Page 32

His arm is up, blocking the bulk of the strike with his forearm, but the enemy’s blade still cuts through his face, so deep it had to have hit something critical.

For a split second, the world goes quiet.

My friend, my beloved friend. He’s protected my secret from the world, and now he’s taken a sword for me.

I roar, shattering the silence.

Darkness blasts out of me, devouring my enemies and flooding the dawn with shadows. With effort, I rein my power back inside me before the nearest soldiers can do more than look puzzledly around them. No one knows about the extent of my power.

Malaki’s wings fold, and now he’s the one falling from the sky. My magic thunders through my veins as I fly towards him. I can barely breathe through the pain in my chest. I close the distance between us and catch him in my arms.

“I’ve got you, friend,” I say.

His face is a mess of blood and pulpy things. One of his eyes is gone; the other is unfocused.

I glance to the sky in time to see the bright Day soldier staring at me stonily. My hands tighten around Malaki.

Very deliberately the soldier turns his back to me and resumes the fight in the air.

He doesn’t consider me a threat. His mistake.

I lower Malaki and myself to the ground. My friend needs a healer, but right now even healers are fighting for their lives. The best I can do is take away his pain. I run a hand over his face, feeling his agony throb against my palm before my magic eats through it. It will only last an hour or so. I hope that’s long enough.

I look around the burning outpost. Nowhere to hide him. Half of the tents are on fire, and the rest are soon to follow. I settle for laying him across a stack of abandoned belongings sitting on the outskirts of our camp, positioning Malaki to look like he’s been struck down. That’s the best disguise I can give him.

I move away from him. I have to believe he’ll be okay for now.

“I’ll be back, my friend,” I promise.

Revenge calls first.

I soar into the sky, my eyes scouring the heavens. My fury sings through my veins. Enemy soldiers don’t have time to touch me; my darkness snaps out, feasting on them one by one. I’m damning myself by letting my power seep out of me so recklessly, but I’ve never been so close to losing my friend.

He was willing to die for you.

Only one other person cared about me that intensely, and shediddie for it.

Below, the world is on fire. Malaki doesn’t have much time. This needs to end. One way or another I’ll make sure it does.

I spot the luminous Day fairy far in the distance. He makes quick work of Night soldiers; they fall from the sky one by one.

I head towards him, my wings beating like mad. His form pulses with blinding light. He must be a royal. His power is practically pouring out of him.

I reach him just as he rips his sword from the belly of another Night soldier.

My body nearly shakes with the need to charge into the duel. Instead, I come to a stop half a wingspan from the Day soldier.

Control, Desmond.

His blade drips with blood. But as I watch, the blood bubbles and hisses on the metal until it dissolves away. Enchanted to stay perpetually clean.

I take the rest of him in. Tan skin and hair like spun gold. Eyes bluer than topaz. Skin bright like the sun. I’ve only heard stories of the Soleil twins, but I’m guessing this is one of them.

The Day royal rolls his wrist, his sword whistling as it makes a figure eight in the air. “Back for more, shadow-whore?”

I tighten my grip on my own sword.

This fucker nearly killed my dearest friend. He needs to die.