Dragon Born Serafina, Tome 2 : Magic Games

CHAPTER ONE

Battle of the Elements

SERA HIT THE dirt, narrowly missing the fireball tearing through the air toward her. It blasted over her head and crashed into the East River. She barely had time to watch it. She was too busy rolling to avoid the second fireball. Its enraged crackle hissed in her ears as it passed. Yes, enraged. Magic was as alive as any person or monster on this earth, its song as unique as a fingerprint—or a snowflake. Especially magic from that mage. He stared across the field at her, an amused twitch tugging at the corner of his lip.

As though he’d heard her internal meanderings about snowflakes, he pushed his hands forward to unleash a sphere of sparkling blue light that shot at Sera like a missile. She rolled away, the ground rumbling beneath her as the ice blast hammered down. A million tiny shards shattered. They bit at her body, dissolving through her bare arms, her stretchy sport leggings, and her tank top. She sprang up from the roll, shaking off the remaining ice splinters. They sprinkled down to the grass like crystal tears.

“Sera, this would be a lot easier if you stayed on your feet,” her opponent said, his lip twitch upgrading to a full-out smirk.

“Easier for you maybe. To hit me,” she added in an agitated growl.

“You need to fight back,” he said calmly. Before she could speak, he added quickly, “With magic. We’re practicing magic, not snark. That smart mouth of yours won’t help you defeat your opponents in the Magic Games.”

He was right. And Sera hated it when Kai Drachenburg was right.

“Giving up already?” he called out to her.

In response, she clenched her teeth, reaching for her magic. Lightning flashed in the cloudless sky, and a bolt of crackling purple-gold energy slammed down at Kai. He moved away, calm and agile, easily sidestepping her attack. The lightning bolt crashed against the ground with a resounding boom.

“Better.” He waved his hand, crystalizing the residual lightning flames to ice. “But not good enough. You’re moving too slow. Instead of puffing out one spell at a time, you need to link your magic into combination attacks. Your spells need to work together, like an orchestra.”