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A surge of determination went through me, and I knew there was no other way than forward.
“Let’s do this.”
With a deep breath, I closed my eyes and summoned up my magic from within my celestial metal necklace. A warm sensation traveled through me as the wall began to shudder and archers on it further down the way shouted in alarm.
The ground shook and rumbled as I pushed more power into the metal. The wall shook again, this time with more force as it split apart like a ripe fruit. Chunks of rock and mortar flew everywhere, cascading down the mountainside in a shower of dust and debris. The noise was deafening, as if I’d split open the entire mountain, and for a moment, I feared I had. Archers and soldiers screamed in terror as the rubble slid down the mountainside, taking out all the trees and greenery in its wake in a massive wave of destruction.
“Cetena’s scales,” Roza whispered. Dust filled the air around us as we watched in awe at my handiwork.
“Come on, let’s go.” Xadrian lifted his hands, raising two large pieces of rubble in front of us like a shield. “Behind me.” He took off at a run on the side of the wall I’d destroyed and we hurried to follow him.
Soldiers yelled and arrows flew from the walls, but we kept running, dodging out of their path. Xadrian ran ahead of us, using his makeshift shields to protect us from any projectiles that got too close.
“Over there!” Xadrian shouted as he jumped over a pile of rubble and motioned for us to follow. Without hesitation, we followed him into the cloud of dust beyond the ruins and kept running. As our feet pounded against the earth, fear twisted my stomach. There was no turning back now.
The soldiers continued their relentless pursuit, shooting arrows at us and shouting commands that echoed through the mountain pass.
“We need to take it down now!” Zerek shouted over the noise, more debris continuing to slide down the mountainside.
I stopped, my breath catching in my throat. This was it. I had to do this now, or we’d never get away. I reached into my depths and tapped into my magic once more, funneling power through my necklace, yanking down the wall, and the attaching tower with all of my might.
Another massive slide of rubble came tumbling down in the wake of our destruction, cascading down the mountain with a sickening roar that shook me to my core.
“Keep moving!” Herrath pushed Xadrian forward, yanking me behind him. We didn’t have any time to stop and admire our work as we ran for cover on the other side of the pass. Xadrian shouted at us to keep running as arrows pelted around us like rain, barely missing us and embedding themselves into the ground all around us.
Finally, we reached a crevice in the mountain, shrouded by trees and shrubs that had been here long before us. We all stopped short, panting from the run, and looked around. It was narrow enough to be concealed by the foliage, yet wide enough for us to find shelter and take stock of our situation.
We all collapsed against the wall, panting from our sprint uphill.
“We’ve got to rest,” Xadrian said, his voice barely audible over the sound of our ragged breathing.
“No arguments here,” Roza panted, hunched over her hands on her knees.
“Only one tower left,” Herrath pointed out, scrubbing a hand down his dust-coated face, leaving streaks like war paint.
“I’ll see if I can take it from here,” I huffed, catching my breath as I worked my way to the opening of the crevice and peered down. The destruction was incredible; most of each wall had been destroyed with only small sections still standing and rubble scattered everywhere around us on either side. All the trees had been torn down, ripped away by the force of the stone tumbling down the mountain. I couldn’t see the battle from the vantage point, but I prayed Theron was alright, that his people had stayed far enough from the entrance that they weren’t crushed in any of the debris.
Taking a breath, I looked up and just made out the last tower above us, the flags still waving in the wind like a mockery. I had to take it down, but my power was almost tapped from all the destruction I had already caused. It wouldn’t be easy.
“Xadrian,” I called over my shoulder, the strain of power coursing through me as I forced it forward, snaking across the ground like questing fingers. “I can destroy it, but it’ll fall on us. Be ready to shield us.”
He nodded and moved by my side, ready for whatever happened next.
I closed my eyes and tried to focus on my magic, but it was like a force pushing back against me with every move I made. The mountain was so heavily coated in magic; it fought me. My power was draining quickly. Fuck. With a deep breath, I pushed myself harder, determined to finish our mission once and for all.
Power twisted through me, surging and growing until I was about to burst. Ifeltthe power pressing outward, radiating from my body in a wave of energy that was palpable. It wanted to tear my body apart. My hands shook as I strained against it, pouring everything I had into the effort of staying whole.
And then, with a deafening roar, the last tower exploded in a shower of stone fragments. The mountain quaked beneath us like an animal startled awake from its slumber.
I froze, expecting the entire mountain to come tumbling down around us any second. But there was only silence now—no more rumbling or shaking—just the sound of our heavy breathing as we waited to see if it had worked.
I teetered on my feet, my vision tunneling as my head spun. Gods, I’d used too much magic. A hollowness filled the pit of my stomach. Roza caught me before I could fall, steadying me. She murmured something to me but I couldn’t hear—my ears felt stuffed with linen, disconnecting me from the world around me.
I shook my head, trying to clear it, and drank from my canteen. My surroundings came back into focus, and I could make out Xadrian’s voice saying, “Kael’s tapped out. We need to get her back to the army.” He patted me on the shoulder before adding, “Don’t worry. I’ll collapse the tunnels myself.”
I nodded wearily and let Roza help me sit down as Xadrian spoke to Herrath.
“Do you need something to eat?” Roza asked, chewing her lip as I closed my eyes, leaning my head against the stone. When did it get so soft? I wanted to sleep right here. “I don’t know what to do.”
