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Her head lowers. Magic builds.
"Anchor?" I ask. Kaelis points. Behind her. Of course.
"We need her moved."
"Yes."
"How."
He looks at the injured dragons. Then at me. "We don't." Fantastic.
Theryn roars. The magic in her throat intensifies.
I watch her body. Not eyes. Body. Her right wing isn't supporting correctly. Left leg shaking. Tail low. She's exhausted. She doesn't want to attack. No. Can't assume. She turns her head slightly. Toward something behind us. No. Something above.
A shadow drops through smoke. Huge. Black. My heart stops.
Vyrael.
He comes down like night itself. No Rider visible through smoke. Then— there. Someone on his back.
Rhyven? I can't tell. Too fast.
Vyrael hits Theryn from the side. Not bite. Body.
Drives her away from the anchor. She screams.
Gods. "GO!" Kaelis and I run.
The anchor is cracked. Still functional.
Barely. I drop to my knees. Hands. Magic. Nothing. No. Again. Connection. There. Weak.
Kaelis protects behind me. I hear dragons fighting.
Do not look. One bell. Not yet. Signal begins? No.
One. Wait. My hands shake. Ward energy pushes back. Wrong. Something else inside it. Cold. Hollow.
Blood Echo reacts. No. Not blood. Something beneath. I don't follow. Not tonight.
Second bell.
"Ready!" Kaelis shouts. I don't know if anyone hears.
Third bell.
I push. Everything. Not all magic. Control. Enough.
Anchor flares. White-gold. Pain shoots up both arms. I scream. Keep holding.
Across Varethia other anchors answer. One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Light connects through broken walls. Through smoke. Across village streets. Along Academy towers. A web rebuilding itself.
Something pushes back. Hard. Not physical. The same wrong absence from the residue. From Oren. From every disappearance. It presses against the ward. No. Holds open.
"MORE!" Kaelis shouts. I don't have more. Fine. Find it. Blood Echo opens. Not outward. Inward. My own blood. Heart. Pulse. Magic. Use what exists.
I pour. The anchor screams. Actually screams. Crystal splitting. Then—the world snaps.
