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“Not that we have much to work with, but everyone at The Monarchy is now aware of the situation and the fact that some members stand beside this tyrant. Those who disagree will fight on our side. They await our arrival at the gates.”

“The gates? Where even are we now?” I ask, suddenly realizing that I’m not actually still in the Gauntlet and the surrounding area isn’t familiar.

“We are on one of the surrounding islands near the cliffs of Silvercrest. We managed to attack their wards just long enough to get you out of there with my magic, but I’ll have to do it again to try and get them in. And us back there, of course,” he adds quickly.

“So it’s us and them?” Sebastian clarifies, and Rhys nods.

“Yes. Unless we can remove the control magic from The Monarchy’s army.”

Taking a deep breath, I know this is it. This is the moment he was talking about and I waste no time tugging at my core, at my pool of magic, just like he said. Wetting my lips, I take a step back from everyone, making sure I’m not blocked by the tree line as I look up at the grim sky.

“What are you doing, Dove?” Zane asks, moving toward me, but I shake my head.

“I don’t really fucking know if I’m honest,” I reply, huffing a laugh as I let my eyes fall closed.

Silence descends around us as I focus on my magic, calling out with everything I have, which isn’t fucking easy when you’ve never done it before. It definitely doesn’t help that I’m so fucking stubborn and independent. My heart and head don’t like the idea of it, but my soul knows better.

I’m ready to give up, drop my arms, dust off my uniform, and get to the academy to battle alone when the subtle sound in the distance rings in my ears.

I open my eyes as the sound of flapping wings gets louder and take in what exactly it is I’ve done. A smile spreads across my face as allies converge on us from above and below in a deafening flurry. Hope pools in my stomach as familiar faces land with a thud around us, eyeing my family and friends with an air of superiority that makes me want to roll my eyes.

“What is this?” My mother asks, eyes wide with her palm pressed against her chest. Her gaze flits from the griffins to the Drakes before gaping at the growing shadows that surround us.

Creed, Brax, Eldon, and Zane grin at me, making the hope blossoming inside of me burst into a shit-eating grin across my face.

“You said we need everything we’ve got. This is exactly that.”

“You really are incredible, Raven,” Rhys murmurs, gaping at the allies that surround us. “Are we ready to put a plan together?”

I nod, surrounded by my familiar. My family. My Drakes. My shadows. My Bishops.

This is everything that I am, and so much more than I ever hoped to be. With them at my side, I’m ready to conquer it all.

THIRTY-FOUR

RAVEN

Ispend a moment saying goodbye to my father. The words are stilted yet rushed, and I know when I have more time to process everything, I will have more to say, but for now, I surprise myself by leaning in to press a kiss to his forehead.

The second I stand, I’m hauled into a hard chest and the familiar scent that I know belongs to Brax surrounds me. More and more arms wrap around me from every angle and I know it’s my men. It’s weird being the one on the other side of death.

For me, it was all dark and bleak, but to them? Everything inside of me wants to apologize for putting them through that. Five seconds or five hours in the limbo of the unknown when a loved one is hurt equals the same amount of despair, and I hate that I put them through it.

“I’m sorry,” I mutter, and Brax rears back instantly with his usual frown in place.

“Don’t fucking apologize. Just be ready for us to slaughter that motherfucker on sight,” he grunts, and I have to bite back a smile at his fury.

“He’s going down. They’re all going down,” Creed adds, promise in every word, and I let his promise fuel my adrenaline.

“Are we ready?” Rhys asks. I find his gaze over Zane’s shoulder and nod.

“Yes.”

“And you?” His question is aimed at someone behind me, and as I slip from between my men, I find it’s Sebastian who has his attention.

“I’m all in. For my father and for Lyra,” he states, a darkness settling over his eyes like I’ve never seen before. I thought I had seen his dark side before, but this… this is something entirely new. And if it were aimed at me, I’d be terrified.

Mama grabs his hand and he stares down at it, his body stiffening, but he seems to accept her comfort despite his clear desire to not be touched. It’s weird to let someone in when you’ve been programmed to believe they’re the enemy. Even weirder when those people are family.