The blast tore forward.
It slammed into one of the orc leaders standing several paces behind the elder, a massive figure with braided hair and a scar splitting his brow. The impact was brutal and precise, striking him square in the chest and hurling him backward as if he weighed nothing at all.
He hit the ground hard.
The sound echoed across the valley, a wet, final thud that cut through the hum of the Hollows and the hiss of frost like a knife.
For a heartbeat, no one moved.
The light vanished as suddenly as it had appeared, leaving me reeling, my ears ringing, my vision swimming with afterimages. I staggered forward instinctively, my heart slamming against my ribs as the sight of the fallen orc snapped into focus.
He wasn’t moving.
“No,” I whispered, horror flooding through me. “No, no—”
The older orc roared.
It wasn’t a battle cry. It was grief, rage, and betrayal fused into one sound, and it tore through the valley like a physical force. Weapons surged upward all along the line, certainty slamming back into place with terrifying speed.
Accusation.
The Priestess knew she’d lost control and did whatever she could to get it back.
“She lied!” someone shouted in the orcs’ tongue.
“She strikes with light now!” another bellowed.
“She waited until we lowered our guard!”
Panic detonated in my chest.
“This wasn’t me!” I yelled, already moving, already running before I could stop myself. “Please, he needs help!”
I heard my mom’s screams as Stella held her back, and I broke into a sprint, boots slipping on frost as I raced toward the fallen orc, my hands already glowing with healing magic, my mind focused on one thing and one thing only.
Save him.
The orcs didn’t hear my words.
They saw me running toward their fallen leader, magic blazing in my hands, light still clinging to my hair and shoulders like an accusation.
To them, it looked like the finishing blow.
“No!” Keegan shouted again, his voice sharp with panic.
The shifters lunged forward, growls ripping from their chests as they tried to intercept me, but they were too far back, caught between protecting me and not provoking an all-out charge.
The vampires moved faster, coats flaring as they surged forward in a blur of motion, not attacking, not striking, but positioning themselves between me and the orc line.
Too late.
An orc roared and hurled a spear.
It didn’t hit me.
It struck the ground inches from my feet, ice and stone exploding upward in a spray that knocked me off balance. I went down hard, the impact jarring my teeth together as my palms slapped the frozen earth.
The Hollows screamed.
