Page 138 of Kingdom of Shadows and Wings

Screams and grunts flood the air, amid the clang of weapons.

Several of the winged Tirenese swoop close to the ground.

Below us, chaos breaks out.

Several Flighthaven structures burn, including the weapons building, the alicorn stable, and the dragon aerie. The Tirenese, now in control of the creatures, fly the animals away from the camp, leaving this area defenseless.

Instructors and recruits on the few remaining alicorns—along with our units on the ground—fight against the Tirenese in a lopsided battle.

Fury tears through me. Trembling in outrage, I don’t want to be up here with Sterling. I need to fight down there before anyone else?—

My breath whizzes out.

On foot, two Tirenese circle Theo.

My magic hums and rises to the surface, raw power bursting from my fingers as I point at Theo’s attackers.

Sterling whips his alicorn around, jerking me before I can try to help. He executes a series of senseless maneuvers…avoiding Flighthaven warriors so fast I keep getting dizzy, then flying toward the Tirenese without brandishing any weapon or using his magic against them. As if he hopes they’ll let us pass through.

Each time we reach the periphery of the battle, the winged flyers swoop in to block us…yet they don’t attack.

It’s almost like they’re…protecting us. But that’s impossible.

He flies through an open spot in the battle, navigating Balasar past a wailing Tirenese warrior. A female recruit thrusts a blade deep in his thigh, then his belly. At last, there’s another opening in the battle, with no one blocking us from leaving the scene.

As he directs Balasar on a path that will leave the carnage behind, an arrows streaks through the air. The weapon strikes flesh, piercing the alicorn’s neck. Blood spurts like a geyser from the wound.

Horror clogs my throat.

With an agonized grunt and flailing wings, Balasar tumbles from the sky, and the ground rushes up to meet us.

Shock ripples through me.

Short of some miracle, Sterling and I won’t survive this.

A snap fills the air, followed by another. I squeeze my eyelids tight. We jerk upward—away from Balasar—as if we’re attached to an invisible string. Then we hover in the air, accompanied by a gentle flapping as we hang suspended.

What just happened?

My eyes snap open, and the airwhooshesfrom my lungs.

Enormous feathered wings protrude from Sterling’s back, streaked with silver as if forged from the finest metal.

I gape. “You…” Shock makes forming words difficult . “You’re…”

A broad-shouldered winged flyer with piercing blue eyes and tied back red-brown hair approaches, hovering in the air beside us. The man’s about Sterling’s age, his handsome, battle-scarred face sporting a faint dusting of freckles.

“Prince Silver.” He dips his head in tribute. “We’re here to provide escort to King Jasper.” The man flicks his gaze to me before returning his attention to Sterling. “Your brother’s eager to meet your new…friend.”

Friend.

I fight the urge to scoff at the use of the term. Friends don’t lie about their identity. They don’t betray each other.

Bile rises in my throat as the events of the past hour weigh on me. Olive has died. Xenon wants to exploit me. Sterling—or whoever the hell he is—betrayed me. He gained my trust and won my heart so he could use me.

Mustering all the force I have left, I throw my elbow back into his gut.

With a grunt and a swear, Sterling grips my wrists and holds them in one hand against his chest.

The other man heaves a sigh. “It’s in your sister’s best interest for you to accompany us without resisting.”

To Be Continued…

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