Page 25 of The Lost Nation

I didn’t reply to Kieran; we just dove down into the city. Small, black imp-like demons darted to and fro, setting magickal fire to anything they could get their grubby little hands on, then melting away into the shadows. My warriors landed roughly next to me, unsure of what to do. There was no obvious enemy other than the little demons, no higher than my knees.

“Fan out, and help people escape the buildings.”I ordered.

My people scattered, wings flared as they dove into the fires. “Where are theirfighters? Theirwarriors?”I asked out loud.

Where were the half-breed demons, who could wield the magick of the witches? Where were the grunt demons, hulking brutes made of muscle and sinew who could break a stone in their fist?

Kieran and I went door to door, assisting my people in getting everyone out of the burning houses. The small imps were impossible to get ahold of, slipping through our fingers like smoke as they writhed and twisted away from my males. I lunged at one, managing to knock it to the ground.

“Ah!” I dropped it in pain, sparks flaring against my fingertips when I touched it. The demon gnashed its teeth at me and vanished. It reeked of white magick, but the air around us was saturated withblackmagick. The sigils on my back twinged, unsure of what to do with the conflicting magicks.

We herded most of the people into the town center, which was the closest open area away from the burning buildings. The people of Aldur gazed up at us with wide, fearful eyes. After being around the adoring people of Cantrada, it was like having a bucket of water thrown on me.

These people wereafraidof us.

“Please! You can have whatever you want! Just stop!”

My warriors were alarmed and upset as the humans started to cry and beg. The people of Aldur thoughtwehad sent the fires?

“We are here tohelp!" I insisted. "We—”

A group of demons appeared in front of us, the muscled, hulking type I had been expecting the entire time. I snarled and pushed the humans back, motioning for ten of my warriors to join me, and the rest to guard the people.

Then the demonsran.

I yelled after them, and we took to the air. It wasn’t hard to see they were running straight for the palace. The demons scaled the wall easily, and I barked at my warriors tohurry,thinking of the princess—no,queen—caught unawares inside, of Spike, of—

“MOVE! GET OUT OF THE WAY!”I screamed in warning.Kali stepped out onto the massive balcony of the palace, eyeing the approaching demons and flames as if they were insects intruding on a picnic. The demons were faster than I was, and there was no way we’d make it to her in timeunless I shifted.

A massive spike of white magick was all the warning I had before the demons erupted into brilliant, devastating fireballs headed right towards her. Kali screamed in denial, likey the only person I knew (besides Wren, perhaps) stubborn enough to rage atfire.

She lifted her hands, andpushed. Water flew up from the fountains in the courtyard in front of her in a majestic wall of liquid, extinguishing the flames and leaving the demons to fall down to the ground, only to be met by the swords and claws of my drakens.

I glanced up again at the Aldurian queen, noticing the glow of Astrid’s gift sparkling as she used her latent witch blood to protect her city.

“GET OUT!” She roared, and a thunderous sound had all of us turn towards the ocean—the massive bay that was the hive of all trade in Dorea. Kali raised her fists and the water went with her. The massive wave that was forming could killeveryone, including her.

Ships bobbed and rolled, and the docks stretched and groaned under the strain. The screams started again.

“No! You’ll destroy us all!”I yelled at her.

Ronan and Kieran barked orders to the other drakens, who each grabbed the nearest human child and took to the skies. They ignored they horrified wails of the humans, who thought the drakens had come to steal their young.

Like I'd want any squalling human brats.

If the tsunami hit, at least they’d been able to savesome.I flew up to the balcony, taking out Kali’s legs. She fell on her face, and the tsunami wavered. Her head whipped up, her eyes pure silver.

“I need to put out the fires!”

Witch magick was different from a demon’s or a draken’s, so I had no idea if a sigil would help her. I didn’t even know if her magick was black or white!

“Raise it again, butgently." I said. "You are the mother of your people, not their executioner!”

She jolted, and visibly settled herself. Kali turned and calmly raised a hand. The tsunami halted, waiting. Sweat broke out on her forward as she swept a second hand forward, splitting the air between her hands. The tsunami began unraveling from the bottom up, the water filling into the town with careful, controlled purpose. I jumped from the balcony and soared over the city, watching as the ocean put out every fire. There weren’t any demons left to be seen except for the few who had fallen upon my drakens.

The water was about two feet high in the city before the last fire was doused. I flew back to the balcony and called out to Kali. “That is enough! Send it back!”

With a grunt she swept her hands forward, and the water rushed back out in the bay, taking a massive amount of debris with it. The cleanup effort would likely take months, but at least there was a city to rebuild.

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