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A pang radiated inside Dagmara’s chest. She nodded, and they raced downstairs and onto the street.

The streets were filled with chaos. Villagers were grabbing any weapon they could, completely unarmed against the Celesta soldiers. Dagmara realized in horror that the dozen Celesta soldiers she saw from the window was only the first wave. It was a massacre as arrows rained down from the sky, slaughtering innocent bystanders.

“Go!” Claude yelled at Dagmara before he stepped into the mayhem, outstretching his arms. His eyes were consumed in silver as he commanded his magic.

First, the cobblestone street near the entrance began to break, creating a gaping hole and stopping the oncoming riders from entering town. Then tiles cascaded down from the roofs, and billows of smoke flew up from the ground. The Celesta soldiers dove for cover while others fled. Silver snakes slithered out from the bushes, causing the horses to rear up in fright and knocking some of the riders to the ground.

Dagmara had to remind herself none of it was real before she tore off after Martine.

They wound through the narrow streets, skidding around corners. Dagmara collided into a fleeing villager, but immediately collected herself and was on the run once more. Her heart beat violently, and her chest tightened as she gasped for breath. She had no idea where she was anymore. All she knew was that she had to keep up with Martine.

At the next intersection, a soldier launched themself into the fray. Dagmara barely dodged his curved sword, skidding onto the ground. She could see two soldiers in the distance approaching.

Then the ground lurched underneath Dagmara’s feet. A loud noise cracked the air, shooting through Dagmara’s temples. It was as if an explosion had erupted on the adjacent street, and the building beside them began to crumble. A large piece of stone knocked the soldier out, and Dagmara dove for cover, feeling her palms skid against the ground.

Temporarily stunned, a high-pitched noise rang in Dagmara’s head. She heaved herself to her feet. Smoke surrounded her on all sides, and her head spun as she regained her composure and took in her surroundings.

Her path was completely blocked off by the collapse of the building. The soldier’s limbs poked out under the debris.

By the guardians, it was a real explosion, not one of Claude’s mind projections.

When the deafening ringing began to cease, Dagmara heard the clash of steel. On the opposite side of the debris, Martine flashed in Dagmara’s vision, swiveling under a soldier’s blade and raking her own sword across his arm. When the soldier was unarmed, Martine drove the steel straight through his neck, finding the perfect opening between his armor and helmet.

“Run!” she yelled through the mountain of debris between them.

Dagmara obeyed. She withdrew her dagger and continued uptown, finding a different route. The Celesta had brought explosives with them? They had already killed one of four governors in Ilusauri, what was next? Claude promised he was right behind her, but was he safe?

Luckily the narrow alleyways widened and a large warehouse emerged in the distance. She knew it had to be where Sabien was working when she saw the two carriages parked out front. Sprinting across the cobblestone, Dagmara nearly collided with the carriage as she skidded to a halt.

“Sabien!” she called, but he was nowhere in sight. In fact, this far uptown she could only see a few townspeople darting across the street. But with the amount of surrounding buildings, someone could easily be hiding in the shadows.

A breeze swished past her ear, fluttering her hair, as a dagger flew inches from her head. It lodged into the carriage with a smack. Dagmara whirled around to face a Celesta soldier holding one more dagger in his grip.

There was no time to think of a plan. Tightening her grip on her own dagger, Dagmara withdrew a throwing star from her bodice. She flung it toward the soldier and it lodged into his breastplate. He stumbled slightly, but it only angered him enough to charge at her. His blade glistened in the sun as he raised it over his head.

Withdrawing a smoke vial, Dagmara thrust it to the ground, sending a blast of fog between them. It disoriented the soldier, giving Dagmara the time she needed to slide toward him and drive her dagger under his ribs. With one choke, the soldier collapsed dead.

“Nice move.”

Dagmara whirled toward the voice, raising her dagger, and froze.

Sabien leaned against the carriage, his arms crossed in front of him. His casual demeanor starkly contrasted the screaming in the distance.

“You were watching?” Dagmara questioned, her heart rate an all-time high. Where had he come from? “I could have died.”

“Don’t be dramatic. I had a feeling you knew how to handle yourself,” Sabien replied, his voice smooth. He eyed the fading smoke from Dagmara’s bomb. “Interesting choice.”

“There’s no water nearby,” Dagmara stated, lowering the dagger. “I practice other ways to defend myself.”

Sabien shook his head, uncrossing his arms as he took a step toward her. “See, a Guardian of Life would never say that.” He approached her slowly, but she would not back down. “There’s water in the air…in the ground. There’s even water inside people that you could draw from.”

“What do you know about my magic?” Dagmara snapped.

He smirked. “More than you.” He placed a finger under her chin. “Nice dagger, by the way.”

Her heart lurched. It was the same dagger she had plunged into his chest the night they met in Azurem.

A shadow flashed behind Sabien, and a new fear replaced the one in Dagmara’s chest. “Look out!” she screamed.