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“Don’t worry,” Ana said, patting her arm. “There’s shelter at the Swap. We’ll all be safe there.”

It was one of the contingencies in case Aneirin made a move—a festival brought people together, and that made them a target. So, Ivain had made sure to have routes of evacuation set up and designated areas where revelers could shelter in place.

Indeed, Gate Watchers marked the way, guiding the crowd like riverbanks directing the flow. Bodies pressed together, parents clutched their children tightly, funneling through the narrow streets in a singular direction.

Up in the air, two more harpies slammed into the ward shield. Screams rose from the crowd, people ducking as sparks rained down. Ren threw Taly to the ground, covering her with his body while Ana shielded the girls.

Another boom sounded. Close enough to shake the ground and rattle nearby windows. Every light went out in a ripple of darkness that consumed the street.

Everything held still. Just for a second. People gasped. Someone sobbed. Taly’s heart pounded in her throat.

Then the next blast came—a building half a block ahead erupted, spitting flames and smoke into the street.

Screams filled the air as bodies surged backward, shoving against one another in blind panic. A shoulder slammed into her, and Taly nearly dropped. The air left her lungs in a sharp gasp.

Ana leaned in, her voice barely audible over the din. “Stay up! Don’t let them push you down!”

Taly nodded, the heat of the explosion still pricking her skin even from a distance. She fought to breathe through the press of bodies. Ren grunted as a shove from behind jostled them all.

Further down, another blast erupted, stirring up another wave of terrified cries.

They needed to get off the street. They would get crushed if they didn’t. But before Taly could put any action into the thought, the sky split open.

A harpy broke through, diving in freefall. At first, it was just another terror, but then the truth came into focus: skeletal wings, skin clinging to decayed bones, and eyes that held no life.

It wasn’t alive. It wasn’t even close.

“Oh, hell,” Taly whispered.

A cry went up as it sliced into the crowd, shooting back up dragging a woman behind it.

The second was nearly on top of them when it lunged, tearing through the colorful tarps strung from the rooftops, ripping away rows of lanterns. Its talons, warped and blackened, splayed as it dove.

Taly ducked, the stench of rot sweeping past her. Behind her, another woman screamed as she was lifted into the air.

More holes ripped open, more undead monstrosities swarming through.

Humans and Fey alike ran in every direction, anyone with a drop of aether shooting off spells. A bolt of lightning arced wildly through the air. Another mage nearby sent jagged shards of ice rocketing skyward, narrowly missing a swooping harpy as it twisted through the air with terrifying agility. Gusts of wind toppled stalls, spilling food and prizes into the street, and flames—

“Shit.” If she’d had her magic, Taly would’ve seen it before she felt the heat. But without it, all she could do was dive for the girls, throwing them out of the way.

The stray burst of fire hit her square in the back. The ground vanished as her body went flying, crashing through the archery stall, the row of targets, the backboard—

Crack.

Her head, her whole body, bounced off the brick wall before crumpling to the sidewalk.

Shrill ringing filled her ears.

And maybe she blacked out for a moment because suddenly there were people standing over her, voices she couldn’t make out.

Taly groaned, sprawled on the pavement. Debris, shattered wood, and trampled prizes lay strewn around her. Frost coated her skin from where the protection wards sewn into her robe had activated, the cold at odds with the feeling of something warm and wet pooling beneath her.

“Fuck,” a male voice muttered, and Taly peered up at him, blinking,blinking. Shards, why wouldn’t her eyes focus? “I get it now. Skye’s not paranoid. You really do attract trouble like a magnet. And blunt-force trauma.” His voice was sharp, but there was an edge of concern beneath it, his eyes scanning her with something softer than usual.

“… Kato?” she rasped.

“Not who I expected,” Ren murmured, eyes narrowing. “Where’s the prince?”