That’s what kept him going. That was his reason for living. So few people alive today remembered what she had done. So few knew her tactics. He’d been a soldier on the side of Light. He knew what to expect from her and her people. It was his duty to be ready when his knowledge was needed again, and he very much feared that the time was drawing near.

  Which was part of the reason he was so vigilant about this nearby mansion and its grounds. It had been fouled by blood magic and was susceptible to being misused again. He wouldn’t let that happen. He had sworn to keep this place from being turned to evil once more. For lack of a better word, he was its caretaker. At least, until he could find people he could trust to inhabit the estate and watch over it for him.

  The uninvited guest didn’t seem to be doing anything bad. Marco would have sensed evil intent. He had set all sorts of spells and wards to warn him of just such an occurrence. When this person had crossed his ward, it had not flared with alarm. It had alerted Marco to the presence of someone, but it had not sensed evil.

  For that matter, Marco didn’t sense any evil, either. He was intrigued, as he floated to earth, landing, by design, about twenty yards away from the glowing golden light. He wanted time to study the person at the center of the light. He intended to approach slowly, learning all he could as he drew closer, step by step.

  Crystal sobbed as she reached for the earth energy, trying to cleanse what she could of the evil that permeated the ground here. It felt like some sort of blood magic had been soaked into every pebble, every grain of sand, every molecule of earth that surrounded the root systems of its suffering trees. It hurt so bad. It hurt the trees. It hurt the land. It hurt her to be in contact with it, but she must. She had to try.

  Everything around her cried out for her help, but she had never faced anything this profound before. She’d never been so immersed in so much death and decay. Crystal began to doubt herself. She didn’t know if she could handle this, but she had to try something. She couldn’t just leave it this way. She couldn’t just run away and pretend she’d never seen this blight.

  Reaching deep within herself, she tapped the energy that lived within her soul. She had done it before, on a much smaller scale, to help save the life of dying plants. She knew she could give a little bit of herself to bring the plant back to life. She wondered if she could do the same here.

  She would have to be careful. As far as she understood it, the power she used came from within herself. She couldn’t leave herself too weak to walk, or drive away. She had to have that out. If she opened herself up completely, this place might drain her dry and leave her comatose, or worse.

  That in mind, she tried really hard to channel just a little bit of her energy into her hands. It manifested as a golden ball of light, glowing strong in the gloom of the forest night. She felt a little shaky. Maybe she had taken a little too much at one time, but she was committed now. She had to redirect the golden energy from her hands, down into the earth. She believed it would cleanse whatever it came into contact with, relieving some of the pain she sensed all around.

  She knew she couldn’t do much with just her own energy, but it was all she had to give. She wasn’t very skilled with this sort of thing, having taught herself the little she knew. There just wasn’t anyone around who had the same kind of power she seemed to have. She’d asked—very cautiously, of course. She’d talked to many people who claimed to know about the magic of the earth, but nobody had really been able to give her the knowledge she felt she needed. So, she had experimented. Trial and error had been her constant companion these past few years since she had discovered the energy within herself.

  She really hoped this wasn’t going to be one of the errors. Sending a quick prayer aloft, she sank to one knee and placed one palm down on the ground transferring the golden ball of light from her hands into the earth.

  “Oh, boy…” She had a moment of wobbly awareness that she’d gone just a little too far before she slumped, unconscious, to the ground.

  To read more, get your copy of Night of the Nymph by Bianca D’Arc.

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Bianca D’Arc has run a laboratory, climbed the corporate ladder in the shark-infested streets of lower Manhattan, studied and taught martial arts, and earned the right to put a whole bunch of letters after her name, but she’s always enjoyed writing more than any of her other pursuits. She grew up and still lives on Long Island, where she keeps busy with an extensive garden, several aquariums full of very demanding fish, and writing her favorite genres of paranormal, fantasy and sci-fi romance.

  Bianca loves to hear from readers and can be reached through Facebook (BiancaDArcAuthor) or through the various links on her website.

