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C ora’s steps were more precise than any dance.

She left the cliff’s edge and planted her feet on soil. The sound of waves was muted by half, though Darius remained in sight. She was behind him now, at the edge of the woods that lined the coastal road. It was as similar a location to the real tear as she could get without positioning him too close to it.

Her hands moved with practiced ease. Even in the dark, in the shadows of the trees that stood behind her, she knew what to do. She kept her eyes locked on her target—Darius standing at the edge of the cliff, in the space Cora had vacated, feeling through the air as Cora had done—as she reached into the underbrush and extracted her bow and quiver. She didn’t bother shouldering her quiver, simply plucked out an arrow, nocked it in place, and pulled the bowstring to her cheek.

She’d practiced this shot numerous times over the past week.

Practiced shooting from this distance.

Imagined her enemy standing exactly where he stood now.

She released the arrow, watched it soar straight for Darius’ neck, just above the back of his cuirass?—

Before the arrow could meet its mark, Darius stepped to the side and whirled toward her. The arrow whizzed past him, over the cliff’s edge, and to the beach beyond. A small, winged silhouette shot into the sky, as if startled by the rogue arrow, and flew away.

Cora forced herself not to follow the shadow with her eyes lest she give away Berol’s importance. She couldn’t let Darius see the place the falcon now dove to, at another cliff’s edge much like this one, far in the distance where the coastline curved toward the east.

Darius, oblivious or uncaring of the startled bird, took a step forward. In the next breath, he was before her, tearing her bow from her grip. She took a breath, a step, and used her abilities to travel several feet away, to the center of the road. Unsheathing her dagger, she brandished it at him, ready to strike should he get too close.

But he didn’t draw his sword, nor did he close more than a few feet of space between them. The unveiled disdain in his eyes was sharp enough. “Did you think the crashing waves would be loud enough to mask your presence? To stifle the sound of your bowstring? You tried to fool me, and you failed. That makes you the fool.”

She said nothing. Perhaps she should look more disappointed. In truth she was, though she’d never counted on her arrow reaching its target. It would have been satisfying, but Ailan had told her how difficult he was to kill. How he could heal from many wounds a regular human could not. Not only that, but he could worldwalk while injured, flee to safety until he healed.

There was only one weapon that could stop him long enough to land a fatal blow, and Cora was not in possession of it.

Darius stepped to the side, and Cora did the same until they were circling each other. He shook his head. “You’ve truly disappointed me, Aveline. I respected you as my kin. Admired you as a fellow witch and worldwalker. You’ve made a terrible blunder in trying to deceive me. Ridine is now mine. My men will attack and everyone in your castle will suffer for it. I’ll torture those most loyal to you. Strip their flesh from their bones. Place everyone else’s head on a pike.”

He said those chilling words with a calm that made them that much more terrifying. All she had to counter her fear was a hope that Teryn’s plan would work. That his wraiths were enough to protect Ridine.

Darius halted his circling and narrowed his eyes. “I hear the others too. How many are there in the woods? Fifty? One hundred? I take it this is an ambush. What are they waiting for?”

“I haven’t a clue what you mean,” she said flatly.

He tsk ed. “Did you think you could isolate me here? That I wouldn’t stand a chance against your little soldiers? What you fail to realize is I don’t have to stay to watch this pathetic ambush unfold. I have better uses for my time?—”

He snapped his mouth shut, hearing the wingbeats before she did. It was the hulking shadow darkening the sky that had first alerted Cora that the time had come. Now the pound of Uziel’s wings rose over the crash of waves.

Darius whirled around.

Uziel landed on the coastal road, a red glow burning deep in this onyx throat. Upon his back, at the base of his shoulders, sat Ailan.

With a huff of laughter, Darius drew his sword. “I see. I have a reason to stay after all.”

Uziel lowered his head, and Ailan climbed down his leg, as easily as if she were exiting a coach. She was dressed in form-fitting trousers, a knee-length robe, and scaled armor over her chest, shoulders, and forearms. She unsheathed a sword with one hand and raised a double-bladed weapon in the other.

Only it wasn’t a double-bladed weapon. Not exactly. It was the collar. The one thing that could stop Darius from worldwalking away.

“It’s been a long time, sister dear,” Darius said, tone mocking.

“Face me,” Ailan said through her teeth, “and we can end this rivalry of ours at last.”

“I’ll face you, but I’d prefer to even the odds first.” In the next blink, he disappeared.

Cora used that moment to focus on the space beside Ailan. She stepped across the distance, appearing at the Elvyn’s side. “Has Mareleau been alerted that the battle has begun?”

