Page 69 of A Song of Shadow and Starlight

"No. I'm tired of running and hiding. I want to fight. We end this now."

The corners of his mouth tick upward and I dare say, pride flashes across his face. "Take a few shots, but then we head for the ship. If we get stranded here, we won't be able to hold Vesper off for long."

"Alright." A hard-set determination washes over me and the power humming beneath my skin begins to itch, begging to be released.

Atlas blinks, turning his eyes from green to violet. His shadows dance around us, a weapon unleashed. "Well, well, well," he purrs, surprise in his eyes, "that's new."

"What is?"

"Your eyes. They're gold."

I've been meaning to tell him what happened in the shower at Hotel Zulmara, but just haven't had a chance, and it still isn't the right moment. I hear the slice of swords being unsheathed as Vesper and her crew surround our cart. Our Bavan escort has his hands held up in surrender.

"Open the crates," Vesper gives her minions the order for a second time and this time, they approach.

"Take another step, and you'll regret it." The troll says with a threatening tone.

Vesper laughs, and it sends a chill down my spine. "Kill him."

Whether Atlas gave me a signal to attack or not, I don't know, because I kick the casket lid off, jump up, shielding myself, and blast beams of light at Vesper's crew. Atlas, Nyx, Finn, and Eris emerge seconds after me and engage with the Soul Eaters surrounding us, making sure our magic doesn't strike any Bavan civilians.

Knocking several Soul Eaters off their feet, my eyes finally zero in on Vesper. She isn't frightened, nor is she angry, she watches my magic at work from a short distance in awe. I frown, shooting a ball of light at her, but she swiftly sidesteps my assault, and grins at me like I'm the answer to all her unholy prayers.

"All these years of searching and you were right under our noses the entire time." She stalks toward me in twisted reverence.

I don't allow her to creep any closer. Blasting the awning she's beneath, she turns her gaze upward, and I use the timely distraction to jump out of the cart and slip my hand around our escort's massive forearm. "Come with us. We can keep you safe."

But he flashes a toothy grin at me and shakes his head. "Get to your ship," he points down the street. "We can handle these demons."

"We?"

Three trolls sift through the crowd and join him. Vines erupt through the ground and serpentine around a handful of Soul Eaters. The vegetation squeezes the demons until they cease to move.

"Go, Princess." Our escort once again motions for me to flee. "We've got this."

"We need to go," Atlas grabs my hand and tips his head at the Bavans. Without another word, I dart down the street with him.

Soul Eaters scale the buildings like roaches and sprint across the terracotta rooftops. I glance up at them in time to see one of them shoot an arrow at us. I lift my arm to block my face and inadvertently put up a golden shield to protect myself.

"Don't shoot her, you imbecile! We need the girl alive!" Vesper screams from behind us and it sounds like she's gaining on us.

Atlas zips a shadow bolt at the Soul Eater that shot at me, piercing him through the chest.

"You killed him!" I exclaim as the demon falls to the street.

He tugs me onward. "I killed its body, yes, but not the Soul Eater. It will attach itself to a new host."

Up ahead I catch sight of Eris controlling two crocodiles made of water and Nyx and Finn sparring with Soul Eaters blocking our path to the ship. Of course, Vesper thought ahead and posted demons along the route we would have to take to escape Kongar and ship off to Tronovia.

"Shield me!" Atlas shouts and without hesitation, I place a golden forcefield around him. "Proclivi!" His voice booms as he whips his arms to his sides and shoots ten shadowy knives from his fingertips. My eyes widen, frightened the shadow weapons will pierce the Harland brothers in the back, but once they hear the Tronovian command, they disengage with the Soul Eaters and drop to the ground. Right on cue, Atlas' knives pierce the intended targets, and my shield blocks the arrows launched at him.

"Nice of you to show up!" Nyx hops to his feet, a mischievous smile on his face. He's holding his dueling swords in his hands, and they're covered in blood. When I see he has a gash down his left cheek, I freeze.

"Nyx! You're hurt!" I cup his face, his blood now staining my hands.

"I'm alright, Kitarni," he says calmly, and I remember as I watch his face slowly heal that his magic won't allow him to remain maimed or injured for long.

I exhale a sigh of relief before we take off again toward our awaiting ship. Soul Eaters are still chasing us through the small trading city, but Finn points at the end of the pier and says, "We're almost there! Hurry!"

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