I feel the heat pulsing through my veins, the ancient power thrumming beneath my skin, rising like a tide that refuses to be contained. For a moment, everything stills. The world narrows to the crackling fire, to the strength rising in my chest, to the unbreakable core of who I am. I breathe it in.
“I am Amara Tyne. Jewel of the Tenders. Sister of the Vine. Fury of the Forest.” I watch the flames dance, reflecting in my gaze. “I am Awakened and scorned, and I am the earth itself and the Fae will not decide my fate.”
I thrust my palm forward, unleashing a surge of green fire toward her. She raises her arms, summoning a shimmering barrier that flickers but holds, repelling the inferno. When I see not a single ember pierce her defense, I clench my fist, drawing the flames back, but in that breath, she collapses her shield, gasping as if it drained the very breath from her lungs.
I inhale deep and summon another bolt of fire, harder, hotter, pouring every ounce of myself into it. Again, she raises her barrier, gritting her teeth as she holds the flames at bay, but the strain is clear. Her legs tremble beneath her, and she drops to one knee, wobbles, and finally collapses, powerless against the blaze.
“How are you doing this?” she screams, eyes wild. “You are nothing!”
“I am Awakened. Just like your sister. But I will not be erased from this world so easily.”
I step forward, pressing the attack harder, sweat beading on Nyraxes’s brow, streaming down her face. Centuries of Fae strength crumble beneath me. But I don’t allow myself the luxury of satisfaction. If I have the advantage, I must end this swiftly.
Then, a chorus of high-pitched screeches tears through the night air. I whirl toward the balcony. The sky is a roiling canvas of pitch black, veined with star-white flashes of lightning. Wings fill the night, but they are not Mordorin. Beasts from the void surge forward, rain splattering off their leathery wings with a sickening flap as their bodies crash and jostle in flight.
They slam onto the balcony, tumbling and rolling, but rise again without hesitation. Their beady eyes lock on me as they charge.
My flames flicker and fade, granting Nyraxes the reprieve she desperately needed. Her shimmering barrier collapses in sync with her body, slumping onto the floor.
It’s only as I race toward my old chambers that she comprehends the demon storm about to flood in behind us. She scrambles to her feet, dragging her bloody, battered form as fast as she can, but she is too slow.
I burst into the room, spin on my heels, and brace to slam the door shut in her face.
“Wait!” she calls out, hand raised in desperate plea. “You can’t leave me to die like this! Let us talk!”
My words drip like ice water. “I do not negotiate with Fae.”
The door crashes shut just as her hands pound against the wood, screams clawing from her throat. A mighty weight crashes into the door, shaking it on its hinges. I step back, eyes locked on the narrow gap beneath the door, watching shadows twist and writhe.
Silence falls, but it is brief. The gnawing and chewing begins, and then a dark pool of blood seeps towards my feet.
“Excellent,” Solena’s voice calls out. “Not so stupid after all.”
She stands by the secret door hidden in the wall panel, halfway inside, holding it ajar for me.
“Hurry!”
I don’t hesitate. I rush toward her, the endless tunnels of Baev’kalath sprawling before us.
But the weight of the void beasts is too great. The door shudders, splinters, and bursts open under a brutal push, flooding the room with shadows and gnashing teeth.
I sprint for the panel, but a long, clawed hand shoots out and snatches my ankle, dragging me down.
I grit my teeth, eyes locking with Solena’s.
“Close it! Get her away from here!”
The longer Solena hesitates, the hotter my fury burns.
“Do what you’re told, maid,” I hiss.
Her brow tightens, but she nods, turning away just as the demons overwhelm the room like a ravenous tide. But she’s too slow, too slow to shut the panel.
A leathery, clawed hand lashes out and holds the secret door open, its forked tongue flicking over slick, bloodied lips as it fixes its hunger-filled gaze on my daughter like she’s a prize to be devoured.
I clench my fists, green flames licking along my arms, coiling beneath my skin just as sharp teeth sink into my leg.
Pain rips through me, but it only steels me harder. I scream, and the agony feeds my flame.
