and pulling me gently but firmly to face him. His sharp green eyes locked on mine. “Are you ready for this, Priscilla?”
I sighed, running a hand through my hair. “Do I have a choice?”
His lips twitched in what could barely be called a smile. “You always have a choice.”
I squeezed his hand briefly before pulling away. “Not when it comes to this. If I don’t take action, people will die. I can feel Jena’s magic out there, Jake. It’s everywhere, like poison in the air.” My voice tightened, and I forced myself to take a calming breath. “I need to act.”
His jaw worked, frustration clear in the set of his shoulders. “You always put yourself on the front line,” he muttered.
“Because that’s where I need to be.”
Before he could respond, Fatima appeared, her face pale and drawn. “The wards are weakening,” she said, her voice trembling. “I think... I think they’re testing the barriers.”
I felt the magic in the air shift, a subtle vibration that made the hairs on the back of my neck rise. “How long do we have?”
“Minutes,” she said, wringing her hands. “Maybe less.”
Jake’s gaze snapped to mine. “Then let’s move.”
The entrance to the tunnels was chaos. Chris and a handful of other warriors held a defensive line, weapons at the ready, as massive spiders clawed at the glowing wards I’d set earlier. The creatures were relentless, their enormous bodies pressing against the shimmering barrier, black fangs gnashing in frustration.
“Hold the line!” Chris shouted as one spider reared back and slammed into the ward, sending a ripple of energy through the protective circle.
I stepped forward, pushing through the line of warriors. “I’ve got this.”
Chris turned, his face grim but determined. “You’d better, Luna. Because this won’t hold much longer.”
I knelt just beyond the barrier, placing both hands flat on the cold, damp ground. Closing my eyes, I reached out with my magic, searching for the threads of energy that connected the spiders to Jena.
It was there, faint but unmistakable—a dark, pulsing current that thrummed with malevolence.
I whispered an incantation under my breath, weaving threads of light into the ward. The barrier flared brighter, forcing the spiders back with a hiss of protest.
But it wasn’t enough.
“These things aren’t stopping,” Jake said, his blade gleaming in the dim light.
“They’re tied to her,” I replied, my voice strained. “If I can sever that connection, they’ll fall.”
“And if you can’t?” he asked, his tone tight.
“Then we burn them,” I said, rising to my feet.
The air crackled with tension as I prepared the spell. I drew a circle of salt around myself, whispering words of power as I poured my energy into the symbols etched on the ground. The spiders outside the barrier seemed to sense the shift, their movements growing more frantic.
“Jake, keep them off me,” I said without looking up.
“Always,” he replied, stepping closer to the barrier with his sword at the ready.
As the spell took shape, I felt the familiar tug of the magical current, pulling me into its depths. Images flashed through my mind—Jena’s cruel smile, her hands weaving dark magic, and the towering form of Jacob at her side.
“You can’t win,” Jena’s voice whispered in my mind, cold and mocking. “This is only the beginning.”
“I’ve heard that before,” I muttered, focusing harder.
I followed the current, tracing it back to its source. It led me to the center of the pack house ruins, where the web of magic was strongest.
“What are you hiding, Jena?” I murmured, delving deeper.
My body tensed as I felt a shift in the air. The spell was working, but it was also drawing attention. The spiders outside the barrier let out a collective screech, their claws slashing at the wards with renewed fury.
“Priscilla!” Jake shouted as the barrier began to falter.
“I need more time!” I yelled back, pouring everything I had into the spell.
The threads of magic unraveled further, revealing the heart of Jena’s power. It was a pulsating core of darkness, anchored deep within the ruins. If I could destroy it, I could sever her control over the spiders.
But as I reached for the core, a wave of black energy surged toward me. My circle of salt flared, holding it back, but just barely.
“This is getting worse!” Fatima cried, her voice high-pitched with panic.
The spiders broke through the first layer of the barrier, their monstrous forms advancing toward us.
“Jake, now!” I shouted.
Jake didn’t hesitate. He lunged forward, his blade slicing through the nearest spider with a ferocity that sent black ichor splattering across the ground. Chris and the others joined the fight, their weapons flashing as they held the creatures at bay.
I focused all my energy on the spell, forcing my way past the wave of darkness. The core was within reach, its energy pulsing like a heartbeat.
“Come on,” I whispered, reaching for it with a strand of light.
The moment my magic touched the core, it shattered. The air vibrated with the force of the backlash, and a wave of light exploded outward, throwing me backward.
When I opened my eyes, the barrier was gone. The spiders were still there, but they were slower, more disoriented.
“It worked,” I said, staggering to my feet.
Jake caught me before I could fall, his arms steady and warm. “You did it.”
I nodded, my breath coming in shallow gasps. But the moment of relief was short-lived. From the shadows of the ruins, more spiders emerged—bigger and more ferocious than before.
“Damn it,” Jake muttered, pulling me behind him.
Fatima screamed as one of the creatures lunged toward her. Chris intercepted it, driving his blade deep into its abdomen.
“We can’t keep this up!” he shouted.
He was right. We were outnumbered, and the spiders were relentless.
“We need to regroup,” I said, my voice hoarse. “Get everyone underground.”
Jake hesitated, his eyes scanning the battlefield. “We’ll hold them off. Get them to safety.”
“No,” I said firmly. “We do this together.”
Jake’s gaze softened for a brief moment before he nodded. “Together, then.”
The retreat was chaotic, but we managed to get everyone back into the tunnels. I reinforced the wards as best I could, weaving layers of protective magic to buy us more time.
As the last of the survivors were ushered into the main chamber, Jake turned to me. “This isn’t sustainable, Priscilla. We can’t stay on the defensive forever.”
“I know,” I said, my voice steady despite the exhaustion weighing me down. “But we’re alive. And as long as we’re alive, we’ll find a way to end this.”
He nodded, his expression grim but resolute.
Above us, the spiders’ screeches echoed through the tunnels, a chilling reminder that the fight was far from over.
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