Page 193 of Ash

Nothing Rindek could have thrown at them would have held against the Legion. But the parasite had ended all that.

So now, the Archmage was coming at them with an army of Dires at least twice the size of their own—combined with the talented alpha females. Tyrez knew his people would be lucky to survive the day.

The Archmage and his son might be out of range of their missile launchers, but that the reverse was not true became immediately obvious. Demeti unleashed his energy beams on the Sabres wielding the weapons. Rock and dirt exploded, and a scream pierced the air.

Taran barked into his comm. “Release the west flank.”

Razir repeated the order to the packs under his command—those moving along the rock ridge running east. They poured from the mountain. Most ducked Demeti’s energy pulses, but not all.

Tyrez gritted his teeth. The rest of the battle would be fought with teeth and claws and flames. He pushed on his comm with a thick finger. “Sarah and Emily, fire at will. Take out the frontline Dires, then see if you can nail those Wyvern. If not, aim for the alpha females. Sabres hold the center. Dani and Zach, you are good to go.”

The Sabres poured from the central cavern in a tide of golden fur, roaring as they did so. They crashed straight into the remaining Derangers, and the air rang with snarls and howls.

Tyrez’s keen gaze saw every detail. He spotted his friend Cody, who fought alongside two others. A smaller, sleek form that darted low, ripping and tearing at the Dires’ bellies, making them turn and snap. It left them exposed to an auburn-haired, muscular male that buried teeth and claws into flesh, flinging them through the air, where Cody dispatched them. Tyrez’s Sabre friend moved like lightning, so fast it was almost as though he had wings.

The three moved together so fluidly that it was almost as though they were dancing, and Tyrez witnessed the beauty of a telepathic link on the battlefield. Neil and Alex worked as another such unit, linked by the twin women up on the cliffside. The third was even more unusual—Kade, and Zach, the Empath. Both were boosted by their mate, Jessie, who was stationed with Emily and Sarah to add her amplifying power to their talent. Jessie didn’t have to be in contact with her bond mates to lend them her power.

As a humanoid Cryptid, Zach should have been a sitting duck on the battlefield—he would have been if it weren’t for the horse. When Kade had first suggested using the mare, Tyrez had been highly skeptical. But Zach insisted on it. He claimed the animal and he were a team.

Now Tyrez watched as the horse plowed into the enemy Dires with teeth bared and ears flat back. Within seconds, her hooves ran red with blood. And everything that Zach gazed upon shrieked and died on the spot.

Tyrez understood the horse better than the man. For Dragons, fighting was a physical thing. The big Dragon’s blood turned to ice while he watched Zach using his mind to kill.

He tapped his comm again. “Dani, go.”

With a flash of bright feathers, a winged form exploded from the cavern above the Dragons. Dani, aboard a young male Gryphon.

Tyrez’s heart squeezed as he added. “Watch Demeti. He’s more mobile than we expected.”

“Got it,” Dani replied. She was barely visible, hunched into the Gryphon’s neck feathers.

From a ledge to Tyrez’s right, bolts of red lightning shot toward the oncoming Dires. Sarah and Emily, their ability boosted by Jessie’s Amp power. The bolts sizzled through the Dires, leaving scorched carnage in their wake. Demeti tried to take them out, but the Watchers’ shield repelled his blasts.

Within seconds, their Dire packs crashed into Rindek’s, and the women refocused their bolts on the two Wyvern circling over the army. They flashed when they impacted, but both Demeti and Rindek used their own power to deflect the bolts.

Tyrez growled.At least it’s keeping them busy.If they’re shielding, they can’t be shooting.

Why didn’t I see those damned Wyverns?Ash was their secret weapon. He was sitting in a cavern fifty feet away from Tyrez. Self-recrimination filled his mindvoice.

It was part of Tyrez’s job to keep Ash’s mind intact through this battle.Always in motion—

Yeah, yeah. That Yoda dude is a pain.

Dude? Tyrez snorted.Focus, Ash. Send me what you see.

It’s pretty jumbled.

I’ll sift it.

Ash seemed to hesitate, then he sent the big Dragon a disorganized clutter of images. Tyrez struggled to put them together—there. A group of Rindek’s Dires arced away from the core like a soaring flock of birds, attempting to flank the Sabres as they fought the remaining Derangers.

In a glance, he saw the movement begin. He tapped his comm. “Kade, watch your left flank. Incoming Dires.”

No answer, but he saw the big Sabre break away and to the left, taking several fellow warriors with him. They plowed into the Dires before they had finished their maneuver, and smashed them to pieces.

Bolstered by that success, Ash’s confidence increased. The timelines he offered stabilized. Tyrez grabbed his visions, translating them to commands either to the Sabres, or to his brothers, who transferred them to the Dires.

It gave them a vital edge, and it quickly became apparent that they’d need it. The battlefield was alive with the psychic power of the alpha females, enacting in destructive clusters. One such area had Dires making incredible leaps that carried them over the heads of their opponents. Tyrez saw an alpha female on the back of a carrier beast, gesturing with her hands. A Lifter, able to levitate. Another group, where twenty Dires were in one spot, and the next moment—fifty feet away. A Sender, teleporting the group around. By the way some packs shifted direction away from trouble, he knew there were Readers out there as well, maybe even minor Seers. He saw an entire group of his Dires freeze while Rindek’s mowed them down. A Controller, and a fairly powerful one at that. And at least one Mover—the dirt was flying out there, although nothing close to Dani’s ability. Another looked like a Shaker—the earth around her trembled.

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