Chapter 14
“It’s time.”
Maz steps into the cavern, and his words echo.
It’s time, but I wish we had more. Everything has been madness since Lyra’s note, and none of us have stopped making potions, spells and anything we can to save our people.
Our notes with Aster have been few and far between, but it has been enough for us to know the Mindless are on their trail and killing any stragglers.
The cliff side surrounding the academy island is full of camping witches and some of their bonded they brought with them.
Lyra’s spell to bring them here has worked, but now it all rests on us to end this for good.
We only take a few minutes to gather our supplies, the potions that we need, and the various weapons that Wini and Luke have been able to get out of the academy for us to use.
Black is already shifted, his dark and broody dragon waiting in the chilly night air on the edge of the cliff facing the pool that leads into the sea.
Kane and Vale are close to the weapon wall, and they finish gathering everything they need before coming over to me.
I move next to Maz and wrap my arms around his waist, and he lifts me up, hugging me tighter.
I know I have all of my mates looking at me out of the corner of their eyes as they clip weapons to themselves.
“You don’t leave Black’s side out there. Promise?” Maz asks, lifting my chin with his hand. “They will be after you more than any of us.”
“I’ll stay with Black, just like the plan we made.
You three will shift and fight from above.
Dragon fire will take out a lot more Mindless than being on the ground will.
I have a bag full of healing potions and enough weapons on me for a fight.
I’ll be okay and no one will get near me.
Black will stop them,” I remind him softly.
His dragon flashes into his eyes for a moment before Maz nods once.
My plan is to fight and kill the Mindless as much as I can, but also to help the shifters that are definitely going to be injured on their way here.
I’m not the best fighter, and I don’t have years of combat training like they all do, but I have my spells.
I have my mind, and that is good in a battle too.
They’ll be fighting off the Mindless with their dragons, and we will make sure the people can escape them for as long as possible.
We’ve been tracking the Mindless army movements, and Aster has too.
When the shifters reach the forest here, they’re going to be trapped in, and that is no doubt the Umbral Authority’s plan.
When they’re completely trapped by an army of Mindless and witches, we have to help.
It is time…and yet I want to stay here where my mates are safe.
It’s completely selfish and irrational, but losing anyone can’t happen today.
“Are you ready?” Kane questions, coming to my side as Maz puts me down.
I miss being in his arms immediately, and I tell myself we will have years after this war ends.
Years to be with each other, nothing forbidden and nothing to be hidden away.
Just us and everything we have fought for. The peace that we deserve.
“No, but I can do this,” I admit. “I’m not stupid enough not to be scared.”
“We won’t let you get hurt,” Vale growls.
I sadly smile at him. “I’m not worried about myself…
only you four.” He sighs, and I quickly change the subject.
“Wini will get the potion to the forest, and Luke will defend her until we get there. We need to kill as many Mindless as possible before opening the portal to Earth. The timing has to be right, and we can’t just send through an army of Mindless and refugees for the Nexus to deal with.
Pretty sure that’s not the best way to have a peace treaty with them, and we need them to look after everyone on the other side of this.
” I pat my pockets in my cloak, making sure I have the tarot cards and watch in them.
I can feel Minnie in my hair at the back of my neck, hiding away.
“We’ll make sure there won’t be many Mindless left to go through.” Maz cracks his knuckles. “My dragon is itching for a fight.”
“For shifters and for the witches…we’re a bonded race. It’s about time we all started fighting for each other as one, just like we are. That’s the future we’re trying to build.” I remind them all why we are doing this in the first place.
“Agreed.” Kane nods once.
“Be careful.” Maz kisses my cheek before jumping straight off the ledge and shifting into his swift dragon, and I only catch a flash of scales below the murky surface.
Vale doesn’t take a kiss on the cheek. No, he takes everything. He takes a long, deep kiss with his hands sunk in my hair, before letting go and not saying a word to me and leaving to shift.
