Page 156 of The Starlight Savior

“It appears she enchanted you too,” Hadeon snarled, veins bulging from his thick neck.

Conor rolled his shoulders, not letting the mortal’s words impact him. “Look at her. She is more powerful than you will ever be, magic or not.”

Lightning flew towards Hadeon’s body, but he blocked it with a shield. An enchanted shield at that. King Brennus must be quite guilty, meddling with magical portals and water-wielders. Conor wasn’t surprised by Brevil’s decision to bed with Tiranos. It left a sour taste in his mouth to watch them throw around Saige’s life as if it was theirs to barter.

“She deserves to be executed for her treasons!” Hadeon flung his body against Conor’s, pushing his shoulder into his gut.

He was almost proud of the way Hadeon was able to make him stumble back, air leaving his lungs. But despite the king’s nephew’s strength, Conor righted him and loomed over him. He drove his boot into Hadeon’s stomach, watching as he tumbled to the ground. He launched on him before he could rise.

The feeling of Hadeon’s skin sent forth a flurry of emotions, pounding into Conor like a throb in the back of his skull. It was still jarring at times to experience his connection to spirit, but it was especially disorienting to feel the mortal’s feelings weave into his own. Hatred, anguish, pain, jealousy. A flash of Saige’s youthful face appeared before his mind, her cheeks reddened by cool night air. Hadeon’s hand reaching towards her neck…

Gripping Hadeon’s head, Conor drove his knee into the mortal’s nose.

Once.

Twice.

Three times. Until he heard the wet crack and felt the burst of blood.

That would keep him occupied for a bit.

Spinning, Conor continued towards Saige. Any time a water-wielder or mortal came too close, he’d raise his palm. Lightning shielded him from the merciless blows Tiranos was known to deal, but not for long. An ache was building in his chest. His head felt light upon his shoulders. Burnout was approaching, and Conor didn’t know how much reservoir he had left.

Saige’s body twitched with each shake. Wisps of light continued to spread across the dirt and towards the river, like the roots Althea had suggested.

Pride flooded his chest at the sight of her.

Moons ago, she couldn’t even give in to the magic she despised so much. Despite the anguish radiating off her skin, the magic embraced her. Protected her. Obeyed her. The stars and moon were so bright above them, he thought they would burst. Flashes of light moved in the sky, like shooting stars dancing with the deities.

Something was happening.

Something big.

A black wolf bolted through the crowd, barreling towards Saige. His brother’s wolf form was large and sleek, onyx coat and silver eyes that illuminated in the night.

Conor had wished he confided in Saige about the northern colonies, but he had been forbidden. Enchanted by the oath he had given his father years ago, when it was him who was supposed to shift. Instead he had been left with lashings and burnout, unable to fulfill the eldest son’s duties. He hoped at the end of this that Saige would understand.

The five of them circled around Saige’s body as the air shifted. Behind her, the mist across the river was beginning to retreat back into Tiranos and Etrane, light flowing farther than his eyes could see. It moved quicker with every jerk of Saige’s body. He reached out a hand, moving towards her, but Niana’s blazing eyes halted him.

“Dont,” she warned, “let her finish.”

It took all of his strength to listen. The heat radiating from Saige’s body was dangerous, similar to the way he’d found her in the forest behind the castle.

Whatever she was doing, it seemed to be working though.

The mist was barely visible where it once absorbed the land. Across the river, corpses littered the decayed grounds. Beings of all kinds shriveled and rotting. Yet…there were small bursts of greenery breaking through where the roots of light were appearing bright.

“It’s working,” Conor breathed.

“Of course it is!” Althea bit back, slashing her dagger at the belly of a defenseless soldier. He didn’t know how a mortal healer could move so fast, as if she had been trained for these very moments. Maybe growing up with a soldier brother had its benefits. Or…

Without warning, the world around him burst with light and heat. He held up his hands, his lightning dissipating back into his veins, to shield himself from the glowing burn around them. Everyone ducked down. Conor stood tall, trying to find his way. Trying to see his girl.

Not your girl, his mind argued. But it was not the moment to listen to reason. Even if he wasn’t hers, he knew he was damned to never leave her side.

The light came directly from Saige, pouring from her hands, body, veins, and eyes. She was unrecognizable, power radiating off her skin like an energy field, pulsing across the whole battle.

Saige Nerestel, the starlight witch.