There wasn’t much to go on, and the details seemed to change or become fuzzy with each retelling. What remained the same was the flames rising into the pastel sky of dawn. The screams of citizens as they tried to save whomever and whatever they could, and then there was Davina.
Her eyes near the color of obsidian as she wreaked havoc on the unsuspecting citizens of Lyndaria, their bodies crumbling beneath her magic.
As Auraelia stepped out of her closet—her second boot haphazardly laced and the ties on her corset hanging open—Piper rushed to her side.
“Good goddess, Rae. Fixthat.” She gestured to the laces across Auraelia’s bust. “I’ll fix your boots. Daemon, grab her dagger from the table and her emerald necklace from the top drawer of her vanity.” She tacked on without losing her focus. “I swear you would fall apart without me.”
When Daemon returned with the requested items, Piper had just finished fixing Auraelia’s boots.
Kneeling at her feet, Daemon strapped the dagger around her thigh, the emerald blade warming as soon as it came into contact with her leg, even through the thick leather of the sheath.
A mixture of emotions swirled in his eyes as he stood, and as much as she wanted to, she didn’t have time to dissect them. However, when she looked down to see the emerald necklace he’d given her when she was in Kalmeera, she could have easily guessed what they were.
Swallowing audibly, Auraelia turned and swept her hair from her neck. The chain was cool against her skin, but everywhere Daemon’s fingers touched was scorching.
Focus, Auraelia.
When she turned around, Daemon’s eyes bounced from the pendant to her face. Before she could say anything, could explain why she’d kept one and not the other, Piper’s sharp intake of breath pulled her attention.
Snapping her gaze to her friend, she watched as Piper’s eyes stared vacantly into the void of her vision. When clarity came back to her hazel orbs, Auraelia rushed to her side and grasped her hands. “What is it?”
Piper’s eyes were still wide, terror coursing through them as her head rotated from side to side as if she couldn’t believe what she’d just seen.
Dropping her friend’s hands in favor of cupping her face, she demanded, “Show me.”
Heaving a heavy sigh, Piper nodded, and Auraelia could feel it the moment her friend dropped the barrier between them. Piper’s magic flowed freely through Auraelia’s veins, filling her mind with images of death and destruction.
As the wall between them rose once more, lightning crackled between Auraelia’s fingers, and she spun around, piercing Daemon with a hard stare. “We’re leaving.Now.”
Every nerve ending stood on end as her magic coursed through her body. Not even the cool caress from Daemon’s shadows as they swirled around them, transporting them to the outskirts of the city, could lessen the fire that filled her veins.
Their feet had barely touched the ground before the sound of screams pierced the air, and the smell of smoke filled her nostrils. The sound of men, women, and children overpowering the flames that crackled as the fires burned through the wisteria and gardens that covered Lyndaria.
Launching into a sprint, Auraelia threw everything she could into her magic, pulling the water from the clouds in the sky until they turned from fluffy and pink to heavy and gray.
Thunder rolled as she reached the city line, the sound of her citizens in peril piercing her ears and stabbing her heart.
Daemon was right on her heels as they wove their way to the harbor. It was where Piper’s visions continuously placed Davina, and where Xander had ridden out to intercept their cousin while Piper alerted Auraelia. But with the chaos cluttering the streets, it was hard to determine where she was going.
Pausing for a moment, Auraelia looked around to try and get her bearings. Nothing was as it should have been. Roads were blocked by debris. Most of her people were crying and screaming in the streets, while others attempted to control the chaos—issuing orders and directions to keep the flames from spreading.
Panic began to surge in her chest, working its way up her throat and stealing the air from her lungs.
One. Two. Three—
She only made it to three before the familiar feel of Daemon’s arms wrapping around her pushed her anxiety back down.
“Breathe, Auraelia,” he whispered in her ear. “Focus on where you need to be, and let my magic take you there.”
“Daemon, I don’t have time—”
He kept her back to his front but tightened his arms around her. “You have time to take a second and breathe. You’re not going to be any good to your people if you’re running around like a crazed person. They need you focused. Let mehelpyou.”
Taking a deep breath, Auraelia closed her eyes and let her mind go to where she needed to be. She pictured the ships rocking gently in their ports, the waves lapping against their hulls and the docks.
When she opened her eyes again, Daemon’s shadows faded away to reveal not only the harbor but also her cousin's back.
“Davina!” Auraelia yelled as she pulled out of Daemon’s embrace, using the wind in her control to project her voice over the crackle and pop of the fire.
