“It may give us enough time to retreat,” I say.

He nods, and we begin to fight our way into the fray. Habi orders the Narcos to advance on the Romans at full attack. The only thing that seems to slow the Leymak is our Charge. They combat Flame easily, but the energy in our power is closer to theirs of the aether. The Shythe spread out, throwing coils of blue lightning at the Leymak.

The Leymak soon realize our tactic, and form a line before the Roman legion. They’re going to take us out in one move.

Habi orders the Shythe to the front of our forces, then shouts, “Hold!”

Sheathing my sword, I prepare for their attack. My hands fist by my thighs. I douse my Charge as I await the command.

For good measure, the Narcos send a stream of Flame along the ground. It blazes its way across the desert, rounding on the Romans and forcing them closer to the Leymak.

Then, the white-illuminated abominations look to the sky. They raise their hands, calling forth their silvery power. I glance to either side of me, taking in the apprehensive faces of the Kythan Guardians. I spark my Charge.

The Leymak open their arms wide, and a vaporous, swirling vortex appears before each of their bodies. The ground rumbles. The wind picks up, lifting the sand from the desert.

I hold my breath.

The desert bubbles, mounds of sand dunes toppling one on top of another, as the sand builds itself into a tidal wave. It rises into the air, wide and hungry, ready to devour our army.

I angle my neck, my gaze traveling up the stretch of sand as it picks up force.

“Now!” Habi orders.

The Narcos send a land attack behind the desert front; flames slink in and ignite the ground. The Shythe clap their arms together. My fists pound, my forearms pressed tightly. Dozens of blue currents strike the darkening shadow engulfing us.

Before the wall of sand is dropped on top of us, we push our Charge out harder. It streams in crossing currents toward the hovering desert wave. My arms shake with the force—the impact.

The sand begins to shift.

Like a bolt hitting a lightning rod stuck in the sand, our Charge attacks the grains. Liquefying them, then crystalizing the matter. The wall of sand ripples and flashes as the Charge hardens the shifting wave into a solid wall of clear, hard glass.

It wraps around our enemies, trapping them inside. Candra steps to the glass, presses her glowing white palm against it, her eyes blazing and fierce. A wicked smile curves her pale lips.

The Shythe around me cheer, and I drop my arms, my body taxed. On the other side of the glass wall, the Leymak blink in and out, trying to cross over. Only they can’t. Our magics, the same magics that somehow created this abominable race, can’t be penetrated in the aether.

Fire soars higher behind the wall, flames licking, scorching the clear coating. Romans yank off their capes, toss them on top of the fires, and stomp the ground.

“This won’t hold them,” I tell Habi.

He nods. “Retreat!”

Before I leave with the Kythan army, I glance over my shoulder. My mystic foe, my sister, stares after me. Her illuminated eyes are narrowed, and her lips are pursed in a perfect, knowing smile. But I can no longer hear the thoughts I know she’s sending me through the barrier.

Chapter Three

Once we cross the Moon Gate, Habi orders the Shythe to fortify the crystal barrier around the inside perimeter of the city. It’s forged from Charge, like the one that allowed us to escape the desert.

In ancient times, our power-infused crystals were thought to ward off evil spirits. Fortunately, in this one aspect, the Council hasn’t given up their old ways. That barrier may have prevented these newly created Kythan from attacking Alexandria.

The Leymak can’t cross our Charge in the aether, but we know they’ll eventually find a way through. So now we seek out the one who may know what the Leymak are and may know how to stop them.

The sorcerer.

There is only one ancient Egyptian sorcerer in Egypt now, and he resides in the queen’s palace. The sorcerers were once worshiped as much as the pharaohs in ancient times. But the world has changed, and with the reign of the Ptolemies came a new order. Though the great Alexander was loved and thought of as a god himself, he brought with him the gods and lore of a foreign world. But he didn’t order the eradication of our customs.

Instead, he welcomed our beliefs, combined them with the ways of his people, and allowed the sorcerers to govern over the Kythan once more.

Alexander was revered for conquering our enemies who enslaved us, the Persians. Even though I never served under their rule, my mother did, and she told me of the Persian’s extreme methods of torture, and the horrible things the Kythan were forced to do under their reign.

Tags: Trisha Wolfe Kythan Guardians
Source: readsnovelonline.net