Turning slowly, I assess the battlefield in a way that I’m sure would make Gabriel proud. The fight is unfurling around me, and there is so much blood and death that my chest aches. Whatever advantages the rebels might’ve had, whatever ground they’d held earlier, is gone.
The battle is even worse in the quiet.
Protectors and Enforcers rush towards us, endless waves crashing against a helpless shore. The net is torn and in shambles. There are more gaps—so fucking many of them. The blast, whatever it was, ripped the barrier apart. I know in the depth of my being that what I told Gabriel earlier is true.
Like the previous attack at the mountain, this is my fault.
There is a tightness in my chest that makes it hard to draw breath as I stumble through the battle. A flicker of steel catches my attention, followed by a warning pulse in my chest.
Without thinking, I yank magic from my well and throw it at the oncoming soldier. They fall to the ground, a gaping hole in their chest.
There is no calm to be found in the fact that I defended myself. No peace. There is just so much blood.
I stumble away, but everywhere I look, there is more death. The battle is in front of me and beside me and gods-damned behind me.
This is my fault.
More soldiers. More magic.
More loss of life.
Eventually, the ringing in my ears dims. Sound filters back to me slowly, and it is horrendous. The serenity of the forest is gone as if it never existed.
Death is the only thing that reigns here.
The quiet emptiness was better than this. Anything would be.
I glimpse Gabriel a short distance away—he and Theon are fighting several soldiers at once. They’re fully occupied as attackers stream past the dismantled net.
A scream—sharp and achingly familiar—catches my attention. I spin around, seeking the source, and when I find it, fear rushes through me.
My feet are moving before I’ve even decided to run.
Skyler is here, fighting a pair of assailants. If she’s left the schoolhouse, it must be a sign the evacuation efforts are going well, right?
I don’t know.
Two men are advancing on her, and she’s keeping them back, but blood is pouring from a gash on her leg. I run towards her, picking up my pace when one of the men knocks her sword from her hand. She falls, scrambling on all fours for her weapon. The soldier with a shock of pink hair steps on her wrist, and she screams.
The sound is as sharp as any sword in my gut.
“Get away from her!” I shout, drawing magic to my palms and throwing it as soon as I’m in range.
The magic flies to the right, missing the soldiers and slamming into a tree. It fizzles out, and a sob rips through me.
The attackers straighten, the pink-haired one takes his foot off Skyler, and they both turn towards me.
“Fuck,” I whisper.
The badges on the soldiers’ chests identify them as Protectors. It’s not their rankings but the glimmers of recognition in their eyes that have my stomach wrenching.
I’d spend more time worrying about why they’re looking at me like I’m the prize they’re here for, but there isn’t any time to waste. The two soldiers seem to reach a horrible consensus as one turns to Skyler and the other advances towards me.
I reach within myself and gather as much magic as I can. Two flames burst to life in my palms, and I fling one, then the other towards the soldiers.
They sail through the air, and my heart thunders. It feels like an eternity passes before the blue flames wrap around the Protectors. They scream, the pink-haired soldier flailing as the fire consumes him, but their deaths come swiftly.
There is no time to rejoice in my victory.
