Release him.
I called upon Death to save him.Spare him.
Lacero, Lacero, Lacero.
It could be done if the Origin of Death was willing to make a bargain. The Lacero curse could be added to any common binding or unbinding—at least, that was what the texts had stated.
Take me, Death. Let him live. Return his power to him. Let him fight.Death closed in, ready to take me in his grasp.
Firose couldn’t have me.
She wouldn’t have Fenris, either.
Fen’s power fought to stay, but I fought harder to force it out. The fire crept through every vein. It felt like my blood boiled as it held on to me. Shards of glass fell upon me, cutting across my face, as every window in the tower blew in from my screams. I was a black hole consuming the sun. For a few moments, I was nothing, and yet I was everything.
Please. Let Fenris live.
Then everything grew very dark and very cold.
Chapter34
Fenris
The stars shined brightly over Luz. But below their serene twinkle, cannons blared, cutting through the peace of night.
Hours ago, we had evacuated as many civilians as we could. The rest, hundreds still, were secured behind the walls of the bailey and in the tunnels below the Keep. Anywhere we could find a place for them, the innocent lives of Luz had been stowed away.
The siege of Luz had begun.
Firose’s troops had stormed so quickly. Hundreds of Wasteland defectors marched at the sides of hundreds more northern soldiers. Cannons were pulled into the city by a cavalry clad in black armor. Sybilla had barked orders to her guard all day and readied the Corridor for attack, yet I’d felt utterly paralyzed.
“Fenris.” Sybilla’s voice interrupted my worry—she refused to stay up in the Keep despite the guards’ pleas. Instead, she was with me on the outer south battlement wall, facing her falling city. Her hair was braided around a thin crown of silver acorns, and she donned war leathers that seemed sharp compared to her delicate features.
Sybilla leveled an arrow at a soldier who was trying to climb over the battlement wall. She met her mark without hesitation. The arrow struck through the soldier’s eye—his grip was lost and he fell to the battle below.
“Good work,” I mumbled.
“Emmerick taught me,” she mused sadly. Then, as my frown deepened, she offered words of reassurance. “Remember, if you are still standing, then it’s likely she’s still alive. You’re bound.”
I nodded with a hard swallow.
Fire burned in my palms. It grew and grew until it became unruly, then I unleashed it at the cannons below, approaching the south wall. The cannons burst into flame as intended, three in one strike.I still had some fight in me.
There was no fighting dark magic with mortal means. The northern magic-wielders’ weapons ebbed only with darkness and, every so often, flashed dark amber against their opponents. Smoke and ash began overtaking Luz—the city looked to be painted in black and amber. The inky, putrid smell of death hung around us.
The ground cracked at a Soil-wielder’s hands to create sinkholes for Luz’s cavalry. Buildings burned in deep orange hues, and gusts of pale brown wind clouded the air, making sight near impossible in the fray below. Every magic known to the lands was being wielded against the mortal soldiers of Luz.
Each downed central soldier only added to the strength of the northern attack. There were no flames of red, blue flares of the Moon or white streaks of Wind—every Source magic wielded was marred by Death.
In the city below, Van was taking out dozens of soldiers at a time with ease. He spun and snarled in rage—he was half as tall as most of the buildings around him, his largest form possible with only half of my power.Still a lethal and near-undefeatable opponent.Soldiers were squashed beneath his feet as they tried to swarm him, and any blood they drew only made his wrath stronger.
The siege neared the outer battlements, dangerously close to where Sybilla and I stood. Only a few soldiers had made it up the wall so far, but it was only a matter of time.
Shrieks rattled my eardrums—they came from above. Dozens of giant hawk-like creatures flew overhead. Air raiders from the East Corridor had arrived. They dropped bombs of saltpeter, sulfur and charcoal upon Northern troops still entering the city, staving off further entry.
Sybilla had written the rulers of all Corridors that morning to alert them of Firose’s approaching forces. The East and West Corridor leaders had quickly agreed to send aid, not wanting to give the North a central foothold to continue conquering their lands next. But only the flyers of the East had been fast enough to be of any help.
Even with the beating wings of Griffiths overhead and Van’s massive form in all his fury, we still stood to lose. I was no war general, no Constable. I hated to admit it, but I missed the boy Commander. All I could do was stand by the side of the woman he loved and hope that he too would be doing everything in his power to protect Asterie. It felt like an eternity had passed since waking without her that morning.
