Page 51 of The Dryad Storm

“Wynter!”Mavrik booms out as they run.

Wynter is sprinting toward them, the Icaral’s pale form pummeled by gray gusts, her eyes alight with silver fire, wings drawn in tight. The Verdyllion is clasped protectively against her chest, her bird-kindreds winging around her in panicked, wind-battered flight.

Mavrik releases Gwynn’s wrist, and her magic slingshots painfully back into her center as Mavrik throws himself between Gwynn, Wynter, and the incoming wraith bats. He drops down on one knee, thrusts his wand forward and grinds out a spell.

Emerald energy blasts from his wand’s tip. A translucent green half dome-shield shimmers into existence, high as a barn’s rooftop, and multiple wraith bats crash against it, their shrieks knifing through Gwynn’s ears as they burst into green flame. Wind roars against the shield as Mavrik springs back up, and the three of them race toward the Subland cavern’s entrance.

Cael, Mynx, and Yyzz’ra are running down the rocky path toward them, along with Valasca and Rhys. Mynx waves Gwynn, Mavrik, and Wynter forward as she skids to a halt along with Cael and Rhys, all three of them swinging Varg bows offtheir shoulders before nocking emerald-glowing runic arrows.

“Fight back your fear!” Mavrik yells at the incoming soldiers. “They can paralyze you with it!”

Gwynn glances over her shoulder as a huge incoming wraith bat opens its fanged mouth. Dark lightning bolts from its maw and explodes against Mavrik’s storm shield, blasting it into Shadow mist.

Panic rises inside Gwynn once more, and before she can tamp it down, she feels the huge bat hooking into her fear, its vicious energy shouldering straight into her mind. She stumbles and halts as the bat amplifies her panic, mushrooming it into paralyzing terror.

“Gwynnifer!” Mavrik shouts, grabbing tight hold of her arm as Cael and Rhys and Mynx release arrows at the screeching bats while Valasca and Yyzz’ra hurl Varg-marked blades.

The bats shriek as they fall, but Gwynn can hear scores more soaring toward them as Mavrik drags her rigid body toward the Subland entrance. Wynter throws herself between Gwynn and Mavrik and the bats as a much larger swarm soars straight toward them.

“Get back, Wynter!” Mavrik cries, and Gwynn manages a glance behind her.

Wynter remains fixedly in place, snapping her wings out to their full breadth.

It’s over. It’s all over, Gwynn’s heart pounds out as Wynter throws her wings down, rises into the sky and raises the Verdyllion in her hand.

Gwynn’s breath stutters in her chest as raying lines of silver energy blast from the Verdyllion in all directions, each line of power rapidly coalescing into the translucent form of a rune-marked bird made of spiraling silver lines.

With a warrior cry, Wynter thrusts her free palm forward, and her runic birds wing toward the wraith bats and collide with them in sprays of silver light.

The bats shriek as the aura of Wynter’s magical energy hits Gwynn, flashing silver light through every line.

The light filled with pure, undistilled courage.

The fearlessness of a true artist.

Wynter’s power rushes through Gwynn, dissolving her fear and galvanizing her tomoveas batsexplode into silver flame and Mavrik pulls Gwynn into a sprint.

“Get inside!”Mavrik growls at everyone as they race up the rocky path to the Subland entrance and Wynter soars in above them then touches down on the entrance’s ledge.

They all burst into the cavern, Wynter’s panicked birds swarming around them along with the paired Agolith Flame Hawks.

Wynter leaps through the entrance, and they all turn toward it just as the Shadow storm band blasts against the cavern, a violent gust slamming through its opening and into them all.

Gwynn’s breath is punched from her lungs as she’s tossed clear across the cavern with the others, their backs colliding with the stone wall as they’re pinned there, the ferocious power of the wind rattling Gwynn’s very bones.

Cursing under his breath, Mavrik grits out a spell and thrusts his Varg-marked wand forward, blasting out another green half dome-shield that punches the Shadow storm back a fraction.

The wind releases, and they all drop to the ground in a heap.

Seizing the window of opportunity, Gwynn lurches toward Mavrik and throws her wand hand around his, their magic intertwining, Gwynn’s light magery releasing into his lines.

They thrust out the wand together, and Gwynn hastily conjures interconnected Varg, Mage, Noi, and Issani storm-repel runes shot through with multicolored lightning.

Huffing out another snarling spell, Gwynn blasts the runes forward.

Rays of color flash from the linked runes and flow through Mavrik’s shield, then crash into the Shadow storm with a resonantBOOM, driving the gray chaos clear out of the cave.

Mynx and Yyzz’ra hastily leap forward and press their palms to the Varg runes marked along the cavern’s entrance. A crystalline-green wall closes over the opening, sealing it shut.

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