Ax’s cry was a distant, scarcely perceptible sound. What he showed her through their shared sight, though… “Sisters save us.”
She took off, Brand’s frustrated growl following behind her. He easily caught up, barely loping as she sprinted, but—to his credit—he didn’t try to scoop her up and stop her.
“Is it him?”
“No,” she gasped. “It’s…”
The body came into view, rendering the rest of her words unnecessary.
“Burning fucking Solyrian.”
Brand did reach down then, his hand on her front stopping her from getting any closer.
A male hovered above the ground just outside of her shield like a sagging puppet, her light bathing his wasted body. Steady streams of black shadow fell from the fog above and funneled into his gaping mouth, limbs dangling behind his bowed torso.
“What…” Lunara took a step back, bumping into Brand’s leg.
He loosed a snarl.“Nowmay I carry you?”
She suddenly wanted nothing more than to be in the relative safety of his arms. “I have to clear the shadows first. Then,yes.”
“Shadows only,Luna. Keep the shield tight to us.”
She nodded and forced her lungs to take in air, her feet to move and plant themselves down. Another wall, then, like the one on the steps, to hold the darkness at bay.
Power rose up and bubbled over, draining another few drops from the well as she pushed it out, revealing?—
“No!”
Once again she was moving before her mind could warn her against it.
“Luna!”
Bodies. Bodieseverywhere.
Hundreds. Thousands. On and on and on until they disappeared behind darkness and the welling of her tears.
Her hands landed on tiny shoulders, skimming over sage skin and tangling in twisted, ivory braids as she begged the Sisters to help her. A child—a child—hanging, eyes closed as if sleeping, drinking from the shadows just like the rest of them.
“Luna, please!”
Brand’s voice cut through her panic, the desperation in it demanding her attention.
She glanced back—only to find him swinging his greatsword and uselessly hacking at the barrier she’d left between them.
If Lunara had paused, even for a second, she would have felt the death. Would have noticed that there were no heartbeats, no breath, no hope. That the air was different.
Fucking moons,she’d run right through her shield.
The Fae twitched beneath her palms and she whipped around.
Once-closed eyes snapped open, glowing like burning embers and staring directly at her.
Lunara startled away, but only managed a single, shocked step backwards.
The child jerked, revealing fangs that dripped with black as a vein of fire left her mouth, flowing up through the funnel of shadow and into the dark fog, spreading outwards.
The tendril of flame shot down into the next closest cadaver and brought it to life.
