Daegan (The Age of Alandria: A Companion Novella) by Morgan Wylie Read Free Book Online

Katéri and told her to keep it safe for him and that if she rubbed it and thought of him, he would be close to her.
    She was beautiful, with the natural fairness of the Faeries in her skin and slightly pointed ears. She had big blue eyes and white wavy hair, but she was built more like a shifter, with a more muscular frame and a rounder face. In this time and territory, she would need to be strong as she would already be considered an outcast simply for existing. Daegan sometimes sneaked down after training between patrols of the castle and gave her rides high on his shoulders, bouncing her around until she giggled and kicked her feet.
    He had to be strong now. He had to fight the takeover of his own darkness... for Katéri.
    Too close. His body pulled him toward their small home. Several yards away, he released a surge of his own energy that he still had control over. It was enough to make his steps falter. Hope flared within his spirit. Another surge of his power and his steps stopped. I can do this. The war within him waged: which way would the balance tip? Toward the darkness that was suddenly making a strong statement that it could erupt at any time now, or toward the light that he had always tried so hard to get close to? He would be light—he chose it long ago—but how to defeat the darkness that threatened his spirit and his own magic to betray him?
    He was able, after several minutes of fighting with himself, to finally turn around and even take one step in the opposite direction. Then another. And another. He was advancing. He did not have to fall into the darkness of his soul. He was a warrior; he would conquer this like everything else. Until he couldn’t.
    Daegan was pulled forward while he was simultaneously shoved from behind by a forceful push—an invisible hand of magical energy. It was so strong, he could actually feel the shape of a hand pressed into his back forcing him all the way to the ground, smothering his face into the hard dirt and sparse patches of prickly grasses that poked into his eyes and up his nose. He spit dirt out of his mouth as he rolled his head to the side simply to breathe.
    Just when he was able to catch his breath, something gripped his ankles like a vise and began pulling. He kicked out, trying to shake whatever it was, but it was futile. He twisted around enough to see that there was nothing there... nothing he could see. He kicked even harder, infusing the kicks with his own magic, but to no avail. He felt blocked, almost paralyzed to use his magic effectively. 
    Sweat streamed down his head in rivulets. Every muscle in his body was strained and worked with him as he tried to crawl against the pull. He felt fingernails pull back as he dug his fingers deeper, seeking something to grip, to anchor him in place. Panic pushed him to his limits of strength and beyond. His body was stretched to capacity. He was losing this fight, but not his will. He would let the darkness kill him before he gave in.
    His fingers released what little they had found to grasp as he was pulled the rest of the way to the little house he had tried to avoid. Daegan was thrust up into a standing position and pushed up against the hut. He couldn’t believe that no one had heard the noise he was making, not even the night guard. Breathing heavily, he tried to figure out what his intentions were regarding this home and this family that he had grown to feel attached to.
    Suddenly his body grew hot from the inside. His temperature was rising beyond his control, his vision clouding over, and he saw reds and oranges flickering behind his eyelids. He was burning up inside. On the outside, his skin was burning too, and he tried to run to find relief, but he was immovable.
    “Aaaghhhh!” he cried out from the pain, unable to remain silent any longer. Just as he felt his body start to slide down to the ground, he saw a flickering flame on the end of several of his fingers. NO! How did this happen? Pushing his