Page 62 of Realm of Crows (Wings of Ink #5)
“Someone needed to recharge the amulet before he could continue—with magic.” Ennis is shivering now, so I give him a stern look that should shut him up. Otherwise, the magic of bargains will. Blood is already dribbling from his mouth onto the front of his leathers.
They’ve risked enough, but there is one more thing I need to know.
“Which direction should I start looking?” Frenius opens his mouth eagerly, probably trying to beat Ennis to an answer, but I cut both of them off.
“Wait. Don’t tell me. Just turn your back toward the direction you know Ephegos would never want me to go. ”
Both of them face northwest, their backs illuminated by the rays of sun trickling through the cloud bank and dead branches.
“Southeast it is,” I hum to myself, my eyes on the battlefield once more, where my attention should be lying in search for the black-haired Crow King whose life Ephegos wants to end.
Instead, I spot a ball of fire shooting to the sky like a warning signal.
As the flare disappears, Kaira’s outline emerges from the smoke and ashes of the soldiers she just burned to dust.
My heart stops. Then starts hammering in a painful gallop that even the least magically gifted of fairies must hear over the noise of battle separating our worlds.
“Kaira!” In my mind, I call out to her before I can control the impulse and, gods be damned, the Flameling’s head snaps in my direction like she heard me loud and clear.
“Herinor?” Her voice is a whisper in the frosty air, but it’s there, calling my name. “Herinor? Where are you? ”
I don’t think I breathe, my hands digging into the wood of the ancient tree we chose as our vantage point.
“Are you all right?” It’s vital that I hear her say it. “Are you hurt?” My stomach knots at all the reasons she might never want to see me again—but she’s speaking to me, and that’s a blessing in itself.
“Just a few scratches.” She pauses as if considering saying more, but another flash separates the haze—a silver one this time. “Shit!”
I’m ready to leap off the branch and shift, but the silver light coils into a column of lightning I’ve never seen a Crow create.
Kaira stands beside it, arms raised over her head as she directs it in a straight path toward the next trebuchet at the center of the battlefield.
A dark figure flanks her left side. I only recognize him as the Fairy King because of the silver band resting upon his brow instead of a helmet.
His blade is a blur of steel as it cuts through every Tavrasian soldier daring to get close to Kaira.
If I ever stand before them again, I will kneel at his feet for protecting the Flame I can no longer live without.
“You should go now if you want to make it before Ephegos thinks to order you to stay,” Ennis brings me back to the discussion we had.
“I wouldn’t put it past him to check in on you and nail you down to following his orders in a precise way.
For now, you still have some leniency. You know, since you haven’t found the Crow King in the enemy lines. ”
He’s right. I have to go.
But Kaira is down there, and I can’t look away.
The column made of siphoned Crow power makes it to the trebuchet before anyone can stop Kaira, the ammunition near the contraption detonating in a burst of light as the magic touches the sphere.
Magic-nullifying liquid rains down on the soldiers surrounding the crater that remains after the explosion, making the ground slippery and dangerous to touch for any magical creature.
Thank Galloris, Kaira is safely away from the place of impact, her siphoning allowing her to harness insurmountable power.
I’ve only ever seen her use that much magic once, when she siphoned away the shield locking us in at the Tavrasian camp.
It left her drained for days. In fact, Rogue is holding her up by the elbow while he’s fending off more soldiers with his free arm.
“Get out of there!” I don’t care that I sound like a patronizing ass—panic is raging inside my chest like it’s never done in my very long, very eventful life.
“Only if you get out of there, too,” she responds too weakly, but the hint of mocking in her tone is obvious.
“I’m about to.” I am. But I’m not going alone. “I know where to search for Erina and how to stop him from using projections.”
Holding my breath, I wait for the magic of bargains to come get me, but nothing happens.
“Herinor—” Frenius tugs on my elbow pointing at the center of the army, where fresh lines of soldiers are marching across the crater Kaira’s attack caused.
Whether they are real or projections, I don’t care.
They are filling up the corridor of destruction Kaira created with the column of siphoned Crow power.
“Get out! Now!” My head swims at the sight of so many soldiers—and Kaira swaying where she stands, even with Rogue’s arm to hold her up. If she doesn’t get out, she’ll be cut down like the fairy soldiers rushing into the corridor to slow the fresh onslaught of danger.
There is no stopping them. If they are lucky, they can slow them. And this time, not only swords and daggers are in play. This time, small, needle-like arrows fly across the field, hitting one Askarean fairy after the other with what I suspect must be the magic-nullifying drug.
The soldiers drop to their hands and knees within moments, retching at the feet of their enemies. If they are lucky, they get to throw up before they are beheaded with an efficient swing of a sword or run through with a blade.
We are losing.
Rogue and the others might not be seeing it from down there, but from up here, it’s pretty clear that we are losing.
At this pace, the battle will be over within a few hours, and what will be left of the Askarean army is males and females unable to defend themselves with the drug invading their systems. Tavras isn’t fighting fair—but what did I expect from a King who employs a traitor Crow to lead his armies while he secretly projects endless forces onto a battlefield.
As far as I can see, more Tavrasian soldiers are lining up to enter the melee.
There is no end in sight. And no winning.
“Southeast,” I speak into the mind link Kaira hasn’t dropped, even when she’s barely remaining on her feet.
“Tell the others to meet me behind the forest.” As I shift into my bird form and hop from branch to branch in order to remain undetected by friend and foe, I already make my way in that direction while through the mind link, I relay every last detail I know about Erina and his projections with Kaira.
“Tell them everything,” I urge one last time.
“ And, for the gods’ sake, get yourself to safety. ”
Something like a sound of confirmation flickers through the mind link before it goes dark. When I turn around to check for Kaira and Rogue, both of them have disappeared.