Then I moved.
I ran off the boat, sprinting down the ramp as the wind tore at my cloak. My feet hit the dock and I threw my shadows forward—a roaring surge of black tendrils that split the air like a thunderclap.
The force of my magic slammed into the frontline, hurling Sentinels back like debris tossed by a storm.
Maddie ran past me, her steps uneven, blood on her cheek. She paused—just for a heartbeat—like she was about to turn back.
I threw my shadows forward and shoved her toward the boat.
“Don’t stop!” I shouted.
The dock was a war zone. The boat sat behind us—tethered and waiting—but the space between here and safety had become a killing field.
To the east, Leo was a storm of golden fur and fury, ripping through Sentinels who dared get close. Slade held the western flank, blades spinning in brutal, efficient arcs, shielding the wounded and forcing a corridor back toward the ramp.
My shadows lashed out in every direction, anchoring us, shielding us—but they were thin now. Frantic. Stretching too far.
We were holding. Just. But it wasn’t going to last.
“Elira! Get back here!” Jasper yelled from the deck, panic sharp in his voice.
Then Thorne was at my side—sudden, silent. A wall of presence. He moved like ice and shadow, blades already drawn, power radiating off him in cold pulses.
“You’re here!” I shouted, shadows lashing out to catch a sword mid-swing and flick it wide.
Thorne didn’t flinch.
“I told you I’d protect you,” he said, voice low and steady as his blades spun into motion. He stepped in beside me like he’d never left. “Where’s Phoenix?”
“Injured and out cold. He’s on the boat.” I shot back, sending a sword of shadow out beside me. “But he’ll be ok!”
A flash of relief went through Thorne but resolve chased it away. “Glad to hear it. Now, go. You need to leave.”
“No!” I said, my eyes narrowing.
“Elira, get your ass back to that boat. Now!”
“You need my help!” I snapped, kicking a Sentinel square in the chest.
“No. I need youalive.Now move—before Imakeyou.”
“Asshole,” I muttered, shadows slamming down on another attacker.
I could’ve sworn—just for a second—he grinned.
Ahead, Slade was nearly surrounded. His breath came in ragged bursts, his shoulders low, swords crossing against a dozen incoming strikes. Steel screamed as blades met blades—and then one pushed through.
He staggered.
And my heart dropped.
I didn’t think—just reacted. My shadows shot out, slamming into the swarm around him and blasting them back. Slade broke free, spinning toward me, one hand clamped over his arm.
“Just a scratch!” he called, still standing tall, still burning with defiance.
But I saw the blood.
He turned and kept fighting, blades a blur of motion—but the Sentinels were herding him now, pushing him closer to the boat like wolves circling a cornered lion.
