Page 113 of Lady of Starfire

She rolled, pushing onto her hands and knees, and found Ashtine with one hand extended towards her. The other had water pouring from it, a wall of ice forming between her and the seraphs as Sawyer added his own water, freezing it at the same time.

Eliza was on her feet with the next breath she sucked in. She sheathed her spirit sword, pulling a dagger from her side instead. Flinging out a hand, fire flared, melting a small portion of the wall. Big enough for her to get through, but too small for the seraphs. She let a ball of flame grow in her palm, then she looked back over her shoulder at Ashtine. The princess nodded, her face already paling from the exertion of using so much power at once. With a mighty surge of wind magic, the flames in Eliza’s palm exploded through the hole she had melted.

She heard the cries of the seraphs as she clamored through. A rope of fire wrapped around the neck of the nearest one. Eliza yanked, forcing him to his knees while her dagger went across his throat. On this side of the ice wall, she found herself facing seven other seraphs alone.

Shaping her flames into knives, she launched them at the seraphs. One after another. A knife of steel followed each one. The first four found their targets. By the fifth, they’d caught on, but that was fine. She wasn’t aiming to take them down. She wanted to know what magic they possessed, what she was up against. Two shielded with water. One created a shield of sand. Three had wind. And the last?

Eliza swallowed her cry of surprise as her hands were wrenched behind her back.

Shit.

Shit, fuck, shit.

This one had the power to move things with his mind, just like Scarlett and Callan had said Veda had.

She was being forced to her knees a moment later, but fire still flared around them, forcing them to split their focus. She set wings and clothing alight. While the other seraphs were combating her magic, she sent flames winding around the one who was holding her to the ground. He sneered at her, a victorious smirk lifting on his lips.

Until those flames went up his nose. His mouth opened on a silent scream, and her fire went down his throat. Her invisible bindings released, and Eliza was on her feet in the next moment. Her spirit sword was burning as she plunged it into his gut with a vicious snarl.

She was panting and sweating, her magic starting to wane, but she turned to face the other seraphs who were already recovering from her onslaught. Sucking in a deep breath, she hefted her sword up again.

And then sagged in relief as they all went up in black flames.

She knew those flames, and while she could have held her own, she was really fucking glad when she felt him land behind her.

“Make sure that one is dead,” she said between gasping breaths, pointing to the one who had forced her to her knees.

“As you wish, Milady,” came his taunting drawl.

She finally turned to look at him and almost went to her knees again. His black wings were out and splayed wide, the talons at the end sharp and deadly. Brown hair was a mess from flying, falling into his glowing sapphire eyes that raked over her, pausing at the blood splatters. His nostrils flared as he scented whether it was her blood.

Then the corner of his mouth tipped up in a taunt, and hespatblack flames onto the seraph she had pointed to.

With a growl, she flipped him off before swiping up a few of her knives and shoving them into sheaths. She tossed fire at the wall of ice, a signal to Sawyer that it could come down, and moments later, water was rushing across the sand, turning it into a muddy mess.

The battle still raged, but there were more seraphs bleeding than Shifters. Razik looked her over one more time, before he was back in the sky to combat the few seraphs that had been able to get airborne and were raining arrows on their company.

Eliza rejoined the fighting, conserving her magic and feeling confident leaving Sawyer and Maliq to guard Ashtine.

Until Maliq let out a piercing howl that ripped through the sounds of battle.

Instinctively, her attention went to the sky, where two griffins were approaching, flying fast and hard. They were still airborne when the females on their backs leapt into the fray. Eliza immediately recognized one as Arantxa. The dark-skinned Witch was the High Witch’s Second. The Witch rolled when she hit the sand, two daggers flying as she flipped to her feet then drew her swords.

The other was Talwyn Semiria.

Leathers in place, hair braided back, and the same impassive mask she always wore, Talwyn drew her blade and fought alongside the Witch. The female may not have a drop of magic in her veins anymore, but she had trained with weapons longer than she had trained with power. She was as deadly as the Witch beside her, even if she was no longer as quick or graceful.

Having Razik in the sky aided them to the point where there were only a few seraphs left when a male voice boomed across the din of the fighting.

“Stand down!”

The seraphs instantly stilled, weapons dropping to their sides. The Shifters all began looking around in confusion, Eliza doing the same. Razik landed beside her a moment later, an arm gripping her elbow. She saw why at the same moment an agonized cry came from Talwyn.

“Ashtine!”

Maliq was on his belly, whining softly. Sawyer was beside the spirit animal on his knees, gaze pinned on the Wind Princess.

Because there was a dagger at her throat and one poised at her rounded belly.

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