Page 93

Dammit. He’s right.

These aren’t ordinary trees. Even notwithstanding their new ability to walk.

And eat.

I shudder at the visual.

They’re ancient, connected to the magic of the land itself. Destroying them could worsen an already shitty situation. Leaves already smolder among the branches. Proof the villagers tried to fight back before giving up and fleeing.

Agnar drops to one knee, pressing his palms to the ground. Earth rises in response, forming barriers to redirect the flood waters Sterling’s struggling to contain. But even as the wall takes shape, the soil beneath Agnar shifts and warps.

The hill we landed on stretches and moves as if being worked by invisible hands.

Instinctively, we all jump and hover just above the ground.

Branches snap out. A leafy appendage grapples a guard who doesn’t get out of the way fast enough. His screams rend the air, then abruptly stop when his neck snaps. The branches release him, and his body smacks the earth.

A wave of nausea crashes over me. I gulp in air, wishing I could burn the image of the lifeless guard from my memory.

Then the tree grapples another unsuspecting guard.

Fucking magical trees.

Just because I can’t destroy them doesn’t mean I can’t stop them.

I pour flameless heat into the curve of the branch holding the guard.

Steam rises and wood creaks as it dries. Sap runs thick and slow. Not one to be caught unaware twice, the guard, a young woman who looks barely old enough to serve, retracts her wings. Without the extra appendages, the curve of the branch no longer holds her, and she slips loose.

At least this one survived.

“Sterling, freeze the sap! Agnar, funnel the water. Fire users, dry the soil so it hardens.” The orders tumble from my lips as I swoop forward to catch the woman.

The falling guard is no slouch. As soon as she’s free, her wings snap out to slow her fall. “Yes, Your Majesty!”

She spins and directs her magic to the hillside, helping to stabilize it while bending her knees to soften her landing.

Oh. She’s impressive.

“Ha!” Agnar pivots to face a different direction. “You always come up with the most innovative uses for magic, Lark. Full of surprises!”

I can’t help but smile at that. Fire doesn’t need flame to be effective. Dirt can be dust just as much as boulders.

Above us, a dragon’s roar splits the sky. All heads snap up.

Several of the great beasts loop overhead. Their scales reflect the abnormal green glow. When I release the mental dampening that keeps me from being overwhelmed by their emotions all the time, I sense their unease. Nailah, her orange and yellow hues blending with the sun, circles high. Kaida hovers below her like a living shadow.

The rest seem to be wild dragons, drawn here by their own curiosity.

Dragons don’t fear much, but something about this phenomenon disturbs them deeply.

Then again, they might also instinctively fret that the trees are larger predators.

Great. If the dragons feel too threatened, they’ll burn down the grove without hesitation.

A redhaired guard flies down on a tan, sweat-dampened alicorn. “Your Majesties!” Her voice cracks with urgency. “The Shrine of Dawn⁠—”

“Not now,” Sterling grits out, muscles straining as he wrestles with casting a freezing rain over the sacred grove.