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“Go!” I yelled, stepping out of his grasp. “You need to climb!”

“I am not leaving you,” he snarled, fear saturating his voice as his eyes frantically searched mine.

“I will be right behind you, go!” I demanded, praying he wouldn’t see the dread I felt pooling behind my eyes. I didn’t give him time to argue as I stepped from the ledge and let my wings carry me through the air.

Panic spewed from my pores as each of them pulled on a vine of shadow. I could feel the weight of them on my bones, like they were pulling on my tendons as my billowing appendages pulled them up the side of the cliff.

My wings strained against their weight but I refused to let them fall, refused to do anything but grip onto every ounce of strength I had.

I screamed into the air, pushing all my energy into the shadows pouring out of me.

A sphere of black surrounded the mountainside where they climbed as trees and rocks clashed with the surface of it. The sting of each hit, of each blow to the shadowy shield, felt as if the debris was piercing into my flesh.

Groaning against the pain, I forced my wings to carry me through the chaos. Flying away from the mountainside, I searched for any landing, any flat surface for us to find safety.

Terror skidded down my spine as I hovered in the air and looked at the mountain range before us. The only place crumbling—the only rock falling—was where we were.

Someone was doing this.

Someone knew we were here.

My eyes scanned wildly over the peaks, looking for any sign of Marzog soldiers as they climbed higher up the cliff’s edge, pulling on my shadows.

My gaze locked on a bright light at the top of the mountain and the oxygen froze in my lungs. I flew closer, trying to decipher what it was as I readied my magic, letting it flow underneath my skin.

The world went still—silent—, as an icy chill covered every inch of my skin and my eyes focused on the source of that light.

A single being came into view and even from this distance, I could see the foul grin that spread across its face as a voice cracked through the air.

“Let this be your first and only warning.” The sound was like a screeching whisper, cutting through the silence with a jagged blade. “No mercy will be given to those who defy the Gods.” I closed my eyes as the threat lingered in the distance between us and sucked in a deep breath.

I knew what I had to do.

Knew what magic I needed to wield. I had only channeled this power twice before, but I needed it now.

I lifted my hands to the heavens, praying it would find me, and at that moment I felt it click inside of my chest.

My eyes snapped open to see the world stopped on its axis.

The rocks frozen in midair, suspended in a moment that seemed both infinite and fleeting. The silence was deafening, and yet I could feel the vibration of my heartbeat echoing through my body. I pushed toward the landing where the being stood, the wings beating violently on my back.

The moment my boots touched solid ground I sprinted for the being. It was a man, slender and gauntly, like the sun had never touched his skin and all color had fled from his body.

Time snapped into place as a violent crack reverberated through the mountains. Shadows wrapped around him as heturned to flee, slamming him into the rocky ground and pinning his hands to his side.

The mountain quieted, his hollow eyes locked on mine, the rock no longer crumbling as his attention turned to me.

He had been controlling the chaos.

Where color should have been staining his irises, there was only a translucent film, holding a galaxy of falling stars behind it. If the eyes hadn’t been attached to him, it would have almost been beautiful. But instead, it was like looking into a well devoid of warmth—devoid of hope.

“Who are you?” I snarled as I hurled my body on top of him, my dagger pressing against the thin skin stretching across his neck.

He licked his lips as a chuckle rolled from his lips like the devil’s chorus.

“Who are you?” I repeated as my blade cut into his flesh and crimson trickled down his neck.

“I am nothing but a messenger, sent to do the bidding of the Gods,” he said, squirming underneath my weight.