Chapter 7 #2
Ice flames smack into the ice wall right in front of us, forcing all five of us to take a step back. Isera flexes her hands and yanks up another one right before a second torrent can hit.
The silver dragon has almost reached Draven now.
Next to me, a groan rips from Orion’s chest. His eyes continue glowing as he forces his magic into the Icehearts. But his step is unsteady when he staggers backwards.
Isera’s gaze darts towards him.
Bane opens his jaw.
Orion growls.
And Bane… hesitates.
Jessina, however, does not.
Ice flames shoot towards us like a massive spear as she blindly estimates where we are.
“Back!” Isera screams while throwing a thick shield towards it.
A boom splits the air as the flames smack right into it, and ice explodes. Leaping backwards, we barely manage to get out of the way while Isera yanks up another wall to stop the new projectiles.
In the sky, Kander swoops and dives, shooting flashes of green at Draven. The third silver dragon slams its wings down, shoving itself forward. I almost sob as I try to draw up more magical energy.
Draven dives and rolls through the air, barely evading a streak of green memory magic. But it puts him almost right in the path of the silver dragon.
I scream as the silver dragon lunges for Draven’s left wing.
With a cry of utter desperation, I slam one final burst of magic into that flame of tiredness.
The dragon wobbles, its attack stalling.
It gives Draven enough time to whip his head around. His teeth sink into the silver dragon’s flesh, and with a yank, Draven rips its throat out.
I almost collapse to the ground and weep.
But there is no time to feel relief, and no time to recover, because Jessina breathes another massive attack at us.
“You made him hesitate!” I yell over the booming wings and crackling lightning and roaring ice flames. “You made Bane hesitate. How? Do the same to Jessina!”
“I’m showing them memories of what the fae did to them, along with your memories of what they have done to you,” Orion answers. “Bane is affected. Jessina is not.”
Panic pulses through me. Not at his words, but at the sheer exhaustion in his voice.
Isera seems to hear it too, because she snaps her gaze to him, and there is worry in her voice when she says, “Orion.”
“I’m fine,” he grinds out, but he sways heavily as he staggers a half step back.
Alarm explodes in my chest at the sight of it, and dread crashes over me as I remember that Orion has barely slept these past two days either.
And he also spent twelve hours constantly using his magic on me last night.
I know that he is powerful, even for an Unseelie fae who has not been subjected to the Icehearts’ magical bloodline breeding, but he must be running on pure willpower at this point.
He drags in a strained breath. “We just need to—”
His eyes stop glowing.
Panic crackles across his beautiful face.
In the air, Bane and Jessina stop blindly whipping their heads back and forth and immediately zero in on us.
“Shit,” Orion blurts out, that sheer panic lacing his voice as well. “I’m sorry, I—”
Ice flames stream towards us.
We leap backwards as Isera shoves a massive shield of ice towards them to block it.
“Back!” she screams. “Or we’ll be hit by the shards!”
Running backwards, we scramble to get out of the way as the two attacks crash into each other.
Chunks of ice fly through the air and smack into the melted ruins around us.
Isera immediately dismisses her ice to stop the shards of it from hitting us, but the remains of the ice flames still rain down around us.
Up in the air, winds howl and lightning crackles as Draven attacks Kander furiously while at the same time trying to evade the barrage of memory magic that the panicked leader of the Green Clan is throwing at him.
The Icehearts shoot towards us.
My heart leaps into my throat as they fly straight for us while opening their jaws again. The backs of their throats shimmer as they get ready to breathe more ice flames at us.
Next to me, Orion’s leg buckles. I whip my arm out and grab him around the waist before he can collapse, but his weight is almost too much for my own exhausted body.
“Your Majesty!” Grey calls from behind us. “We need to get you out of here!”
Ice flames rush towards us.
“I’m not leaving Draven!” I scream back at them all.
Isera yanks up wall after wall as Bane and Jessina continue pushing us backwards through the ruined city. My vision swims and I can barely keep myself and Orion upright.
“Isera?” Orion asks, his voice laced with exhaustion.
“I can keep going for a few more minutes,” she replies while throwing another shield up to block more ice flames.
Booms echo between the melted buildings as the attacks smack into her defenses. But we’re losing ground. Fast. Ash swirls around our legs as the Icehearts’ wings slam down towards the ground while they keep pressing forwards.
“Then we give him all the time we can,” Orion says as we keep backing across the city. “Draven will—”
From one second to the next, Bane and Jessina go completely feral.
Ice flames shoot towards us in such rapid succession that Isera barely has time to yank up her walls to protect us. Bane breathes bursts of ice fire at us while dread descends on Isera’s features when she can barely keep up.
Then Jessina attacks.
Suddenly swooping downwards, she shoots towards us with claws and teeth flashing.
“Get down!” Isera screams.
We throw ourselves down on the ground right as Jessina sweeps past above our heads.
Winds from her wings boom down over us, clearing all the ash from the ground.
And my connection to my magic… breaks.