Total pages in book: 210
Estimated words: 200096 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1000(@200wpm)___ 800(@250wpm)___ 667(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 200096 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1000(@200wpm)___ 800(@250wpm)___ 667(@300wpm)
“What is he doing to her?” I cry out.
Zander shakes his head. “I do not know—”
“Lucretia! Tell me something for once!”
“He uses the shadow. Her entire body glows.” She cocks her head with curiosity. “She burns without burning.”
I stare in mute horror as Eddie scrambles to his feet, grabbing hold of the bars to his cage, rattling them like the gorillas at the zoo. The faint, “Stop him, Romeria!” reaches my ears.
He knows.
He understands.
Rage ignites inside me and with it, my affinities surge.
“Romeria,” Zander warns.
Tears prick my eyes. “I can’t anymore! I feel like I’m about to explode!”
“Then hit him where he does not expect it,” Jarek urges.
I lash out to the right, the blinding light carving a line through the army.
But Sofie was waiting.
Silver light hurls toward us.
79
Sofie
Romeria blocks my attack at the last minute, saving her and her king from obliteration.
Malachi releases her mother from her torture, and the woman crumples to the cage floor, her hand resting mere inches from the hem of this absurd gown Malachi insisted I wear today.
Despite my revulsion for this particular mortal, I feel pity for her. I know what she just endured.
“She’s quicker than you thought, my love,” Malachi purrs, unfazed.
“And stronger.” Though, I’ve never faced another key caster before, so I have nothing to compare against.
The Saur’goth army roars, the spectacle invigorating them. They look like bulls waiting behind a gate, ready to be unleashed.
The daaknar rattles within its cage, demanding to be set free.
Shrill roars from the winged beasts perched atop the mountain peaks answer.
The air thrums with anticipation.
“She is strong. But not strong enough.” The glint in Malachi’s eyes is the only warning I have before he launches a veil of fire that gusts toward the city wall.
80
Romeria
“Shadows, ready!” Solange bellows in the quiet moments after Sofie’s assault as adrenaline strums through my veins. The sleek figures hop up onto the rampart walls, their cloaks fluttering in the breeze.
A roar rises from below, racing my blood. The Saur’goths ache for war.
The dragons respond with screeches that reverberate through the sky.
The air itself seems seconds away from igniting.
And that’s when a giant wall of fire rushes toward us.
“Fates,” Zander gasps.
With a battle cry, I throw out everything simmering in my well at it.
81
Atticus
From the tower, I watch as a brilliant white light shoots down from Lyndel’s wall, into the army. Romeria, no doubt.
Another returns, exploding in a flash over a hard surface. Malachi’s key caster, returning fire.
“That is the one power in its purest form,” Tuella notes, her black eyes shining with fascination. “A show of strength.”
My jaw drops as a burst of flame erupts. If there was any doubt that the Fate of Fire stood before us on this plane, we now have proof. A moment later, a deafening boom cracks as a radiant light collides with the fire, and the two sides surge against each other.
The dragons launch into the sky.
The battle has officially begun.
“Advance!” I command, pointing my sword tip at Kazimir.
He lifts the war horn to his lips, and a deep croon carries.
The ground rumbles.
82
Sofie
Malachi finally relents, his fire extinguishing in an instant.
My mouth gapes at the pristine wall and the line of soldiers still standing. “She stopped it.” I don’t know that I could, even with all my affinities combined. The power that radiates off him feels impossible to contain.
“Those blasted nymphs,” he hisses through gritted teeth. “They meddle where they should not, aiding her cause beyond what is deemed appropriate.”
The casters cloaked in all black stand on the wall like grim reapers, their eyes glowing. But they haven’t attacked us yet. It must be because of Romeria’s parents. Malachi was right—that weak mortal fool cannot bring herself to do what must be done.
Chaos rises behind us as the dragons char lines of fire through the ranks, deftly avoiding the bolts flying toward them. But I note the faint sound of clashing blades. “I think there is a second assault—”
“Forget about them! Our battle is here,” Malachi snaps, his fury seeping through his pores. He assumed he would be victorious already. He did not expect for the little thief to put up a viable fight.
“Tell me what you wish me to do, Your Highness.”
“Nothing. I must do this.” He heaves a sigh. “This will take longer than I anticipated, but she cannot match my power indefinitely. Be ready.”
He launches another wave of fire toward the city wall.
83
Atticus
I watch from the tower with a mixture of awe and grim satisfaction as my battle recommendations come to life. Deep fissures crack the battleground, separating ribbons of the enemy army, making it difficult for them to advance in either direction. Beasts scream as they tumble into the crevices with no hope of crawling out.
Rows of stone towers rise from the ground on this side, scattering the enemies where they stand. Before they know what’s happening, the casters emerge from the top to hurl fireballs and arrows made of ice.