Chapter 46
Chapter Forty-Six
~ Shade ~
I’ve barely had time to register what Xera has said, when the scent of burning wood and flesh touches my nose, and the scenery around us ripples and changes as the illusion lifts.
The surrounding forests with tall ancient trees become blackened graveyards, and trees still burn far in the distance, flames reaching toward the sky.
Ash rains down from a thick blanket of smoky clouds above, flakes gathering on my armor and landing in my hair.
We stare in shock and horror. The only ones not surprised are the originals and the warriors of the shadow army.
They stand silently as they grimly survey our surroundings, awaiting their next order. No one is smiling, including Germain.
The zenali howl and scream, wailing as their homes burn to ashes.
Queen Krosia lowers to the ground, shadows writhing around her like serpents. The shadows swell, her power reaching out, and her dark energy is like tar against my skin. My eyes water and my nose stings.
The queen closes her eyes and laughs, stretching her arms out wide as she draws more power from the burning forests.
My mates appear around me, abandoning the fold, and an archangel warrior breaks his rank, flapping his wings as he flies into the air and tries to flee.
Queen Krosia’s dark gaze snaps to him, and one of her shadows flicks out, reaching across the land with frightening speed.
It coils around the archangel, wrapping around his golden wings, and he thrashes in her hold.
Seconds. That’s all it takes for the shadow to consume him, and when Queen Krosia’s shadow releases the archangel, his lifeless body falls to the ground, his wings broken and his body no longer recognizable.
Holy crap. I’d expected the power would go to Queen Krosia’s head, but I hadn’t expected…this.
Queen Krosia’s laughter is shrill as it fills the air.
Blake blinks like she can’t quite believe what she’s seeing. “Archangels have a considerable amount of power. If the shadow queen can take an archangel warrior down that easily…” She curses, her golden gaze sliding to me. “Shade, what have I done? I brought them here. To her.”
Guilt twists inside me as Blake’s words sink in. “No, this is my fault. The power she has. I accidentally found it. It works as an amplifier. Queen Krosia is burning the forests so she can take more shadow power.”
“And the more she has, the more she can amplify,” Alaric adds gruffly, no longer in his giant form.
“This isn’t anyone’s fault,” Dante drawls, his tail flicking from side to side. “It doesn’t matter how the fuck we got here. What we need is a solution.”
My gaze falls to the enchanted shadow dagger on Blake’s belt, the same one the oracle used when they sacrificed themself rather than give their power to the shadow queen all those years ago.
“You think it’ll work?” Blake asks, following my gaze.
“It’s hard to say,” Galen replies, his lips forming a tight line. “She’s more powerful now, but I suppose it’s possible. We won’t know until we try it.”
“If the shadow queen truly believed that could kill her, she wouldn’t have let Blake keep it,” Alaric growls.
We all share grim expressions, because he has a point.
“Maybe her ego is so inflated she doesn’t believe Blake could get close enough?” I say, hopefully.
Blake’s expression hardens with resolve, and she cracks her neck, flaring her midnight wings out wide. “Well, we don’t have any better ideas in any case. I say we give it a shot.”
Nate bounces on his feet like he’s getting ready to pounce with his cat-like reflexes. “Well, fuck me. Let’s do this.”
Shadows curl around me protectively as my mates keep me close.
“I’m in,” Xera says, stepping up beside us. “I’ve already let the other originals know what you’re planning.”
Blake stares her down. “If they try to stop us—”
“They won’t,” Xera replies quickly. “I’ve seen a lot in my years here, but this…” her expression shutters as she indicates to the burning forest and the ash coating the ground like snow, “it was never meant to be like this.”
Blake studies her for a moment longer and nods. “The more of us who attack the better. We’ll need all of us if we’re going to catch her by surprise.”
Knox’s hand brushes against my cheek, and I stare into his dark eyes.
“They need us,” I tell him before he can ask me to run and hide. “If we can’t stop her, then none of us get to live.” He presses a kiss to my lips before pulling away.
“We’re in too,” Kenzie says, standing beside Leira and Satine.
“Yeah, fuck it. I’m in,” Jensen adds.
I grin as I think about how far we’ve come since we first arrived at the academy. But as I think of my first days at Shadowbone, memories of Elgen and Tarlaz come to me.
