Chapter 14
MAIZE
Wind howled across the edge of the broken ravine, the ground trembling beneath my boots as the entire valley shivered under the surge of power rippling through it. Zagan’s arrival tore our attention from Oberon, his cruel laughter rolling through the air like thunder.
“You’re going to die.”
No. I absolutely was not.
This time, I didn’t wait. I didn’t hesitate.
I attacked.
My training. The fury I felt. My drive to protect my mates. All of it collided into a single, burning need to end this bastard once and for all.
Until this point, I had almost always fought on defense. My role had always been to defend, to control, to contain the power that lived inside me. But the moment his threat hit the air, something inside me shifted.
I’d spent too long reacting. Too long holding back.
My blood sang with searing heat, pumping through every vein as I launched forward.
My lethal power exploded outward in a blinding flash, locked entirely onto my target.
The flare of magic was so bright it forced my mates to shield their eyes, their delayed calls of my name echoing behind me as my wings snapped wide mid-charge off the cliffside, soaring straight toward Zagan.
The dark fae met me mid-air, his grin feral and mocking, excitement gleaming in his black eyes.
The sight of it made my anger turn volatile beneath my skin.
When my magic slammed into him, the force sent him reeling for only a moment before he let out an almost eager sound, obviously thrilled at the prospect of fighting.
He struck back hard.
A rush of silver and black power broke from him, shadows whipping through the air like living chains or airborne blades. I threw up a barrier instinctively, both for myself and for the men behind me, the shimmering shield of violet and blue colliding against his attack with a deafening crack.
“Birdy, get back!”
Before I could even hear Charm’s warning, yelled as he flew forward to join me in flight, sparks of raw energy burst around us, scorching the air.
When Zagan’s power grew too intense to continuously counter, I twisted mid-flight and broke my shield.
Charm cursed, barely moving out of the way as the other men behind me ducked along the cliffside—Zagan’s magic slamming into the mountain wall, sending tremors through the stone.
Fuck.
I retaliated instantly, unleashing a volley of magic. Arcs of light split the air in quick succession, each one aimed to drive him back, away from the others. Unfortunately, he deflected most of them with a flick of his wrist.
But one blast struck his side, and the scent of burning flesh filled the air as his skin sizzled. The most surprising part? The blast hadn’t come from me.
The crimson energy had come directly from Maddox. That was amazing. Clearly, the appearance of Maddox and Philip’s magic, manifesting in violent bolts of power, hadn’t just been in the dreamscape—it was possible even out here.
Zagan released a sound of pure fury that vibrated through the air between us.
“Better. They have learned new tricks,” he taunted. “But not enough.”
He lunged again, faster this time. The air cracked as our magic collided, the sound deafening, like mountains grinding against one another. The impact sent me tumbling backward through the air, wings snapping open just in time to catch the wind before I could drop into the ravine below.
I caught myself, breath ragged, wings beating hard against the growing storm. Below, my mates spread out along the cliffside, their magic flaring to life through our bond. In the air, bursts of color ignited the dark as each of my mates began to harness their magic through bolts of pure magic.
Zagan’s head tilted toward them, his expression twisting with disgust, as though their very existence offended him.
Without a second of hesitation, I sent another blast of magic toward him, forcing him to react defensively.
I could feel my mates’ frustration through the bond—especially Charm, who continuously tried to get close enough to him to land a more solid hit—but Zagan was unfortunately a damn good fighter.
Even I had to admit that Zagan’s sick, eager smile every time my magic struck him added another layer of rage to the fire already burning inside me.
“You fight with so much passion, Zagan—especially for someone who’s nothing but a pawn!” I shouted, my voice cracking from exertion. The words cut through the roaring wind, and his eyes snapped to me, narrowing with annoyance.
“From the start, you were being used by Mario. Not because he chose you, not because of who you were, but because he needed a vessel for Oberon’s power. You’ve been used from the very beginning.”
His sneer faltered for a heartbeat, and I pressed the advantage. “You think it made you a god, taking Mario’s scraps—but it just made you look even more pathetic!”
Zagan’s laughter came out strained this time, more growl than amusement.
This time, his power shot toward me with a desperation that reeked of denial—like he needed to silence me before the truth sank in.
His rage made him sloppy, but not weak. The force of his next strike split the air, grazing my shoulder and tearing a pained sound from my throat.
“Maize!” Valerio’s voice rang out. I could feel my mates’ power building, straining against the barrier Zagan had attempted to throw between us. The bond felt muted, heavy, but Zagan’s block wouldn’t hold. He had no idea how strong my mates truly were.
“Oh, and don’t forget…” I gasped between breaths, dodging another blast of shadow. “David failed!” My words hit the air like fire. “The one person you had under you is dead—he failed! The Horde is safe!”
That did it.
Zagan roared, unleashing a tidal wave of shadow and lightning that slammed squarely into my chest. The blast tore the air apart, knocking the breath from my lungs as I hit the cliff wall hard enough to crack stone.
Pain exploded through my shoulders as my wings snapped back under the force of the impact.
I slid to my knees, gasping, vision swimming, the taste of blood sharp on my tongue.
Panicked roars of my name echoed across the rocky outcrop where I’d fallen, just beneath and to the left of the ledge we’d entered from.
I forced my head up, blinking through the haze, and caught sight of Zagan moving closer to the cliff’s edge where my mates stood.
His body trembled, power spilling from him in heavy, toxic waves.
Like ink spreading through water, it tainted the air around us.
