Page 5

The sun was setting, the last ray of sunlight getting into my eyes with its remnants of summer heat. I squinted to survey the contours of the land ahead, the twilight casting rusty gold light on the distant woods, as if the battle and killing had never happened here.

A song dinged in my head, calling me forward; the scent of magic beckoned me to go beyond the woods while my enemies’ shrieks grew closer.

A horde was coming.

I half-dragged myself and half-limped toward the woods while holding my side to ease the pain from my cracked ribs. I put my weight on my good leg so I wouldn’t bleed too heavily.

It felt like it took forever to cross the dim woods, every breath laden with pain, yet I dared not slow down, desperate to get clear of the Shriekers.

Sy wanted to take over since she could run faster, but I had a feeling that she should sit this one out. She drew way more attention than me and would court disaster.

I reached the end of the woods, only to stop cold. Panting, I pressed my forehead against an ash tree to catch my breath.

A field of weeds decorated with bones and skulls extended in front of me, cut short by broken columns and shattered walls.

“We can’t turn back now,” I said. “The Shriekers will be lying in wait.”

Why can’t we ever get a break? Sy said in dismay.

“At least you got your fix!”

Not exactly. It’s like a cheap, watered-down drink. It’s so hard to find a strong male to fuck and feed on.

I raised a fist. “Quiet.”

Piercing shrieks and clattering approached from the other end of the woods. The horde had arrived. They were fast.

We should climb a tree and hide, Sy said, knowing that we were in no shape to fight.

Magic tugged at me from the ruin. As I looked over, something shifted.

The glamour dropped in front of me. A shimmer replaced the shattered, blackened walls. The spells had been so potent that at first sight I hadn’t detected that they concealed a portal.

Not many beings could see through the disguise; even Sy wasn’t able to tear off the glamour. But I was the magic eater; power attracted me like a shooting star.

The other side might be a trap too, Sy grunted, not happy that I pointed out what she was lacking.

“We don’t have a choice,” I said. “Fingers crossed that it’ll be a place where we can hide from Ruin and his agents for a few days.”

Sy made a show of crossing her claws.

I started to run again, dragging my wounded leg to cross the ruin, and threw myself at the shimmer. Sy yelped, ready for impact, as she still saw the broken wall.

After a terrible falling sensation, we were through.

I laughed as we alighted on the lush grass at the foot of a hill, gazing up at the radiant ivory tower in the distance.

3

I watched in awe as mist and light swirled around the ivory tower. The scent of magic drifted like aged wine from across the hill. Even here, magic bathed us like the last strains of twilight.

If you’re thinking what I’m thinking, Sy said, I believe we’ve entered Mist of Cinder.

The last immortal realm that Ruin had been so desperate to find.

While I was under his thumb, I’d tried my best to avoid searching for the realm, and his agents couldn’t detect magic without me. I knew what would happen to the last magical realm and me if Ruin ever sunk his claws into it.

Now that I’d just bumped into Mist of Cinder, would I lead Ruin to the last patch of magical land? I took a deep breath as a sudden burden dropped on my shoulders and chills slithered up my spine. I didn’t want to be responsible for destroying Mist of Cinder.