Page 111 of The Dryad Storm

Dryad Warrior, the Zhilaan sizzles through me, its enraged violet fire flashing through my binding to Yvan.

Vang Troi’s runic magic rises in the air, a visible penumbra of raying, sapphire power flashing to life around her straight-backed form in an obvious display of power. “Hand yourself over, Elloren Gardner Grey,” she orders again, her violet eyes meeting mine. “We watched you fight Vogel with true courage, but you must face the fact that you are too easily compromised by Vogel’s power. You’re a proven danger to usall.”

Before I can answer, Yvan blasts out a line of violet flame to wall off me and our allies from the Vu Trin and their forces, our entire horde adding to the flame, multicolored fingers of it blazing up in hot warning from the huge stone ledge, a chilling growl rising from Raz’zor’s throat.

“I won’t ask twice.” Yvan glares at Vang Troi, his fire readied. “Resheathe your weapons and order your forces to do the same. Elloren is my Wyvernbondedmate.”

A hot charge shoots through our bond that sends a shiver through me, Yvan’s arm sliding protectively around mine.

Without warning, Vang Troi lifts her swords and points them toward me.

Hundreds of sapphire spears of runic energy blast into existence and dart toward me, each filled with explosive Noi power.

Before I can react, Yvan yanks me backward and Sage, Trystan, Fain, and Wrenfir lift wands. Alder raises a branch, and Ra’Ven and Rivyr’el level emerald and silver styluses while my ravens send out a hard pulse of Dark aura that momentarily dims the world. A colorful glassy wall of power marked with Varg runes springs to life in front of my horde’s barrier of Wyvernfire, foggy lines of my ravens’ magic coursing through it.

Vang Troi’s surprise attack collides with our runic barrier in an explosion of raying, sapphire light, the spears that manage to pierce it instantly singed away by my horde’s wall of fire.

“This ismadness!” Iris cries out to Yvan, her voice shrill with fury. “Have you forgotteneverythingyou stand for?” She levels her finger at Soleiya. “You’ve bound your ownmother!”

“Unhand Soleiya Guryev!” a young Vu Trin soldier with a dragon shaved into her close-cropped black hair shouts, her face twisted in an enraged scowl. A chorus of livid voices rise, all demanding Soleiya’s release.

Vang Troi arches a black brow at the cacophony of demands before giving Yvan a stern look. My gut tenses as I remember how revered Soleiya is in the East—the heroic Resistance-soldier wife of the slain Icaral who took down the last dreaded Black Witch, my grandmother Carnissa Gardner.

Yvan turns to Trystan, eyes burning. “Unbind my mother,” he stiffly directs.

Trystan nods, a cautious light in his eyes as he raises his wand and swipes it at Soleiya.

The vine bindings tethering her to Raz’zor’s back disappear, but any hope that Soleiya’s hate for me has been tempered is instantly and thoroughly quashed as she swiftly dismounts, steps away from Raz’zor, then rounds on Yvan and levels a damning finger at me. “That witch will forever be yourenemy!”

Yvan’s fire aura explodes, a rush of his heat searing my skin as he gives his mother a look of blazing incredulity. “Did you witnessanythingthat just happened?” He thrusts his hand toward the leagues upon leagues of dead Forest just beyond our translucent dome-shield’s western-facing side. “There’syour enemy,” he snarls. “This infighting—” he gestures between himself and his mother “—it’s playingrightinto Vogel’s hands!”

I glance toward our semiconscious Dryad’kin, splayed on the stone ledge, all of them tenuously stabilized through the Dyoi Forest branch connection. Purple branching patterns are forming over the sickly gray skin of Sylvan, Yulan, Oaklyyn, and Mavrik and Gwynn.

“You’re being played for afool!” Soleiya snarls back at Yvan, her voice breaking with red-hot emotion. “The Crows are full of deceptions! The witch’s show of alliance is aploy.Think, my son! This witch and Vogel areplayactingso that they can infiltrate your power through this ill-fated Wyvernbond you’ve set down! The only way to save yourself and defeat the Magedom is tokillher!”

I draw back from the punishing strength of Soleiya’s fire power, anguish spiking through me in response to the level of hate in her aura and in the belligerent look she’s giving me, offensive fire gathering in her palms.

Fealty.Raz’zor’s vow shimmers through my mind as he readies his own vermillion fire.

Raw panic spears through me over the martial energy rising in Raz’zor.She’s not our enemy!I insist through our bond.

Raz’zor’s fire rears hotter.FEALTY, he stresses, baring his teeth at Soleiya.

Alder Xanthos calmly steps forward, staying Raz’zor’s rage as she strides up to Soleiya. “Yvan Guryev speaks the truth,” she states, her tone as hard as Ironwood. “The Prophecy has been rewritten. I have read it in the Forest. Elloren has become a Dryad Witch truly set against Vogel. She stands with the trees.”

“Alder Xanthos,” Freyja grits out, her tattooed face tensed with a commanding level of ire, her runic axe gripped in her fists. “As your queen, Iorderyou tostand down. Elloren Gardner Grey is a murdering Black Witch, just like her grandmother. SheleveledVoloi.”

Surprise lights inside both my and Yvan’s fire to find out that young Freyja has succeeded Alkaia as queen of the Amaz.

“Elloren didn’t attack Voloi,” Vothendrile counters from where he stands beside Trystan, their invisible lightning auras crackling around each other. “Marcus Vogel did. I’m a power empath. Vogel had Elloren under his thrall during the Siege of Voloi through a Shadow link to her fastlines. But she’s brokenfreeof him, and her fastings, as well.”

“What’s to prevent him from enthralling her again by some unknown Shadow spell?” Freyja sternly counters.

“What’s to prevent Vogel from enthrallingme?” Yvan challenges. “Oryou? Oranyof us?”

“Which hewill doif we stay divided,” I add, unable to remain silent one second longer.

“Silence, witch!” Vang Troi snarls.

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