There is something I need to know,I said.
Ask.
Can the Devourer be defeated?
Yes,it replied, the words a struggle to hear. My muscles burned, and I felt Talon’s strong arms hold me up.
If I use the wind’s full power against it…will it sever my bond with Shazeera?
In the Devourer’s final form, the force you call upon will be too great for your earthly bond to survive. One more question,he warned.Your body is weakening.
I hesitated, chest heaving.What if I strike before the creature reaches full strength?
Then you may yet keep her,he whispered.The ache in my chest loosened, just a little.
Mistral pulled away then, and all at once, the wind came rushing back in my ears. I leaned back against Talon, struggling to catch my breath.
“I’ve got you,” he said in my ear.
When I finally could catch my breath, I turned to look at him. “Thanks for keeping me from falling.”
“Neo and I would never let you fall,” he said, his gaze holding mine.
“The wind spirit said the Devourer can be defeated, but the risks will be too great when it’s at full power. We need to act now.”
Mistral had confirmed that using my power against the Devourer now wouldn’t sever my bond with Shazeera, which was all I cared about.
Talon’s expression hardened. “I still don’t like this. It goes against everything in me to let you risk yourself. It would be cataclysmic, too, should your power fall into the creature’s hands.”
“But the alternative is this creature will be released on other nations, and who’s to say it won’t turn on Altair once it grows in power?”
He looked down at Neo like he was listening to the eagle.
“What does Neo think?” I asked, and Talon let out his breath in a frustrated sigh.
“He says it’s far easier to hunt weak prey than strong.”
“Very wise.” When Talon still didn’t agree, I said, “If I have a power that can defeat this thing, then I must at least try. I can’t sit around and hope it goes away. It seems like it’ll eventually find a way to kill me if I don’t destroy it first.”
He closed his eyes like he hated hearing every one of my arguments because he knew they were true. Finally, he said, “This may not even work.”
“I still have to try.”
He was silent for a moment, and I turned to find him looking resolute. “We don’t have to try this alone. There are a few riders who are loyal to me. I’ll be asking them to go against their emperor, but the stakes are too high to do nothing.”
“I’m sure they’ll see stopping a demonic sorcerer is more important than obeying the emperor. We’d be protecting Altair and all Zephyrians by destroying Ozul.”
If what Altair said about Ozul being able to take over entire lands on his own was true, we would be protecting the world from its evil.
“Then we should act while it’s still weak. During the day, when there are fewer shadows.”
I tried to ignore the hair-raising dread that held me in its grip. “Tomorrow, then?”
The beating of another eagle’s wings prevented him from answering. Neo slowed his pace, and a dusty gold eagle pulled up next to us in midair, carrying Baz.
“Commander,” Baz said, saluting Talon.
“Lieutenant,” Talon said, with a slight incline of his head. “What is it?”