  Welcome to The D’Arc Side…

  WWW.BIANCADARC.COM

  OTHER BOOKS BY BIANCA D’ARC

  Paranormal Romance

  Brotherhood of Blood

  One & Only

  Rare Vintage

  Phantom Desires

  Sweeter Than Wine

  Forever Valentine

  Wolf Hills*

  Wolf Quest

  Brotherhood of Blood ~ Wildwood Quartet

  Dance of the Dryad

  Night of the Nymph

  Wildwood in Winter

  The Elven Star

  Tales of the Were

  Lords of the Were

  Inferno

  Tales of the Were ~ The Others

  Rocky

  Slade

  Tales of the Were ~ Redstone Clan

  The Purrfect Stranger

  Grif

  Red

  Magnus

  Bobcat

  Matt

  Tales of the Were ~ String of Fate

  Cat’s Cradle

  King’s Throne

  Jacob’s Ladder

  Her Warriors

  Tales of the Were ~ Grizzly Cove

  All About the Bear

  Mating Dance

  Night Shift

  Alpha Bear

  Saving Grace

  Bearliest Catch

  The Bear’s Healing Touch

  The Luck of the Shifters

  Badass Bear

  Loaded for Bear

  Crossroads: Bounty Hunter Bear

  Crossroads: Storm Bear

  Crossroads: Bear Meets Girl

  Spirit Bear

  Lion in Waiting

  Crossroads: Black Magic Bear

  Wolf Tracks

  Grizzly Cove ~ Trident Trilogy

  Waterborn

  Fathom

  Leviathan

  Tales of the Were ~ Were-Fey Trilogy

  Lone Wolf

  Snow Magic

  Midnight Kiss

  Tales of the Were ~ Lick of Fire Trilogy

  Phoenix Rising

  Phoenix and the Wolf

  Phoenix and the Dragon

  Tales of the Were ~ Howls Romance

  The Jaguar Tycoon

  The Jaguar Bodyguard

  The Jaguar’s Secret Baby

  The Jaguar Star

  Tales of the Were ~ Big Wolf

  A Touch of Class

  Perfect

  The Werewolf Alpha’s Solstice Miracle

  Tales of the Were ~ Gemini Project

  Tag Team

  Doubling Down

  Deuces Wild

  Tales of the Were ~ Gifts of the Ancients

  Warrior’s Heart

  Future Past

  A Friend in Need

  Lightning Strikes

  Heal the Healer

  Guardians of the Dark

  Simon Says

  Once Bitten

  Smoke on the Water

  Night Shade

  Shadow Play

  Epic Fantasy Erotic Romance

  Dragon Knights ~ Daughters of the Dragon

  Maiden Flight*

  Border Lair

  The Ice Dragon**

  Prince of Spies***

  Dragon Knights ~ The Novellas

  The Dragon Healer

  Master at Arms

  Wings of Change

  Dragon Knights ~ Sons of Draconia

  FireDrake

  Dragon Storm

  Keeper of the Flame

  Hidden Dragons

  Dragon Knights ~ The Sea Captain’s Daughter Trilogy

  Sea Dragon

  Dragon Fire

  Dragon Mates

  Dragon Knights ~ Rise of the Jinn

  The Captain’s Dragon

  Snow Dragon

  Gatekeeper

  Science Fiction Romance

  StarLords

  Hidden Talent

  Talent For Trouble

  Shy Talent

  Jit’Suku Chronicles ~ In the Stars

  The Cyborg Next Door

  Heart of the Machine

  Jit’Suku Chronicles ~ Arcana

  King of Swords

  King of Cups

  King of Clubs

  King of Stars

  End of the Line

  Diva

  Jit’Suku Chronicles ~ Sons of Amber

  Angel in the Badlands

  Master of Her Heart

  Starcrossed

  Futuristic Erotic Romance

  Resonance Mates

  Hara’s Legacy**

  Davin’s Quest

  Jaci’s Experiment

  Grady’s Awakening

  Harry’s Sacrifice

  Contemporary Romance

  Irish Lullaby

  Bells Will Be Ringing

  Wild Irish Rose

  * RT Book Reviews Awards Nominee

  ** EPPIE Award Winner

  *** CAPA Award Winner

 

 

  Bianca D'Arc, Dance of the Dryad (Brotherhood of Blood - Wildwood Book 1)

 

 

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