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Akemi fends off the Underlings with her golden staff, smacking them with a force much stronger than anyone would expect from someone her size. She is on fire, eyes aglow with a golden light as she tears through the melee. Esther hides behind her, attempting to send balls of sunfyre into the enemy, but half of her orbs are missing their targets. I curse myself for allowing Esther to even stay on this mission. I should have sent her back with the Watchers.

I’ve already held that woman bleeding and unconscious in my arms once this year.

I cannot bear that happening again.

My vision turns a shade of red, and with all of the might I can manage, I pull on the moon Source around me. It feels different, weak, but I don’t fucking care. I tug and pull and yank until I feel the stream of magic flow into me.

Esther screams.

Akemi roars, her voice dripping with an unknown, ancient power. The closest Underling collapses to his knees, clutching his ears, before falling over.

The potency of Akemi’s fury is written on her face as we make eye contact. No words are needed as I join her battle. Leaf and Ramona behind us, doing the same.

We strike, cut, and punch until our limbs grow heavy, and yet the Underlings keep crawling out of the shadows, emerging from the earth anew.

They all seem to be heading in one direction.

Toward Akemi.

I stab an approaching Underling in the side before beheading him. It falls to the ground in a sickening thump right next to the pile of limbs the white roc circling above is responsible for—the roc. Heru!

“Akemi, you have to go!”

“No fucking way I’m leaving you here.”

“Can’t you see it? They are all trying to get to you.”

Akemi looks around—really looks. She finally notices the triangle formation we’ve formed with Leaf, Ramona and myself at the points, Akemi and Esther in the middle. Her eyebrows pull together, mouth slackening.

She sees it.

I kick the chest of an approaching Underling and send a whip of myst into the Underling behind him before turning back to Akemi.

She stands there, golden staff lowered by her side. The darkness of the night is still pressing down. We may only have hours before the Spring Equinox. The only day The Cave of Silence will open.

“Take Heru and bring Esther!” I yell.

Akemi’s golden eyes meet mine. I gasp. They are glowing. Not with fear or anger.

Determination.

She turns to the sky, calls Heru, then grabs Esther.

Heru dives, rolling to avoid arrows.

Akemi sheathes her staff, then wraps her arms around Esther as a single tear slides down the side of her face.

I watch in rapt fascination.

Heru screeches, approaching with frightening speed, talons outstretched.

Akemi shuts her eyes tight, pulling Esther’s trembling body closer.

Great talons close around them, pulling them into the sky.

Akemi’s scream tears through time itself, and the Underlings around us freeze, completely stunned by her voice. This is magic like I’ve never experienced before, as if her voice has infused with her Starwatcher powers. So much of that celestial faction has gone unstudied for the past fifty years that many of their powers are still unknown.

Leaf, Ramona, and I make use of our enemies’ frozen state and attack with swift, relentless force.