The sounds of the rebels drew closer with every beat of Zephyr’s wings.
You’re going to make it out of this. Daimon is going to make it out of this. Everyone is going to make it out of this,she repeated over and over in her head.
She could do this. She could protect everyone from the rebels’ darkness and keep them safe.
“We have two advantages here,” Daimon said, facing his team behind him. “The element of surprise is on our side. We need to attack thesecondwe drop from the clouds. I doubt it’ll take them long to realize what’s happening, but it should give us enough leeway to gain the upper hand.”
“And the other advantage?” Brielle asked.
Daimon turned back to Evelina, a somber smile on his face as he said, “The chance for a miracle.”
The screaming beasts and clanging metal were right below them now. The wyverns were unsettled, huffing through their nostrils as their Riders tried to keep them calm.
“Wings up, Z,” Daimon whispered.
Murmurs of Riders repeating the same to their wyverns sounded from behind them.
Evelina closed her eyes and dug deep within herself as she prayed to Eurydice that she could stay strong long enough. She tugged on her Essence, pulling until the shield covered more than just her and Daimon. She pushed further until it draped over the entire fleet.
Evelina felt weightless as they dropped out of the sky. Daimon gripped her with one hand and commanded his shadows with the others. The moment the clouds cleared from around them, everything changed.
They soared above thousands of rebels, the massso large they were having to squeeze their way through the valley. Their movements were unnaturally quick, gliding on shadows at twice the speed any human should be capable of.
Brielle and Keir flanked Zephyr, fire blazing in their palms as they raced toward the ground. Evelina didn’t have to turn around to know that Willow and Aster were directly behind them, flying in a formation of five instead of broken into a trio and a pair.
The wyverns barreled down.
Willow moved first, compelling the roots below the rebels’ feet to wind around them. They burst from the ground and grabbed ankles, wrists, necks—anything to get them on the ground. The moment they fell, more roots wrapped around them, tying them up.
A burst of shadows shot from the ground. There were too many Furies to see where it came from, but it was heading toward Willow. Evelina gritted her teeth and pushed her Essence toward Willow, enveloping her in a shimmering shield of light. The shadows bounced off, dissipating as they touched the shield. Willow’s eyes snapped to Evelina, and she smiled. The grin was predatory, a Rider ready for war.
“Now!” Daimon shouted at Brielle and Keir.
Instantly, they released their fire, raining flames onto the ground below to keep them from advancing. Evelina could see the Furies more clearly now; the black veins that lined their bodies like a web of darkness intertwining with their souls.
“Eve.” Daimon pointed to the mass of Furies glowing beneath Aegis flame.
Evelina shuddered and clung to her Essence. Sweat was already collecting on her forehead as she reached deep within herself and tugged on her magic. She pushed the shield of light through the fire and onto the Furies. The light blazed through a large section, turning them to ash.
Keir and Willow broke off, while Brielle and Aster stayed with Daimon.
They repeated the same pattern, Willow using the nature around them while Keir held them back with his fire, and Evelina followed behind with a sweeping wave of light. Even as they took out large portions of soldiers at once, it still felt as if they were attempting to put out a forest fire with one bucket of water.
She tracked the rebels, noting how each time the fleet took out a mass of Furies, a new group was already there to take their place.
“Daimon,” Evelina breathed.
His eyes snapped to hers and he frantically looked her over for any signs of harm.
“Look,” she insisted sharply. She pointed below, a little ways away from the center of their attack, where more rebels were flowing in. Only…the way they were moving was unusual, like they were rabid animals being held back rather than marching in natural unison. “They’re all Furies,” she said breathlessly. “How they got such power… Vidaris must have offered her full powers to Moros.”
Suddenly, Zephyr shuddered beneath them, shaking her head and veering chaotically. She reared back, leaving Daimon and Evelina to clutch her neck to keep from falling off.
“Z?” Daimon yelled. Evelina could hear his panic rising.
Yelling rose from their left and she looked to see the other wyverns reacting in the same way. It was as if something was in their heads, a frequency only they could hear. Whatever it was, none of them would respond to their Riders.
“I can’t feel her,” Daimon shouted. “It’s like she’s cut off from me.” Evelina’s heart raced as Daimon struggled to get Zephyr steady. “We need to get her higher,” he snapped. “The Furies must be doing something.”
