Page 175 of Song of Her Siren

Shiri

THANKS TO MY AMAZINGsister, Nikkos, Blaze, and several other injured firemages had been healed. I told Tari to conserve her magic and let the other green witches work on the less serious cases while we stood on the tallest turret of the ramparts with some of our family and watched the dragons turn the last of the giants to ash.

The city of Thebes had been wrecked. Luckily, the castle was still intact, and the people were all safe. At least half of the buildings in the town were in shambles. If it wasn’t for the piles of smoking ash and discarded clubs that once belonged to the giant zombies, it would’ve looked like the town had been wrecked by a cyclone. I was saddened to think that the troll race had been extinguished, though there was no bringing back someone from the undead. The greatest kindness we could’ve done for them was to turn them to cinders.

Nikkos and Blaze rested on the ground beside us, their heads hanging in their hands and their backs to the wall after Tari had insisted they eat biscuits and drink water. They’d both used too much energy fighting and then healing and would need time to recover before they fought again. Ash stood beside my sister, and Drae stood on my other side, his wing protectively draped across my back while his gaze swept the warzone. Despite his taciturn behavior since returning from the void, his presence still brought me comfort. I would do everything in my power to help drive away the lingering darkness in his soul. Even if it took decades, I wouldn’t give up on my mate, and I refused to let him give up on himself.

Malvolia, Arabella, Cassandra, and Gadea stood on the ramparts nearby, surveying the destruction of the city. Helian and Radnor had gathered the dragons, leading a search party across the Delfian countryside to check for more demons while sending the rest of the dragons to the wall, where they took turns perching and diving for fish.

I knew Tari was anxious for Helian’s return and prayed he would bring good news, though, after speaking to little Cousin Teddy, I had a foreboding feeling the worst was yet to come.

“Where are the children?” I asked my sister. She hadn’t appeared with them, but she wasn’t panicking, so I knew they were somewhere safe with Finn.

“Abyssus.” Clutching the battlement wall, she winced while watching dragons attack the final giant corpse like carrion to a carcass. “I was going to get them after the battle. Do you think more are coming?”

“Yes,” I answered with a grimace. “Brace yourselves. Our cousin Teddy is a powerful seer. He told us that there will be several waves of demons.”

“Several?” Tari asked. “Did he see what they looked like?”

I blew out a slow breath while Tari and Ash watched me, expectant. “He didn’t see all of them, but he said the next wave will be possessed shifters.”

Ash’s eyes widened. “Possessed wolf-shifters?”

I tensed, not wanting to upset him. “Yes.”

When the wolf flashed in Ash’s eyes, I backed up against Drae. “How many?”

I swallowed, worried how he’d take the news. “Hundreds.”

He stared at me as if I was an apparition. “Are they undead like the giants?”

“No. They still live.”

He threw back his head with a howl. “Oh, thank the Elements.” He stepped toward me, a wild look in his eyes. “Can you drive out their demons like you did for us?”

I pressed against Drae, grateful when he held on to my shoulder. “I can try, but I’m afraid there will be too many.”

Tari clutched Ash’s elbow, then smiled at me. “I’ve watched you disable two armies.”

“I froze them for a few minutes. I didn’t remove demons from them,” I said, a vine of panic constricting around my chest. “I’ve only ever removed one demon at a time. I’m not sure if I have enough strength.”

Then use my strength.

A large shadow hovered over me, blotting out the waning sun.

I squinted up at Isa. “How?”

“She amplifies our magic,” Tari answered, her smile widening. “Just rub her scales.”

I scratched the back of my head, sharing a shocked look with Drae. “Really?”

A wolf’s howl sounded in the distance.

Ash’s nostrils flared, and he turned imploring eyes on me. “They’re here.”

My heart rate quickened. What if I couldn’t save them? Did we have enough chains and tau stones to bind them, or would the dragons be forced to turn them to ash? I nervously chewed my bottom lip. “What do I do?”

Isa floated above me, catching pockets of air.Fly with me, Goddess.

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