The Allaji bird stares down at us, its electric blue eyes darting back and forth. Beyond the intelligence of an efficient predator, there’s something menacing brewing beneath the surface. It opens its curved beak, displaying a slender, wiggling tongue, like it is tasting our scent on the breeze. The bird expands its cream and brown speckled wings, and its long sharp talons uncoil from the thatched roof.
Kyron releases me, and his hands light up with his flames. “Run!”
We sprint toward the center of camp, and the sounds of the battle intensify. The screams are more frantic and the clattering of swords constant.They are almost as loud as the massive flapping wings closing in on us.
The hawk swoops down and Kyron hurls a ball of fire at it. Tilting to one side, the bird soars by the projectile and dives for us again. I take control of Kyron’s shadows and yank him to the ground with me, letting his gift camouflage us. The hawk flies past, and I blow out a puff of air.
“I fucked up. We should have gone over protocol for an attack today.” Kyron says, helping me to my feet.
I tighten the shadows around us like a protective blanket. “It’s not your fault. We’ll figure it?—”
“Duck!”
I drop to my knees, but I’m not fast enough. A sharp talon slices across my back, ripping through my nightgown. Kyron runs in the hawk’s direction and a stream of flames shoots from his hand. It arches through the sky, following the bird but never reaching it.
“How did it see us?” I yell, ignoring the warm liquid running down my spine.
“Great eyesight. It must have seen the ripples in the shadows. I’ll distract it. You head for the hub and gather the others.”
“No, I’m not leaving you.”
“Dammit, Raelle!”
I call the flames away from him and lift my hands over my head. They expand under my control, raging as they shoot high above us. “Let it try again, and we will have a roasted bird.”
He shakes his head and presses his back to mine. “So much for saving the pretty damsel in distress.”
I laugh. “What do you mean? I think I’m doing an amazing job, my pretty prince.”
He shoots me a glare over his shoulder and takes a step back, moving me forward. “If you get us out of this alive, I promise to swoon at your feet.”
“Oh, that’s a sexy picture. You have a deal.”
The hawk soars overhead in a circle, staying far from the blazing heat. Its head moves with each turn, not letting us out of its sight. I can’t help but feel like the bird is on a specific mission. It was waiting for us to leave the stables, eager to toy with us. Nothing about this attack was spontaneous. We’re its intentional prey.
Under the plume of fire, we move onto the main road, and I lessen my control on Kyron’s gift. The wooden buildings lining the street give ussome cover and I don’t want to set camp up in flames. We need to make it to the hub, where the flashes of fire and guttural animal sounds seem to be the loudest.
A scream for help comes from an alleyway, stopping us in our tracks. I bolt toward the cry. It doesn’t matter if it is my soldier or Kyron’s, I won’t let harm come to anyone under the protection of my kingdom.
A Lucent soldier, geared up in the armor Terro designed, stands with their back to a wall. They frantically flick their wrist, trying to get the built-in fire mechanism to ignite. It sparks but nothing happens. A massive brown bear stalks toward him, drool dripping from its maw. The soldier whimpers and their entire body shakes.
The beast tilts its snout and leaps forward. I chuck Kyron’s flame at its back. A tremendous roar feels the narrow alley. The bear whips around and charges for me, its back on fire. Kyron steps around me, a plank of wood in his hand, and swings. With a sickening crack, blood splatters on the side of the building. The bear makes a sound like a wounded dog and crumples to the ground.
The bear’s fur melts away by both flame and the retreat of power, revealing a robust, naked woman. Blood coats her face and curly red, and her eyes are vacant.
“Thank you, General LeFur—I mean Your Grace,” the frightened man says, stepping over the body.
“Kyron,” he corrects, handing the soldier the plank of wood.
We don’t wait to see if the Cyffred follows us as we turn the direction of the hub. Saving one life was worth the detour, but I fear what we’ll find in the thick of the battle. It makes my feet feel leaden the closer we get, and my heart pounds a rapid beat. We move around the back of the hub, and Kyron motions for me to press my body flush to a wall. I do as he asks and look around the corner.
The world closes in on me.
Panthers, wolves, and eagles are some of the shifter animals clashing with our troops. They’re vicious, ripping off limbs and clawing through armor. My soldiers have paired off, the Khiros using their gifts while many of the Cyffreds’ armor needs to recharge, leaving them to fight with a blade. Even with the Stigian warriors added to our ranks, the Allaji outnumber us, and our casualties increase by the minute.
“Do the thing with my fire and shadows,” Kyron says from my side.
I stare ahead in shock, my voice not feeling like my own as I say, “It won’t be enough. Drawing on every gift here won’t stop them. There are too many.”
