Authors: Amy Braun
I glanced at Zephys to make sure he was all right. He was standing in front of one of the cages, holding his swords on top of one another and touching the blades barring a dust-Stormkind in. In a flash of light, he, the cage, and the Stormkind vanished.
I had no idea where he was taking them, but as long as it was somewhere far away, I didn’t care.
Piper grabbed my arm and dragged me toward the fight. As we raced to Declan, who was now on his feet, I glanced at the sword battles on either side of the crater.
Vitae whirled her tempest-blades with ruthless force, using one to block a strike aimed for her legs while the other hacked down for Mortis’s neck. It didn’t look like either had taken a strike yet, but it would happen sooner rather than later.
On my other side, Hadrian was gaining power over Ferno. He kicked him in the stomach and waited for the rushed attack. When it came, Hadrian turned on his heel and let both blades slide past him. He swung his elbow, the hard joint crashing into Ferno’s face and knocking him on his ass.
“Get the dagger!” I shouted at Hadrian.
I don’t know if he heard me– I hoped he did– because Declan raised his watery palms and blasted wind at us. I used the tether to draw up an icy wall that protected us from the initial blast. Piper whirled her body around the side of the wall, snapping her arm down at a sharp angle. Light exploded across the sky, a bolt of lightning slicing through the night and into the spot where Declan was standing. After the blinding flash, I swiveled around to see if he was still standing–
Declan’s shivering, transparent body slammed into the ice wall, carrying the force of a cyclone. The wall instantly shattered and threw both Piper and me into the mud. I wiped it from my eyes and looked for my friend. The second I found her was the same second Declan leaped onto her.
Piper screamed as the hilts of a sword and a knife crushed her chest. She pushed against Declan, but her hands slipped across his watery skin. He snapped his head down and aimed for her mouth. I shoved my hand through the muck, coating it in ice. A sharp spike of it jumped from the ground next to Piper, sliding clean through Declan’s face.
The Stormkind lurched off my best friend. Piper coughed and clutched her bruised chest, heaving and gasping as she crawled away. I jumped to my feet and rushed around the ice, standing in front of her and lifting my hands.
Declan stood up, his clear Stormkind face unmarked by the icicle. His body shifted, sparks zipping and skittering across his flesh. Thunder cracked through clouds, a sound like the breaking bones of a god. Lightning jumped down from the clouds and struck the ground in front of me. I covered my face with my arms, gripping the tether and tearing power from it to protect myself. I used the same clouds to force hail down onto Declan, hoping it would hinder him–
Mud shot up from the ground and wrapped around me. I yelped as the mucky ropes tightened around my body and dragged me toward Declan. Lightning flashed around him, keeping any hope of rescue at bay. My arms were pinned to my sides, the tips of my boots dragging through the soaked earth. I twisted and writhed, desperate to free just one of my arms, that was all I needed–
Declan reached for my head. Sparks spat from his fingertips. I wrenched my body as I entered his embrace.
One of my arms slipped free. I reached for Hadrian’s sword. Static touched the edges of my hair, short shocks bouncing over my face.
I gripped the hilt of the sword and leaned forward, using my shoulder to drive the tempest-blade deeper into Declan’s chest.
There was no real resistance. The blade trembled against the torrent that was Declan’s Stormkind skin, but pushed straight through and out his back nonetheless. It sliced through his light-skeleton, making him stiffen and drop his arms. The shocks near my face stopped. The muddy hands slithered away from me. I staggered on my feet and looked down as he fell onto his back. His body evaporated against the dirt, pushing it away in a splattered Rorschach. All that remained of the Declan I knew were tattered clothes and a grimy outline.
I stared, dazed at what I had done. Still wondering if it was the right choice. Knowing I deserved the hollow feeling in my chest.
A feral roar cut through the air. I pivoted and looked at Mortis. He must have seen what happened, because he stared at me like he wanted to tear my head from my shoulders.
