Ghost began to panic. “Well, he must be gone, or he would’ve attacked you by now, right?Right?”
Charlie’s voice shook. “Or he was waiting for us to see what he’d done, like some sort of sick display?—”
Charlie didn’t finish speaking before an explosion rocked the entire camp. The ground shook violently, and the blow whipped us all backward. My friends screamed, and I was thrown from Oberi’s back. I sailed through the sky and landed hard on my stomach in the dirt, the wind knocked out of me. It was likea massive bomb had gone off right beneath our feet, though I knew it’d been a powerful spell. Every inch of my body ached, and my ears rang.
A chilling laugh filled the air. It was the kind of laughter that made my heart stop beating. I dared to turn my gaze to the sky, and dread filled my core as my worst fear became true.
The Warden was here, and we were completely out in the open with nowhere to go. He was noticeably alone, as he was so powerful now that he didn’t need his band of demigods to do his dirty work. He wanted to take me by himself.
The blast wasn’t meant to kill us, only knock us down. Otherwise, how would I look into his sunken dark eyes when he finally destroyed my soul? We’d reached the final round of his game, and he wanted me toknowhe had won.
I realized he hadn’t lured me out of Ilamanthe so that he could attack the city while I was preoccupied. He’d brought us here so he could kill my friends and take me prisoner. Only then would he conquer Ilamanthe, and wage war across Earth like I saw in my vision.
Iwould notlet him take me. No matter what kind of power he had, I’d die before I became his prisoner a second time.
His white, feathery wings spread wide as he descended upon us, giving a broad and gloating smile. “I knew you wouldn’t be able to resist my trap, Ava,” the Warden taunted, his eyes fixed solely on me. “You’re too soft of a person. You think you’re such a villain, my dear, but no true villain has a good heart. Today, that kindness is going to be your reckoning.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
CHARLIE
The Warden was one sick fuck, watching us like a sadistic pig while we roamed the camp, waiting in the wings while we took in the devastation. He was showing off. Hewantedus to experience everything he’d done and all he was capable of before he finished us off.
The spell had blasted us back fifty feet or more. I became disoriented as my head smashed against a large rock. I knew I had some sort of concussion, because it fucking hurt. Blood gushed from a wound on my head, and my pulse pounded in my ears.
The desert spun around me, and the Warden’s words sounded like they were coming from under water. He’d appeared so quickly that none of us had a chance to react. I couldn’t make much sense of anything, until I felt his magic swell once more. I knew he must be going in for the kill. If what Ghost said was true, then the Warden’s power was unmatched, even for demigods like us. We were entirely defenseless.
Power that could rival a nuclear explosion burst toward us as the Warden cast his devastating spell— the same one he’d used to kill all the camp’s victims at once. At the same time, my bond with Ava flared, and I felt all my magic drain out of me.Oberi gave a panicked cry, and I realized Ava was pulling from every resource she possibly could to cast her spell. Oberi and I both gave her our power, and Spirit magic exploded out of her. A Spirit shield stronger than any spell we’d cast before bloomed upward to encompass us all.
The Warden’s power collided with Ava’s shield, and the Spirit magic shattered. His magic blew through her shield and slammed into us, tossing us all back another twenty feet.
My breath left my chest, and pain radiated up and down my body as bruises formed all over. It felt like being pummeled by five dragon shifters all at once.
All around us, buildings screeched as they toppled over. The water tower crashed to the ground, making a huge sloshing noise as a wave spread across the camp. The Warden’s blow had leveled the entire camp flat. Ava’s shield was the only thing that had kept us from being torn to pieces.
Even now, she was the only one that had a chance of standing up to him.
Only a residual bit of magic remained within me, just enough to make out my surroundings. I didn’t think I could cast another spell right now if I tried. Forget making illusions; even something as simple as creating a breeze or making a plant bloom would make me faint. Ava had needed every drop of our power to protect us from the Warden’s blast, and now I had nothing left to give. The bond between Oberi and me seemed to flicker out of existence, though it didn’t shatter. Oberi must’ve passed out.
Magic swelled one more time, and Ava gave a weak cry as she struggled to form another shield. It didn’t come. Her first shield had taken everything we had, and it hadn’t been enough. She was drained, exhausted, and unable to cast.
A different type of power bloomed in front of us, and I recognized it as portal magic. Loud shouts met my ears, alongwith the clang of armor. Battle magic sizzled through the air, and the Warden gave a primal scream that grew distant with each passing second. Someone had caught him by surprise and blasted him backward, but I couldn’t make sense of who it was.
“You will not touch them!” a brave voice yelled. I realized it was my grandfather, arriving at the last second to rescue us.
“I will put you in the ground for hurting my daughter, you sick bastard!” Queen Emmaline’s voice boomed over the area. She must’ve been the one to make the portal that brought backup here.
As I gathered my bearings, I was able to make more sense of my surroundings. I felt the powerful surge of Toaqua magic, as well as the chaotic buzz of a Death warlock’s power. Kallie’s mom wasn’t the only one who’d come. Liam and Lucas were here, too.
“Your highness!” Eldin shouted. Her footsteps raced over to where I thought my wife had fallen, though I couldn’t be sure. The desert continued to spin around me.
Someone grabbed my shoulder, dragging me to my feet. “Come on, Charlie!” Cameron’s voice barked. “We have to go!”
I shoved at him weakly, but he held a firm grip. My limbs felt like they were made of sludge, and I could barely stand on my own two feet. The Warden’s blast had taken a lot out of me, but I wasn’t ready to give up. “We have to stay and fight!”
“Go, Charlie!” Cassiel barked from several feet away. “You never should’ve come here! You need to get out!”
Illusion magic filled the camp, and Emma gave a harrowing battle cry. The heavy sound of massive footsteps came, followed by the roar of a great beast. Emma had conjured an illusion monster that must’ve towered a hundred feet above us, and sent it charging at the Warden.
