The water barrier shimmered defiantly before me, the obstacle barring my father's advance. Rolim's face contorted with anger as he was forced to back away from me.

  "How dare you defy me?!" he bellowed, his voice reverberating through the room. "As your husband and the head of this household, I command you to give me the boy!"

  An ominous green light flickered around his hands, a testament to his rising fury. In a terrifying display of power, the very floorboards of our home twisted and splintered, as if possessed by some malevolent force.

  'His magic... it manipulates wood,' I realized, rapidly assessing the situation. My mother's abilities clearly centered around water, a stark contrast to Rolim's control over the earth and all that grew from it.

  "Is this truly the path you wish to tread, Rolim?" my mother queried, her tone deceptively calm. The water barrier shifted, breaking apart into smaller spheres that hovered in the air. In a breathtaking transformation, they morphed into long, lethal spikes before crystallizing into spears of ice.

  Rolim's eyes darted nervously, the icy spears enclosing him from all angles. Realizing his disadvantage, he relinquished his magic with a disdainful snort. The wooden floorboards ceased their writhing, though the damage had been done—half the room lay in ruins, the first floor of our home now visible through the gaping hole.

  'Such wanton destruction.' I thought, bewildered by my father's disregard for his own home. In a final act of defiance, Rolim ripped the wooden door from its hinges, flinging it aside with his magic.

  "This matter is far from settled," he hissed, turning to address my mother. "You'll rue the day you crossed me."

  Unfazed by his threats, my mother stood resolute, her gaze never wavering. Only when Rolim's presence had dissipated entirely did she relinquish her magic, the ice spears dissolving into harmless puddles on the floor.

  Turning to face me, her eyes softened, filled with concern for my well-being. "Are you alright, my love? Don't worry, your bastard father is gone." She smiled reassuringly.

  I smiled back at her, genuinely happy that my mother was so strong.

  "Rolim won't be able to get you while I'm here, he knows he's no match for me!" she laughed, reaching down to pick me up from the cradle.

  My mother took me with her out of the room, taking me down the hallway into a much smaller guest room. This room was more plain than the last one, but it had the added benefit of not having a giant hole in the floor.

  I was put down on the bed as my mother made sure to secure the room. She locked the windows before going over to the front door and casting some sort of magic on it. I watched her with great interest as I saw green light flash from her hands, causing a thick layer of ice to surround the door.

  'That would have been helpful earlier.' I inwardly remarked.

  After my mother deemed the room secure she climbed back into bed with me, scooping me up into her arms. For the next hour or so she sang me different Elvish hymns and songs. I didn't want to fall asleep and let my guard down, but it was impossible with such beautiful melodies coming from my mother's lips.

  As I drifted to sleep, I was mesmerized by my mother's delicate voice.

  My eyes snapped open to the harsh sound of my mother's violent coughing fit. Alarmed, I looked up to find her face contorted in distress, apparently choking on something unseen.

  As I gasped for breath, a suffocating sensation enveloped me. An invisible, noxious presence invaded our lungs, its acrid stench overwhelming. My mother's grip tightened, a desperate attempt to shield me as she battled the nauseating miasma that permeated the room.

  Each labored breath scorched my throat, reminiscent of caustic acid searing my airways. My vision began to dim, consciousness rapidly slipping away.

  A flicker of movement caught my eye, drawing my gaze towards the window. Horror struck as I observed a figure cloaked in darkness slithering through the narrow opening. 'Through the window?!' I questioned in disbelief, my thoughts growing hazy. The intensity of my mother's coughing escalated, causing the magical barrier on the door to falter. The ice encasing it rapidly melted, dissolving into a pool of water that seeped beneath the threshold.

  As my consciousness waned, the door creaked open, revealing another ominous figure entering the room. The last thing I witnessed before darkness consumed me was the silhouette of a second intruder, their form shrouded in shadows.

  When I regained my consciousness I had no idea how much time had passed. My throat burned like I had just drunk something scalding, and my eyes were still watery. I immediately realized that I was being carried, and judging by their rough voice I knew it was a man.

  "Thank the Goddess we were swift." rasped the first man, his voice bearing the weight of years of indulgence.

  "Can you believe it, brother?" interjected the second, his tone a stark contrast to the other's—a high-pitched, almost boyish lilt that belied his profession. "Never thought we'd resort to stealing a babe!"

  Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

  A gruff laugh escaped the first man. "Whatever lines our pockets, eh?"

  His companion cackled in agreement. "And to think we laid eyes on the fabled 'Ice Witch' herself! Beauty like that don't grace our line of work often." His words, though seemingly innocuous, carried a dark undercurrent.

  The mention of the 'Ice Witch' piqued my curiosity. It could only refer to my mother. A chill ran down my spine as the conversation took a sinister turn.

  "Shame we couldn't have more fun with her." the second man continued, his tone laced with hunger. "Never laid hands on such a beauty before."

  "Baron's orders." grunted the first, his voice uncharacteristically stern. "The woman was off-limits."

  A disdainful scoff followed, punctuated by the wet splatter of spittle on the ground. "Better be worth it." the second man spat, his discontent palpable.

  The air hung heavy with tension as the conversation died, leaving me to ponder my next move. The extent of my powers—limited to manipulating books and pillows, and occasionally myself—left me with little confidence in confronting these men. My diminutive form, barely tipping the scales at fifteen pounds, only reaffirmed this belief. The wisest course of action, it seemed, was to wait for an opportune moment to escape.

  The journey continued in silence, the ambient sounds of the forest marking our progress. After a while, our pace slowed to a halt, followed by an eerie sensation washing over me—an inexplicable coldness, akin to being submerged in water without the dampness.

  The sensation passed, and our journey resumed, only to be halted once more after a brief interval. A voice cut through the silence, its familiarity stirring unease within me.

  "Splendid work!" enthused the voice of Rolim, my father. "Knew the job would be smooth sailing once the wards were lowered."

  The raspy-voiced man wasted no time addressing the matter at hand. "Our payment, if you please."

  A dark chuckle reverberated through the air. "Patience, my good man. Your reward will find you soon."

  The response was met with an outburst of anger. "What do you mean, 'soon'? We're not fools to be trifled with!"

  The ominous hiss of a sword being unsheathed heightened the tension.

  "Let's not complicate things." Rolim warned, his tone firm. "You took my wife unawares in her slumber, but you won't find me as accommodating."

  A eerie, verdant energy radiated from Rolim's form, casting an otherworldly hue over the scene. With a flick of his wrist, the man with the gruff voice was sent sprawling to the ground, ensnared by thick, serpentine vines and gnarled tree roots that coiled around his legs like malevolent shackles.

  His companion, wielding a sword now engulfed in ethereal red flames, let out a furious battle cry as he charged towards Rolim. "You fiend!" he bellowed, his voice trembling with rage.

  The flickering light of the flames cast grotesque, dancing shadows upon the trees, bathing the scene in a hellish glow. Rolim, unfazed, raised a hand in response, sending a massive tree branch hurtling towards his attacker. The wood stretched and morphed, covering a dozen feet in mere moments, intent on impaling the man.

  With a deft swing of his flaming sword, the man sliced through the branch, leaving a trail of charred wood in its wake. Undeterred, he launched himself into the air, gracefully evading the writhing vines that sought to ensnare him.

  He flipped, his blade glinting menacingly as he closed the distance between himself and Rolim.

  Just as he was within striking range, a sudden blur of movement caught my attention. A vine, as thick as a man's arm, burst from the ground, piercing the swordsman's back and emerging from his chest in a gruesome display.

  The man's lifeblood sprayed forth, a macabre fountain that stained the verdant foliage. His limbs went limp, his lifeless body suspended in the air by the impaling vine. All of this transpired in the span of a few heartbeats, and the first brother had only just now freed himself from his earthen restraints.

  "No! Brother!" he howled, his eyes wide with fury and grief. "I'll kill you for this!" he swore, turning his rage upon Rolim.

  I scurried away from the towering man, whose form radiated a sinister, emerald energy. Logic demanded that I flee, but an undeniable fascination held me captive. I watched in rapt awe as the earth itself obeyed his command, swirling around him in a vortex of dirt and stone.

  The cacophony of churning earth subsided, unveiling a hulking golem of soil and rock that stood in place of the man. This earthen avatar let loose a thunderous roar, charging towards Rolim with unbridled fury.

  The ground trembled beneath the colossal footsteps, the brute force easily shattering vines and splintering trees that dared to impede its path. Yet, for all its might, the earthen juggernaut began to slow, its form ensnared by a writhing mass of wooden tendrils. A menacing grin spread across Rolim's lips as his fist clenched, the constricting cage of vines creaking and groaning with pressure. Blood seeped through the verdant prison, an ominous sign of the violence within.

  The vines released their hold, the broken, lifeless form of the man thudding to the ground in a mangled heap.

  Rolim's attention then turned to me, his chilling smile sending a shiver down my spine. His vines suddenly encircled me, the rough bark biting into my tender skin as I was drawn towards him.

  The prospect of escape evaporated, leaving me a helpless captive. "Do not fear, my son." he murmured, his tone darkly comforting. "Your sacrifice will ensure our family's prosperity. The church will embrace you, for you are touched by the Goddess herself."

  As Rolim's hand reached out towards me, memories flooded my mind—fragments of my past life interspersed with images of my newfound mother, her gentle smile a beacon of love and kindness. A newfound resolve welled within me—I couldn't lose another mother. I had to protect her from this twisted monster.

  A sudden surge of power erupted within me, my mind buzzing with an exhilarating energy. With every ounce of strength, I focused this force on Rolim, propelling him with such ferocity that he careened through the air, colliding with a tree meters away.

  The impact was catastrophic. Rolim's spine shattered like a snapped twig as his body folded unnaturally against the trunk. To my shock, the force was enough to send him hurtling through the tree, his broken form slamming into another several paces behind.

  The second tree bent under the impact, its trunk groaning in protest as it succumbed to the force. The vines that held me captive dropped lifelessly to the ground.

  'Holy F*ck!' I thought, my jaw slack with disbelief as I hovered in the air. My power, once untested and uncertain, had unveiled itself in this display of raw force.