Bloodline Secrecy: A Young Adult Urban Fantasy Academy Novel (Bloodline Academy Book 2), Lan Chan [readict TXT] 📗

magical garden for granted. The nymphs had allowed me to stay because of my hedge magic. Now they were afraid, and I had left them to fend for themselves.

The spell tried as it always did to keep me out. I gripped the railing despite the shock of electricity that threatened to burn my nerves. I landed with a thud on the other side.

In the soft glow of the moonlight, the Arcana tree looked sad. It had dropped many of its lobed leaves. The ones it retained were turning yellow. Soon it wouldn’t have enough to keep itself alive. It never occurred to me that our essences were intertwined.

Inside the cell with Skander, all I’d been able to think about was death. In the presence of nature, I refuted the conclusions I’d come to while I was afraid. Kicking off my sneakers, I let my toes sink into the soft grass. The demon blade wanted to be an instrument for evil. I wouldn’t allow it to do that ever again. Closing my eyes, I sank into that quiet mental place where the swell of my earth magic pooled.

I had begun to understand over these past few months that my aversion to bringing things back to life had something to do with my connection to Azrael. His edict was to ferry the dead to their final resting place. There was a balance to it that I had refused to mess with. The Arcana tree wasn’t dead.

I pointed the demon blade at its trunk. Grabbing on to a handful of blue light, I directed it through the blade. The metal warmed in my hands. It jerked, trying to fight off the command not to do harm. Biting my bottom lip, I sliced my thumb open and allowed the blood to trickle onto the blade.

Heal, I commanded the blade. The blue light blossomed. It lit the blade up like fire to gasoline. Like a fire it jumped from the tip of the blade to the Arcana tree. As soon as the magic touched it, the tree burst forth with new growth. I held the sword there, directing magic to the tree until the soft green growth matured. The cells thickened so that they no longer required external assistance.

Every step of the way the blade attempted to push back at my command. Whenever it tried to defy me, I branded it with another circle. I could feel its will resisting. It was a blade made to kill. One day, I promised it. I knew for certain now it wasn’t a lie.

The promise seemed to soothe it. The rattling eased. I opened my eyes to find a tree smothered in lush growth.

Smiling, I went to get the watering can. I was making a second trip for water when they attacked. Kai had been right. I’d gotten off easily the first time. Where they were beautiful when they were placid, they became feral when they were mad. It was like one of those curses where they turned into monsters at night. Two-inch claws adorned their once-delicate cuticles. Their mouths snarled to reveal sharp teeth.

I wasn’t proud of the scream, but I couldn’t help it. My shock at their appearance was second to my thundering fear as they attempted to scratch and bite me. I dropped the blade and ran. But only far enough away to get them off my tail. I was almost to the fence when I circled back and crept towards the glade again. I passed the trunk of an oak tree. My shoeless feet rolled over acorns.

Hmmm. I filled my pockets with them. Two could play that game.

The nymphs were circling around the dropped blade. They swiped at it with their claws. The sword hissed. A stream of smoke wafted up where they touched it, but their claws could do it no damage. I didn’t have great aim. As clearly evidence by my mediocre performance with a bow. But I had volume. Picking up handfuls of the acorns, I began launching them at the nymphs. They screamed their rage, trying to find me in the underbrush. But I’d already anticipated their attack. Cloaking myself with an invisibility circle, I glided around the trees, narrowly escaping but remaining hidden. Whenever I got a chance, I hurled more acorns at them. Some of them even hit their target. The acorns were much bigger missiles to the nymphs than they were for me.

The gold nymph took one to the head. She gave a little whimper and dropped to the ground. Shit!

I stepped out of the shadows and raced over. The nymphs spat their displeasure at me. “You attacked me first!” I roared. They were propping the gold nymph up. Without thinking, I ran and picked an Arcana fruit off the laden tree.

They broke out into another chorus of protests. “Really?” I yelled. “What good is it just sitting there on the tree?”

The purple nymph raked her claws across my forearm. I yelped and dropped the fruit. It rolled along the floor and came to a stop inside the circle of nymphs. “Stop it!” I said, raising my finger at them. “If I’d wanted to hurt you, I could have easily done it. I’m not part of the Sisterhood. But I’m going to get very annoyed the next time somebody tries to scratch me.”

I picked off a small part of the Arcana flesh and offered it to the gold nymph. She sniffed and took it, taking a bite. Her rumpled appearance transformed instantly. She fluttered her wings and lifted herself off the ground.

The purple nymph’s appearance morphed before my eyes. They all began to change a moment later. When they were back to their usual breathtaking selves, the purple nymph chattered at me.

“I’m no good at fighting,” I told her. “I need to be better.”

She placed her two hands on either side of her head with her fingers out in imitation of horns. I nodded. “They’re coming. I don’t know how soon. Most of the Council don’t believe