Kane is left, and I open my mouth to say something, but I don’t find the right words.
I won’t say goodbye or tell him to not die.
He wraps his hands around my waist to tug me to him, pressing his forehead against mine.
Kane lifts the hood of my cloak over my head.
“Better to stay hidden,” he murmurs. “The temptation to tie you up here and make sure you can’t leave is extremely high right now. ”
I roll my eyes at him. “This is the last fight now. We won’t be separated again.”
“Don’t get hurt,” he mutters. “If one hair on your head is injured, you’ll have four dragons losing it to get to you.
Fuck the others.” I never loved him because he is a hero; it’s because he always puts me first. He breathes me in one more time before he lets go.
I watch him shift, his brilliant dragon diving off into the sea.
Black’s dragon waits patiently, his eyes locking onto mine. “Just you and me, Black.”
I walk over and climb onto his back, clinging to his scales.
I whisper a spell to protect me from the water before tapping him once to let him know I’m ready.
Black’s dragon roars before he dives straight into the sea.
I keep my eyes closed, feeling the pressure of the water and the coldness of it spread around me.
It feels like minutes, literal minutes, before we break out into the air, and his huge, powerful wings are flying high into the sky.
Water drips off every bit of him as he soars in the clouds, and when he comes back down through them, the noise hits me.
It’s not silent. There’s the wind, rain, and the waves, but there are the screams of people dying in battle that take my breath away.
There are the screeches of the Mindless and the whoosh of magic.
There are the roars of animals and the sounds of dragons that fill the night as they breathe fire down onto the battle, lighting up the dark night.
The world seems to slow for me as I stare in horror, feeling the dark taint of death in the air.
I watch as three of my mates fly straight towards the chaos bursting out of the forest. It’s hard to tell what is what down there from this distance as Black flies closer and closer.
It’s so much—bursts of magic, so much fire, so much everything going on, but my dragons know.
They breathe lines of fire straight across the Mindless, their screeches radiating so loudly it hurts my ears, and people cheer for them as they turn and come back.
Black flies straight towards the left side of the forest, towards the entrance to the bridge that is up between Bloodstone Academy and the cliff side. I’m not sure why they left it up. I don’t question it as Black lands on the edge of the bridge, bits of it falling off into the roaring sea.
I climb off his back and nearly trip over the body of a witch.
Sickness rises in my throat as I look around and see that there are bodies everywhere, mostly shifters, some witches, and plenty of Mindless.
A cry catches my attention, and I turn around.
There’s a bundle of three children curled around the dead body of a wolf, crying as three Mindless come towards them.
I guess the Umbral Authority don’t care about not hurting children anymore. Bastards.
“No!” I scream.
Before I’ve even done anything, Black roars, fire bursting over the top of the children’s heads, missing the children completely and burning the Mindless to smithereens. Black shifts back, standing at my side, and nods once at me.
I check on the children first, seeing they’re uninjured, before we start moving through the battlefield.
No one gets close to me, and Black is relentless.
Mindless and witches fall at his feet from his curse.
Black takes them out like it’s nothing. Some he simply touches.
Others he whispers spells at or takes out with his sword.
Each time he fights, it gives me time to help someone.
My bag slowly becomes emptier and emptier the more potions I give out, the more people I check on, until we’re right in the middle of the battle.
The smell of smoke drifts everywhere in a gray cloud, and it’s so distracting, so overwhelming, that I barely notice the crowd of Mindless parting for someone.
Bael steps forward with a smile, his hands folded in front of him.
He looks at me just for a second before he turns his eyes on Black, and I don’t have time to warn him.
“BLACK!” I scream, but it is too late. With a slam of magic unlike anything I’ve ever seen, Bael throws Black straight across the battlefield, miles away from me in one go, leaving me completely alone with him and surrounded by Mindless.
I drop my bag off my back and lower my hood. “So you’re still alive.”