Ahead of me is the Premier.
The Ghost I’m attacking claws for me, shrieking. I arch out of its way, hit the ground and roll, and then dart underneath it, moving as quickly and silently as I’ve ever done. I have to get close to the Premier. He has his own weapons out now, pointing his gun at Maran soldiers nearby. His weapon swings to where Adena is cutting down one of her Ghosts. He fires.
The bullet hits Adena hard in the leg. I bite my tongue at the sight until I taste blood in my mouth, but I don’t dare scream out. All I can do is watch as my patrol leader cringes and collapses to one knee, losing her balance. She topples from the Ghost’s shoulders, blades still spinning as she goes. Even now, she doesn’t cry out or utter a single sound.
I force my attention back to the Premier. He’s going to fire again. He doesn’t see me coming.
Another Ghost lunges for me. I skid beneath it, roll, and keep going. Another horse runs past me—I grab its saddle and swing myself up onto its back, forcing it to turn toward the Premier. Closer, closer.
All I need is one good shot. The gun in my hand tightens as I aim for him.
This is for what you’ve done to Red. To his family. For what you and your father have inflicted on every nation you’ve conquered and brought under your fist. For my mother. This is for everything and everyone and all of us.
I fire.
At the same time, the Premier sees me.
One of his soldiers lunges forward, knocking him off his horse. My bullet hits the sacrificial soldier in the chest.
The Premier lands on the ground—hurt, but alive.
Guards swarm to him, hiding him from view.
I’m forced to swerve away as they point their crossbows and guns at me again. As my horse gallops underneath a Ghost, I throw myself off its back and land in a roll. I have to try once more.
Then pain explodes through my body.
I glance down, dazed, to see a thick arrow protruding from my side. The angle of it makes me turn my eyes up. There, I see a Skyhunter bearing down on me, his eyes glowing with the determination to kill.
A second arrow—a bullet?—hits my leg. I wince and fall, my blades still in my hands.
Everything seems to slow down. From above, a dark shadow falls over me.
Red strikes the Skyhunter before he can reach me. There’s a loud crunch of metal, followed by the shrieks of Ghosts. A second Skyhunterhas sealed off my path to the Premier—and as I stagger back, I see one of them land in front of his horse, wings outstretched protectively before him.
Red lunges again and again at his own Skyhunter assailant. Too late, I see a second one swing a chain in his direction. They’re going to capture him.
Red.I reach for him through our tether as I force myself to my feet and strike out at the nearest Federation soldier.Behind you!
He turns and looks down at the second Skyhunter just as the chain the Skyhunter throws strikes him. Red’s quick enough to dart to his right, so that the chain misses his torso—but it catches one of his legs and whips tightly around it. He winces. The spark of pain shoots through our link and I wince too. The weight makes him lurch sharply to one side.
Everything around me has turned into a smear of blood and fire. Between the fighting bodies, I see the silhouette of Mara’s Inner City burning. A lone scarlet flag flies over the ramparts of the inner wall.
The city has fallen.
A third arrow strikes me in my other leg. I barely feel the pain of it this time—only its force thudding through me, then my body betraying me as I fall again. From the sky, I think I hear Red calling my name through our link.
Talin!
Perhaps he’s shouting with his real voice. I can’t tell anymore. My arms swing out, still fighting. My blade runs straight through a soldier’s chest, and he falls with a hoarse groan.
Blackness threatens my sight. Is Jeran still fighting? Adena? I turn my gaze skyward to Red and lift my gun at the chain binding him. If they take him back to the Federation’s capital, they’ll finish transforming him into a full Skyhunter, and I’ll lose him. We can’t afford that.Ican’t bear it. If Mara must fall, then let him go free.
With the last of my strength, I take aim and fire three shots—my last bullets—at the chain.
At least my aim is still accurate. I hit it once, then again in the same link, then a third time. The chain snaps clean with a clatter of metal, and Red suddenly lurches free into the air again, the links falling to the ground beneath him.
He whirls immediately around to look at me. His eyes are engulfed in silver-white light, but behind that glow, I know his expression is a stricken one. A trill of rage shoots through our tether as he starts to lunge for me—only to halt when the Premier’s Skyhunters gather between us, cutting us off. He’s far too outnumbered here.
