But that’s when I hear them?—
The groans of pained men rumble through my head. Armor scrapes across stone, weapons clatter to the ground, and boots stumble to their feet.
“What is that?” Seren murmurs, crossbow raised, eyes trained on the soldiers marching through Kryntar’s gates across the causeway.
“The Marked soldiers,” Teddy says, shaking his head. “They’re not Marked, anymore. They’re confused.”
A man stumbles around the castle, a shaky arm holding a sword.
“Wh— What happened?” the man stammers, eyes sad and despondent.
As if he has no recollection of anything that’s happened.
But we don’t have time.
“Caeloria marches on us,” Kael commands. “Ready yourself, soldier. Fight for your king!”
The man scrambles to attention, confused but responsive to the instruction.
Curses and disorientation rend the night air, once-Marked soldiers staggering to their feet and rounding the corner, following the noise.
The veins of obsidian that usually bloom from their necks have faded to a shrinking gray, but they look at us warily.
Not quite enemies, not quite allies—dazed and terrified.
“Fight for your king!” Kael commands again, and something in them snaps to attention.
I don’t know how helpful they’ll be, but those who beg aren’t in the position to choose.
The Caelorians are halfway down the causeway, steel glinting under moonlight, blue aether threaded through their armor.
Lightborne magic claws at its cage in my chest, recognizing threat, desperate and hungry for blood.
I unlatch the cage, allowing it to slither through my veins, snaking to my finger tips, and illuminating my skin.
My skin markings flare brighter—like a weapon recognizing war.
I close my eyes, forcing my breath to slow, my senses to sharpen, my mind to still.
Kael’s words find me through the tether.From now until the Stars claim me, my love.
In this life and the next. I reply, and the tether thrums in resonance.
But beneath the tether, I hear another hum—a song older than the gods.
A song of Stars.
That’s when I move?—
“Duskae, grant me your power!”
Fire blazes to life from my hands, shooting out in front of me in an arc that forces the Caelorians to scatter.
I build a wall of fire across the causeway, blocking their pathway to us.
Duskae’s magic stays strong and insistent in my veins with the effort to keep up the wall of fire, and I relish the power.
It won’t last forever, but it will give us time to defend the other directions.