Dante might have said this isn’t anyone’s fault, but I know that it’s mine. Queen Krosia wouldn’t have found Elgen and Tarlaz without me, and I’ll do anything to keep my promise and finally free them. They managed to get a message to Xera so they must still be in there. You can do this, Shade.
We all share one last look. And then we attack.
Blake leads the way, going for Queen Krosia, and the shadow queen stops pulling power from the forests as her shadows shoot out. Blake dodges them and the shadows tear up the land, sending dirt and stones flying into the air, and stirring the ash that had settled on the ground.
Callan and Nate work as a team, charging from one side, while Alaric and Mason attack from the other.
I move with my mates, and Kenzie, Satine, and Jensen attack as well, screaming as they charge from a position behind the queen.
Even Theon and another archangel, Sebastian and a few of the demon commanders, a commander from Norso, and the originals get involved.
Most of them are only fighting because we are, and they don’t know our plan, but they help to divide the shadow queen’s attention.
Soon, we have her completely surrounded.
The shadow knife gets tossed from hand to hand, as everyone works to get closer, dodging and weaving the queen’s shadows, barely able to keep ahead of them.
Thane gets close to plunging the blade into Queen Krosia’s back, but he has to pull away at the last second, dodging a shadow as he tosses the blade to Nate, who’s the closest on his right.
Nate ducks as shadows slice the air above his head, and he pivots away, but then he does the unthinkable…
He tosses the dagger to me.
I fumble the blade and it falls a short distance away. Crap! I was supposed to just help be another distraction.
“Shade!” Knox calls out to me as Queen Krosia spots the shadow dagger. I rush for it, but the shadow queen’s expression becomes feral. Her shadows spear out, and I freeze.
“No!” Raith yells, and I scream as the shadows hit.
But it’s not me they were aimed at. Queen Krosia’s shadows curl around the demon queen as Queen Krosia cackles, lifting Blake into the air. My friend struggles against the shadow queen’s hold, snarling but unable to break free.
“Mate!” Alaric bellows as Blake’s mates charge forward, but Queen Krosia’s power explodes, spreading in all directions. It washes over the land like a flood of darkness, and there’s nowhere to run.
My mates rush for me, but before they can reach me, Queen Krosia’s darkness spreads, holding everyone hostage as they freeze in place, no longer able to move.
The darkness covers the armies, the shadow warriors, demons, archangels, and water warriors. It coats the animali and zenali, paralyzing the creatures.
In no time at all, everyone is being restrained by the queen. Everyone, that is, except for me. A small patch of color surrounds me as I stand there, trembling.
“Thane!” I send out mentally to my mate, but there’s no answer. “Raith? Emorie?” No one replies, and it’s like there’s a barrier around me, stopping me from speaking to them.
“Now, that’s better,” Queen Krosia croons. Her gaze lands on me. “Oh, don’t look so surprised, you of all people should have seen this coming. You’ve tasted the power of the oracle. You didn’t really think upgraded shadow tentacles was all I had, did you?” She sneers as she mocks me.
“Let them go,” I say, trying to sound brave, but failing miserably. Calm down, Shade. Maybe if you can get to the shadow dagger, there’s still hope. I stare at where the blade sits in darkness a few paces away.
Like she can read my thoughts, Queen Krosia rolls her eyes and points at the blade.
“Oh, you aren’t still hoping that’s going to help you, are you?
” She opens her arms wide. “Look around. If I wanted, everyone you love could be dead in an instant. The powers of immortality don’t mean much when faced with my wrath.
Though I must say, letting the demon queen keep the blade has been as entertaining as I thought it would be.
There’s nothing more thrilling than watching the hope drain from someone’s eyes.
” Her shadows slide across Blake’s skin, and Blake glares at her, still unable to move.
“But now that I’ve had my fun…” She lifts her hand.
“You don’t want to do that!” I blurt, stepping to the edge of my colored patch of ground.
Queen Krosia narrows her eyes at me. “And why’s that?”
“Well, you want people to still be around to witness your greatness, don’t you?” I force a smile. “What’s the point of all that power if you don’t have people kneeling before you? Especially some of the strongest beings in this realm.”
My heart thunders as she considers my words, and she strides closer, circling me.
“You know, I still don’t see what’s so special about you,” she mutters. She walks by my mates, revelling in their tortured expressions as they remain fixed in place. “Though, I will admit, that little stunt you pulled by giving the students their immortality was…surprising.”