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At the next turn, a stench assaulted me, and I gagged at the sudden foul scent. It coated the inside of my throat with each shallow breath, an indescribable, nauseating reek.
The dim glow from the light orbs began to mesh with a different kind of luminescence. A sinister green glow. A symphony of distant growls, whimpers, roars, and the clinking of metal pricked my ears.
Pelysian had once told me of the creatures Sabium was breeding here.
“Long ago, before the fae and humans were truly at war, Sabium’s ancestor attacked a fae settlement. The winged, monstrous creatures had left their young to go hunt, never imagining they would be attacked. The king had the young taken and hidden so our people could experiment on them. Those creatures are still alive. But Sabium has been using the amulet to manipulate them. To make them not only more powerful, but loyal only to him.”
I wasn’t afraid of Sabium’s monsters breaking free. He would never allow such a thing to happen. No, he would likely wait until the very moment the hybrids and fae thought victory was within their grasp and unleash hundreds of those monsters among them.
The stench became thicker the farther I traveled. I focused, using my power to search for any guards ahead of or behind me. Nothing. The first stirrings of dread trickled down my spine.
The dirt beneath my feet became a slick, slightly tacky surface. The green light grew brighter. I took a deep, steadying breath and stepped into the expansive cavern.
Terror exploded through my chest. Monsters. Not hundreds of them. Not even thousands. Tens of thousands of them, snapping and snarling at one another, thick chains—no doubt made of fae iron—around their necks.
On one side of the vast space, winged creatures stretched and snarled, those chains allowing them to stretch their wings enough to lift several footspans into the air at most. Their claws were as long as my hands, and they scraped against the ground as they attempted to fly again and again.
On the other side, kept carefully away from their winged brethren, more creatures paced and growled. Dark, sleek fur coated their bodies, showcasing powerful haunches that held the latent energy of a coiled spring. Their heads were low and angular, their jaws lined with razor sharp teeth. No wings graced their backs. These were beasts evolved not for the skies, but for ruthlessly chasing prey across unforgiving terrain.
There were enough monsters in this cavern to decimate an army.
This was impossible. Even with the centuries Sabium had devoted to breeding the fae creatures, there were far too many.
Perhaps they had a faster incubation period for their young.
This was why Sabium had radiated that calm confidence throughout most of the last few weeks—even with Jamic gone.
He was waiting to unleash these creatures on his enemies..
Scuffing sounded behind me, and I froze, casting out my power.
Too late. I’d allowed myself to become distracted.
I turned, and a huge hand clamped over my mouth.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Less than two days later, I stood at the prow of our ship as it sliced through the cerulean water, sunlight dancing on the surrounding swells. Overhead, gulls screamed viciously at one another.
Just how high did the barrier span? Could those gulls fly to distant lands? Or were they as trapped as everyone else on this continent?
The deck creaked beneath my feet, and I forced myself to keep my expression blank. The healer had given me a tonic for the seasickness, but it was up to me to ensure my natural…disconcertment of the open water wasn’t obvious. With this many eyes on me, I could show nothing but hope, fearlessness, and grim resolve.
After the way I’d broken down in Lorian’s arms, I felt…steadier. Just as he’d assured me I would.
We were positioned with the boundary to our right, the Gromalian coast to our left. Conreth’s ship floated astern of us, her hull and sails gleaming in the sunlight. Ahead of us, a formidable flotilla of several hundred of Daharak’s ships held their positions, preparing to engage Regner’s and Eryndan’s ships. Surprising no one, the pirate queen herself had insisted on positioning herself adjacent to us. The last time I’d glanced at her, she’d been issuing commands unflinchingly, her eyes sparking with vicious promise as Regner’s fleet approached.
Madinia had been standing by her side, practically glowing with suppressed magic. Several ships away, Galon had gathered the best warders from both Conreth’s fae and our hybrids, and he was currently deep in discussion with a group of them, explaining our tactics.
We had one purpose—to form a defensive line to shield the five ships behind us, all of which were currently facing the barrier. I peered into the spyglass, finding Jamic’s hand lit with golden light as he aimed his power at the barrier, his expression once again placid, almost peaceful. He’d taught some of the strongest fae how to channel their power and direct it into the barrier. Together, the fae struck the barrier from a distance, hundreds of them pouring every drop of power they had into it.
Next to Jamic, Thorn and Romydan were doing the same. Meanwhile, Rythos was on a ship of his own, accompanied by Daharak’s pirates. Each ship held some of our most powerful people—anyone who could be spared from defensive magic or with power strong enough to help us keep Regner’s army at bay.
We didn’t have the grimoire that had created the barrier. But Jamic seemed convinced that with enough time and power, we could bring the barrier down without it. If we couldn’t, Marth’s one task would be to get Jamic as far away from here as possible—so Regner couldn’t use him.
I was holding on to one fact—it was always much easier to destroy something than it was to build it in the first place.
A shout rang out from the crow’s nest, and I snapped my gaze to the left. At first, it was just a blemish on the horizon. A disturbance in the seamless merging of sea and sky. I shaded my eyes, peering into the distance. Billowing sails unfurled like opening claws. The armada took shape, carving through the waves, growing larger by the moment. Sunlight glinted off weapons and armor, but it was the gold etched into the ships that made my breath catch.
