I don’t wait for her to reach me.
My medallion responds to my instincts, a golden shield forming, protecting my body as I reach for my hammer and throw myself forward into a slide, aiming for her right side.
Her fire shoots across the air where I was standing, but I’ve already reached her and she doesn’t adjust her balance in time.
My hammer smacks into her legs, knocking them out from under her. She falls forward but twists midair, the heat from her flames pouring toward me.
My shield transforms and my muscles obey my commands, a golden blade forming in my hand as I also twist, aiming for her exposed side.
My blade impales her all the way to her heart.
Her eyes widen as she drops to the ground. “You…”
She doesn’t say another word, landing with her legs twisted beneath her, the life fading from her eyes.
Still crouched, I retract my blade with a whisper. “Go to your keeper, Fae Queen. Dusana will be delighted to claim your magic.”
I lean backward, relief filling me.
It’s over. The Fae Queen is dead. The darkness is gone. Peace has finally fallen.
A quiet fills the valley while the sun shines overhead.
I tip my head back to its rays, soaking them in until my vision blurs and my forehead creases because when I try to take a deep breath, I discover…
I can’t.
I gasp for air, desperately trying to make my breathing work. But something’s wrong. Terribly wrong…
I look down at my chest, finally focusing on the gaping wound that cuts through my ribs.
Her fire burned right through me.
It must have happened the moment my shield retracted.
I tell myself to cover the wound with my medallion, to reach for it, heal it, and use my power to save myself, but my arms don’t obey me.
I topple to the side just as I make out figures in the distance.
There are more thunderbirds in the sky, all of them flying toward me. And people on the ground, all of them running.
Two are ahead of the others.
I recognize Erik, his muscles pumping, his dark hair flying as he sprints toward me. But I don’t recognize the little wolf that races at his side, keeping pace with him despite his incredible speed.
I try to hold on, but my head is swimming, and my thoughts are murky.
“Asha!” His roar reaches me from a distance. “Asha!”
I don’t have air to speak.
Death has come for me, after all.
My body hits the soft, green ground, and my vision fills with nothing but the crisp, blue sky.
The air blurs, becoming a swirl of indigo, and then I’m gone.
Chapter 52
