Page 81 of When the Moon Met the Sun

It had taken pulling Byn off to the side and reassuring him I’d be fine to get him to calm down. That he had to trust in my abilities, and that he couldn’t protect me himself forever—I had to do that for myself, too.

Now that it was raining, the soot had been washed away from my wings. The same dual colored wings that would have easily given me away before I could get close enough to my father to do any real damage. This small detail in itself ruined our original plan, along with the fact that the messenger’s cloak now covered Ezra’s body, drenched in blood and rain.

So we reassessed.

Once we were all on the same page, Quinn mounted Willow, sitting behind Rayven but leaving obvious space between their forms. I remained on Atlas, gripping Byn as both wolves broke out into a run on the outskirts of the battlefield, away from the forest behind us.

And towards our enemy.

***

It was easy enough to run through—or over—the few soldiers in our path as we made our way to the far, northern side of the battlefield. From our original spot on the hills by the forest, the tents set up by my father’s people looked like no more than specks in the distance. But now, with every step Atlas and Willow took, those tents grew larger, and the situation laid out before me became more and more real.

I was here to put a stop to my father.

No matter what it took.

Now that we were growing closer to their king, the winged soldiers were turning their attention to the two large wolves in their midst. Most had been stopped by Robyn’s earth or fire and Quinn’s crystals, but if any of the soldiers from above happened to shoot for us, I’d readied myself to use my ability to manipulate the air around us to make shields or to block any arrows.

As I formed one of those hard wind shields around myself and Byn, just in case, I couldn’t help but wonder how I’d changed so much, so fast.

When I arrived in the South just a handful of months ago, I was untrusting. Skeptical. Rude, even. I kept to myself as much as possible, because I didn’twantto trust those around me. It had always been me, Dimi, and Aurora against the world. Without them, who was I?

Then came in Byn. I was so sure in the beginning that it was all a trick. I mean, who wouldn’t after being told a lifetime of lies about those who I was now surrounded by? But piece by piece, I saw that the South wasn’t trying to trick me—I had already been lied to,manipulated.

Byn had been so patient, so caring, until I saw for myself that the South wasn’t my enemy. I wouldn’t be surprised if he truly had begun to fancy me that very first day when I pressed a dagger to his throat.

One Northerner dipped down from the sky, getting a little too close to Rayven and Quinn. Before he could do any damage, he fell victim to one of my rogue air currents that sent him crashing to the ground faster than he could right himself.

We were maybe two hundred feet away from the campsite now. Byn and Quinn were defending us brilliantly, Rayven even disappearing for a moment at a time to intercept a soldier or two with his shadows.

A sudden, bright light caught my eye to the right, likely only a hundred yards from our current position.

The light was something I had only read about in books, and pity washed over me at the sight.

I watched as the Northerner’s light grew brighter, his form still swinging his sword at those who came too close. The light seemed to emit frominsideof him, like a caged animal finally breaking free of its restraints.

Once he felled those around him, and those who remained realized what he was doing, it was too late.

He gave himself over to the Relenting.

Blinding, white light shone from where he stood, his form no longer visible, as he gave up every piece of himself in order to kill those around him—Northerner and Southerner alike.

The Relenting was a last-ditch effort—most fae never even witnessed it in their lifetimes. It was the act of surrendering yourself to the Stars—your zirilium, your energy, your entirebeing.And then—

The surrounding area of where the Northerner had stoodexploded, originating from the light that had only grown brighter and brighter.

I shielded my eyes with my arm, forcing myself to look away as those who had been too close were reduced to ash.

The Relenting was considered a war crime—there was no safe way to enact it. The more powerful the person, the larger and more impactful the Relenting. It was an extremely painful way to go, for both the fae Relenting and those who fall victim to it.

“Avi.”

I wrenched my arm away from my face and forced myself to not look back at what I knew would simply be scorched earth and piles of ash.

Byn threw me a knowing look over his shoulder, then pointed to what was ahead of us.

A weight that felt like pure dread settled in my stomach at the site of the nearing tents, and what they meant.

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