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“Katana, that was… amazing.”

She hugged Lightbringer closer to her chest and finally smiled. She’d done it.

A massive weight seemed to float off her shoulders.

For a moment, she’d frozen up, just like she always had, but as soon as he leaned in to kiss Valeen and then struck her, something in her snapped. “Thank you.”

“I knew you had that in you!” Valeen stepped over broken glass and hurried toward the front door.

“Where are you going? We need to get Lightbringer to the cliff.”

“We need that sword. That is the sword he used to kill you before.”

But Synick began to move, and his creatures circled around him.

“We can take him, you and I.” With her goddess blade in hand and shadows flowing out behind her like a cloak, Valeen started across the street. With a steadying breath, Katana steeled herself and followed.

A swirling tornado of water appeared directly in their path and panic froze her body. The water spilled to the ground and Atlanta stood with his trident in hand, battle armor on. Shock rooted her feet to the ground.

Now both her tormentors were here. She was ready to face one… but both?

“Get out of the way,” Valeen snapped.

“You will leave him be.” Atlanta puffed out his chest. “He is a primordial and with all of us alive again, the balance has finally been restored. Your husband made a deal to get your immortality back, and I will find a way to make Katana a full goddess once again as well.” He turned to Katana and held out his hand. “It’s time to come home. I’ve allowed you to have your time here, to have your fun with the god of war, but that ends now.”

She shook her head. Her body recoiled on instinct, and she stepped back and curled her hands tighter around Lightbringer.

“Allowed?” Valeen balked. “She is not one of your slaves, Atlanta. She is a goddess and a primordial. She’s free to do what she wishes, the same as you are.”

Synick rose up, half leaning on the wall. His armor still smoked, and even pieces of the hair around his face were singed. Brushing the debris from his chest, he strode through his creatures and stood beside Atlanta. Apparently, the blast hadn’t penetrated deep enough.

Valeen wrapped her hand around Katana’s wrist and suddenly the world shifted. Her body became weightless and formless. She was shadow being pulled through space.

Their forms snapped back into place further down the street, and with Valeen pulling on her, they ran. They weaved through the streets. Rushing around crowds and cutting through back alleys when they could.

Somewhere behind them Atlanta roared, “KATANA!”

Her skin crawled and panic pushed her legs faster. She was thankful for the days she spent running with Thane and Leif to train for a moment like this.

“We place the shield as planned then we can force Atlanta out,” Valeen said. “Once he’s outside the wall he can’t get back in, not unless one of us allows it. But we kill Synick and take that sword.”

People behind them started screaming. “Monsters!” someone shouted. They’d encountered Synick’s creatures.

“Watch it!” an elf spun out of the way to avoid being plowed over by Valeen and Katana.

Kids near a water fountain laughed and ran with them. As cute as they were, now wasn’t the time. “Go! Run to your mothers!” Katana scolded. There was no telling what Synick would allow his undead creatures to do.

She glanced back to find water crept over the cobblestone street, it always preceded Atlanta.

Tears burned. Tears of anger, fear, hatred. Part of her didn’t want to run, but to turn and put her power of the sun against his magic of the sea, proving exactly as Valeen said, she wasn’t his slave. She was free. And sometimes freedom required a fight.

Valeen sang, half tuneless because of her heavy breathing but the words in the primordial language were clear. “On wings of shadow, fly as you might, come to me, Night take flight.” It didn’t matter where he was in the realm of Adalon, he’d hear the song and the magic in the words.

The last she’d seen him was behind the smithy grazing in a field, so he wasn’t far. Her legs and lungs burned but it only fueled her to push harder. Wind ripped her hair free of the bun and sweat dripped down her temple.

They reached the end of the city, leaving behind buildings and crowds and sprinted over a grassy knoll toward Castle Dredwich. A winged shadow cast from above. With awhoosh, Night glided down and trotted to a stop. Valeen jumped onto his back then reached for her.

“KATANA!” Atlanta shouted again. “VALEEN! Stay where you are!”