“Let’s get into the sky,” I whispered. Oberi crouched down to take off, and Charlie followed. We rose into the air silently, quickly gaining altitude so anyone looking up would think they were seeing two birds high above, and not two giant flying reptiles. The cloud cover concealed our movements, and I looked down to watch over the town below.
I could see the shadows of the Firebird soldiers moving through the trees. Drea was leading them, the general directing their movements as they approached Fasva. About a mile or so away, Kazim’s battalion advanced toward the stone boundary around the town.
I noticed the barely discernable shimmer of a magical ward blanketing Fasva like a dome. Inside the city, Mission soldiers roamed the streets, but their leisurely movements indicated that no alarms had been raised yet.
I patted Oberi’s shoulder, and he let out a few clicks that our soldiers would recognize, but that The Mission wouldn’t give a second thought to. I kept my eyes on the east wall, where I spotted two shadows approaching the ward— Kallie and Marcus. The shimmering spell I’d witnessed below vanished, creating a hole in the ward where Kazim’s soldiers could get through.
Just as we planned, Kazim and the others scaled the walls and dipped into the shadows undetected. The guards at the gates were silently slain, and the other Mission members noticed nothing.
I could see a small group of soldiers and captives hurrying away from the town. We flew overhead in a circle, watching the line of captives approach the lake. I observed from above, seeing how many refugees we could sneak through.
Our intel had been correct. There really were thousands of fae prisoners trapped within the town. Some time passed, and the numbers leaving the town grew.
I was almost convinced we’d be able to make it out of here without getting caught. Then a blaring alarm sounded, ringing throughout the entire town of Fasva, and my gut sank. Screams and shouts could be heard as The Mission realized hundreds of their prisoners had snuck out of the town. Alongside the screams came spells, flashes of light within the city limits.
It came. The undeniable sounds of the dying. They were accompanied by the shrillness of swords clashing, of explosions detonating in the night. The town lit up, and I knew that was our cue.
“Let’s go!” I pressed myself to Oberi’s back, soaring downward. There was already a massive battalion of Mission members flooding through Fasva’s streets. They ran after the escaped prisoners, who were flanked by the Elvish army.
Before The Mission could reach them, hundreds of Firebirds sprang from hiding places scattered throughout the forest that surrounded the town. The two forces collided, and The Mission fought back as the Firebirds began to cut them down.
I watched as our allies slaughtered Mission members in quick succession. Danny ran at superspeed, breaking necks of other vampires. Chancey and Eddie worked together to go after angel soldiers, ripping their wings from their backs before they could take off the ground. Without their wings, the angels died within moments. Ghost followed, tossing his battle potions at anyone who got past, which exploded like grenades at the enemies’ feet.
Nearby, the Demigod Guardians formed a united front, covering each other’s backs as soldiers surrounded them. Takahashi summoned his Astromancer abilities. Starlight streamed down from the skies, blinding nearby Mission members. Professor Wykoff used her telekinetic witch magic to lift Mission members into the air and smash them against each other, killing them on impact. Professor Amber danced around the battlefield, singing songs as she caused large, flat rocks to blast Mission members upward, sending them sailing across the field.
To the east, Mama and Daddy had gathered with Nadine and Ethan to take down as many soldiers as possible so they couldn’t reach the lake. I’d hardly seen my parents in battle, but they were a formidable force. Mama cast her Fire magic, and a hundred soldiers turned to ash. Daddy merely clutched his hand into a fist, sending the water in The Mission members’ blood rushing to their hearts, killing twenty all at once. Soldiers dropped dead at his feet. By the ancestors, I was in awe by their display of strength.
Grandmother Eleanor and Grandpa Elliot were putting on a similar display. My grandfather summoned water from the lake and splashed it over a crowd of soldiers until they were standing in several inches of water. At the same time, my grandmother lifted her hand into the air, causing a blast of lightning to come down from the sky and strike the water. Dozens of soldiers were electrocuted at once, and they collapsed in unison.
Nadine used her powers to siphon magic from enemy witches, which she turned back on them by creating massive battle orbs that exploded and shook the ground. King Ethan had shifted into a winged wolf and was aiming his fury at any enemy who got too close. Blood spurted from his fangs as he tore their throats out. Our fae allies had shifted into their animal forms to attack with brute force, while their sorceress mates rode upon their backs and cast out deadly battle spells.
Our parents had brought down hundreds of enemy soldiers quickly, but it seemed that for every soldier they slaughtered, ten more poured out of the gates all around the city. The Mission sent magic whizzing through the trees, cutting our soldiers down faster than we were taking them out.
Fear gripped my throat, because we must’ve miscalculated. My eyes scanned the city, but I couldn’t tell where all these soldiers were coming from. “Something’s not right here. They shouldn’t have this many reinforcements.”
Charlie gave a growl to get my attention, and I looked over to see him inclining his scaly head to the west. I peered past the gates of the city, but there was nothing out there except darkness. Clearly, Charlie was picking up on something with his Elvish powers that I couldn’t see.
“Get me closer, Oberi,” I ordered.
Oberi dipped downward to the west. Only when we were twenty feet off the ground could I see what was going on. Through the trees, the lights of Fasva shimmered off of black tar pits, similar to the ones we’d fallen into during the Darke Games. They were Pits of Despair— the same ones the Demigod Guardians had warned my friends about months ago. Kallie had said that The Mission had modified these tar pits into portals so that they could transport large groups of people all at once.
I witnessed in horror as hundreds of Mission reinforcements emerged from the pits all at once. They quickly sloughed off the tar, then raced to reach our armies in the east.
Dread tightened my stomach, because our intel hadn’t caught this detail. The pits were well-concealed in the trees, and even better hidden under the darkness of night. We had no other soldiers to back us up, but The Mission did, which meant we were heavily outnumbered.
I knew what we had to do. I pulled back on Oberi’s spines, and he reared upward as I guided him over the city and toward the main battle. I found the tell-tale signs of Marcus’ and Kallie’s magic whizzing through the air. At my command, Oberi landed beside them, making the ground shake.
“Marcus!” I barked. “There are tar pits to the west that The Mission is using to portal in reinforcements. Round up as many Nivita and Alchemists as you can. Earth Elementai can cover the pits, and Alchemists can change the chemical composition to prevent passage. Hurry!”
Marcus had Alchemist powers himself and would be able to help. He gave a salute. “On it!”
“I can break up the portals, too,” Kallie offered. “Leave it to us.”
They would handle it. Marcus gathered a team. My Aunt Imogen ran off with him, along with his Uncle Grant, to close up the tar pits on the other side of the city. Charlie and I didn’t have time to see if my plan worked, because the second that I’d come near to deliver the orders, we became surrounded by Mission members. I raised my bow, but didn’t fire it fast enough before an angel jumped down from a tower and tackled me off of Oberi, slamming me into the ground.
Both Oberi and Charlie roared as the angel pinned me against the cobblestone. I went to smack my bow against his head, but a blur knocked the angel off of me, pale hands grabbing the Celestial’s wings as they yanked the appendages from the angel’s body full force. The angel cried out in pain, perishing in a pool of his own blood as the body fell to the side.
“Ivy?” Astonishment overcame me as I saw Ivy looming overhead, the front of their armor streaked with red, crimson liquid streaming from their fangs and a harsh glint in their ruby eyes. They were absolutely murderous.
