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NARANUS

T he battlefield reeks of blood and magic, a heady mix of smoke and death. I should have never let her stay. Should have dragged her away kicking and screaming if necessary. And now, she’s here again, standing in the wreckage, fragile , vulnerable, yet looking at me like I’m the one who needs saving.

I could wring her delicate little neck.

But there’s no time to argue.

The sound of wings fills the air. Heavy, powerful beats. The enemy is coming.

Thryx crashes onto the ground beside me, wings torn, blood trailing from a deep gash across his chest. His breathing is ragged, but his eyes are sharp. “We need to move, ” he growls, wiping blood from his mouth. “I’ll cover the escape.”

“No,” I snarl. “We go together.”

Thryx’s lips curl in a wry, bloody smile. “You always were a stubborn bastard.”

I turn to Eryss, already anticipating the argument brewing in her expression. Her lips are parted, her breathing sharp and uneven, her eyes flickering between me and Catalina’s unconscious body.

She knows what I’m going to say.

She won’t accept it.

“No.” She shakes her head, stepping closer. “I’m not leaving her behind.”

I clench my jaw. “She’s a liability. ”

Eryss’s face twists in fury. “She is my sister ?—”

“She’s the reason you almost died .”

Her hands tremble at her sides, but she refuses to back down. “That wasn’t her fault! You saw it! She was controlled! ”

More wing beats.

Closer.

The enemy is swarming .

Thryx is still standing, barely, but the way his body sways tells me he won’t be for much longer.

“We can’t carry dead weight,” I grind out, my voice like gravel. “We need to go now.”

Eryss clenches her fists. “Then leave me behind too.”

My entire body locks up.

I snarl , stepping into her space, fists curling around her arms. “Don’t— test me, purna.”

Her eyes are wild, desperate , lips trembling.

She breaks .

Tears spill down her cheeks.

Not loud. Not a sob. Just silent .

She hasn’t cried once since I took her. Not when she was chained. Not when she was beaten in the training grounds. Not when she was thrown off a cliff .

But now, with her sister helpless at our feet, she breaks .

Something inside me cracks.

It shouldn’t matter.

But it does.

Before I can think better of it, I shove Catalina’s limp body into another warrior’s arms. “Take her.”

Eryss gasps, a small, broken sound.

Thryx scowls. “You’re seriously ?—”

“ GO! ” I bellow. “Move, now!”

The ground shakes as our enemies descend .

I grab Eryss, hauling her against my chest. “Hold on .”

She grips me tightly, arms wrapping around my neck as I launch into the sky.

Thryx follows along with the remaining gargoyles. One of them is holding Catalina limp in his arms, along with two other surviving warriors.

We take to the night , the wind tearing at our wounds, the scent of blood thick.

I look back only once .

Thryx is covering our escape. He’s alone , standing atop the crumbling stronghold, his stance firm, his massive wings spread wide as he roars a challenge at the approaching army.

My brother . My warrior .

Suddenly, an explosion .

The entire stronghold erupts in a blast of fire and stone, a monstrous cloud of debris swallowing Thryx and everything in its wake.

“THRYX!”

I roar , my body twisting midair, lunging toward the flames.

But Eryss screams , her fingers digging into my shoulders.

“ Naranus, stop! ”

I freeze, wings shuddering against the wind.

The fire consumes everything .

No one, nothing , could have survived that.

Thryx is gone .

The enemy? Gone with him.

It was his plan all along.

My chest burns . My vision blurs, red-rimmed, rage boiling in my blood.

He gave us a chance.

I had to leave him.

I don’t even realize I’m shaking until Eryss presses a trembling hand to my cheek.

“Naranus,” she whispers, her voice so soft . “I’m… I’m so sorry.”

My heart shatters in my chest.

But I don’t let it show.

I lock my jaw, swallow the grief, and look ahead.

We’re almost to the sanctuary .

A place prepared for times like this, hidden in the mountains, protected by magic. A place where I can regroup. Plan. Revenge.

I will not let Thryx’s sacrifice be in vain.

The war isn’t over.

It has just begun.