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“Don’t stop me,”I growled.

“Kill him for Kol,”she said coldly.

I nodded before following Octavian out the window.

SIXTY-NINE

ZARIA

Iran from the Regent’s office to the healer’s wing. I couldn’t just stand and watch. I had to alert the guard or someone, and Kiera would know best how to help me.

By the time I skidded to a halt, I was out of breath and gasping.

“What’s wrong?” Kiera asked.

I struggled with a stitch in my side. “Nyx.”

“What happened?!” She grabbed her medical bag and threw it over her shoulder.

I shook my head but thought better of it, hunching over.

“Did you run all the way here?”

I nodded.

“Breathe. What is it?”

“Nyx is fighting with Octavian,” I finally managed.

“What?”

“We were in his office.” I gasped for another mouthful of air. “And I saw—it doesn’t matter. He has something to do with the outpost falling.” Another inhale while I tried to get my mind to slow down. “When we confronted him, he jumped out the window.”

“Mister Prim-And-Proper jumped out the fucking window? I’d have paid to see that.” She gestured for me to lead the way.

I nodded vigorously. “Nyx went after him. They’re fighting! We need to alert —” A crash shook the palace, and I ducked, covering my head.

“I don’t think we need to tell anyone,” Kiera affirmed, wincing at the sound of a dragon’s roar. “I think they’re going to know. Come on!”

We ran toward the nearest battlement, sprinting outside where a crowd was already gathering. The two massive dragons circled each other, Nyx’s oil-slick scales glinting teal and purple in the morning light, contrasted by Octavian’s almost blood-red burgundy. They dove at each other in a tight circle, a blur of colors, spinning toward the ground.

I gasped, covering my mouth, but they separated at the last second, spinning, only to circle back, throwing fire at one another. Nyx’s black fire blasted through the space between them,Octavian’s lava pouring from his jaws.

“What if they accidentally light something on fire?” As if I predicted it, Octavian sent down a rain of lava that barely missed Nyx, hitting a building just outside the palace grounds, which burst into flames. Nyx roared, shaking the palace, and knocking me back a few steps.

Kiera grabbed my arm, steadying me. “I have to go. We have to send healers into the city.”

“Go.” I turned away from her, running toward the edge of the battlement closest to where Nyx was, gathering all my power as I did.

Guards tried to stop me, but I gripped the handle of my sword, and they backed off.

I ran down a flight of stairs and across to the battlement, then up more stairs into one of the guard towers. Then I doubled back to find the stairs to take me to the top of it. At the highest point, I had a much better view of Nyx and Octavian.

They were locked in each other’s grasp, biting, and blowing fire at each other as they fell. I swallowed my fear. I couldn’t control his flight, but I could amplify his power. I took a slow breath, then two, focusing on the threads connecting us. I let my power gather in me, amplifying it before sending it to him.

Nyx roared as our powers surged, and it shook the stones beneath my feet. I stumbled again, my eyes wide. Nyx drew back, charging, then blew a long stream of fire that drew from both our reserves. I sucked in air and watched his lethal black fire become something more…us.

It was night. Beautiful and deadly. Black fire, shot with sparks of light like the night sky. It cut through Octavian’s fire like a knife. Octavian threw sprays of raining fire as he swerved, and one hit Nyx, knocking him off his flight path.