Page 471 of Commanding Scythe and Sky

“Let’s get it over with,” Jason said, voice ragged. Brody and I might’ve taken the brunt of the impact, but Jason had known our souls nearly as well as we did. Worked beside us for five fucking centuries. This was personal. For all of us.

Mags sidled up next to me, the caress of her expectant eyes on my face nearly enough to gut me.

I’d barely been able to say a word. Couldn’t articulate the weight on my shoulders—the magnitude of this kind of loss.

“I’m ready,” she breathed. Because only God and Adrastos knew what lay on the opposite side of the enchantment we’d found in the Book of Balaskas.

Like ink from a well, I dipped my index finger into the blood rapidly seeping from my arm, triple-checked my Latin, and reached for the runes carved into the stone. My predecessors had never talked about the enchantments—it didn’t seem like anyone in living memory had ever attempted to close off or reanimate a gate to The Middle, leaving me uncharacteristically clueless as to what to expect.

One, two, three drawn with no response. Four, five, six, and still nothing.

Stomach sinking, I shook the doubt from my head and began the final symbol, tracing my blood into the seventh.

When the stones maintained their daunting silence, a breath ripped from me like a serrated edge through flesh. Mags set a hand between my shoulder blades, still holding the book open for me as she pressed her lips to my arm. Together, each raising a hand, The Commander and the Heiress, we recited the spell hastily scrawled beside the page of gate magic.

His writing, according to my mate.

His words, falling from our tongues with the hope of a prayer and the terror of two souls who’d already lost too greatly.

Nothing happened.

A riot of emotion raged in my chest, but Mags just closed her beautiful eyes, lifting both of her hands as they danced with light and shadow. Rika stepped up beside her, and together, they began again.

Brody and Jason stepped up to either side of us, fresh iron in the air as they both stepped forward to offer their blood to the gate.

“It’s not working,” I snarled when Mags finished the second incantation. Her shadows rolled off her like a storm cloud, sheathing her in power as she began again. Almost… entranced. Jason settled beside her, glancing down at the spellwork before raising his own palms and joining her.

Brody did the same to my other side.

With the world crushing in around us, I gritted my teeth and stepped forward. Set my palms against the columns of the gate and bowed my head. I waited for her to finish the third before adding my voice to the chorus.

“A stello venimus, et ad aethera redibunt omnes. Filii angelorum, clamans nunc.” At once, we inhaled, all eyes falling to those tightly scrawled words as we recited, “Emancipate from prison realms, death we disavow.” Static sparked between us, Magnolia’s hands beginning to glow softly. “At the winged helms of warriors through purgatory rise, dimensions collide, doors once disguised, time and power you did bide, to liberate time, space and minds.” She stepped forward, determination in her eyes as she repeated, “A stello venimus, filii angelorum, aperi divisionem cosmi.”

She staggered, her hand coming to her chest as I looped an arm around her waist.

Disappointment had already settled across my shoulders before I got her to the nearest table, lowering her onto the bench beside it. I dipped my chin in concern. “Mags, you okay?”

She shook her head to clear it, blinking as she muttered, “Fine. Dizzy all of a sudden.”

Go, go, go!

I froze. Solidified to the spot, hand on her shoulder.

I said move, motherfuckers!

She’s waking up!

Get to the jump point.

So fucking help me, if this piece of shit stabs us in the fucking back.

It’s gonna go! Get clear, get clear!

Run, damn you!

“Aren?”

I blinked, eyes watering as my mind filled with voices. Countless voices—rushed in a collision of panic and fury, but… “Voices.”