Page 27 of The Dryad Storm

Heart thrumming, Gwynn meets the Icaral’s gaze once more, and a riot of prismatic light energy detonates in Gwynn’s vision, an echoing energy spangling across the Icaral’s eyes. Chromatic threads of lightning burst to life through Wynter’s wings and around the Wand in her hand, both her wings and the Wand spitting sparks of energy toward Gwynn that her lines spit back, as if their magics arecallingto each other.

As if theWand of Mythis calling them to each other...

A harsh, Subland-rattlingBOOMshakes the earth beneath them and their magic-thrall breaks, Bloom’ilya’s grip tightening on Gwynn’s hand while Ee’vee lets out a terrified shriek against Mavrik’s shoulder.

“We’ve got a Mage army and glamoured pyrr-demons on our tail!” Mavrik yells to Wynter and the Subland army. “We’ve got to get these children to theEast!”

Gwynn’s gaze snaps to Mavrik, and she’s stunned by how unintimidated he seems by all the blades leveled at them. Urgency burns in Mavrik’s eyes, one hand tight around his wand, his other arm hugging a whimpering Ee’vee close to his chest.

As the Smaragdalfar Elves take in the children’s cropped ears, Gwynnifer sees their expressions heat to outrage, which immediately slips Gwynn into alliance with them, weapons be damned.

“The demons are after the Wand!” Gywnn blurts out, pointing at it emphatically as the trapped light magic in her lines strains toward it. “We can’t let them get hold of it!”

A severe-looking Smaragdalfar soldier with a half-shaved head and glowing emerald Varg runes marking half her face thrusts up a palm and barks out a command in the Subland Elf tongue. Her flinty tone is one of military authority, her merciless silver eyes pinned on Gwynn with withering force.

All the blades leveled at them lower as one, and the soldiers leap into action, along with the Icaral. Close to half of them run toward the tunnel Gwynn and her companions emerged from, one of several tunnels that empty into this geode-cavern. The soldiers fan out in front of the tunnel’s mouth to form a line of defense, then drop to one knee and aim their weapons, Wynter Eirllyn in the center of their line, the Wand of Myth raised.

Another, closerBOOMsounds, and Gwynn startles, her heartbeat accelerating as she realizes Mavrik’s last barrier has fallen and the pyrr-demons and Mages are barreling toward them.

Toward theWand.

A powerful bolt of silver energy blasts from the Wand of Myth, and Gwynn flinches. Lines of emerald energy erupt from the soldiers’ Varg blades, and the combined power quickly forms a thick pane of translucent, rippling green to wall off the tunnel, a huge silver Alfsigr rune forming in the pane’s center, flashing color at its edges.

ACRACKhits the shield, the sound knifing through Gwynn’s ears, and Bloom’ilya cries out in terror. Mavrik darts in front of her and raises his wand, the shield raying out green and silver light as Wynter and the soldiers continue to feed lines of power into it.

A more powerful, bone-shudderingBOOMsounds, and Gwynn reflexively hugs a shivering Bloom’ilya, Wynter’s huge silver rune pulsing an ominous gray.

“The demons,” Gwynn calls out, voice tight with dread, “they’rehere.”

She exchanges a dire look with Mavrik, her magic leaping toward him, before Mavrik pivots toward the cavern’s other side, where more Subland soldiers are guarding what appear to be three runic portals.

Noi military portals, Gwynn surmises, recognizing the runes from the countless grimoires she’s pilfered from her father’s armory. From eavesdropping on her father’s hushed military conversations, she’s certain that these Noi portals are part of an underground Resistance network of portals and corridors the Mages have only recently discovered.

And are methodically searching out and destroying.

“Portal these children East,” Mavrik yells to the guards.“Now!”

Ee’vee lets out a howl of protest, her skinny arms tightening around Mavrik’s neck as a willowy female Smaragdalfar soldier with long emerald hair rushes toward them. She’s armed with a Varg-marked bow and quiver and several Varg blades. The two Alfsigr Elf archers run over with her, and Gwynn notices that the taller Alfsigr soldier with the intense stare bears a striking resemblance to Wynter Eirllyn. The second man is slender with a quiet, compassionate air, his silver eyes taking in the terrified children with an expression of great concern.

“We’ll portal them to the East,” the willowy woman promises.

Gwynn latches on to the kindness in the woman’s melodic voice as she struggles against her light magery’s hypnotic pull toward the mesmerizing emerald pattern of the woman’s skin. The Subland woman and the slender Alfsigr male reach out to take the children in hand.

A tenuous trust crystallizes in Gwynn. “Go with them,” she encourages the girls, desperate to get Bloom’ilya and Ee’vee away from the incoming battle’s front line.

Ee’vee screams and scrabbles to keep hold of Mavrik while he gently but firmly pries off her grasping fingers, murmuring comfortingly to her, “Shhh, it’s all right. Ee’vee, look at me.Look at me, love.”

Another floor-shakingBOOMslams against the shield as Wynter and the Smaragdalfar blast more power into it.

Choking back sobs, Ee’vee stops fighting and meets Mavrik’s intense gaze, still clutching hold of him and her threadbare fawn toy for dear life.

“Do you trust me?” he asks, his demeanor so solid, so sure in this moment that Gwynn’s throat knots against an unbidden upswell of emotion, her power sparking even more intensely toward him.

Ee’vee gives Mavrik one, quick nod.

Seizing his chance, Mavrik assures Ee’vee, “Mynx and Rhys will keep you safe, love,” before quickly handing her off to the willowy Smaragdalfar woman.

“Are you and your friend ready to take a portal ride?” the woman, Mynx, asks Ee’vee, forcing brightness into her tone and smiling as she hugs the child close.

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