My lips parted, seeing the depth of her power. I had not known she was capable ofthis.
“You’re holding it,rei kassiri,” I told her, though her eyes were peering up at the cracks too.
Okan raced towards us, stomping into the ground wildly, tossing his head as if he sensed the danger that would soon fall over this land. And yet, mypyrokihad waited. My loyal beast.
“Kakkira vor,Okan,” I growled, catapulting onto his back with Mina still safely cradled in my arms. In the sheath at mypyroki’sside, I slid my sword, freeing my other hand to clutch her to me more readily. “Vir drak ji vorak!” I told him.
Immediately, he raced into motion, the jolting beat of his clawed hooves digging deep into the earth, throwing us across the land as dust kicked up behind us.
A rattling, deep boom nearly toppled Okan over. A boom so loud that it rocked the plains. When I turned, I watched with grim disbelief as the top of the Dead Mountain began to cave inwards, its weight crashing towards the very center of that fallen mountain kingdom. A storm of dust and debris raced at our heels, but Okan managed to keep in front of it, riding hard and fast, nearly catching up with the last of thedarukkars, who still charged across the Dead Valley.
Overhead, I tracked the fog. With a wave of relief, I saw that the edge had retreatedbackwards. To right over the encampment where my warriors had been taken. Where it had originally been before thesarkia’sblood magic had spread it far and wide, as if thesarkia’sdeath had erased whatever spell she’d cast.
That meant the horde was untouched.
Another thunderous crack came. I thought it was the Dead Mountain but I felt a rush of wind blow at our backs. With grim realization, I saw Mina’s barrier, a section right over us, begin to splinter.
Then it caved in.
The fog was waiting. It tumbled and swirled and raced through the open break, heading right towards us. A tidal wave that was reclaiming its land.
“Draki,” I growled to Okan.Faster.
Yet he was already sprinting at his top speed. I felt him begin to falter. I eyed the line of the western edge. We were so close, I could see the fire flickering in the basin.
Just a few moments more!
Just a few moments and we would—
Red consumed us with such force it nearly toppled me off Okan’s back. A sound, unlike any I’d ever heard before, roared in our ears as the last of Mina’s shield fell.
She went limp in my arms.
Immediately, that excruciating pain I shared with her lifted from me but instead of relief, I felt only dread.
“Mina,nik!” I roared. I was unable to see in front of us. All I saw was the red. Red, like the color of my queen’s blood. Her head lolled, her body slack. “Mina!”
Okan’s pace began to slow. The fog began to thread into his own lungs too. How long would it be before he fell?
Only a little farther, I thought, blinking away the mist when it began to sting my eyes. Because that was what I had tobelieve. I had to believe we would reach the edge.
A few breathless moments later, golden light broke through the red. A fire roared in the basin, growing and growing. I couldseeit. We were there!
When we catapulted through the fog’s boundary, I dragged in deep lungfuls of clean air, clearing the remnants of fog from my throat.
“Rowin!” came Valavik’s voice, relief evident. When I looked up at the clearing, I saw all thedarukkarsthere, though theirpyrokissagged with exhaustion. “In Kakkari’s name, I thought—”
But I paid him no mind. I didn’t even have time to feel relief that we’d made it beyond the edge.
“Mina,” I whispered, my voice ragged as fear and panic clogged my throat. To no one, I roared, “Send for the healer!”
Valavik cursed but turned immediately, jumping onto the back of hispyrokiwithout a moment’s hesitation.
“Mina?” came an alarmed voice. “Mina!”
It was Tess. The frail, pale, dark-haired human was trying to make it past adarukkarwho held her back.
I felt the earth quake before I heard the cracking sound that echoed into the night sky. Fearful gasps and sounds of alarm came. In the distance, I could see the stretch of plains that the fog had not yet reached.
