Whirling around, we sprint back up the steps.
Air saws through my throat as we hurtle towards the door up ahead. We need to make it out. If we’re not far enough away from the castle when the liquid catches fire, we’re going to get buried underneath several tons of ice. And not even Isera would be able to protect us from that.
The door bangs against the wall as Alistair throws it open and darts out, followed by Isera. I cast a glance over my shoulder to find Orion falling behind slightly. Because he used up so much magic to clear the castle of people, he is still trying to build his energy back up, which isn’t exactly easy when we’re doing physically exerting things at the same time.
Reaching the top of the stairs, I grab the door before it can slam shut again after bouncing off the wall. Then I hold it open while Orion sprints out through it as well. He draws in deep breaths, trying to hide the exhaustion. But it lines every part of his beautiful face.
“We need to make it at least halfway down to the city,” Alistair says while he and Isera wait for us to catch up. “Otherwise, we’ll get caught in the debris.”
Isera’s eyes turn worried as she locks them on Orion. “Can you?—”
“I’m fine.” He takes off at a sprint. “Just run.”
We all lurch into motion.
Stress courses through my veins like crackling bolts of lightning as we race through the glittering ice halls and towards the closest exit. But at least the corridors are not clogged by panicked civilians anymore. I try to estimate distances in this massive castle as we dart around the next corner and into yet another hallway. Now, we just need to?—
“There they are!” a male voice bellows. “Attack!”
Skidding to a halt, I gasp as I find the entire corridor before us blocked by a mob of angry people.
Dread slams into me like a gut punch.
The horde of dragon shifters charges towards us.
CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
Fire roars down the corridor. The dragon shifters scream and throw themselves through the doorways that line the hall, barely managing to get out of the way before Alistair’s flames wash over them. Not all of them make it.
Short cries are interrupted as several people are incinerated on the spot. But the others rush out from the doorways and charge forward in a furious frenzy.
Isera shoves a massive block of ice towards them while I call up my magic and throw it towards our attackers as well.
“We don’t have time for this!” Orion yells from my left, still breathing heavily from his earlier exertion. “We need to get out. Now!”
Latching on to the bone white sparks of fear in their chests, I blow them into wildfires while Isera is forcibly shoving them all backwards with her ice in an effort to get them out of the narrow corridor so that we can make it past.
I cast another panic glance down at the pocket watch I’m still clutching in my hand while I flare the flames of fear even higher. But instead of it causing our attackers to flee in terror, it just makes them erupt into total panic.
Screaming their lungs out, they run back and forth while shoving blindly against each other and the block of ice. In their fear, they can’t seem to work out which way is out.
Isera lets out a snarl.
With a flick of her wrist, she lets the block of ice disappear.
The dragon shifters immediately start dashing towards us. I quickly break the connection to my magic and instead summon a violet flame of pain. With a shove, I slam it into the chest of the guy who is running at the front.
A howl of agony rips from his throat, and he crashes down on the ground. It causes the others behind him to trip over him. They tumble to the ground while the ones behind instead try to jump over them. But it buys Isera enough time to summon a new block of ice, an entire wall this time, and slam it right into them from straight ahead.
More cries of pain echo between the walls as the ice wall crashes into them with such force that the entire group of attackers is thrown halfway down the corridor.
“Alistair!” Isera calls.
“I know,” he yells back.
The ice wall disappears.
Then a tidal wave of fire surges through the corridor.
