She grinned at me. “Definitely both.”
I looked at Lana, checking her over for injuries and found nothing substantial. Despite fighting by her side and knowing she could hold her own, there was an uneasy feeling growing that I couldn’t quite shake. The bond between us ached in my chest knowing what might happen today.
We’d either walk away with a free Atheria or we’d die. I couldn’t stomach the thought of Lana not existing. I had to physically battle the desperation rising inside of me in order to focus. I couldn’t make a mistake. Not now.
Screams and agonized shrieks echoed toward us from the edge of the battle. Dark onesandour Fae ran farther into the fray.
We braced ourselves, unsure of what to expect from the sudden panic when a stampede of razorven came into view. Lana ran, shoving through to get to them as I chased after her.
“It’s okay,” she shouted to our army. “Hold! Hold your positions.”
She stopped in front of the razorven, watching them. Sure enough, they ran right to her side as if awaiting instructions.
“Kade.”
Cassandra’s voice was soft, brushing against my ear, even though she wasn’t standing anywhere near me. I turned, looking around the battlefield until I saw her next to Vivienne toward the back by a few strox standing proudly, protecting the seers.
She waved a hand in the air, beckoning me. “Lana,” I said hesitantly, not wanting to break her concentration with the creatures.
“We fight Thames and his army of dark ones,” Lana addressed the beasts. “Our soldiers will fight alongside you. The dark ones are yours to do with as you please.” She shouted to our people nearby to spread the word that the razorven were with us, just like the strox.
I shook my head. Mystical creatures emerging to fight alongside the love of my life? It wasn’t something I could have dreamt up myself.
Lana turned toward me, smiling.
“Cassandra’s calling us,” I said loudly, shouting over the noise of the battle around us.
She nodded, and we raced to the back, while she encouraged the army along the way, praising their work against the odds.
We stopped before the seers, and Cassandra cupped Lana’s face. Her eyes were almost white, but not quite. I didn’t know if she was having a vision or merely trying to take in as much of the battle as she could. The softness she displayed toward Lana now reminded me of the woman who healed me growing up.
“You can’t forget the prophecy,” she said to Lana. While moving her hand to Lana’s shoulder, she reached her other toward me.
“Banish all ties to darkness with light, if any remains, so will this blight,”she whispered. “There is an entire army of dark ones with his evil embedded in them. He will win if that darkness remains.”
Lana’s frantic gaze darted between Vivienne and Cassandra.
“You will need everything you have if you want to banish it,” Vivienne said. She stared straight at Lana until her face softened.
She whirled to face me. “The most powerful our magic has ever been was in the volcano. We obliterated not just the darkness, but the volcano itself.” Her voice trembled with excitement. “If we tried it again, if we channeled our magic together, we might be able to draw the darkness out of his army, just as we did the lava.”
I nodded slowly at first, understanding seeping into me as every word she said settled, making sense.
Cassandra dropped her hands and heaved a sigh of relief. “Conserve your energy and build the momentum together.”
The seer stepped back, chanting under her breath before she circled her arms in a wide arc around us. A shimmering, almost translucent dome appeared above us and she opened her eyes. “It feels good to use my sorcery again,” she said. “This will offer some protection. If Thames figures out what you’re doing, he’ll come directly for you. He won’t want to keep playing around if you have a chance of bringing him down. I don’t know what he knows of the final prophecy. I’d like to think nothing, but I wouldn't take a chance.”
“Once we destroy the darkness, it should make the battle much easier,” Lana said, glancing over her shoulder at the fight still waging.
“Do not underestimate hatred,” Vivienne cautioned. “Though some are with Thames by force, others chose evil. Getting rid of the darkness does not automatically mean his army will be nothing.”
“Hurry,” Cassandra urged. “We’ll help others as we can while making sure you have time to fulfill your destiny.” She laced her fingers together before cracking them. “Care to watch me work like old times, Vivi?”
“Show-off,” Vivienne muttered, but the two walked off toward the very back rows of our army.
Lana smiled, glancing up and around at the glittering dome still encasing us. “Kade,” she said, excitement building in her voice. “This is what we were missing.”
I frowned, unsure of what she meant.
