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Gone.

A voice came from someone’s trowth stone. Demospulled it out of his pocket. Obviously, we were within distance, but from the monotonous sound of the voice calling to us, they’d been trying for some time.

“Here,” Demos said.

The voice came alive. “Help. We need help. Regner’s ships are moving into the Sleeping Sea to bring down the ward. And on land…the creatures…oh gods, no!”

The voice cut off.

The mountains around us seemed to cave in, and my mind turned blank.

Without a single word spoken, we began to run once more.

It felt as if it took years to get to the end of the pass. Even Gwynara began stumbling along with us, her natural fae grace no match for her exhaustion. The trail angled up, and then down. And then up once more.

Suddenly, the rock surrounding us seemed to fall away. And for a single moment, all I could see was a tapestry of stars above us. My legs trembled from our relentless pace, and after the silent oppressive confines of the pass, the frenetic energy of soldiers preparing once more for attack was jarring.

But beyond those soldiers, a few hundred footspans to our right, a dark, oily presence oozed across the ground.

I blinked, and the truth of what I was seeing settled on me like a boulder. Terrovians. Thousands of the four-legged fae creatures that Regner had twisted to obey his every whim.

“They’ve been there for some time,” one of the soldiers said. “Waiting for a signal likely.”

Demos nodded. “This is what Regner does. He targetsmorale. So by the time the battle is upon his enemies, they barely have any strength and courage left to summon.”

I swept my gaze over our soldiers. They were exhausted. It was clear with every long, slow blink. But they weren’t out of courage. They had no dearth of bravery. Even now, knowing what was about to happen, they were forming their lines, ready to die to protect the hybrids hidden in the caves nearby.

Something in my chest wrenched. They might never get to see the world we were hoping to create.

But they believed in that world enough to sacrifice everything for others to experience it.

“Well,” I said, licking my suddenly dry lips. “It’s a good thing we killed the last of his skyrions.”

A few people chuckled at that. Demos nudged me, and I realized he was guiding me to a sizable hill. It was almost a geographical anomaly, standing guard between the mountain pass and the sea. Covered in a patchwork of grasses and low shrubs, it offered the best possible view of the area. Natural rock formations and scattered trees provided some cover, and already, tents were being set up for generals and healers.

My thighs burned as I followed him up the craggy side of the hill.

“Something’s happening!” a voice shouted.

Regner’s fleet was positioned in the distance. Thousands of ships, small enough from here that they appeared as nonthreatening as dinghies.

But a solitary ship approached from the north, arrowing toward shore. It was also one of Regner’s, but it was being followed by at least ten other ships—almost asif it were being chased.

A fight broke out between the ships. Even from here, I could see the spark of weapons as Regner’s captains all turned on that single ship.

A strange disquiet slid between my ribs.

The ship blew apart. No one spoke. And I had the horrible feeling that whoever had been on that ship had come to help us.

One of Regner’s ships moved too far south—crossing an invisible line. A long, scaled tail slipped from the water and smashed into the hull again and again and again. A savage vindication filled me as the ship began to sink.

As long as those wards stayed up, the serpents would see any ship in their waters as an attack.

More of Regner’s ships lingered in the distance.

Demos stiffened. “They’re trying to shift the wards. I can feel it.”

I shuddered.