Bound
275
She’d been smart to strike at Beck first. The arrow had slammed
into his body the instant they walked into the forest where Liadan had
promised to attempt a locator spell. That wasn’t the spell she had
used.
Beck had easily pulled the arrow from his shoulder, but the
damage was done. The arrow held a spell to pull the magic out of
him. Cian just missed getting hit by the one meant for him. Beck had
quickly succumbed to the spell. All of Beck’s strength had been
sucked from him. What Liadan hadn’t counted on was that it wouldn’t
transfer to her. Beck’s magic had a handy place to go.
It had gone straight into Cian.
Cian’s brain felt like it was going to explode. He wasn’t built to
handle both his and Beck’s magic. Every instinct in his body told him
to hide and sleep. He needed to find safety and lay down so his body
could rest. It was the only way they would survive.
Cian struggled because his brain was processing so much that it
was difficult to concentrate on putting one foot in front of the other.
He took a deep breath and pushed on. Liadan wouldn’t stop to give
him a break. She would follow him until she caught him.
Rain began to fall, and Cian realized he was doing it. Beck’s
magic was his to call upon. Cian willed the storm to become a
hurricane. That would slow the hag down. Cian’s shoulder ached
from Beck’s weight, but he walked through the gale untouched as the
world whipped around him.
He saw a small hunting cabin through the trees and immediately
slowed the winds down. It was perfect, but it wouldn’t be if it was in
chunks of wood because a storm tore it down. Cian made it into the
small structure and gently laid his brother on the dirt floor. His hands