His hand snapped outward, a huge blast of wind shooting past me like a rocket. I staggered and struggled to keep my balance, my body turning against its will. Metal screeched together, and I looked up…
To see the remaining cages had been torn open. The Stormkind Zephys hadn’t managed to transport away were now freed.
Zephys stumbled away, running from the Stormkind that were snapping their heads left and right, their eerie white eyes taking us in, as though deciding who they would devour first.
Zephys shot out his hands, duals blasts of lightning striking the ground and circling around the freed Stormkind in a deadly ring. Keeping one hand raised to hold the ring in place, he backed toward us. I knew we had a little more time now, but I also doubted it would be enough.
Desperate to find out if Vitae had the advantage against Mortis, I turned around.
Vitae rushed him when she thought he was vulnerable, both of her tempest-blades aimed at his neck. For a second, I thought she had him. I truly believed Vitae was going to take Mortis down.
Then he pivoted, and rammed his tempest-blade straight through her stomach.
Vitae jerked to a halt on the blade, her own swords falling from her hands.
I think Hadrian screamed, but I couldn’t know for sure, because I was screaming too.
Mortis snarled and poised his second blade at her throat. I swung my hand, commanding the wind to slam into Mortis. He flew back, the sword ripping free of Vitae’s stomach.
Her hands covered the wound. She dropped to her knees, then onto her side. She didn’t move again.
I was already running for her, not sure what I would do but knowing I had to help her. There was a sharp shout of pain from behind me, but I didn’t stop to see what caused it, or who was injured. I gathered strength from the tether and pictured the hail connecting together until they were icicles. Jagged daggers descended on Mortis. He growled and lashed his hand through the air, a gust of wind knocking them all aside. He swept his arm in a wide arch, then slammed his upturned hand toward me.
The air was punched from my lungs as I flew back through the air. Hitting the ground was going to hurt–
Arms wrapped around me, catching me just before I struck the ground. Hadrian grunted when he landed in the mud, then gently rolled me onto my side. His eyes darted over my face, looking for injuries.
“Stay here,” he said before leaping to his feet. He spun and charged at Mortis, drawing out both his tempest-blades, which I was grateful to see he’d recovered.
I glanced over my shoulder. Fenro was lying motionless on the ground, though I couldn’t see any blood around him. I hoped Hadrian had gotten the dagger–
My thoughts slammed together again, and I whipped around as metal collided with metal. Mortis and Hadrian struck high and low at each other, each blow meant to kill. I sat up and raced toward Vitae.
Zephys barreled past me, dropping to his knees by his leader. He rested his hand on her shoulder and stiffened. Piper caught up to us, gasping and putting her hand over her mouth.
Zephys turned to look at us, his expression grim. “I need protection while I help her,” he said. “A barrier, anything that will help focus my concentration.”
Piper looked at me. I nodded to her. I was the stronger one here. I could wield my abilities better than her. I could help defeat Mortis.
“You can do this,” I promised her. I put my hand on her shoulder and squeezed, then turned and ran from my friend. All I could hope was that between
Hadrian and me, we could buy enough time to stop Mortis and the Stormkind.
I watched the rainwater bend on my left as I ran. I whipped my head to where the Stormkind loomed and shoved out my hand. The rain pelting me hardened into chunks of ice. I pushed again, the chunks of newly formed ice rocketing back at the Stormkind. I looked back, seeing two of the Stormkind rushing toward Piper, who’d created a rippling shield of rainwater. I could see her outline as she snapped her hands, throwing down lightning to the dust and tornado-Stormkind hurling dirt and small twisters at her defense. Beyond her, Zephys was holding his tempest-blade up to a Stormkind using pulverizing winds to keep him on his knees.
The three remaining Stormkind– thunder, ice, and hurricane– circled my back. I turned to face them, lashing at the ground and sending three rows of icy spikes toward them. The Stormkind wove around the spikes easily. I cursed, knowing the only way they would submit was to a tempest-blade.
