The amount of energy leaking from him as he stumbled backwards, closer to the wall, was beyond extreme.
Then the earth crumpled beneath him.
It looked as though the earth was something soft as it gathered close to him.Then,almost asthough he was giving himself over to the forbidden act of the reckoning, he fell to his knees and let hisziriliumtake him.
The male—who was obviously a powerful earth wielder—screamed as his power went out of him in waves of earth. I quickly spread my wings and leaped into the air before the first wave of rippled earth could smack into me. The moving earth dowsed the fire that had surrounded us, putting it out, though the males beyond that point were quickly knocked to the ground before they could advance further.
I watched as the first wave of rippling earth reached the wall, causing it to sway dangerously.
With the second wave, it began to crumble.
And with the third, it fell.
“Get out of there!” I called out to the male as large chunks of the wall began to rain down around him. Though I knew if I got any closer,I’dlikely bestruckmyself.
“This was my purpose, friend,” he called back over the sound of rocks falling. “Now I’ll get to be with her again—among the Stars.”
With those final words, the last—and most powerful—wave of his power went out of him. The other males who had just got to their feet fell once again as the final wave knocked them down—just like the last of the wall fell.
Landing directly on top of the male.
“No!” I cried out, though I knew there was no saving him as hisziriliumimmediatelygave out after thelastof the wall landed.The earth he’d been involuntarily wielding settled back down into place as the power lost its source.
Chest heaving, I sent a silent wish to the Stars that they welcomed the fallen male with open arms.
Then, I flew through the long stretch of fallen wall and paused on the outskirts of the forest.
“My people!”I called out, ripping the cap and jacket from my body and letting them fall to the ground below.“Spare anybodyyou can that has a metal cuff on them—melt the cuffs off if you can!”
With those words to guide the army I knew was waiting for my signal in the forest, I turned back toward the encampment and shouted, “For all ofInphis!”
Countless shadows came spearing out of the forest, crossing through the fallen wall and into the encampment. When the shadowstook ontheir physical form, I noted that eachhad been carrying another soldier with them. With the hundreds upon hundreds of shadow wielders and their counterparts inside, they began to face off with the other males that had charged me earlier.
Though, as I heard Quinn instruct the next wave to make their way inside, the sound that I often heard in my nightmares drowned her voice out.
Thousands of wingbeats arriving from the west.
I watched as the host of the North approached, having come from the Salic mountains beyond the encampment.
They’dbeen waiting for us to show our hand.
And they’d used prisoners to soften the battlefield.
The battle that had yet to truly begin.
Though what shocked me more than their horrific strategies was what I saw at the front of the winged host heading for us.
An almost pitch-black griffin—Ziana—lead the army.
And on her back sat my brother.
Dimitri was coming.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Dimitri was coming forme.
Father hadnearly alwaysstayed behind the safety of his armies, letting them take the fall for him. Even when he did get his hands dirty, he was never on the front lines leading his soldiers into battle himself.
