“Maeve,” he growled. “I know. I’m trying to think.”
I peered one eye through the archway and by the looks of the situation, we didn’t have time to think. Though their speed slowed in our absence, the army of Hykahs followed their leader’s instructions, advancing on us unknowingly.
Returning my attention to him, I drew a throaty breath. “There's no time to come up with a perfect strategy, Seb,” I whispered, my eyes fluttering in the way I knew usually got me what I wanted from him.
He took his own glance at our current situation, his palm skimming my waist when he looked around where I stood. “Okay,” he grumbled as he returned my patient stare. “Just be careful. If you are going to blow something up, make sure it’s not me.”
I nodded and without a moment's hesitation, I reached an engraved arm around the pillar. Closing my eyes, I stretched my fingers and called upon the starlight, praying that I had the aim I hoped for.
My blood rumbled my veins, strumming every nerve in my body. I shook with the power, using each fiber in my muscles to tightly contain the energy I held. With my purposeful release, a screech made my ears ring as cosmic rays struck the nearest Hykah.
With the others distracted, I moved out from behind the pillar to view my damage. I had hit the monster in the thigh, crippling it enough to give me a chance to direct the next light beam at its heart. I heard its final attempt at a breath, but I still didn’t let up. I continued to blast the monster until its entire body was a pile of ash.
Without mourning the death of their own, another one of the creatures began to sprint towards us.
“Are they going one by one?” I asked, though the answer was obvious.
“Seems it.” Sebastian tried his luck with the charging Hykah. He precisely wielded blades of clear ice, shooting them into its unnaturally stretched skull. The blades distracted the monster, but did not pierce deep enough to kill it.
He cursed with each shard he threw at it, his frustration and fear evident in his worsening aim. “I’m too far away!” he yelled, tossing one more icy weapon at the creature. “I can get closer and be more effective, but I really would prefer to have a sword as backup.”
I reached around him, stretching a finger towards the creature. I sucked in the starlight, letting it fizzle throughout my skin before releasing it.
Though I aimed for the Hykah’s skull, I narrowly missed, skimming the side of its neck and eliciting a blood-curdling growl from it.
“Shit!” I prepared to try again, but Sebastian pushed me back with his forearm.
“Go get help, Maeve. Please,” he begged, his eyes swallowing me whole.
With another terrifying bellow from a Hykah, Sebastian shifted his full attention back to our opponents. He discharged blade after blade of thick, jagged ice.
A monster bellowed in agony when a shank of ice settled between its eyeballs, where it stayed static, sticking out of its bleeding skull.
“I need a fucking sword so I can get closer!” he yelled, frustration fueling his words when he realized his hit didn’t kill the thing.
“Here!” a familiar, though disembodied, voice called back.
We turned our heads for just enough time to see Sawyer toss Sebastian a weapon. Kade, Pia, Kohen, Azain, and a bunch of other soldiers I had yet to meet following closely behind him, all armed and sporting the same look of focus.
“Excellent timing,” I yelped while returning my power to the approaching Hykah. I called upon the heavens and my body warmed once more as the light consumed me, swallowing me whole before exploding out of my fingertips in a wave of galaxies.
A low growl pushed me backwards, and when the glittering smoke cleared, I was face to face with another Hykah. It screamed again, the deadly noise making me jump out of my skin and lose my focus.
Sebastian lunged from my side unexpectedly.
“Please be careful, Seb. Use magic as much as you can. Safer and more effective, remember,” I called out after him.
He smirked back at me. “Now you sound like me.” He turned, striking the approaching creature across the gut with his sword. The Hykah’s dripping jaw cracked as it turned towards him, getting a front row view to the blade Sebastian shoved into itsthroat. It stumbled back, then Sebastian summoned his power, delving blades of ice into its heart.
“Three down, seven to go,” I called to the others, then despite my best interests, I lunged back into the war zone.
Palms splayed in front of me, I crossed the courtyard. My senses noted that Sebastian was close behind me, and though normally I would argue about holding my own, his presence was very much appreciated at the moment.
The alpha hung back as its groupies attacked. In my peripheral, I saw a four-stoned Hykah lunge at Sawyer. He utilized his water magic, blasting the creature and granting himself a moment to slice his sword at its face. Blood poured from the wound, but the Hykah advanced on him. I didn’t have time to find out what happened, because I had my own opponent before me—a five-stoned Hykah, all gems, fire.
The hairs on my arms pricked up as the creature dropped down to all fours, crawling towards me, its legs creaking and distorting with each step. Fire shot out of its nostrils, the lava-like flame scorched the air, burning my throat.
Shit. Shit. Shit.