I needed to get Hadrian to fight with me.
I dragged my hands down, pulling a curtain of heavy hail from the clouds. It pounded into the icy ground like a boulder thrown from a cliff. I forced the torrent to descend faster and harder, until it formed a thick wall between the Stormkind and us.
Piper, seeing what I was doing, sent a horizontal wave of water toward my wall of hail. I gathered a freezing wind in my hands, so cold it numbed my fingertips, and pushed it at the wave. The frigid air smacked into the wave, freezing it in place, and blocking the Stormkind.
For now.
I nodded to Piper as I stepped back, feeling my head throb and the tether tighten painfully. I spun around, finally reaching Hadrian and Mortis.
Hadrian had lost one of his swords again. His movements were slower, the attacks from Mortis coming far too close. I hoped he was feinting, but I couldn’t be sure. Hadrian was a fierce, passionate fighter, and Mortis was too clever to fall for any tricks when he could simply crush his enemies.
Hadrian swung his pale tempest-blade at Mortis’s throat. The Mistral leader blocked it with his sword and plowed his free fist into Hadrian’s cheek. Blood sprayed from Hadrian’s mouth, but he didn’t stop fighting. He kicked Mortis’s knee to make him buckle, then spun his sword to drive it down into Mortis’s neck.
Mortis knocked Hadrian’s sword back, striking his wrist. He must have also struck a nerve because Hadrian dropped his last tempest-blade. Mortis lunged with his sword. Hadrian let it glide past him, locking Mortis’s sword-arm to his side. He smashed his elbow into Mortis’s face, then snapped his knee into the other Guardian’s chin. He dragged Mortis’s blade out of his grip as he collapsed, standing over the older man with heaving shoulders.
Mortis lay on his back, and began to laugh.
“You fight like your father,” he remarked cruelly.
Hadrian’s fist clenched around the sword. “Do not speak of him. You have not earned that honor.”
“Honor. Yes. That is what matters to you. I nearly forgot. Such a shame that honor will not save you.”
Mortis moved too fast. I hadn’t noticed his far hand dragging toward his belt until it was too late.
He pushed himself forward and kicked out Hadrian’s legs. My Guardian slipped and landed on his back, the sword jarred from his grip when his elbow smacked into the cold, grimy ground. Mortis scrambled to his feet and jumped on top of Hadrian, arching his arm back and driving it down toward his throat.
I screamed and pushed out my hands. I didn’t think about using the tether or the hurt I would cause myself. I grabbed the air around me, and pushed it at Mortis with all my strength. The wild gust of wind collided with Mortis at the same moment his blade descended. Fear wrapped a noose around my heart. I didn’t know if I’d been fast enough.
I hadn’t been, but instead of punching straight into him, the tip of the dagger sliced through Hadrian’s armor, catching the edge of his collarbone and cutting a bloody path down his chest to the top of his ribs. I didn’t know the wound was deep until Hadrian cried out in pain. The sound ripped at my heart, freezing me into the mud.
Mortis rolled to his feet, dagger in hand and eyes locked on me. His hatred was a visible, terrifying thing. But I wasn’t afraid. He’d given me these powers, and assumed I would be under his control. That I wouldn’t dream of fighting back.
He was wrong.
“Give up, Mortis,” I called. “Your plan isn’t going to work.”
And I don’t have time to argue with you. The Stormkind are going to get through my wall of hail soon.
Hadrian lurched to his feet, wincing and clutching his bleeding chest. It took all of my control not to run over to him and try to help.
Mortis glanced past me, the dagger tight in his grip. Then he looked at me again. “Yes. It seems my original plan has failed.”
Hadrian gathered his sword from the ground and stood beside me. It was agonizing not to look over my shoulder and see how close the Stormkind had gotten.
Mortis straightened his back and held my eyes with an eerie sense of calm. “It seems I will be forced to take a more drastic course of action.”