Sure enough, far down the trail, several dozen figures were heading toward us at great speed.When I let my Ember flow the tiniest bit, I was nearly bowled over by the intense thrumming of the Sentinels’ null field.A shot of adrenaline coursed through my veins like fire.
“Sentinels!”
“Dust!We’ve got to risk riding the horses,” Darion said.
He mounted Snowflake, and Elena hopped up behind me on Buttercup.We spurred them into a gallop, heading for Titan’s Span as fast as we dared, given the terrain.The path was rough.The horses danced around divots and rocks as we held on for our lives.
Suddenly the thrumming stopped.“Null field’s down!”I shouted to Darion, which could mean only one thing: someone was about to use their Ember.
I turned to look at our pursuers.A golden shimmer surrounded one of them.Before my eyes, the figure transformed into a hideous beast.
It was Syra.
She had found us.
She raced along the trail on all fours, taking giant leaps, moving at a speed that rivaled our horses.Her legs were a blur, easily navigating the difficult terrain.If it weren’t so horrific, it would have been an amazing sight to behold.
“Syra’s here!”I shouted.“She’s gaining on us.”
Darion peeked back.“She can’t keep that up for long,” he shouted over the clomping of hooves.“We’ve just got to outrun her.”
The bridge was approaching fast.It spanned a canyon nearly two hundred feet across and was nearly twenty feet wide.On each side stood a stone tower.The bridge itself was a giant arch that had miraculously survived for ages.The closer we got, the more precarious it looked, dotted with holes where stones had once been.It honestly looked like a strong wind could knock it down.With the sheer number of missing stones, there was no way we could ride the horses across it.
I pulled up on my bridle, bringing Buttercup to a halt at the south edge of the bridge, and Darion followed suit.We jumped off our horses and took our first steps onto Titan’s Span with the utmost care.Holes peppered the ground, each easily large enough for a person to fall through.I snuck a peek through an opening and immediately wished I hadn’t.The valley floor lay hundreds of feet below.
We had made it about a quarter of the way across when Syra reached the edge.I cursed the fact that I had used all my fire vials during our flight out of the cellars.Without pausing, she leapt into the air, flew over us, and landed right in front of us, blocking our path.The entire bridge rumbled from the force of her landing.
The horses bolted, racing to the south side of the bridge.
Darion and Elena drew their swords, and I pulled out my daggers, facing down this horrid beast.Even transformed, grotesque burn marks covered her body.Part of her cheek was missing, revealing her bared teeth.She roared, and hot, foul-smelling breath and spittle flew at us.
Darion shimmered and Elena stood at the ready.My heart dropped into my stomach as I watched the people I loved prepare to battle for our lives.
Darion extended his Chronothene to me.With time frozen around us, we charged toward Syra.Darion was half a step ahead of me with his sword pointed forward, ready for a killing thrust.He lunged, aiming straight for the beast’s heart.But the moment his sword made contact, it shattered like glass.The shock of it hit Darion like a punch.
All at once, time sped up.
Darion smacked into the beast and bounced off of her, his sword destroyed.With a swipe of her arm, Syra struck Darion.He went flying toward the north side of the bridge.
My momentum carried me directly into Syra, my dagger bouncing off her hide like it was a toy.She struck me in the chest, knocking all the air out of my lungs and sending me flying.As I flew, I fought desperately for breath.Was this it?Was this how I died?I crashed hard on the bridge’s stone surface near the north end, just a few feet from where Darion lay.
I gasped for air, but none came.I tried to rise.My body didn’t respond.I had never felt so useless.
Elena shimmered.Even from here, I could smell the ozone and citrus.She charged toward the beast, brandishing her sword.
My brain screamed at me to move, to protect Elena, but all I could do was watch.
Elena’s attack was the strongest.Her sword still rattled off Syra’s hide, but the force of Elena smashing into the side sent the beast flying toward the edge of the bridge.Teetering off the side, Syra grasped at stones, finding purchase at the last moment.Elena charged again, but the beast was ready this time and smacked her like a rag doll, sending her flying away from us, toward the south side of the bridge.A beast and a chasm separated us.
Rage, terror, and heartbreak ripped through me like wildfire.The air came rushing back into my lungs in a single massive gasp.I forced myself to move because Elena’s life depended on it.I jumped to my feet.The beast saw me and started charging.
But beyond Syra, near the south side, Elena was pounding on the bridge with her bare fists.Each blow sent a massive vibration through the structure.She was trying to collapse the structure.But I realized with horror that she was still too far from the southern tower—too far for her to get to safety if the bridge fell.
Syra turned toward Elena, let out a terrifying howl, and started running toward her.
Elena struck the bridge again, and the entire structure began to crumble.She was sacrificing herself for us.She wasn’t allowed to do that.That was my job.I had made a vow.
“Elena!No!”I cried.
