Page 49 of Song of Night

Dragons and angels and other winged creatures still dive amongst the flames, blasting magic or shooting arrows or throwing spears at Vyrin’s warriors. The enemy seems impervious to the flames—more trickery, no doubt. They wear a strange black metallic armor, and some ride the enormous bronze horses, who are also fitted with battle armor. With power over the elements like this, I don’t know why Vyrin is so thirsty for magic. Except, of course, that no power-hungry maniac can ever be satiated.

Beyond the river, Animus warriors without wings fight on foot. Those who take the shape of wolves or bears or lions or panthers, those with teeth and claws like blades. The Incantrix fight on foot as well, hurling magic and casting deadly spells on the enemy, though they are more at risk than any other, since they not only face attacks from their enemy, but from surges of the unstable magic as well.

The Syreni have risen from the river also. The surface of the water is thick with them, and they summon great waves and cyclones of water which they send through the air to blast back the enemy, or to put out the fires closest to the riverbank. Their tritons are hurled at anyone wearing black armor who approaches the edge of the water.

Screams and roars ring through the air, and corpses litter the ground. At the frontline of battle, so much smoke fills the air that the moon and sky can’t even be seen. It’s a nightmare of blood and flame and black death. Asher looks over at me, expression grim, and he raises his hand to signal the charge.

As he does, the grates set in the street along the river fly open, and Factionless begin to pour out from below. Incantrix, Animus, Daemonium, Angelus. All the beings of Night, those who forsook their houses, the rebels and the outcasts. They rise from the tunnels below to join the fight for our city.

Jaylen is one of the first, and she gives me a sharp nod as our eyes meet. If I die tonight, if nothing else I am glad to have had just a little time with my sister before I leave this earth. To heal the wound I’ve carried for the last decade.

Asher salutes her, and then he gives his command. The charge begins.

Chapter Thirty-Six

ASHER

I ride across the bridge, Zara at my side. There is such a sense of déjà vu. We rode into battle only days before, just like this.

But at the same time, nothing like this.

Because after that, everything changed.

A lifetime seems to have passed since that other battle, and here we are again, fighting for the survival of Night.

We don’t combine our magic as we had before to blast our way through enemy ranks, because we don’t know how much we’re going to need for the mission ahead. How long it’s going to last this time before it runs out. Sword and axe aid us now as we cut our way through our foes.

But our foes are not the Angelus and Animus this time. On the other side of the river, the warriors of Night are already engaged in combat with Vyrin’s forces, so we do not meet the headlong rush that we encountered previously. The Daemonium and Factionless rush out behind us to bolster against the enemy drive, and Zara and I push forward, moving between warriors locked in combat and dodging fireballs from the catapults. My wolves take care of any who are foolish enough to rush us.

We reach the far side of the courtyard within a quarter hour and push past the main crush of battle. There are few warriors beyond, other than those manning the catapults far in the distance. The buildings around us are all aflame, the air thick with the scent of smoke and burning flesh. My demon side enables me to bear it, but I hear Zara choke, her eyes watering from the heat and smoke.

“Let’s dismount!” I call over the noise, and she follows suit as I climb off my horse.

It’s slightly more bearable closer to the ground, and we slap our horses on the hindquarters and send them galloping back over the bridge to safety. My wolves growl and crouch down at the sight of fleeing prey, jowls dripping in anticipation, but I shake my head firmly and they do not follow.

The path ahead is clear. But where is Vyrin?

Zara staggers ahead, one of my wolves at her side. She’s heading for Ellielle’s tower, and I feel her call to her magic, using it as a compass to guide us. I follow her as she picks up a jog, weaving through the smoke and the burning buildings.

The tower rises in the distance, not far now. As we get closer, Zara cuts slightly west. We move around the inferno of a cluster of burning buildings, and she points across a wide courtyard to a church on the far side. It’s burning, like the rest of the buildings. I should be able to shield Zara long enough to find a tunnel leading below it. I’ll have to trust her magic and her vision to guide us.

She’s most of the way across the courtyard when there’s a great rush of wind overhead, and the smoke cyclones around us. With a resounding boom, a golden dragon lands in front of us.

Kieran.

He shifts from beast to man in a shimmer of magic, his eyes glowing in the darkness. My wolves let out a chorus of low growls, and Zara pulls one of her daggers.

“What are you doing here, brother?” I call, stepping forward to stand beside Zara. “We have a truce between our houses, remember?”

A smile plays over Kieran’s lips. “A truce brought about by your betrothal to Ellielle,” he says. “And judging by the magic intertwined between the two of you, it does not seem you have any intention of upholding your end of the bargain.” He points a finger and makes a spiral gesture back and forth between the two of us. “It seems you’ve forgiven our Zara. Several times.”

“Ellielle has no illusions to any romance between us,” I snarl. “It was a move to unify our people and save our home. Now step aside, Zara and I have something we must do.”

“I’m afraid plans have changed,” Kieran says. “Because Vyrin has offered a different deal. Anyone who brings her to him will be spared, along with their house.”

He stabs a finger toward Zara.

“First I loved you, then my brother loved you, now Vyrin is obsessed with you…” Kieran shakes his head and lets out an unpleasant laugh. “What is it about you, Zara, that makes everyone lose their minds?”

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