“Come, quickly!” Evander grabbed her hand and ran out of the room, down the corridor, and into the tavern below. The front door stood open, and the lane outside was in chaos. Smoke poured out of the windows of the building across the street. Villagers ran helter-skelter, shrieking as sparks showered from the burning thatch. Holding Samara’s arm, Evander ran for the back door, meaning to lead her out into the alley behind the building where he could circle around and avoid the street, but she yanked her hand from his.
“My father! His shop!”
“Samara, we need to run!” Evander hissed.
“I have to help!” She whirled around and sprinted out the door.
“SAMARA!” he called, but she was already out of sight. He hesitated, uncertain what to do, then he ran after her.
The street was madness. Too many people, too much darkness. Samara was gone. As Evander fought through the crowd, a dreadnought skimmed the roof of the buildings.
“No,” Evander murmured.
Clay cylinders dropped from the dreadnought’s wings and struck the cobbles, shattering and splattering the shops with oil. Then Evander felt rather than heard the creature inhale.
“RUN! RUN! RUN!” he screamed, diving into the dress shop. Fire poured down from above, shattering the windows. The front of the building was engulfed in flame.
Evander’s stomach soured. The white bird had been a caladrius bird, capable of absorbing evil magic and bearing it away into the sun, where both the magic and the bird burned to ash.
Cadmus owned a Caladrius bird.
Evander knew what Valenna had done. In exchange for his life, she had traded the location of the sanctuary to her father, and he had given her his magical pet.
Crawling on his hands and knees under the smoke, Evander found the back door and moved into the alley behind the shop. He gained his feet and ran until the air cleared and he could breathe again. Coughing, his throat stinging, Evander leaned against a wall and pressed his hand to his forehead. The loud absence of pain frightened him. Magical healing always comes at a terrible cost, and the cost had been Valenna’s freedom. The cost had been Cobblepine.
Then a shrill cry split the air, and Evander’s chest tightened; a cold sheen of sweat slicked his brow. Battlefield memories he’d locked away rose again like wraiths.
A flock of birds flew over the village. They were larger than herons, graceful and lithe, and their wings pulsed orange, like molten iron.
One by one, they dove, spirals of light. They plummeted into buildings, blowing them into billows of fire and char. The concussions rang in Evander’s ears, thumped in his chest. Evander ducked through embers falling like rain, and he didn’t realize he was headed for the apothecary until he reached it. He stopped outside the door, barely keeping his feet as terrified villagers jostled him. He wasn’t sure why he had come here instead of running for shelter, but before he could decide what to do, the door crashed open and Samara plowed into him.
Behind her, Lysander crouched in the doorway, shaking.
“Trevelyan!” she cried. “What is happening?”
“Phoenixes,” Evander replied tersely.“Come, we need to find somewhere to hide!”
“You taught us about these!” Samara panted. “The Sennalaith army trains them to dive into buildings or enemy troops, explode into flame, and then respawn and flap away as chicks, returning home until, a month later, they are ready for destruction again.”
“Yes, you’re very bright. Now come!” Evander ordered, pushing her in front of him. “They aim for the buildings. We need to get away from town. Lysander!”
Lysander shook his head. He looked like a frightened colt, ready to bolt.
“COME!” Evander bellowed, taking a step toward him, but before he reached the boy, Ariadne marched out of the smoke and grabbed her son’s shoulder, dragging him to his feet.
“You did this, Trevelyan,” she said. “You …”
A phoenix struck the building next door, and the windows shattered, debris pattering their shoulders.
Ariadne pulled Lysander with her into an alley.
“Lysander! Wait!” Samara called after him, but he didn’t even turn.
Evander grasped Samara’s wrist and guided her down the street.
Phoenixes shrieked; buildings erupted. Evander half-carried Samara through the storm of sparks, making for the lake, but the road was blocked with the charred bones of shops. Desperate to find shelter, Evander pulled Samara behind him down a dark side street and made for the mountainside. He spied a hollow where a spring filtered out of the rock. The water gurgled into a shallow well, overhung by a rock ledge. Grabbing Samara around the waist, he flung her into the pool, then jumped after her. He sank up to his chest in the water. Samara struggled to keep her chin above the surface.
“We’re gonna die, Oh, sunbird have mercy, we’re gonna die,” she spluttered.
