Daimon faced forward, his heart racing. The hairs on his neck stood on end and his blood thrummed with adrenaline. He could feel a slimy darkness beneath them, something that wasn’t natural—wasn’t of this world.
“Do you feel that?” Evelina whispered.
Daimon nodded and pulled her closer. “Tell me the plan again.”
Evelina swallowed and recited her shielding plan as she always did. His heart slowed a fraction as she repeated what she was supposed to do if they saw rebels, andespeciallyif they saw Furies.
Making such a strong attack against the rebels meant he needed to focus on being the commander. He couldn’t let hisjudgment be clouded, or he would be putting her—and his entire unit—in danger.
With a nudge on Zephyr’s bond, she descended. For a moment, they soared through the clouds. A white haze was all he could see, the coverage so thick that the rest of his unit disappeared around him.
Zephyr broke into clear skies first, and for a moment, it looked like the usual mountainous forest. The tops of the mountains were snowcapped as they always were, an eternal winter at their height. Further down, trees and small, open clearings peppered the mountainside. Small valleys ran between the steep slopes, with creek beds and flowing rivers running through.
Everything seemed normal—a mountain range they’d swept through countless times. Peaceful, even.
He heard them before he saw them. The faint clinking of metal along with the unnatural sounds of screeching creatures. A sickening smell hit him next, one that reeked of death and burning flesh.
Like a vein being corrupted, the rebels filled and flowed through one of the valleys, storming along the bank of a river. They were like a thousand ants swarming their nest.
Evelina gasped, and within seconds, the familiar warmth of her shield wrapped around him. It pressed against his skin, pulling him into a comforting embrace that cleared his head.
“Where did they all come from?” she gasped.
Daimon didn’t answer; at this point, it didn’t matter. This was it. He could feel it deep in his bones. And instead of his body screaming for him to get away, it was singing, as if welcoming him home.
“We work as a team,” he called out over his shoulder. “Stay together and watch each other’s backs. You are all prepared for this.”
He couldn’t see them, but he knew the Valon ground troops would be spread out on the other side of the mountain range, awaiting any incoming rebels to cut them off before they couldpass. But the rebels weren’tallheading for the mountains. One of the veins of soldiers splintered off, heading in the direction of Drogheda.
“Keir,” he shouted, gaining the Aegis’s attention.
Keir’s gaze flickered to the troops headed for Drogheda, then back to Daimon. The moment they locked eyes, he knew they were thinking the same thing.
“We divert the westernmost troops to converge just before the edge of Drogheda,” Daimon commanded. He nodded to Ranick and Elias next. “Do not engage with any rebels. Fly straight to the western edge and cover the soldiers as they shift positions. Beta Fleet Seven should be along the water’s edge just before Drogheda. They can take over from there.”
They each nodded once and tapped their fists in unison across their chest twice, as they always did, before breaking away.
Daimon veered Zephyr around, facing his fleet. They were formed into a V, with Daimon at the point. “You were chosen as the elite aerial unit because you’ve proven you can handle yourselves when push comes to shove. We need to do as much damage as we can to help the ground soldiers. We give no mercy. We take no prisoners. For the Valon Empire and those the rebels have slain, we will not lose here today.”
Fifty-One
Evelina
Evelina willedher breathing to calm. She had to be strong, to be brave and focus on protecting those around her. But if she were being honest, she was terrified. Hundreds—if nota thousand—rebels were nestled into a small valley in the mountains.
“Back above the clouds,” Daimon barked. Zephyr shot into the sky, pulling them back above the clouds and cutting off their view below. Moros was making his final push.
“Daimon, there’s no way we can stop them. There’s too many.” Evelina hated that her voice shook. She twisted her face to his, finding his brows drawn and jaw clenched.
His gaze dropped to hers. The look in his eyes made her stomach sink.
She knew that look. It was the look of a warrior.
“We can’t turn back now,” he whispered. “We have to advance.” He dropped his forehead to hers, and for a heartbeat, nothing around them mattered. “If something goes wrong, Zephyr is going to take you away.”
Evelina opened her mouth to protest, but Daimon kept going. “You are the princess, Eve. You aremine.And I won’t let you die here today.”
He didn’t give her a chance to respond, quickly strategizing with his unit as they flew above the clouds. Evelina tried to pay attention—she knew sheneededto pay attention—but the words went right through her.
