Page 119 of Tears for a Broken Sky
Some fought. Most fled.
I caught a mother clutching two small children as they stumbled from a smoke-choked alley. I didn’t think—just moved. I scooped one of the kids into my arms, growling for Maddie to cover us.
“Go!” I barked, nodding to the path that wound toward the cliffs. “The ships—follow the path with the green banners!”
The mother nodded, too dazed to speak. Maddie flanked her, shielding them with one hand already brimming with thorns. I didn’t wait to see if they made it. I was already moving again.
Everywhere I looked, Sentinels were pouring in from the hills. Archers fired from rooftops. Fires licked the edge of the main street like it was made of kindling.
This wasn’t a battle.
It was a slaughter.
I caught a glimpse of Phoenix across the square, fire blazing at his palms. He was holding the line with General Marcus and a handful of soldiers, pushing back a wave of Crown troops.
“Elira!” Maddie’s voice snapped me out of it. “Where is she?!”
I scanned the smoke, the panicked crowd, the rising flames. I didn’t see her.
“Leo,” Maddie said, grabbing my arm. “She’s not here.”
I felt something crack in my chest.
She wasn’t with us anymore.
“She went another way,” I said, though I didn’t know how I knew it. I just… felt it. The bond between us pulled taut—distant. Strained. But not broken.
“She’s with Slade!” Phoenix shouted from across the street, fire bursting from his hands. “They’re holding the line—to give us time to evacuate.”
Maddie nodded grimly. “Then we clear this path. Get as many out as we can.”
And we did.
We fought like hell.
But behind us, the sky was darkening. Not just smoke—ships. Dozens. Closer than they should’ve been.
We were being flanked.
“We’re being cut off,” I muttered. “They’re boxing us in.”
“We need to move,” Maddie said. Her vines snapped outward like whips, wrapping around a Sentinel and dragging him off his feet.
I looked up the hill. Toward the smoke. Toward where I felt her.
“Elle,” I whispered, breath sharp. “Where the hell are you?”
A woman collapsed in front of me, her baby in her arms. The kid was screaming—raw, terrified. I dropped to my knees, scooped them both up, and sprinted toward the boats.
Caelen was there, yelling orders, frantically ushering people onto the vessels.
From my position, I saw it—Phoenix, alone on the far side, about to be swarmed by Sentinels.
But the woman clutched at me, fists twisted in my shirt.
“Stay with me! Please!” she sobbed.
I hesitated—heart pounding, torn in two.
