Zev nodded and peeled off his shirt. “We wait for an opening.”
The sorceress’s sudden manic laughter drew their attention back to the field. Her eyes merely two glowing points of violet past her wet bangs. Lowering to her knees, she said something to the mages and stabbed her fingers into the dirt. The earth shook ferociously, and a crevice broke open beneath their feet. The mages scrambled out of the way, but one fell screaming through the hole.
Dyna watched in speechless amazement as the sorceress rose on her shaky legs and filled a hand with a blaze of fire and the other with a sphere of water.
“Impossible,” Rawn whispered.
Mages were limited to elements of their guilds. Yet she had cracked open the earth and now wielded elements she shouldn’t be able to.
“Not impossible, Lord Norrlen.” Dyna grinned, knowing exactly what this meant. “It’s merely improbable.”
The sorceress hurled her attacks. The mages held up their staffs with two hands to ward off her power. A mage waved his staff in the air, and a tornado formed around her. She crossed her arms and snapped them open, blasting the spiraling wind away. The recoil pushed her back, but her arms were already rising for another attack. A mage blasted her with black mist, sending her crashing across the field. Dyna gasped, her smile fading. The storm broke, and the deluge reduced to a drizzle as the clouds parted. Shafts of sunlight illuminated the ravaged field.
The four remaining mages stalked for her. A red-haired mage raised his staff and hit the sorceress with a blow of red, and it knocked her to the ground, pinning her hands and legs.
“Now,” Zev growled.
Rawn raised his bow and aimed. The sorceress’s screams of rage switched to frightened cries as the mage dropped on top of her and grasped her neck with glowing hands.
Dyna leaped to her feet. “Get off her, you filthy sod!”
Cassiel covered her mouth and yanked her down, but they had heard her. The mages spun around. Rawn released his arrow, and it pierced the red-haired mage through the throat. His eyes widened, blinking as though confused by the shaft through his neck. Blood poured from his mouth and his body swayed, toppling on top of the sorceress.
The others lifted their staffs; the crystals flaring. Zev shapeshifted and his black wolf tore across the field for the advancing mages.
“Stay with Lady Dyna,” Rawn told Cassiel, then bound onto the boulder as he whistled for Fair. His horse came galloping for him and he jumped on the saddle, riding away.
Dyna stiffened, and Cassiel’s jaw worked as he gripped the hilt of his sword. Neither of them looked at each other, tension filling the space between them. He probably would have preferred to fight than to stand guard with her.
Highly aware of his presence, she kept her gaze trained on the fight. The mages ran to meet Zev and Rawn, their crystal pulsing as they prepared to attack. But Lord Norrlen loaded his bow and shattered them. The startled mages dropped their staffs. Light flared up their arms as spells glowed in their hands.
Zev evaded a flying boulder and pivoted away from another detonating spell. Dyna’s heart jolted, and she squeezed her fists. Magic choked the field, pressing into her with its might. Gods, these were powerful mages. She shouldn’t have sent him out there.
“Zev will be fine,” Cassiel told her calmly, though his face was tight with concern. His wide eyes followed the wolf sprint towards the barrage. “He is quick and—”
A sun mage raked his arms through the air and an enormous wave of fire roared through the field—coming right for Zev.
Chapter 5
Zev
Zev knew no matter how fast he ran, he wouldn’t be able to avoid the immense wave of flames. He stopped in place, orange filling his vision. The shroud of fire blotted the sun as it crested over him. In the distance came Dyna’s scream. But a strange sort of peace fell over him. He had only one thought.
At last.
The beat of hooves pounded into the earth. Rawn rode toward him—toward the fire. He armed his bow, lining his sight with the string. An arrow zipped over Zev’s head and pierced the flames, dissipating them in a plume of smoke. Nothing remained but the scorched ground.
Fair leaped over him, and Rawn rode for the startled mages. Zev shook himself out of his shock and sprinted after them. He hadn’t known Rawn could break spells, but he was reminded of the elf’s abilities when he withdrew his enchanted sword.
The mages threw a barrage of attacks. The world shook, and the air crackled with their combined magic. Fair galloped through the explosions, well trained and swift in his movements. With a swipe of his blade, Rawn sliced through the spells, and they burst in puffs of smoke in his wake. Zev ran along his side, trusting him to cut through each one. Seeing they couldn’t stop them, the mages ran for the sorceress.
Rawn leaped up on the saddle.“Otla!”
Fair jerked to a stop, launching him into the air. He spun mid arc and landed in front of the mages in a crouch. Zev tackled one, sinking his jaws into the mage’s throat, ripping it free. Blood sprayed on the grass. Rawn faced off with the other two. They waved their arms and conjured a translucent shield between them. It was useless when Rawn could easily slash through it.
A mage with a mane of red hair and glowing amber eyes filled his hands with fire. “You killed my brother, blasted elf.”
Rawn gritted his teeth. “A fitting death for one who resorts to such obscene deeds.”
