Tharion soared over us and then swerved back towards the Hollow at full speed, filled with the sweltering power of his land. Waves of blazing energy swept in and out of my being through our connection, giving me a glimpse of his true might. The feeling caused my fists to tremble, being fifty times stronger than the supercharge I got after absorbing the ward.
No fucking wonder he always confronted the massive, four-headed Dragon like he could take him in his sleep. Seeing the powerful, luminous red being before me now, there was no doubt Tharion was formidable enough to defeat him…
A frightening roar burst out of Tharion when a clearly enraged Azazel rose in the air across from him, eyes glowing a bright green with the Warlock King’s influence. His four mouths widened, but before he could fire, Tharion crashed against him at full speed, sending Azazel tumbling backwards towards the Crimson Fortress.
34
EVANNA
Four roars echoed across the Blazelands, making everything tremble as Azazel crashed into the side of the dark palace. The wing of the castle exploded under his weight, destroying two of the towers and sending bricks, rocks, and dust in several directions.
Before Azazel could recover, the glowing, red giant Tharion had turned into lunged for him again, fire lava shooting out of his mouth and engulfing one of Azazel’s heads. Another set of roars ripped the air when Azazel reared back from pain and then jumped on Tharion.
Forcing my attention away from them, my gaze connected with the warriors and sentries below us. Braxton’s psychological strategy had worked. Many sentries were taken aback by the multiple sights of their evil king and master in the battleground, and up in the sky—attacking them, killing them.
They were as terrified of the Warlock as our people were.
Confusion disrupted their ranks, yet our warriors didn’t allow their escape. Our army persevered through the first wave, each warrior taking on three sentries, until Harrison led them and the land riders through the open foothills, leaving a wake of broken bodies behind.
Unfortunately, a second wave of over a thousand sentries exited the mountains of the Hollow, crashing against our army, and stopping them from reaching the moat, which concerned me. If the land riders didn’t reach the drawbridge that would take them into the castle grounds, they would never be able to release the rest of the slaves on the other side. They couldn’t fail, whatever happened we had to save our people.
No one would be left behind.
My eyes connected with Kingston’s, and I nodded towards Braxton, seeing him gesture to Harper, Arlo, Skylar, and Elijah to follow. No longer needed to distract Azazel, who was currently engaged in the fight of his life, my team joined my mate’s.
“Where is Raithian?” I shouted, hovering with Star next to Braxton, and Imogen, but he shook his head.
We could see part of the inner courtyard from where we waited in the air, but all that was visible were slaves chained to each other. Looks of both terror and hope marred their faces while they glanced up at us, and the Dragon battle raging behind them.
“Let’s take the palace from above,” Braxton suggested, and both Kingston and I nodded. We could not give the Warlock any advantage.
Together with our Dragons we could take on the Warlock King and overwhelm him. Wherever he was hiding, Braxton and I would find him and do what was needed to end him. A sliver of hope softened the dread clinging to my soul since Braxton’s words last night. I wasn’t sure what else the Truth Teller had told him, and he probably thought he was protecting me by keeping it from me, but it was clear he feared this battle would take him too.
I refused to accept that. We hadn’t fought so hard and for so many years only to lose it all in the end. Braxton was my everything, if I lost him, then none of this was worth it.
Not without him.
Our Sky Legion lunged towards the courtyard, but something hit Midnight the next second, sending him in a backwards spiral, and throwing Imogen and Braxton off him. Midnight’s howl of pain sliced through the mountains.
“Braxt—!” My call cut off when Star swerved abruptly, jerking me backwards. A rush of energy coursed through my arm shield, helping me hold on to her.
Hair whipping around my face as we swerved in the air, I frantically looked for my mate, wanting to go to him. When I found him, I realized we’d flown too far away. His Dragon Eye illuminated as he tumbled in the air, and Athina immediately veered with Asher after Imogen.
Braxton had sent Athina to rescue his mentor.
“They have spear launchers!” Kingston shouted at the same time that I noticed a massive spear flying towards me.
We all dispersed in the sky, with Star spinning to evade the multiple shots cutting towards us. Grinding my teeth, I clung to her as hard as I could, muscles straining while my gaze searched for Brax… to find him still falling.
A rope of golden magic shot from his hand towards Knight’s leg the instant he was close, latching onto him and helping Brax swing onto Knight’s back. He landed near Quinn. Relief swept like a mighty wave over me, but it swiftly vanished when Quinn and Knight swerved to avoid another attack.
The Warlock King had been preparing for war too. Probably for many years.
Desperately searching for Midnight, my mate’s head turned in all directions, and dread gripped my chest when our eyes found him. His wing was bleeding, the harpoon slicing through the thick skin and impaling him to the ground. Midnight howled again, jerking his wing to take the weapon out, but his fight only ripped it even farther.
Avoiding another shot, Star and I flew along the perimeter of the battle below, noticing four spear launchers placed in the Hollow’s courtyard, with the sentries firing at everything that moved above them.
I remained low, needing to make sure Braxton and Midnight were okay, while Kingston and Edward flew towards the launchers. Their Dragons’ fire breath shot to the massive wooden weapons, the blaze engulfing two of them and the sentries using them. The men ran and tumbled against the other, trying to put out the flames that consumed them, to no avail.
