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That can’t be right.

Skye looked again. Then raised a hand to his ear. “Stop the caravan,” he said as something ghosted across his skin—the faintest whisper of foreign magic.

“What?” came Eula’s reply. “Are you sure? The scouts gave the all-clear.”

“Yes,” he said. Because this late into the spring, the deer would’ve shed their antlers. It would be months before they grew back.

Skye stepped carefully along the canyon edge. “Can’t you feel that?” It was the same thing he’dfelt before, that tickle just outside the reach of perception.

“Feel what?” Eula asked, voice tinny and faraway.

Skye rubbed his fingers together. It was almost like a film, like oil or soap. “It’s water magic, Eula.”

His comm gave a painful screech, and moments later, shouts sounded in the distance.

“We have shades!” an ensign squawked through the comm. “At the back of the convoy. They’re coming from the forest!”

Skye’s body reacted before the words fully registered, and he was already running through the woods, ignoring the scrape of brambles and thorns. He pushed more aether into his legs, willing his body to go faster.

The screams grew louder as he sprinted towards the Riftway and the battle unfolding at Crescent Canyon.

Chapter 6

-An excerpt from the Tempris Daily News

The 27thday of the month Ishin, during the 6thyear of our Lady Raine

Nearly 30,000 people gathered at the gates of Infinity’s Edge to witness the maiden flight of the Arabella, the first prototype airship of its class to be co-developed by the Fey Imperium and the Draegon Hierarchy.

Commissioned by Her Supreme Imperial Majesty, Queen Raine, the Arabella is a scouting vessel optimized for low-aether environments. She is scheduled to be turned over to Commander Adahy, currently stationed on Earth.

The forest melted into color and light and motion as Skye pumped his legs, willing his body to move faster.

Screams echoed in the distance, and every channel on the comm was clogged with disjointed chatter as the Gate Watchers tried to regroup. The shades had come from the rear.Hundredsof them—streaming from between the trees, pressing in on the caravan as it neared the bridge. They had broken through the wards protecting the roads, traveling through areas that had previously been scouted and determined safe.

An army hidden among the trees. How the hell had they missed that?

Faster, faster,faster… Skye had always loved to run, loved the way magic and adrenaline would mix as he flew through the air.

Now, he felt only dread as he pushed his body forward, as the highway wardline shimmered up ahead, coming up fast.

Moments later, he exploded from the tree line, nearly toppling a young woman as he skidded to a stop.

A crowd of people surrounded him, frantic as they tried to push towards the bridge. Their screams churned the air, a droning whine punctuated by the sharp clang of steel against steel that sounded from their flank. Fey and mortal mingled, indistinguishable in their desperation and panic.

“Shit,” Skye cursed, trying to shove his way through. He could barely move his arms, hardly find enough room just to breathe. To the south, the sounds of battle continued to rise and fall above the roar of the crowd, and bursts of fire and ice flew into the air. He craned his neck, but hecouldn’t see more than a few feet over the roiling crush of bodies pressing in on him from all sides. None of the faces looked familiar. Even though he could still hear their voices trickling in over the comm, he couldn’t see Eula or Kato or any of the other Gate Watchers in the teeming mass.

Higher ground—he needed higher ground.

Gritting his teeth, Skye let the crowd push him back to the edge, and once he had enough room to move freely, he jumped, grabbing a low-hanging branch of a nearby tree and hauling himself up.

Seconds later, he was perched nearly forty feet off the ground.

The southern roadway was a sea of confusion, stirred by unseen currents and flowing towards the bridge like a river. The people pressed together, desperate to stay within the confines of the wardlines and the limited protection they still provided. He could just make out the dark blue of the Gate Watchers’ coats peppering the crowd, waving their hands as they tried to steer the refugees away from the edge of the canyon. The carts had stalled, and several earth mages were perched atop the hulking mounds of supplies and weapons, their hands glowing green as they sent out waves of calming magic.

“Eula,” Skye barked into the comm. “Status report.”

“Sire.” The words were clipped. “They’re still attacking from the rear. We’ve got the fire and water mages in formation, but they won’t be able to hold them back for very long. They’re going to be overrun. Most of our shadow mages were already across the bridge and scouting thenorthern side. We’ve hailed them on the comms, but the bridge is blocked with civilians.”