>>Aelin
As their blade came to slash through me, I snapped.
Golden light erupted from me as I muttered the spell. My magic surged to the surface—fierce, desperate, furious. It wrapped around me in a searing, blazing shield. A bubble of molten energy burst outward and slammed into the guards just as they swung.
CLANG.
Their blades hit my barrier and ricocheted with a violent screech.
The guards were thrown backward by the force, crashing into the edge of the circle.
I looked down at my hands—they were glowing, fire and light weaving across my skin like veins of the sun. The runes etched in the ground hissed beneath my magic, reacting, almost repelled.
The shield held firm.
I can't lose here. I have to get away from here and return to Draegon. Tell him and the other what was happening and make it stop,
I am not helpless or powerless
I can do this
The moment the guards hit the dirt, I rose.