He looked down at me in disgust before returning his malice to my mates.
Fuck.
Before I could even move, my men were already in action, each one responding with precision born of rage-filled instinct and honed years of training.
I could only watch from where I’d fallen, helpless for the moment as I tried to force my body to move again.
Cannon and Zed dropped down from the upper ledge, landing hard beside me and enclosing me protectively while our eyes tracked the battle unfolding above.
Chait flickered in and out of sight, slipping through the Spirit realm so quickly it was like he’d vanished.
Then, in a shimmer of light, he reappeared with Philip at his side, one hand gripping his shoulder.
In a flash, Philip’s gold and rose magic sliced through the air, blades of pure energy forming mid-strike.
They cut through the mist in impossible arcs, striking Zagan from behind before vanishing again into the haze.
Zagan let out a roar, spinning just in time to see them disappear back into the Spirit realm.
The second he was distracted, Charm launched himself downward, wings snapping closed with a thunderous crack. He dropped fast and unrestrained, colliding with Zagan so quickly that it took the bastard off guard.
For the first time since I’d met him, I saw Charm unrestrained. His power fused with Valerio’s, desire and fear twisting together into something both toxic and breathtaking. The blend poured straight into Zagan’s mind, amplified by Maddox’s psychic influence, turning it into a storm of nightmares.
I could feel everything through our bond—their coordination and their intent—as Zagan’s mind began to fracture under the assault.
Hallucinations swarmed him, terror clawing across his once-smug face, twisting it into something horrific.
Fear and agony bled through him, erasing the arrogance that had once defined his smile.
But Zagan was powerful, so damn powerful, and the laugh that tore through the wind as he soared backward was twisted and cruel.
He lifted one arm, and from the valley below, a curtain of darkness rose.
Shadow creatures—hundreds of them—spilled into the air, their forms flickering and warping, feeding on Zagan’s corruption as they clawed their way toward us.
I knew what they were instantly. Fragments of drained magic. Just like Mario, Zagan had stolen the power of others, and now I could feel and see the echo of it—electric currents rippling toward the creatures as they screamed and took shape.
I didn’t hesitate. Throwing my hands out, I erected a massive ward that expanded over my men, a shimmering dome of violet and silver light.
The force of Zagan’s soldiers was too much though—I felt the backlash rip through my body, hurling me backward across the stone.
“Let go, Maize! We’ve got this!” Charm shouted, his voice cutting through the noise of the amassing shadow creatures as he and the others drew their weapons.
I didn’t have a choice. My barrier fell, but I pushed to my feet, wings snapping open as I pushed into the air. If I couldn’t hold the creatures back, then I’d destroy the bastard who’d created them.
Flying through the writhing swarm of shadows, it felt like night itself had closed in around me.
The air crackled as my magic ignited across my skin, sending the creatures recoiling, shrieking as light burst from my wings.
I broke through the cloud, the darkness parting just in time to slam full-force into Zagan.
The impact drove the air from my lungs, and we tumbled through the sky, locked in a furious collision of magic and momentum. I channeled every ounce of power I had and surged it through him, my lips curling in a feral snarl.
The air around us blazed with color and lightning, and for the first time, I saw something vulnerable flicker in Zagan’s eyes. Fear.
Zagan’s bravado didn’t falter, though, even as our magic clashed and burned between us.
His smile widened, feral and cruel, as he wrapped an arm around me mid-air and yanked, his fingers digging into the base of my wing.
The sudden, brutal pull sent a scream tearing from my throat.
Pain flared white-hot down my spine, my vision blurring as another cut of agony ripped through me.
Zagan fucking laughed.
“Oberon and I will unmake your mates,” he snarled, a dark promise.
“Your gods. Your realms. We’ll burn it all until nothing and no one remembers your names.
And when it’s done…” He leaned close, his grin stretching into something obscene as his gaze raked over me.
“You’ll live and die by my hand. You’ll belong to me, little bug. ”
“I will never belong to you, Zagan,” I hissed in defiance.
He didn’t get the chance to respond. His words and my reaction to them carried through the bond, sounding directly into my mates’ minds.
I felt their wrath hit me like a tidal wave—raw, unfiltered power burning through the connection until it flooded my veins.
The valley shuddered beneath that shared rage, the air compressing so tightly that even Zagan staggered.
His sneer faltered as his expression warped in pain, a roar ripping from his throat as he clutched his head.
Black blood streamed from his nose, the stench of corruption thick and acrid.
“That’s why,” I whispered, my lips curling into something close to a smile. “That’s why you will never win.”
I shoved a hand right into the center of his chest with everything I had, breaking bones and channeling the full force of our united power through the strike.
The impact sent him spiraling backward, crashing toward the outcrop below.
I took a merciless kind of pleasure in the way his form crumbled in the air, smoke trailing after him like a comet.
He hit the ground hard, stone cracking beneath the impact as my mates closed in around him.
Zagan’s agonized scream ripped through the air as seven blades struck in unison, severing pieces of him faster than he could heal.
His power shattered like glass, the air pulsing once before falling utterly still.
The shadow creatures peeled away, and his crackling power that had infected the valley upon our arrival vanished, leaving only silence in its wake.
Gone.
I landed heavily on the outcrop, wings trembling from strain, and took a step forward, my gaze fixed on the mangled ruin of what had once been Zagan.
But before I could reach him—before I could lay my hands on him to be sure he was truly dead—the ground beneath us shuddered.
The air thickened, heat rising like a breath from below.
And then, from the depths of the valley, Oberon moved.