Page 181 of The Dryad Storm

Alarm blazes through Yvan’s and my Wyvernbond, my Errilor Ravens and the raven on Ariel’s shoulder letting out distressedCAWs as I catch Yvan’s violet-fire eyes across the ledge, sounds of shock rising, everyone clearly searching for a reason Vogel would so abruptly free us by withdrawing his Shadow net.

With the brightening blue sky no longer obscured by the net’s faint striations of gray, confusion pounds through every thudding beat of my heart. A low growl erupts from Diana’s throat, the central bonfire’s multihued light illuminating my sister’s battle-tensed posture, her claws flicking out with a sharpsnickjust as dawn breaks.

Spectacularly.

Sunlight rays out over our world, every leaf more intensely overtaken by fall’s kaleidoscopic riot of color, the Eastern Forest having tipped to near peak foliage overnight.

The Dyoi Forest’s amplified light power floods my lines in a euphoric, spangling rush, sparks of color igniting across my vision. All thought momentarily scattered, I glance toward my Dryad’khin—all our eyes lit up with chromatic light. And our dome-shield’s runes... they’ve all brightened and are raying out prismatic luminescence.

I look to Rivyr’el as the rainbow Elf touches his silver stylus to the expansion runes marking our shield’s base, multihued dragonfly kindreds flitting around his tall frame, the contact of stylus to rune triggering a spray of chromatic sparks.

“Well, my Dryad’khin,” Rivyr’el announces, caution flashing through his eyes, “it would seem our shield’s expansion runes are fully charged. We’re ready toexpand this shield over the entire Eastright now.” The tension in the air gains ground as Rivyr’el’s stylus tip hovers over the rune. “Just say the word,” he states, “and I’ll unleash the spells.”

“I sense the energy of anticipation in Vogel’s Shadow,” Hazel notes, ropes of misty Darkness encircling both him and Wrenfir beside him.

“It’s a trap,” Ariel hisses. “Vogelwantsus to shield the East.”

“Butwhy?” Ra’Ven questions as he scans our color-flashing shielding.

“There’s unknown danger in this,” Vang Troi succinctly levels, her swords unsheathed and flashing Noi-sapphire light.

“That might be true,” Sylvan interjects, “but there’s an even greater danger in not shielding the surviving Natural Matrix of the East and bringing all the people of Noilaan and Zhilaan into alliance with the Forest.”

“There could be some threat from within,” Queen Freyja warns, a low growl rumbling through the huge grizzly bear beside her. “Something that Vogelwantsunder an expanded dome with us.”

“Whatever it is,” Wrenfir bites out, scowling, his bobcat kindred emitting a low snarl, “we’re running out of time.”

“We have to meet the threat head-on,” Soleiya insists.

“I agree,” I call out, lit up with warrior determination and foliage power.

“As do I,” Yvan states, his wings snapping open, his core fire flashing hot through our bond. “We expand the shield and fight through whatever Vogel throws at us.”

Raz’zor’s vermillion fire burgeons, scorching through our entire horde’s fire, a large portion of it encircling Oaklyyn, who stands next to his human form.“We will meet the Magelings with fire and claw and ripping teeth,”he growls.

I sense Oaklyyn’s rise of foliage-amplified elemental power, all of it streaming toward Raz’zor, sparks flashing between them.

Silence descends as Sylvan surveys us all, dawn’s light gaining ground. “Prepare your weapons and your power, Dryad’khin,” he commands as his flinty gaze turns lethal, brighter sparks of color flashing through it. “It’s time to go to war for Erthia.”

“Ready, Dryad’khin?” Sylvan asks us all from astride one of Alder’s giant eagles, Iris behind him, all of us assembled on the great ledge, readying ourselves for rapid flight east.

I’m seated on Errilith, the rest of my flock gathered around me, Soleiya and other allies astride them, a living branch gripped in my hand. My Errilor are still as Death,their Darkness winding around us in misty tendrils. Yvan is poised beside Errilor and me. Rafe, Diana and the other Lupines, and the remainder of allies without flight, are carried by Wyvern-shifters and Alder’s eagles.

Yvan exchanges fiery looks with me and his mother as we wait to rise as one.

Bring the war, Raz’zor growls through our horde bond, Oaklyyn astride his huge dragon form, his vermillion fire searing across my vision as he sets his red-fire eyes on Vang Troi.

Vang Troi sits atop Naga, her runic blades unsheathed, her penumbra of sapphire power gathered around her as she meets Raz’zor’s vermillion gaze before turning to Rivyr’el, who is poised on giant eagleback near our shield’s base, his silver stylus raised.

“Shield the East!” she calls out to him.

His silver aura surging, Rivyr’el touches his stylus to the shield’s largest expansion rune and begins murmuring a series of spells.

An audible rumble rises in the air and builds like a storm, sparks of multicolored light crackling along the edges of my vision. A great, Erthia-rendingSNAPhas us all flinching, our rune-linked magic more powerfully siphoned toward our shielding.

We let out a collective gasp as bright streaks of prismatic light ray through the entire dome-shield, the shield’s runes flashing every color as the eastern half of its mammoth expanse rises and punches out over the entire Eastern Realm.

A tense silence descends, my heart in my throat as I tighten my hold on my living branch, a firestorm gathering in Yvan’s palms as we brace ourselves for Vogel’s countermove.

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