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And they were coming toward us.

I kicked the soldier’s head away from the children, and it rolled toward the other side of the street.

It hit Galon’s shin, and he let out a disgusted growl as he dragged the first body into the shadows. I fought the urge to vomit as I grabbed the second soldier’s shins and pulled with all my might.

He barely moved. Galon stepped toward me, and I shook my head, pointing at Marth. If he died, Marth died too.

Unsurprisingly, Galon was prepared to ignore me. He took another step. But I’d managed to get some leverage by squatting a little and taking long lunges backward. My thighs burned, but the boots were coming closer.

I managed to get the body into the shadow of the cart. My chest clenched at the horror the children had seen today.

But I couldn’t think about that now.

There was a huge smear of blood on the cobblestones—a clear indication that a body had been dragged away.

The boots sounded like thunder now.

Seconds. They’d be here in seconds. I reached for an old blanket from the back of the cart, throwing it over the blood. Hopefully, it would look as if it had merely fallen from one of the many people the Eprothan soldiers hadcut down.

A glint of light on the corner warned me it was too late, and I leaped for the shadow behind the cart, meeting a pair of wide, tear-filled eyes. Slowly, I lifted my finger to my lips once again.

All I could see were boots and calves, marching twoby-two, still in time.

The first soldiers to breach the walls had likely been given orders to create chaos. They’d been allowed free rein to do whatever evil they liked. These soldiers were highly trained and headed directly for the castle.

One of the pairs of boots stopped suddenly, and another pair slammed into it. I tightened my hand on my sword. Somewhere in the darkness across the street, Galon would be doing the same.

Sweat streamed down my forehead, stinging my eyes. I blinked as fast as I could, not even daring to move enough to wipe it away.

Galon and I could take out anywhere from six to ten soldiers. And by that, I meant I could take out two, and he would cut down the rest with his blinding speed.

We’d just watched at least fifty soldiers march past. And there were more to come. Not only were there just two of us—without access to power—but Marth was in terrible shape, and we had the children behind us to think about too.

I strained again, grasping for even the tiniest thread of my magic. Nothing.

And for the first time, I actively resented my own power. How could it have abandoned me when I needed it the most?

One of the soldiers cursed and muttered something too low to hear.

The other soldier turned his feet. Toward the cart. “But—”

My vision sharpened. I could smell the thick smoke pouring toward us, mingled with the sweat of the soldiers. Each scuff of boot on stone sounded like thunder in my ears.

The soldier resumed marching, and the others behind him ran a few steps, quickly catching up to the others.

I stayed where I was and trembled, watching the soldiers pour past us.

The Sorlithians would never forget what had happened here today. They would never forget the screams and the pain and the terror. Horror had warred with rage on the faces of every innocent I’d seen, and I knew if they ever got the opportunity for vengeance…

They would make these soldierssuffer.

And they deserved their vengeance.

Finally, when their footsteps were nothing more than a distant echo, I stood. My limbs were cramped, my foot had gone to sleep, and I shook it out, limping over to the children.

“Come out,” I whispered.

As one, they shook their heads. I wished I had time to gently cajole them. But every second we spent on this street was risky.