“Not just destroyed, turned,” adds Charen.
“Eraldon’s more powerful than anything we’ve ever faced.” Brock keeps his eyes ahead.
“Either we defeat him here and now, or the realm falls.” I meet each of their gazes. “The day realm willnotfall.”
Charen summons his dark magic, and Tristano pulls his sword free.
I raise my hand, the sunlight bursting from me in a flash of power.
The column of fighters behind us send up a loud cry, the sound furious and echoing. We speed our pace, and as we crest the next rise, we come face to face with the darkest army to ever march on our lands.
41
Emma
Isense the moment Solano changes into his feral form. Then a huge burst of sunlight cuts through the cloudy day, startling me so badly I almost fall into Malnaloch’s grip. Fortunately, he blinks his huge eyes and roars, increasing his speed toward the battle ahead.
The town of Nightsbane is a smoldering wreck, and the seekers have pushed what remains of our initial force deeper inland. I push higher to get a better view.
“Come closer, my pet.” Eraldon’s voice is a blade of ice through my heart. “Come to me.”
I push him out, trying to ignore his slithering influence. He’s here somewhere, and I will be his end. Imustbe. For Lex. For everyone he’s hurt, including me.
Solano roars, light bursting from his feral’s mouth and mowing down row after row of seekers. They burst and burn as his warriors spread out and lead the rest of our forces to the front. Another roar and hundreds of seekers are turned to dust. Solano is wreaking havoc, bounding through the dark forces and ripping seekers apart with a swipe of his claws. He’s magnificent.
The seekers begin to scatter, some of them breaking off toward me. Good.
I dive for them, Malnaloch on my heels. When I’m almost to them, I fold my wings against my back and shove my feet forward. Landing hard on one seeker, I feel his bones crunch beneath my boots as I strike out with my claws. Several others fall from the force of my landing, and the ground trembles as Malnaloch approaches. Taking off at a run, I flap my wings and push up and up and up as Malnaloch rolls beneath me.
He’s no longer interested in me. Instead, his giant maw is open wide, scooping up seekers and crunching them between his rows of fangs.
“Eat up, big guy.” I float higher and glide over Solano and his army. They are beating the seekers back, Eraldon’s army falling beneath the might of the combined peoples of the day realm. Charen’s dark magic whips through the fighters, destroying seekers with lethal precision as Tristano defends at his back.
Bladin and Everett have cut their way through to the seeker flank and are working as a team, deadly and efficient as Brock drives more seekers to them.
Solano’s power is breathtaking, his light destroying seekers by the thousands.
More day warriors rush into the fray, all types of fae and changelings fighting together as one unit. One realm.
It’s working.
I flap higher and fly close to the barrier. It still glows and hums softly. The spell hasn’t broken. I wonder if it ever can. Perhaps not until the magic decides Arin doesn’t need realms.
As I scan the battle, I don’t see Eraldon. A warning sounds in my heart. Where is he? He should be down there getting destroyed.
I flap closer to the barrier. Can I fly through it? I move closer, and it doesn’t rebuff me. So, with a push, I pass through.
“Emma, come back!” Solano’s voice is taut.
“I’m just trying to—” I gasp. Beneath me, another whole army waits. As far as I can see, Eraldon has amassed an entire realm’s worth of seekers. How many did he turn? How many lives did he take to make this possible?
I shudder to think of it. “Retreat,” I call to Solano.
“What? We’ve almost driven them back to night.”
“Retreat. Eraldon has another ar—”
“Good to see you, my pet.” Eraldon collides with me midair and wraps his arms around my wings.
