Ayla stiffened beside me.
Lydia sighed, an exasperated sound. “Claudian Sgalier, you absolutefuckingwaste of space. You are so arrogant, you could not possibly imagine any outcome besides your own. You think I would allow you to drag me along for over a decade only to settle for a fraction of the mágik available?”
“You will leave her be.”
“I don’t think that I will.”
With a roar, Claudian launched himself at Lady Adiran, palms blazing with fire that she expelled with every breath.
Ayla and I linked hands, willing the flow of our celestial mágik to move through our bodies as one. Silver and gold, our power erupted through the room. We dug into the depths of ourselves, willing every last scrap of fight to come forward.
Lady Adiran threw her hands up, protecting her eyes from the blinding light which poured off of us. She dodged attacks from Claudian as best as she could in the meantime.
We met in the middle, at the line where the first bodies had fallen.
Harkin and Hesperia Farkas darted across the room, ushering Yvett and Adina from the tremulous space. There was not time to wonder about the loyalties of the council.
I caught Safiya’s movement in my peripheral as she moved to cover Ayla, and though I could not see him, I knew that Théo remained behind, wrapping his mágik protectively around us.
We lashed our mágik like whips, cutting and biting and stinging as they licked upon Lady Adiran’s flesh, but she was healed mere moments later.
I pushed forward, but she did not step back.
Ayla seared through the room with her blazing sunfire, flames catching and licking along Lady Adiran’s clothes, but still her skin did not burn. Safiya cracked the ground beneath her feet while simultaneously throwing blade after blade. They all bounced harmlessly to the floor.
Blood dripped down Lady Adiran’s face, but she smiled grotesquely. Her teeth were stained red, her hair turned pink, and yet she healed and healed and healed, never slowing, never growing tired.
Harkin returned, jumping into the fray and pulling the breath from her lungs. I pushed the force of the tide down her throat. She coughed and sputtered, her face turned purple, but she would not relent.
She laughed, a keening, gargling atrocity.
Safiya fell to her knees, grasping at her chest, and Ayla went to her without a second thought. Claudian followed his daughter, standing protectively over the pair.
“End this foolish charade,” Lady Adiran demanded, “or the earth wielder dies. I have grown tired of your games.”
Tears spilled down Ayla’s face as she clutched at Safiya. She was gasping for breath, the light dimming in her fiery eyes.
“Safiya!” Ayla screamed her name, again and again. She screamed at Lady Adiran, wailing because what else was there to do?
I looked at Théo, but his eyes were shuttered in resignation.
The plan had failed.
She was too strong—far stronger than we had anticipated. She was right. We were foolish children, but we were also far more.
Lady Adiran faltered, clutching at her head and her chest. She dropped to a knee, rose again. Her venomous gaze turned on Théo.
His lips moved with silent prayer.
I did not waste a moment. I pulled at my mágik with every fiber of my being.
“Please, Lunanya. Answer my call, help me rid Acsilla of this evil. Let your mágik flow through me, your loyal servant.Please!” I bargained and pleaded and wrestled the power of the moon into submission.
When the first fragments of the great celestial body crashed through the glass roof, I let out a piercing scream. The mágik moved through me, my will a conduit to the heavens.
Moonrock rained upon us, cutting into the corpses of the dead guards. They sliced into the living bodies of the remaining council members. Araceli Basa went down gracefully, toppling in slow motion. Ignatius Imre went out in a blaze of fire and rage.
The final piece came down like a shooting star, a streak of light racing behind it. It landed on Lady Adiran with a bone-crushing, spirit-wrenching blow. One she could not come back from.
