A Burning in the Bones (Waxways #3)

Chapter 58 Ren Monroe

58 REN MONROE

Her mind refused to piece itself back together.

Half of her watched the conversation between Nevelyn and her mother. The other half was focused on finding Theo. She couldn’t feel him. There wasn’t even a flicker of his emotions across their bond. Had he traveled out of range? Was Arakyl disrupting their connection? That guess felt wrong, too, though. The revenge that bound her to the dragon felt like scorched earth. Almost as if they’d both burned through the power at the same time and there was nothing left between them at all. She couldn’t summon hatred or rage. All she wanted now was to live with the people she loved, safe behind Meredream’s pearl-white walls. But each time she reached for Theo and came back empty, a terrible feeling formed in the pit of her stomach. It was not something she would even allow herself to think—for fear that saying the words even to herself might make them come true.

And then her mother brought down her right hand. A signal to the surrounding army. Ren had assumed this was a negotiation. That the two sides would speak and then return to discuss matters. Instinct had her shoving back up to her feet. Nevelyn was out there. Completely exposed. An answering war cry sounded from the Makers. Every remaining soldier launched into motion. Ren saw their ranks bending like a compressed moon on Nevelyn’s position. The girl was backpedaling, her hands out helplessly in front of her. Ren wasn’t the only one who came to the girl’s defense.

One soldier collapsed at random, a knife in his back. Another dropped beside him. Ren watched as one of the red-scarfed figures began cutting back through the lines. Her first thought, when she saw the girl’s face, was: Is that Dahl Winters? And then she remembered that no one with that name existed. Ava Tin’Vori was here. She’d somehow smuggled behind enemy lines and now was fighting, daggers in both hands, to get to her sister before the other soldiers could. But there were too many crashing down on their position. Too many to fight alone.

Ren and Avid Shiverian stepped through the outer wards at the same time. They both raised their wands and power thundered out, bright streaks cutting paths through the coming soldiers. Punching into chests. Smashing into kneecaps with bright bursts of light. Ren cast again and again until they’d reached Nevelyn. The nearest soldier lunged and for once Ren was too slow. The tip of his sword caught her in the side. Ren gasped, the blood spurting from her wound, until he was blasted backward by another spell. Ren turned to see Theo was there. Impossible. Mere seconds before she’d feared that he was dead. She could not reach him across their bond. His eyes were full of bright fury. He had come for her. He was alive. She had somehow pulled him to this bloody hill without even thinking about the magic at all.

And that was when all hell broke loose.

They’d exposed themselves too much. Soldiers swept in from all sides, swiping desperately with swords and spears. The other wizards responded. She watched them come pouring out from behind the wards. Their wands desperately slashing the air. One soldier was punished by his own, struck in the chest by a stray arrow. Ren slid past him and cast another spell, careful to keep her back pressed to Theo as they navigated the madness together. His spellwork was always a fine complement to hers. She would go on the offensive and he would shield her. In and out with perfect ease. Stray spells whispered over their heads, just narrowly missing them.

“Push for Meredream!” Avid was shouting. “Everyone move! Now!”

Ren thought she saw the logic. If they stayed out on this hillside, they’d have to continue fending off the entire army. Exposed. This maneuver would at least give them a chance to fight their way to Meredream. One desperate push. If they could somehow break through the Makers’ ranks, it would be a footrace to Meredream. Ren and Theo kept casting, moving in step with the other wizards. She made sure that Winnie was moving and was relieved to see the girl on her feet, stumbling along with the other children. As Ren followed, she almost tripped over her own mother.

“Ren?! What… what is happening? Ren, where are we?”

It wasn’t an act. Something had happened. Arakyl had abandoned her—or maybe her mother’s manipulation thread had finally been cut back in the burial chamber. If Theo was here with her, their mission must be going well. Ren grabbed her mother by the collar and pulled her to her feet. “Stay with me,” she hissed. “Whatever you do, stay close!”

With Theo’s help, they kept moving forward. Other wizards filled in the gaps. Arrows had stopped flying, because the combat was too thick. Far too difficult to hit the right target. Ren could also see more and more Makers fleeing the scene. She felt certain that was Mercy’s doing. They were clearly cutting threads. Freeing people from Arakyl’s magic.

“Keep pushing!” Avid screamed. “Don’t leave anyone behind!”

Their group did not have the advantage of the terrain. It was an uphill push. But magic was one hell of an equalizer. Each successful spell split the enemy’s ranks. Ren shoved their leftover wards at one group and they were pummeled backward. Ava’s knifework was enough to finish anyone who avoided the major spells. Miraculously, they’d nearly managed to punch all the way through. She saw just one more line of soldiers. Meredream glinted in the distance. Ren and Theo started to turn as the rest of the wizards kept pushing, knowing their rear would be exposed to the soldiers they’d just passed. That single turn was enough to show her the mistake they’d made.

It was a miscalculation. The Makers had allowed their progress. That was clear now. All while they pivoted the battle. There were still far too many of them. Flanking on both sides—and now the wizards had left the safety of their wards. This was a trap. The jaws were about to close in from both sides and all of them would die. Their best chance was a dead sprint for the gates. Ren looked up and her heart fell. The city was too far away. They could not reach it without the soldiers pursuing them, picking them off one by one. She was about to call for the ranks to form up again. They needed to start casting wards. But Avid was shouting something. Ren could just barely make out the word.

“Nevelyn!”

In the chaos, she’d lost sight of the Tin’Vori girl. The brief glimpses of Ava fighting beside them had convinced her that Nevelyn had been marching with them, but now Ren saw her.

They all did.