Page 137 of The War of Wings
As dozens and dozens of drivas materialized from the fog, the forest erupted with monsters of every shape and size, pouring onto the sand and tearing into my army. I blinked in horrified shock at the beasts that closed their jaws around entire torsos, at the ones that swooped from the sky and dug their talons into unsuspecting eyes. Beasts I’d seen before. Beasts I’d killed before.
It was… They were…
The Onyx Pass was silent.
They were the beasts of the Onyx Pass.
A bonehog’s tusks tore through a man’s armor like it was no tougher than butter. A wolfhound sunk its teeth into the side of a woman whose scream was so piercing, it rattled my brain even from all the way up here. A creature with eight legs and fangs like a spider ripped apart soldier after soldier after soldier, leaving a trail of carnage behind. Monsters of every shape, every size — some on two legs, some on four, and some flying through the sky — all laying ruin to the forces who’d rallied behind me.
The fog was whipped into tendrils as Malosym’s drivas soared above the fleet of ships. I tried to latch my power to one, tried to wrench it apart the way I could the Occulti, but they were too big, too powerful. The sand turned red beneath my army as blood spilled from mortal wounds. A terrified trill sounded from Rixa as she flew for shore again. I craned my neck back to see if any of Malosym’s drivas were in pursuit, but they’d all descended, their eyes set on my army still marching in. Fire erupted from their jaws, and I closed my eyes.
All this chaos, all this pain, and still, the bastard was nowhere to be found.
I jolted in a sickeningly familiar way as Rixa’s body was thrown to the side. But this time it wasn’t a spear. She flailedwildly to dislodge the driva that had sunken its claws deep into her neck. A scream ravaged my throat as Rixa bucked and thrashed, until finally, the other driva tore away with a chunk of flesh clutched in its talons, a group of Rivodian crows close behind, looking to scavenge the driva’s prize. Rixa dove for the driva, a shrill screech sounding from her mouth as her jaws closed around its throat. She’d just managed to right herself when two more drivas collided with her side.
They were both smaller than Rixa, but they still managed to push us back from the shore, over the forest again. Her teeth gnashed and snapped, but all Rixa managed to catch was the tip of a tail. In a coordinated movement, the two drivas moved for her wings, their talons grabbing hold of the thin skin and yanking. Not to tear the skin, but to keep her from flying. They heaved us toward the ground, the treetops growing closer with every heartbeat.
Another driva collided with the one holding Rixa’s right wing.Gehenna. The demon-driva careened backwards, slamming into the ground head first, its neck snapping on impact. With one wing free, Rixa managed to tilt her body enough to break out of the remaining driva’s grip, just as Gehenna dove for that one next.
I caught sight of Tyrak for less than a split second as Gehenna raced by, his body moving with her like he’d been made to do just that. At that moment, he was not Tyrak, but Noros. Not a man, but a Saint. And though he was human, though his blood possessed none of the power it had so long ago, I could hear its echoes. I could see the mark it had left on him as he scanned the horizon.
He commanded the skies as Gehenna dipped and banked, fire shooting from her throat as she took down another driva. Rixa followed suit, my legs tightening around her as she lifted higher into the air. I was mesmerized by Tyrak and Gehenna below us, the way they maneuvered through the air, above thetreetops. Hope sparked to life again, that feeling that maybe we had somewhat of a handle on it all.
Until a driva flew toward us from amid the trees, as if it had been waiting, watching. This one was larger. Not as large as Gehenna, but large enough that its jaws easily clamped over the base of Gehenna’s throat.
“Rixa!” I shouted, and she screeched when she caught sight of the attack. We dove, just as Malosym’s driva managed to hook its claws below Gehenna’s wing.
What happened next was a tornado of tearing flesh and bloodied teeth, the high-pitched roars resonating somewhere deep within me. I couldn’t tell what was happening, couldn’t tell which driva’s pained cries sounded from the mess of wings and scales. But I could see one thing.
This driva of Malosym’s had a rider.
Gehenna finally broke free, and I caught sight of Tyrak’s body slumping forward as she bolted toward the shore. Blood poured from a wound on Gehenna’s side, raining down on the chaos below. I urged Rixa to follow, but both she and I saw it at the same time.
Atop the other driva’s back was Miles, and in its talons was Tyrak’s head.
Chapter 55
Petra
Bile rushed up my throat as the driva tossed Tyrak’s severed head into the air and snatched it with its jaws, the sickening crunch making my eyes water as I tried everything not to vomit.
There’d been no goodbye, no final moments spent staring up at the sky, no whispered words of thanks or apology or wishes on a raspy, rattling breath. He was just gone. Tyrak was dead.
Rixa surged forward, catching Miles’ driva off guard as her talons tore through its wings. The driva’s agonized screech did nothing to stop Rixa from hooking through its other wing, and I watched as Miles toppled from its back. He hurtled through the air before the treetops swallowed him, the sound of snapping branches so loud, I could hear it over the chaos of the beach behind us.
Heat flared beneath my seat as Rixa worked up her fire, waiting on my command. I opened my mouth to tell her to incinerate him, decimate this extension of Malosym. Amid the battle, my head and heart were fighting their own damned war. My head screamed at me to do it, to kill him. That Miles was long gone and so was any chance of getting him back. But my heart…
My heart demanded mercy. I was the Daughter of Katia, after all.
I quashed the incessant screaming in my head, slipping from my seat atop Rixa. “As low as you can go, Rixa!” I called.
She let out a confirmatory huff as she lowered herself to just above the treetops, and I couldn’t tell if she agreed with my decision or thought I was making a grave mistake.
Fuck, I hoped this wasn’t a mistake.
You can always heal yourself, I thought as I balanced on Rixa’s back for one final second before hurtling myself forward. The backs of my thighs collided with the first branch, and I thought it wasn’t so bad. The next limb caught me in the ribs, and I began to retract my first thought. Then my head smacked against the third, and I was nothing but a ragdoll at the mercy of gravity as I fell through the trees. Every time I cast my hand out to call upon the wind to slow my fall, a perfectly placed branch knocked me one way, then the other, then another way still.
Black dots swarmed my vision like insects when I hit the dirt. I gasped as I rolled onto my back, trying to replace the air that had been knocked from my lungs. I needed to get up, needed to get my feet beneath me and find Miles. Echoes of pain were a far away voice, shouting at me from every direction. That pain would find me soon, but for now, I ignored it as I clumsily pushed myself to stand.
