Elara's POV
"Fight back?" I stared at Cassian like he'd lost his mind. "There are dozens of Court mages out there. Your own uncle is leading them. How exactly do we fight back?"
"With the one advantage we have." He turned to me with fierce intensity. "Your wild magic. You bonded with this land. Made it an extension of your power. If we strengthen that bond, turn the entire property into a fortress—"
Another explosion, closer this time. The cottage windows rattled.
"I don't know how to do that! I can barely control—"
"Then I'll teach you." Cassian grabbed my hand. "Right now. We don't have time for fear or doubt. Either we turn your cottage into something they can't break, or we die. Choose."
His hand was warm in mine. Strong. For the first time since this nightmare started, I didn't feel completely alone.
"Teach me," I said.
We ran outside. The fires were spreading, creating a ring of flames around the property. Through the smoke, I could see figures moving—Court mages positioning themselves for attack.
"Feel the land beneath your feet," Cassian ordered. "The same way you did during the battle. But this time, don't just react. Think. Plan. Show the land what you need it to become."
I closed my eyes and reached for that silver power inside me. It answered immediately, eager and wild.
"Good," Cassian said. "Now push it down. Into the soil. Into every root and stone. Make them yours."
I did. The magic poured out of me like water, sinking deep into the earth. I felt the cottage land wake up fully—every plant, every rock, every living thing suddenly aware of me. Connected to me.
It was beautiful and terrifying.
"Now build," Cassian commanded. "Walls. Barriers. Make them regret coming here."
I focused on protection. On safety. On making this tiny piece of land impossible to breach.
The earth responded.
Thorny vines erupted from the ground, growing at impossible speed. They wove themselves into a living wall fifteen feet high, so thick with thorns that nothing could pass through. Trees that had been small and weak surged upward, their branches forming a canopy overhead. The cottage itself seemed to strengthen, old wood becoming hard as iron.
"Incredible," Cassian breathed. "You're a natural."
Malachai's voice boomed again. "Thirty minutes, nephew. Surrender or burn."
"He's bluffing," Cassian said. "He wants me alive. Wants to keep me under his control."
"What about me?"
"You, he'll kill without hesitation." Cassian's jaw tightened. "Which is why that's not going to happen."
He raised his hands, and ice magic flowed from his fingers. It merged with my plant barriers, coating the thorns in frost, making them even more deadly. Where my wild magic created growth, his Court magic added control and precision.
Together, we were stronger than either of us alone.
"It's working," I gasped. "They're—"
Fire exploded against our barrier. The thorns hissed and burned, but they grew back faster than the flames could destroy them. My magic just kept healing the damage, pulling life from the earth itself.
"They're testing our defenses," Cassian said grimly. "The real attack comes next."
He was right. A moment later, a dozen Court mages fired spells simultaneously. Lightning, fire, blades of pure force—all crashing into our barriers at once.
Pain ripped through my head as the plants screamed and died. I fell to my knees.
"Don't stop!" Cassian shouted. "Keep rebuilding!"
I pushed more magic into the land, but I was getting tired. So tired. There were too many of them. They could attack forever, and eventually I'd run out of strength.
"Cassian," I gasped. "I can't—"
"Yes, you can." He knelt beside me, his hand on my shoulder. "Feel my magic. Use it. We're bonded, remember? That means you can draw on my power too."
I reached for the soul tether connecting us and felt his magic there—cold and controlled and vast. So much power.
"Take what you need," he said softly.
I pulled on his magic, carefully at first, then more confidently. It flowed into me like ice water, mixing with my wild magic. The combination was intoxicating.
The barriers repaired themselves faster. Stronger. I added new defenses—roots that would trip attackers, flowers that released sleeping pollen, vines that could grab and hold.
The Court mages fell back, surprised.
"Excellent," Cassian murmured. "Now they're afraid."
But I could feel my strength fading despite his help. We couldn't maintain this forever.
Malachai seemed to realize it too. "Enough games. Begin phase two."
I didn't understand what he meant until I felt it—magic pressing down on the cottage from above. Not attacking the barriers. Attacking the air itself.
"Suffocation spell," Cassian snarled. "They're going to trap us in a dome and remove all the oxygen."
"Can they do that?"
"My uncle invented the spell personally." His face was grim. "We have maybe ten minutes before we can't breathe."
Terror clawed at my throat. "What do we do?"
Cassian looked at the cottage, then at me. Something changed in his expression—a decision made.
"Something I swore I'd never do." He took my hand. "I need you to trust me. Completely. What I'm about to suggest is dangerous and possibly insane."
"More insane than being suffocated by your uncle?"
"Yes." He squeezed my hand. "I want to try a full magical fusion. Merge our powers completely through the soul bond. If it works, we'll be strong enough to break through their siege and escape."
"And if it doesn't work?"
"The feedback could kill us both instantly. Or worse—shatter our minds and leave us as empty shells."
I stared at him. At this cold, dangerous man who'd been protecting me since the moment those Court mages appeared. Who'd taught me magic instead of condemning me. Who looked at me like I mattered.
The air was already getting thinner. My chest felt tight.
"How do we do it?" I asked.
"We lower every defense. Let the bond pull us together completely. Become one magical entity." His eyes were intense. "But Elara—once we do this, there's no going back. The bond will change. Deepen. We'll know each other's thoughts, feelings, memories. Every secret. Every pain. Everything."
"You'll see what Adrian did to me. How Seraphina destroyed my life."
"And you'll see what my uncle did to me. Every moment of my training. Every person I've killed." His voice cracked. "I've done terrible things. Once you see them, you'll hate me."
The air kept thinning. Stars danced in my vision.
"I trust you," I whispered.
Cassian's eyes widened. "You barely know me."
"I know enough." I gripped his hand tighter. "You could have let those Court mages take me. You could have saved yourself. But you didn't. That tells me everything I need to know about who you really are."
For a moment, he looked lost. Vulnerable. Then he nodded.
"On three," he said. "One. Two—"
The cottage door slammed open.
A woman stepped out—someone who shouldn't be there, couldn't be there.
My sister Seraphina smiled at me, beautiful and terrible.
"Hello, Elara," she said sweetly. "Did you really think you could hide from me forever?"