She nicked an arrow, aiming directly at the wraith’s red eyes. She took a deep breath, forcing Power into her aim, praying to the Stars that no longer answered that she hit her mark—and released.
White light trailed behind her arrow, now a blur as it scorched the air, permeating the smoke.
The wraith did not move, did not even flinch, as the arrow sailed toward him. Black shadows and smoke erupted from him, stretching forward and disintegrating the arrow before it even grazed his face.
Astraia swallowed, her mouth dry, her heartbeat thundering in her ears.
She grabbed another arrow from her quiver, nocking an arrow once more. Stepping forward as she took aim, she fired, releasing waves of Power with every arrow. Again and again she fired, trying to hit any part of the wraith left exposed by the iron armor.
And every time, the arrow never made it past the smoke screen.
Within seconds, she had fired almost all of her arrows, to no avail, and the wraith was now only a few yards away. Smoke threatened to suffocate her as the distance between them lessened.
Astraia placed her bow on the ground, unsheathing her dagger. The black blade reflected the white light around her, still pulsing from her bond.
If she could just get close enough, she could shove her dagger between his armor plates, and with Power coursing through her and the blade, it would be a swift end.
It had to be. Or she was dead.
Letting her bond surge forward, the blade warmed in her hand as it was imbued with strength. She would need to be quick, even with her heightened senses.
She took a deep breath, steadying her hand, remembering every hour of training with Elion as he helped her master the celestial blade. The early mornings spent running miles on the beach, working through drills with her blade and bow, teaching her about balance and strategy—were all for this moment.
You are Starlight. You will not fall.
Elion’s smile flashed before her mind, calm resolution washing over her, as she ran toward the red-eyed demon.
Her bonds flared around her in response to the evil that defiled the earth. The wraith raised his sword, grasping the hiltof the blade with both hands, ready to rain down wrath on the Starborne.
Time slowed, her bond sharpening her senses further, morphing her into the weapon her father expected her to be—the weapon the Constellations had chosen. She was only a breath from the wraith now. Heat and smoke scorched her lungs, but she did not stop.
Then, he struck.
The force of his blade slashing through the smoke vibrated the air, a whistling sound filling her ears with the speed of his movement.
But Astraia was ready, the black metallic of her Celestial dagger already raised in defense. She bent her legs, tightening her core to steady her form, and released Power into her dagger.
The brightness of her bond flare caught the wraith off guard, his eyes squinting against the light, but it did not lessen his forceful slash.
The sound of iron meeting steel reverberated through the town as blades met. Sparks flew. Astraia winced as the energy vibrated through her skull, making her ears ring.
But she did not fall. Power surged forward from her blade, white sparks traveling down her arms into the dagger and repelling the wraith’s iron broadsword.
Screaming with fury, Astraia flared her bond, pushing with every ounce of strength she could muster into the black steel to force the wraith back. She sidestepped and jumped back from the attacker, breathless.
But the wraith did not relent. His broadsword billowed with smoke, slashing down again. She rolled, ducking just out of his reach. The air ruffled her hair from the near-miss.
Faster. I have to be faster.
She had not pushed her bond for this long in years—not since training, not since that day five years ago when her whole world burned.
Now it was her turn to attack.
Channeling Power once more, the blade pulsating with brilliant white streaks of light, she lunged. Slashing, it collided with the black broadsword.
She held her ground, forcing the wraith to remain on the defensive, blades locked and unmoving. The only way she was keeping him from slicing her in two was her bond flowing through every inch of her skin and every shard of her blade.
Astraia only had one chance.