“I sent Ferrah to her as soon as Berol entered the tear,” Ailan said. “She’ll be prepared for the worst-case scenario.”

Cora hated that there even was a worst-case scenario. Which was why her role was so important. She needed to ensure the Elvyn could seal the tear before Darius discovered its location. “Are your wardweavers ready?”

“Yes. They await within the tear. They will weave as soon as the mora surges back to El’Ara and their powers strengthen.”

Just then, two dozen soldiers appeared, the same way they had at Ridine. These men, however, weren’t waiting under their shields. Instead, they surged forward at once.

“Now!” Ailan shouted.

Uziel opened his maw and shot a volley of flame at the men. Those who acted fast enough raised their shields, but at least half screamed as they fell to the blaze.

Another group of soldiers appeared. Then another. Luckily, Uziel’s flame wasn’t their sole defense. The flash of light had triggered motion from the woods. Now human and Elvyn soldiers ran forth to meet the enemy forces, even as they grew in number. Uziel roared and snapped but could no longer risk his blasts of fire, lest he harm their allies. The allied troops kept the space around Ailan, Uziel, and Cora clear, funneling the enemy soldiers away. Yet Darius made no attempt to drop his fighters near them. He wanted to face Ailan alone.

The sound of steel against steel drowned out the waves, rose above the wind. Would Darius ever stop bringing his soldiers? Had Cora been wrong?—

Darius appeared before them, far too close for comfort. Uziel growled, but he couldn’t blast Darius without risking harm to Ailan and Cora. He curved his body around them, but Darius only worldwalked to the side, keeping Ailan in view.

“Go,” Ailan muttered to Cora as Uziel tried to hide them again.

Cora blew out a shaky breath. As much as she wanted to ensure her allies weren’t outnumbered, that they truly could defeat their enemies, she’d already done her part here. She’d lured Darius, and now he’d fight Ailan.

Meanwhile, Cora had another mission to complete.

Ailan stepped forward, leaving the safety of Uziel’s proximity.

With a grin, Darius disappeared and reappeared directly behind her.

Cora’s heart leaped into her throat?—

Ailan parried his sword just in time, moving as swift and as smooth as the night breeze.

Never had Ailan looked so unlike the elderly Nalia Cora had known.

She could trust this warrior to hold her own.

Cora had a job to do. People to protect. And an entire world to seal away.

With a deep breath, she closed her eyes and left the fray behind.

The hair rose on the back of Larylis’ neck as sounds of battle clashed farther down the coast. The clang of steel was too loud, too near the most precious location of all. The hidden tear just north of his post. Mere minutes ago, he’d witnessed an enormous black dragon—the same that had attacked Ridine—appear out of nowhere at the edge of the cliff with a rider on his back.

The blond-haired Elvyn stationed at Larylis’ side had tensed at the pair’s appearance, his fingers curling around the hilt of his sword. Not in fear of the dragon or its rider but yearning. Frustration. Impatience.

Fanon wanted to defend that rider. Ailan. The Elvyn who was his consort.

Though Larylis and Fanon could communicate, courtesy of the charm hanging from one of his gauntleted wrists, the Elvyn had said very little to Larylis since they’d taken their positions. Yet even without words, Larylis understood him, could read the terror etched on his face as he watched Ailan in the distance. She and the gray-haired man had been locked in combat for several minutes now, the latter’s moves impossibly fast. Fanon’s tense posture mirrored Larylis’ own. They both wished they could be elsewhere—Fanon defending Ailan, Larylis defending Mareleau—yet both had taken up the duty to protect the location of the tear and intercept anyone who got too close.

Already the battle was creeping this way.

Soon they would need to act. Fight. Protect.

Larylis could hardly believe this was happening. No textbook had ever described anything close to this. There were no kings he could emulate, no warriors he could try to embody. Never had he read about a bastard who’d become king, only to relinquish his crown to save two worlds and be with the people he loved. Never had humans fought alongside Elvyn warriors to protect fae magic.

The nearest fighters continued to clash, though the enemy troops soon outnumbered the allies. Larylis’ squad could no longer remain in waiting, nor could Fanon’s.

“We join,” Fanon said, his words translated through the charm.

Larylis tightened his jaw and forgot every great king he’d ever admired. Every line of text he’d ever used to construct an ideal version of himself—a standard he could never reach. Instead, he thought of Mareleau, Noah, and everything he held dear.

All he could be was himself.

That was enough.

Larylis Alante, battle on Khero’s western coast, Year 171 of the Dragon. Loved his family more than life. Destroyed their enemies until victory was his .

He lifted his hand and signaled his soldiers to charge.