“There are at least one hundred soldiers approaching in the trees,”Mykonos called down the bond before the two creatures spun around and began racing back toward where Thalia and Dafne stood bracing their legs against the earth shaking beneath their boots.“The three in the sky we could have managed, but there are not enough of us to defeat that kind of army.”
“We will have to be enough, little one, there is no one else coming for us. And if we die protecting those that cannot defend themselves, it was a sacrifice worth making.”Thalia ground her feet into the dirt before launching in the direction of one of the winged creatures aimed directly for them.
“A sacrifice worth making, indeed.”Mykonos let out an earth rattling growl and she and Nyx aimed their trajectory toward the same winged creature.
As Thalia barreled over the field, her sister slid into stride with her. There was no longer fear in Dafne’s features, not since the children began crying. Instead, determination and anger replacedthe frightened, wide-eyed gaze. “I will not die today!” she called as she ran. Not a reassurance, but a rattling war cry.
"We will not die today!" Thalia yelled back.
The firstdaimonwas almost in reach, only a few paces from the mountain lion and panther that strode in front of the two sisters. Mykonos broke for the soldiers of the dead that floated out of the forest and to the fields. Nyx moved closer to her human, launching herself onto the wings of Hades’ beast and slashing her claws through the veiny wings. Sputters of inky black seeped from where flesh and cartilage broke. In turn, Thalia and Dafne lunged on either side of the being. Theirxipheglowed ruby and violet in turn, energy pulsing through the sharp blades as they broke through leathered flesh. Bloodied venom poured through the wounds, pooling by their feet. The beast wailed, flailing on the ground before it fell limp.
“Watch behind you!” Thalia, screamed as the cloaked being riding thedaimonreached for its bow and aimed directly at Dafne.
Her sister whirled around as the rider pulled the bow back, ready to release three flaming arrows. Nyx lunged at it, knocking the soldier of the dead to the bloodied grass below, latching her jaw around its throat. Thalia launched herself over the deaddaimon,stabbing her sword into its side. Beneath the cloak, the blue aura of the soldier faded to nothing and the cloak fell empty to the ground.
“Nyx!” Dafne and Mykonos loosened a wail at the same time. Mykonos paused for a moment before a soldier of the dead began to hack at the air around her.
When Thalia caught her bearings, she saw a small stone dagger protruding from thepsychí’sstomach. Venom drippedfrom the hilt and the blade and Nyx faltered in her steps. With wide eyes, Thalia let out a soundless cry as another of the winged creatures soared directly at them, clearly sensing the power of the blades they wielded.
An arm flung out, knocking Thalia to the ground as the beast barreled to the ground, its claws extending. Sharp talons drove their way into Nyx and Dafne, spearing them both through the gut before shaking them off and flinging them against a pile of broken bodies. A piercingcrackboomed through the air and Thalia did not know if it was her sister’s bones shattering, or those she’d landed upon. In the distance, a low horn sounded and the creature launched itself into the skies once more, flying toward the beckoning call. Without another thought, Thalia raced toward Dafne, launching herself over pools of blood from fallen soldiers and weapons discarded by the dead.
Inky blood streaked across her sister’s face, foam dripping from the corner of her lips. Cough after cough, Dafne spewed a mix of crimson and onyx from her mouth, clutching the gaping hole in her body.
“It…it should have been me…” Thalia said between panting breaths. What had her sister been thinking? To risk her life like that.
“No, Thalia, it shouldn’t have. It was never supposed to be you.” Dafne’s voice was hoarse, the words barely audible. “I saw the same thing you did, but Fate is not etched in stone. Your Fate can be changed.”
Hands shaking, Thalia reached for her sister’s hand. “I will get you to the healer’s tent. I can carry you both. Everything is going to be alright.”
“It will not help—my death is woven in the Tapestry of Fate. It cannot be unraveled. You saved me once before, Thalia. It was my own arrogance that had me in that situation in the first place. I did not come for you like you came for me. Finally, I can return the kindness.”
“Daf, please. I cannot do this without you.”
“No—you have to understand. You have to live…you have to…for both of us. I can feel her.” Her sister’s hand wrapped around Nyx’s paw, her face burrowing into her neck. Sanguine streaks cascaded down Dafne’s arms, but she refused to let go.
A scream ripped from Thalia’s mouth as Dafne’s eyes went blank, their ruby tone finally shifting back to the deep brown of their childhood, before they swept over with a muted hue. But it was not the final breath of her twin that rocked Thalia’s soul, it was the cry from Mykonos across the field.
Utter pain rippled through her body, and when Thalia glanced down, an arrow protruded through her gut, tipped in a black oil substance. Fire seared through her veins and it was not the pain of those on the field crossing into Aidesian—it was so much worse. Bone shattering. Head pulsing. World defying pain.
“You will not!”herpsychíscreamed down their bond.
“I…I…”she could not make out the words, not even in her mind.
Hot, thick blood coated the palm Thalia clutched to her stomach as she began to cough. Red spattered down her chin and on the ground below, but all Thalia could focus on was the white-haired mountain lion sprinting toward her.
“I am sorry, little one. I am so very sorry.”
Thalia’s eyes fluttered shut as she fell.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Dimitris
Aferal cry ripped through the field and Dimitris’s ears twitched as he tried to decipher where the sound was coming from—why it was all he could hear even with the clang of metal on metal and the beasts that roamed the sky tearing into flesh.
His pupils dilated, still adjusting to the storm that seemed to whip through the field out of nowhere. Again, the cry echoed in his ears.
Where was it coming from?
