•Thunoa South Road•
[Ovelia's POV]
The world was a grotesque painting, every movement stretched and syrupy.
I saw Ray, his face a mask of protectiveness, his claws extended and gleaming as they inched toward the glowing fairy. I saw Ann, a phantom of lethal grace, moving with impossible slowness to flank him, her dagger poised for a killing strike. Ace's roar was a deep, distorted groan as he tried to shield me, his body a wall of muscle and fury between me and the light.
Then, a pulse of raw energy erupted from the center of the light.
A gust of wind—tangible and solid, like the hand of a giant—slammed into Ray and Ann, throwing them back against the wagon walls with twin, sickening thuds. The wood groaned. The horses screamed. The world held its breath.
The light from Gale intensified, becoming a small, brilliant star in the center of our wagon. A thin, incandescent beam of pure white light shot from his chest, connecting directly to my left eye.
