Page 194 of The Dryad Storm

“And the Source Tree,” Gwynn adds.

“And the Reaping Times,” Wrenfir growls. “Andfive million other storiesdetailing Erthia’s razing followed by the ascendancy of the ‘One True Faith’!”

“You’re right,” I agree, “but, it’s like Gwynn said... we’ve allseenthe Watchers. And everyone who has been a Bearer of the Verdyllion Wand... we’ve all seen themoutsideof the trees.” I force myself slightly up, the rebellion inside me gaining ground. “Even though the Magedom tries to pin the Watchers down on their flags and banners and clothing, and now the Noi are hell-bent on doing the same... theycan’tbe pinned down.That’sthe faith Gwynn is talking about. Faith inthem. And how they led us to each other. And maybe they’ll lead us toward a way tofight back.”

I look to Yvan, my love for him searing through our bond.

“I can go forward on that type of faith,” Yvan offers with the force of a vow, his arms and wings wrapped around me, his unextinguishable love blazing through our bond. “I love you, Elloren,” he passionately states, the level of feeling in his tone bringing tears to my eyes. “And even if Erthia is coming undone, I’ll fight for you until my last breath.” He sets his gaze on his mother, violet fire burning bright in his eyes. “And for you, Mav’ya.” He glances around. “Forallof you.”

“I can go forward on love,” Oaklyyn seconds as the violent storms blur the world outside, her gaze locking on Raz’zor’s crimson-fire eyes. “I’ve fallen in love with you, Raz’zor the Unbroken.” She glances toward the storms, tears misting her graying eyes as she chokes out a sob. “There’s no sense in not saying it now, with so little time left. I’ve known you for such a short time... but your love... it hit me like a bolt of red lightning.” Lips trembling, she shrugs. “Even though it goes against everything I ever thought I’d feel for anyone. Iloveyou. And I’ll fight with you till the end.”

Raz’zor’s fire rears. His pale wings flick dramatically out to arc around her, his eyes taking on such a fiery glow that their heat cuts straight through the storm’s chill. “Be my mate, Magnificent Tree One,” he hisses, his flame shot through with such a ferocious level of feeling, I can feel it blazing through our horde bond as he holds one pale, clawed hand out to her.

Emotion surging through the last traces of her power, Oaklyyn takes his hand and, in a blur, Raz’zor pulls her into a kiss, the edges of his fire blasting through our entire horde, Yvan and I both shuddering against the back-blow of vermillion flame.

Oaklyyn lets out an ecstatic cry against Raz’zor’s mouth, looking dazed when they finally break their kiss, his vermillion fire now burning in her eyes. And then, for the first time since I’ve been hurled into Oaklyyn’s orbit, she smiles at Raz’zor, wide and beaming, in beautiful defiance of the end of the world. Raz’zor grins back at her, teeth gleaming as his invisible fire whips around her with wild, protective abandon.

“It’s true that the odds stacked against us are impossible,” I say to everyone. “Erthia may truly be coming to an end. So, how do we want our last chapter to be written?”

“Together,”Soleiya answers, her voice and fire full of fierce love. “Not apart.”

“Forever unbroken!” Naga hisses.

“Vo’s priest, Wyn Juun... he taught me a Vo’lon saying,” Trystan rasps out in a battered voice. “?‘Way Will Open.’ It means... to trust that if you go forward in love and faith, a pathwillopen. Even when all hope is lost.” He looks to the storms. “Especiallythen.”

“This is all so easy for you,” Wrenfir snarls, his infuriated voice shattering clear through our tenuous grasp on hope. “Todeludeyourself with all thesefantasy stories. Tohellwith the Watchers. The love of mylifehas beenripped away from me! Because the world isending! It’sover! There is no hope! And I’ll never see Hazel again! Unless he’s forced by the Reckoning to come back andkillme. To kill usall! And soon after, there will be onlyone powerat play in the world! TheShadow. Your love,” he sneers at all of us, his lips twisting with combative devastation, “it comestoo late! The Shadow hasWON—”

A roar cuts through my uncle’s words, a blast of white lightning detonating outside as two winged figures soar into the cavern, everyone freezing...

... as Vothe’s father, Hizar’drile, and his brother, Gethindrile, land inside the cavern’s mouth.

“We believe you!” Hizar’drile cries out, his eyes flashing lightning as they find Vothendrile’s, a devastated expression slashed across his face. “We’re here to align with you!”

A beat of wordless shock rips through the room before Vothe’s aura of power catapults into an explosion of storm-hurling rage. With a snarl Vothe launches himself at his father and brother, fast as a blur, just as Rafe and Raz’zor surge toward Vothe and grab restraining hold of him, Vothe’s lightning power rearing so hard, visible threads crackle out to bolt toward his kin.

“You believe usnow?” Vothe cries. “Now that everything isdestroyed? Now that the entire Natural Matrix of Erthia isobliterated?” He tears himself from Rafe’s and Raz’zor’s restraining grips, facing his father and brother down, his power blasting toward them with spitting fury. “Do you have any idea what you’veDONE?”

Hizar’drile’s onyx face is a mask of devastation. “You were right, my son. Everything you warned us of—”

“If you had simplylistened to the trees,” Vothe rages, “none of thiswould have happened!”

“There is no putting the Forest back together again!” Sylvan levels as he forces himself up and takes a staggering step toward Hizar’drile, his fists balled. “The Dyoi Forest wasold growth Forest! That Matrix tookthousands of yearsto form!”

“Wait,” I interject, realizing, in a flash, that a large swath of the sky outside the cavern is visible, the violent storm pushed away. I look to Hizar’drile. “How did you push back the weather? And how did you find us?”

Hizar’drile blinks at me. “A large portion of our Wyvern Vu Trin force and half of the remaining Vu Trin forces are outside,” he answers, “holding the unmoored weather around this mountaintop at bay. Commander Ung Li is with them. We tracked you here via the rune she marked you with. We’ve all broken with Noilaan. And we’re aligning with you. We’ll listen to your trees. We’ll do more than listen. We’ll fight with you for Erthia.”

I exchange a shocked look with Yvan, our rebellion gaining ground. Yvan rises, his gaze burning into Hizar’drile. “Do you have enough power to fly us all through the violent weather and get us to the nearest military portal to Zhilaan?”

“We do,” he affirms.

Our rebellion digs in deeper, a rush of battle-fire flowing into Yvan and me from the Zhilaan Forest as the depleted power of everyone surrounding me is flooded by a renewed desire to rise and fight.

“Looks like the story is not yet over,” Ariel says as she and Bleddyn toss me sly looks, Ariel’s wings snapping out along with her small raven’s, Bleddyn’s grip tightening around the malachite stylus in her hand.

I turn my gaze back to Hizar’drile as the distant Zhilaan Forest’s warrior energy rises inside Yvan and me, my words shot through with Dryad resolve when they come. “Get us to the Zhilaan Forest.”

Chapter Five

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