The Calling by Nina Croft Read Free Book Online Page A

held out poised, his mouth open ready to speak the spell that would destroy Shayla forever.
    Beside her, Jarrod lifted his own staff and made to push past her.
    But before he could act, Freya saw the resolve harden in her daughter’s green eyes. She plucked a pin from her cloak and slashed it across her palm. Blood sprayed across the clearing as she screamed a word out into the night.
    A rent appeared above them, filling the sky with a bright white light. An unseen force flung Freya backward, and she was swallowed by the darkness.

Chapter Five
    When Freya came to, the night was dark once more. Blinking, she shook her head. She didn’t think she was hurt, but she couldn’t move.
    She tried to roll to her feet, but something held her down.
    “They’re gone,” a voice said close by her ear.
    She shut her eyes and knew Jarrod spoke the truth. There was an empty place in her mind where Shayla had been. Did that mean she was dead? Her panic flared, but she fought it down, breathed in deeply, and relaxed. Shayla couldn’t be dead. She would know.
    She was lying on top of Jarrod; he must have broken her fall. Her back was freezing from the wet cloak, her front burning hot where the cloak had come open, and her nearly bare body pressed up against him. She could swear they were steaming.
    Sliding a hand between them, she shoved. “Let me go.” His grip tightened for a moment and then he released her. Freya scrambled to her feet and searched the area. There was no sign of ei-36

    Nina Croft
    ther Shayla or the warlock, no bodies littered the clearing, and the tight grip of fear loosened.
    She edged cautiously toward the place where Shayla had stood.
    Here she could sense the residual hum of magic and scent the scorched air. “What happened?” she asked as Jarrod came to stand beside her.
    “She spoke one of the Words of Power.” His voice held a mixture of awe and shock.
    “Words of Power? What are they?”
    “Powerful spells. Banned under the Laws of Segregation.”
    “How would Shayla know such a spell? She’s had no training.
    And where is she?”
    “It’s said the Words of Power can open portals between worlds.”
    “So Shayla could be in another world?” He nodded abruptly. “But the Words of Power can also destroy worlds. The last time one of the words was spoken was over a thousand years ago when Arroway was nearly destroyed.” She heard a shiver run through his voice and glanced at his face.
    His expression was one of wonder tinged with fear.
    “Can you feel it?” he murmured. “Magic in the air.” She reached out with that awakening part of her. All around, it was as though the forest were coming to life. The land, dormant for so long, was awakening after a long sleep. Despite her fears, a wild exhilaration blossomed inside her.
    She clung to the hope that Shayla wasn’t dead, that she was safe somewhere. But wherever that was, it appeared she’d taken the Enforcer with her.
    “We have to get out of here,” Jarrod said from beside her.
    She glanced around the clearing and beyond into the surrounding forest but could see nothing.
    “I would think half of Arroway saw that display of magic,” he continued. “If Malachi is out searching for us, and I’ve no doubt he is, then he’ll be heading this way—fast.
    She nodded. The truth was, she had no idea where to go next or what to do. If she could have followed Shayla, she would have. But she had no clue where she had gone. For now, she needed to evade the warlocks who were searching for her, and her best chance was by staying with Jarrod. As she admitted that to herself, something relaxed inside her.
    Jarrod’s stallion was grazing under one of the trees at the far side of the clearing, but her mare was nowhere in sight.
    “She bolted,” Jarrod said as if answering her unspoken question.
    “I don’t blame her.” But it would slow them down if they had to go on foot.
    “We’ll share. Starfire can carry us both with ease.” He strode