Chapter Fifty-Two
Skylar Cathal
Nisha came to a sudden stop as the three of us hovered over the city.
My eyes darted to the western border, where strands of my bond with Daxton flickered within a bone-chilling shadow. The land stretching to the mountain range was as black as night, devoid of life, drained of the very magic our world was built upon.
Flames erupted along the border of tanned sand and blackened earth with warriors clad in crimson armor. There was a silver flash, and my heart skipped, knowing Daxton would put himself in the middle of the chaos and fight with everything he had to ensure the safety of his allied realm.
“Astro,” Idris said in a firm tone, her eyes hardening as flames engulfed the tip of her spear. “Take the western side of the city and work your way toward your father’s line. Skylar and I will circle the center before we—”
A mind-splitting screech forced us to cover our ears, our mounts neighing in protest. Then, my stomach dropped as a flock of harpies gathered within the skies of the wilted lands. A group so large it dared to block out the peaks of the far-off mountains along the horizon.
“Gods above.” Idris gasped. “I’ve never seen them in numbers like this! There must be hundreds.”
“Possibly thousands,” I whispered as dread clenched the beats of my heart.
“We need more fighters in the sky, Mother!”
“Gather the herd and find riders,” Idris said. “The harpies won’t travel far from their masters. We need to keep the creatures and the wilt at bay while Adohan and Daxton reactivate the wards.”
Astro followed his mother’s command, pulling on his reins and guiding his pegasus toward the paddock.
I scanned the area beyond the wall, finding a single tower in the distance with crimson-clad warriors fighting to reach its base.
“If they’re able to reach the tower, Dax and Adohan can reinforce the ward and repel the wilt,” Idris said as she followed my gaze.
“Then let’s make sure they do.”
Idris and I guided our pegasi straight into the heart of the oncoming flock.
The first wave of fifty or so harpies broke free from the circling mass, with the speed and grace of our steeds closing the distance.
I kicked Nisha’s side as I pulled an arrow from my quiver, knocking it against my bowstring.
I’d fought against these creatures before, and unlike our first encounter, I was no longer afraid.
Adrenaline pumped through my veins, my animal’s power surging through me as we flew forward.
Crimson City disappeared beneath me in a blur, with my focus honed on the approaching flock of harpies.
I could feel the threads of magic pass over my skin as we soared into the land claimed by the dark magic of the wilt.
My animal roared inside me, the sensation of this power making her restless.
Nisha flapped her wings in a steady rhythm, allowing me to pull back on my bow, line up, and loose an arrow straight through the heart of my first target.
The brown-and-golden-feathered female screeched as the arrow struck her in the heart, sending her falling through the skies that she terrorized, dead before her body crashed into the scorched earth below.
I relinquished control of my reins, giving Nisha her head, trusting her to keep us alive as we flew into the battle of the skies.
As soon as I released an arrow, I was grasping for another, ducking under swipes of elongated claws from outstretched hands and beats of colliding wings.
Draw, release.
Draw, release.
Draw, release.
I didn’t dare break from this pattern. If I faltered for even a second, the surrounding harpies would overtake us.
With my string pulled back, I aimed for a creature swooping toward Idris’s flaming spear.
Anticipating its descent, I released the fletching, the tip of my arrow penetrating through the base of its neck as its scream sprayed blood across the open sky.
Before Idris had a moment to thank me, we were once again on the defense.
“Astro should be here soon!” Idris roared through swipes of her weapon.
The fire-lit spear left devastation in its wake as Idris rode her pegasus through the mass of talons, wings, and clouds. Ending the life of any opponent who dared cross her path, the Lady of Crimson City proved her worth in battle, wearing the splattered blood of her enemies as a badge of honor.
The pegasi weaved through the sky as effortlessly as horses ran across the fields.
Their instincts kept us alive as we continued to fight against the dreadful creatures of the sky.
Relief rolled through me as the sight of a crimson-colored pegasus joined the fold of golden feathers.
Astro and other riders rode into battle with us as another group from the main flock of harpies altered their circling course and attacked.
Nisha suddenly took a sharp roll to the right, causing me to drop an arrow and clutch onto her neck as she dove through the clouds. I dared a glance backward, seeing four harpies following us. One of them was noticeably different from the others.