Page 11 of Ignite
A screech from below sounds, and the wyvern carrying the strange woman races toward the tether that’s slowly pulling Zeph and me down.
There’s a glint of white against the brightness of the moon—flashing like a light hitting a mirror—from atop the beast. In an instant, the rope of shadows is cut off. Zephyr jerks upward, momentum wrenching with the sudden release. From the corner of my eye, the others shoot upward too.
The battle continues beneath us. Daimon is solely focused on the wyverns hurling elements at him instead of us. But the strange woman meets my friends and me in the sky, her chest heaving.
Instead of speaking, she shouts a war cry, causing the Riders below to direct their attention at us. All at once, they throw layers upon layers of dirt, rocks, water, and shadows at Daimon. It creates a thick barrier around him, encasing him in a cage of magic.
The trees begin to sway, and the ground shakes with each blow Daimon makes against the cocoon. Even unable to see him, I canfeelthe strength of his magic. Cracks are already forming in the mixture of elements. I know it won’t hold long.
“Follow us if you want to live,” the woman yells as the Riders below take off into the sky around us.
I look to Brielle and Leda, seeing hesitation in both of their faces.
That fae was able to break Daimon’s shadows somehow. Something I didn’t know was possible. We have to find out how she did that—and where they all came from.
I nod to Leda, and she returns the gesture, our sentiments aligned.
An explosion rocks beneath us as Daimon breaks through the barrier he was trapped in. Rocks, tree branches, and his deadly shadows shoot out in all directions.
Zephyr climbs higher, following the woman’s wyvern before I can think better of it.
Wind whips my hair across my face as Zephyr climbs higher and higher above the clouds. Icy rain pelts my skin, and my teeth begin to chatter.
I twist around, hardly able to see my friends through the shroud of weather. Streaks of white fog mix with the rain, and I face forward as we follow the fae and her fleet into the unknown.
“What are we doing?” I mumble to Zephyr. These Riders might not be on our side, or perhaps their aid comes with a price. Just because they attacked Daimon, it doesn’t mean we can trust them. “We’re no better off with an enemy we don’t know.”
But this enemy may know a way to fight Daimon. And if he isn’t going to help us, we may need that knowledge.
The beast in front of us flies ahead but turns its massive head to look past its shoulder.
A soothing burst of trust shoots down the bond from Zeph, the feeling like a cool breeze on a warm sunny day. It’s as if shewantsme to trust this other creature and its Rider.
If there was anyone in this realm I would trust with my life, it’s Zeph. Her instincts aren’t clouded by jealousy, emotion, or greed. She chose me, and I chose her in return.But—we don’t know them or their motives for helping us.
We at least know they aren’t with Daimon, but we would be far outnumbered if they decided we were their next target. Still…it’s our only option right now if we want a chance at releasing the souls trapped in the Vale.
“Of course I trust you, but?—”
The soft blue wyvern in front of us banks left suddenly, and my body jolts to the right as Zeph follows their lead. With the sun nearly set, it’s getting harder to see, but there’s enough light left for me to spot the Rider twisting around.
A feral smile stretches across her face. She mouths,Hold on.
Without any further warning, her wyvern drops from the sky, as if gravity had suddenly plucked it right out of the air. My muscles clench and my stomach drops as Zephyr does the same, her wings tucking tightly into her sides as we fall, too.
Even if I wanted to turn back around, there’s no stopping Zephyr now.
Wind blasts against my face, causing my eyes to water. I try to keep them open, to see where we’re being led, but the force is too much. I cover my face with one arm, shielding myself from the icy onslaught.
Flashes of sharp mountainside and endless peaks meet my gaze each time I lower my elbow. Gone are the crooked trees of the Cimmerian Forest, and in their place are rocky summits. Zephyr levels out enough for me to focus on where we are, her massive body squeezing through stone arches and sweeping alongside steep ridges.
We’reinthe Zenovia Mountains, much further into the range than I thought the curse would allow. Just as I begin to wonderhowliteral this split of the empire is, darkness stretches out before us.
Zeph follows the pale blue wyvern without hesitation.
The closer we get to it, the more my heart races.
This is it—we shouldn’t have gone with them. They must be leading us straight to where this realm ends, to where our souls will be ripped from our bodies and we’ll be stuck in the Shadow Lands.
