Thornhill Academy (By Sheridan Hartin) novel Chapter 94

Thornhill Academy.

What Are you, Little One?

Cassian

:

73

The girl does as I tell her. At first, she’s tentative, her hand trembling slightly as she redraws the runes. But there’s a quiet defiance in her movements too, the kind I’ve only ever seen in students who refuse to break, no matter how many times the world tells them to.

“Good,” I murmur. “Now channel. Slow your breathing.”

She nods and places her palm over the centre rune. The air changes, not subtly, but violently. Magic doesn’t hum this loud unless something is wrong. The candlelight bends toward her, and the ink on the page begins to tremble as if it’s alive.

“Easy,” I warn, but my voice comes too late.

A pulse of light surges from the parchment, expanding outward in a rippling wave that makes the hair on my arms rise. The air tastes of ozone and something else, power, raw and unfiltered. Her eyes flash gold for half a heartbeat, and my stomach twists. This isn’t elemental amplification. This is something ancient, something I haven’t felt since I was on the frontline of the wars.

I move before the next surge hits, closing the space between us. My hand shoots out, wrapping around her wrist to cut off the spell. The energy slams against my mental wards, trying to claw its way in. I tighten my hold, forcing her focus toward me.

“Enough,” I snap.

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify