“Baradaz!”Aramaz’s mind-voice cut through my stunned disbelief like a searing flash of light.“Where are you?”
“Belekoroz and I are here,”I responded, sending him an image of our location, my hands tightening around my staff.“We will try to hold it off.”
Despite the worry that trickled back through our connection, theking’s voice remained calm and resolute.“Be careful. We are coming as quickly as we can.”
I reached for my magic, not a moment too soon. The giant spider lunged forward, hauling more of its terrifying form out of the Other. A raging wave of pure Chaos followed in its wake, slamming into my hastily woven shield. The impact reverberated through my very core. I gritted my teeth and channeled more power into the protective barrier. Horror pierced through me as I watched tendrils of Chaos gnaw at the edges of the shield, dissolving the strands of Light into nothingness as if they had never existed.
The next attack ripped into my magic and flung me backward, tearing a scream from my lips. Shadows caught me, softening my fall, a tall, familiar presence behind me. Adamantine shields replaced my own, sliding into place with a surge of Darkness, protecting both me and Belekoroz.
I watched in fascination as he countered the attack, smoky tendrils of his shadows intertwining with the strands of Chaos until both dissolved into each other. My gaze snapped up to his. I immediately recognized the shimmer in his eyes, the faint whisper on my skin where we touched.
“You learned how to control Chaos,” I gasped, relief and worry warring within me.
Belekoroz glanced down at me, a tight smile lifting his lips. He had summoned his armor, dark metal scales covering his defined muscles, his sword by his side. “To a point,” he answered. “Though I have no idea how to harness such a large amount of it.”
I stared at the giant Kritak—for that was what the monstrous creature resembled—slowly fighting its way through the Veil into Aron-Lyr. “How is that beast able to command so much power? Where does it even come from?”
Belekoroz began to retreat, pulling me with him, all the while maintaining his shield, his eyes never leaving our foe. “If I had to guess, I’d say it comes out of the Abyss, like the other Kritak.” He glanced down at me once more, his expression wry. “We nearly completely locked out the powers of the Other, giving them nowhere to go. So, they grew and grew until they became strong enough to overcome our wards on the Veil.”
“You think we inadvertently created that monster with our warding?” I gasped in horrified disbelief. Maker, that made far too much sense.
Belekoroz nodded grimly. “It seems Chaos always finds a way, my queen.” Stark worry darkened his gaze as he stared up at the monster. “And it has never been more ravenous.”
Before I could respond, the giant Kritak finally accomplished its goal, dragging its entire body into our world. The waves of Chaos crashing over us became vicious. Belekoroz’s shield shuddered. He grunted in exertion, his grip on me tightening.
Then the Kritak lifted its massive head and screamed. A shrill, bloodcurdling sound that pierced my ears, making me cry out as well.
A scream that was answered.
They spilled forward from beneath the creature’s belly, a dark, unrelenting flood of countless sharp legs and black bodies, streaming toward us. Kritak. Hundreds—no,thousandsof them. Drawn to the Light, to the lush beauty of Lyrheim’s hills, and united by one simple feeling: hunger.
For one terrifying moment, Belekoroz and I stood alone in front of the dark mass of our enemy, our weapons ready, our magic sizzlingaround us. Then the air tightened, flashes of color signaling the arrival of our brethren. Their power tore into the Kritak without mercy. Sha’am and Zamani’s Fire carved a deadly path into the first lines, halting their advance in a fiery blaze that left afterimages dancing before my eyes. The other Aurea followed close behind. The ground trembled as Tanez and M’tar opened deep chasms to capture dozens of creatures. On the other side of the battlefield, Kritak were sent flying as Enlial and Khiraz conjured raging whirlwinds that carried them off, crushing them upon impact.
Light brushed against my senses. Aramaz shifted back into his muscular corporeal form beside me and his brother, his gaze immediately finding mine. “Are you alright?” he asked, concern darkening the bright blue of his eyes.
Before I could answer, two Kritak descended on us. I obliterated the first with a blast of my Light. A searing strike of lightning tore the second apart, power blazing to life around the king. He was dressed for battle like the rest of the Aurea, his fine silver armor glinting in the shine of his magic.
“Less talking, more fighting, brother,” Belekoroz commented next to us, his voice tense. He had raised his hands, still maintaining a shield to contain the worst of the Chaos magic, preventing it from spilling over the battlefield. Beads of sweat had begun to trail down his temple, and his arms trembled as more and more tendrils of untamed power slid against his shadows—far too many to dissolve them all.
“I won’t be able to contain it much longer,” he pressed out between gritted teeth. “You have to destroy as many of the Kritak as possible before Chaos breaks free.”
Aramaz and I followed his command, advancing side by side. My Light cleaved through our enemies repeatedly, while the king’slightning struck the remaining ones, leaving charred husks in its wake. For a few fleeting moments, hope reawakened within me.
But then the giant creature, still looming ominously on the hill above us, grew weary of watching us slaughter its smaller kin. Another screech rang out, splitting the air, heavy with magic and the stench of dark blood. An overwhelming wave of pure, unrestrained Chaos followed, battering Belekoroz’s shield.
“Let go of the magic! Now!”
Instinctively, I heeded his frantic order. Chaos washed over me as he lost the impossible battle of holding it back. I stumbled but somehow remained upright, struggling to draw breath amid the oppressive magic.
Others were not so fortunate. Ashur and Namtaz had been weaving Water into gleaming streams, tearing the Kritak apart. Now they were engulfed by Chaos, the wild magic drenching and altering their own. Namtaz’s terrified scream echoed across the battlefield as she lost control of her powers. Water erupted from the ground everywhere, rushing down the hills in a relentless flood, tearing earth, bushes, and trees along with it. Namtaz was swept away as well, only a flash of her armor indicating where she had vanished into the tumultuous maelstrom of mud and raging water.
“No!” With a distressed scream, Ashur leaped after her, devoured by the mudslide just as swiftly. My heart seized in stark despair when the two Aurea of Water did not resurface. The flood crashed into the first line of houses. Fearful screams and the sounds of splintering wood pierced the air.
“Don’t use magic! It will only slip out of your control.”Belekoroz’s desperate advice resonated through all our minds.
A Kritak appeared behind Tanez. I jumped between her and the creature, my bladed staff stopping its attack a moment before it couldsink its forelegs into her back. She nodded in thanks, her face a gruesome mask splattered with dark blood.
“We need the Anima,” M’tar shouted, crashing his massive war hammer down on several enemies. The sound of chitin cracking made me shudder. “We are not enough to stop them.”
