Radhak and I exchanged a nod, one that allied us together in strength.
I’d never had fear extinguish hope so quickly as I helplessly watched. Radhak recognized the horror in my eyes too late. A sword plunged into his chest. The soldier who delivered the blow was merciless as he ripped out the blood-soaked blade and gave Radhak a kick that sent him tumbling to the ground.
“NO!” I speared my magic toward the soldier with a force that broke him before his lifeless body soared through the air. Lifting my skirts, I ran to Radhak’s side and dropped to my knees. “Somebody help him!” I cried, seeking for someone who could provide assistance. But the world was chaotic, and every person fought a battle they couldn’t tear from. After the altercation in South Harbor’s square, I’d assisted with several injuries, but I hadn’t handled them alone, and certainly not ones of this magnitude. His chest rose in uneven strides—his struggle to breathe was internal.
“Save yourself,” Radhak said as he sputtered up blood.
I rested my hand on his arm. “No, no, you’re going to see your dream come true, remember?” Tears blurred my vision. He and Nora and Nick were supposed to reshape the world.
His hand limply fell over mine, tapping it. “See it for me, Miss Melody.” His eyes glittered under the stars, as if he genuinely believed I’d have that experience. Then his hand slid from mine, and he became utterly still.
I wanted to weep, but there was no time. The sounds of fighting amplified as more Windguardian soldiers tore through the camp. Tears slipped from my eyes as I whipped my gaze around. Horror stilled my heart at the sight, but by some unseen force urging me forward, I was already running.
Tio was about to suffer a similar fate, a soldier primed with a sword racing to ram him through. No thoughts, just pure raw power flowed through my veins as I closed the distance. I sentout a wave so forcefully that he catapulted above the treetops, screaming into the night as he went.
Tio raced toward me, adrenaline and terror lining his face. I didn’t see why until he angled himself before me. I recognized the glint of the arrow a split second before it landed. It pierced his shoulder, flying clean through. He’d shoved me before it hit, narrowly avoiding stabbing me through as well. I tumbled to the ground. Tio landed on top of me, shielding me from any incoming attack.
“Tio!” I reached for him, holding him close. From the ground, we were at a disadvantage. With his injury, he’d struggle to keep fighting. It was up to me to defend us both. But when I reached inside me, I felt hollow. I’d used too much magic. Tears streamed down my cheeks when I admitted, “I don’t have much left.”
I didn’t have to say more. He understood. He’d seen me practice and drain the well inside of me. He was injured, and I was scraping the bottom of the barrel. Around us, chaos reigned. We were outnumbered more by the second, but as fear cradled my mind, I looked at the stunning man above me.
His smile could have broken the darkness in the night sky. My light didn’t hold a candle to his brightness. He’d become the sun to which my heart orbited.
“There’s still no place I’d rather be,” he said, holding that charming smile that melted my bones on the best days, and now, in the midst of the worst, cleaved my very soul. No hint or evidence of regret on his beautifully masculine face.
Thundering footsteps approached us, and Tio asked, “Can I borrow this?”
He worked faster than I could process, unsheathing my blade and whipped it at the oncoming soldier. His fingers splayed as he held his hand out. The dagger angled itself with precisionbefore sinking into the center of the man’s forehead. The body crumbled, falling face first before us.
Tio groaned, the first sign he’d given regarding his injured shoulder. I wanted to scream for a healer, for some pain reducing herbs, but that wasn’t how this was going to go. We were out of time.
Minutes, maybe even seconds, until the swarm of soldiers discovered we were still alive on the ground.
Another wave breached the camp, their forces arriving in full now instead of a few at a time. This was it, my final moments. I grabbed Tio’s face and pulled it to me, kissing him with abandon. His lips were the last thing I wanted to feel before whatever end awaited.
The force with which he kissed me back implied he felt the same. My cheeks became wet with sorrow for the life we’d never have. The ground rumbled, the earth rattling from the storm of soldiers as they defiled the land. Metal rang in the air from armor and swords. Still, I retreated into our kiss, soaking his warmth, ignoring the wetness that soaked my collar bone from his dripping shoulder.
A gust blew around us, whipping our hair wildly. We broke apart to see the oncoming wall of soldiers forced back, colliding into each other and the trees. Tio snapped his attention to me, eyes wide with question and surprise.
“It wasn’t me.” I shook my head.
“Report, Galakis,” Ravinder ordered as he and his crew of angels appeared behind us.
Tio lifted his gaze to see his fearless mentor and laughed into the night, utter shock at the last minute reinforcements. With difficulty, he stood, extending his arm for me, pulling me to my feet. “A Windguard battalion. Two hundred or so. We had no warning. They’re crossing the river using a constructed plank.It bottlenecks them, but I don’t know how many have crossed already.”
Ravinder barely looked past us as he sent another hurtling blast. Soldiers screamed in the distance as they lost connection with the ground and soared into the air, dropping with bone cracking thuds. The rest of his crew focused on those who had infiltrated the camp.
“If they haven’t all already crossed, we need to stop them. Destroy that plank.” He sent another wave of wind, steadily restricting more soldiers from swarming the camp.
A man on a horse strode up to us, updating Ravinder on movements around the outskirts. There was a flicker inside me, a spark. I knew the thundering portion of my magic had drained, but the lightning…
“If I can get to the riverbank, I can muster enough power to cause a lightning strike right on the plank. Hopefully it’ll break.” I exchanged a look with Tio. He took a deep breath, his lips thinning as he gave a curt nod.
“I’ll take her,” Tio said, not breaking eye contact. I couldn’t help but smile.
“Excellent. Take this horse.”
The man atop dismounted and passed off the reins.
