Page 24

IRIS

Remy winks us out of the mountains. I cling to Vhex so that he isn’t “accidentally” left behind again.

We need reinforcements, fast.

But maybe someone else could make that call?

There’s a difference between herding Sentinels and leading them in an actual war.

We reappear above the Lomfort base as the sun sets.

No time for doubts.

Kobolds swarm our broken walls.

Their warriors attack with cold weapons, backed by mages tossing spells. Elemental power pulses and my body responds.

The massive kobold warlord spots us hovering. With a howl of challenge, he points his bloody sword our way.

“Dibs.” Vhex’s hellfire blazes.

“Wait.” I snag his arm and scan the field.

Our Sentinels trade blasts of magic with the kobolds’ spells and arrows. They know what they’re doing, bulldozing whole squads with each attack.

But we’re wildly outnumbered, and our arrays are down.

Every time a stray kobold breaks toward the Guides supporting the Sentinels from behind, the Sentinels have to circle back to defend.

Stupid.

But that’s how Sentinels are—they protect their own.

They’d even win eventually, but we can’t afford a drawn-out fight.

Worse is on deck.

“Fireball their mages, then take down the boss.” I soothe Vhex’s silks, making sure he’s stable enough to fight. “Come back to me every ten minutes, max. No rampaging. Got it?”

When Vhex grins, his fang pops over his lip. “Two minutes.”

His thoughts hum with dumb violence, but I set him loose anyway. Vhex blazes after the mages with a roar.

We have to learn how to fight together.

At worst, I’ll do what I always do—run and save the Sentinel myself.

I tug Remy’s sleeve. “Cast a shadow barrier around the Guides, then take us down.”

Remy’s magic goes jagged despite my non-stop guidance. He winks us to the ground before I can figure out why.

We pop out in the middle of the clump of Guides.

Cherise whirls, ready to cleave my skull with both axes.

Remy’s shadows stop her swing before I have to dodge.

Her eyes widen, then she sags. “Thank fuck. We’re drowning.”

“Where do you need me?” I flinch against a wave of heat as Vhex attacks. His glee bleeds through our lingering bond.

Remy seals himself to my back. His silks surround me, cutting off Vhex’s hold.

“Barrier,” I remind him.

His hmm vibrates my shoulder blades. A smoky circle blooms around our feet and expands until a dome covers the struggling Guides.

Cherise isn’t the only Guide wearing a layer of kobold spatter on her white uniform. Glistening with sweat, she leans against her axe pole.

While she and her unit catch their breath, I clutch my throat against a flash of pain.

Remy’s silks buck and strain. Eyes flashing full black, he licks his lips.

It finally clicks.

Kobold blood.

That’s why Azrids fight in masks.

“Breathe this.” I press my wounded forearm to his nose. “Stay with me.”

“Yes.” Remy inhales my blood, shuddering so hard that his pupils shake. “I shall.”

Clutching my arm, he takes shallow licks at my oozing blood. Ignoring the tickle of his spit, I keep working at his knots.

He’s really not all there.

I’ll give him more personal guidance as soon as we deal with this fresh mess.

“Warden?” I twist awkwardly, realizing she hasn’t answered.

Cherise and ten other ragged guides gape, star-eyed.

Are they okay?

Sentinels and Guides fuck in the field all the time. A little arm-sucking shouldn’t turn their heads.

It must be the shadow pants?

I’d rather wear Remy’s power than bare my ass.

“Cherise?” I ask again.

“Sorry.” The warden shakes herself alert. “Nevin’s squad went to reinforce the west wall, but I couldn’t spare them any support Guides. Can you jump in?”

“I’ll track them down.” I tune my energy, trying to pick up pulses of Sentinel distress in the chaos of the field.

I take a half step forward.

“No.” Remy ropes me back with shadows and cages me in his arms.

Seriously?

“I didn’t say I was going alone.” I reassure his silks until they relax. “Keep your barrier around the Guides and help me clear a path.”

I grab a spear from a dead kobold and head west, toward the thickest fighting and the widest break in our wall.

Three stray kobolds spot me creeping. Hissing, they rush at me with swords and shields. Their race has lizard legs with webbed feet but all the muscles and sprinting power of wolves.

I wince as I ready my grip on the spear.

My arms are wrecked.

It’s been a day.

Before the kobolds enter my range, shadows spike from the ground. In one smooth motion, they bind and stab the enemies, then neatly disappear.

The kobolds drop in pieces.

“The path is clear.” Remy drapes himself over my shoulders, burying his face in my hair.

I let him take one deep breath before shaking him off. “Focus.”

“I am.” Remy’s eyes shift constantly between red and black. The vampire comes and goes, but he always watches me instead of the field.

I can’t trust him on his own yet.

“This way.” I hurry toward a disordered pulse of Sentinel power—someone is slipping dangerously close to a full rampage.

Remy’s shadows assassinate the enemies in our way. I guide his energy as we move, making slow progress on his knots.

It would be nice if all battles were this easy.

As if he can sense my stupid wish, the kobold lord bellows. The squad that has him surrounded blasts him with powers from ice blades to earthquakes, but his defenses are too strong to fall from one attack.

Meanwhile, the Farguard’s supposed top attacker ping-pongs between kobold mages, killing them one-by-one with knives instead of hellfire and broadcasting psychic glee.

Fantastic .

Vhex lasted five whole minutes before going out of pocket. Now he’s playing around, leaving the elephant-sized warlord to tear into our front line.

“Remy. You?—”

My second Sentinel is already gone.

“Go take care of the boss,” I mutter to empty air.

Shadows already gather around the kobold warlord. It shouldn’t take Remy long to win. But if Vhex could stay rational after his first fireball, he could’ve been back to my side in thirty seconds.

I have to work harder.

The S-Classes need to be able to fight without instantly losing the plot.

Back to moving on my own.

I shift closer to what’s left of the perimeter wall and use its cover to follow the erratic pulse of magic.

Two kobolds scent easy prey and tear across the lawn.

One looks agile, carrying a dagger. The bulkier one wields a rusty broadsword.

I block the first kobold’s tail-whip with the pole of my spear.

My hands sting from blocking the blow. I forgot . The spear’s shaft is narrower than a glaive’s.

I readjust.

Parry, lunge, stab .

I make use of the narrow spear-tip and pierce through the gap under the dagger kobold’s leather chest plate. The monster screeches and goes down.

I’m already whirling to deal with its friend.

My arms tremble as I block its heavy sword. Our weapons lock and the kobold snarls. Its long face stretches, half lizard snout, half wolf muzzle, and sharp teeth all the way down.

Fuck, I’m tired.

Parry, lunge, and— shit .

My spear-thrust grazes off its scales, missing the vulnerable spot in the center of its scaled throat.

With a triumphant hiss, the kobold darts past my spear, winding up to run me through.

Already off-balance, I turn my miss into a controlled fall. Then, I roll to the side, lifting the spear.

Scree!

I brace against the throb in my palms, using the ground and the kobold’s momentum to stab through its stomach and brace my pole.

Impaled, the kobold panics. Instead of finishing me off, he drops his sword and tries to rip out the spear.

I grit against his piercing screams. Purplish blood runs down the spear, but I can’t let go.

The monster’s thrashing slows. When it finally sags, dead weight, I lose my grip.

The kobold falls on top of me.

Its chest plate slams my ribs, its scaly-hairy scalp brushes my lips, and its disgustingly hot blood pours all over my suddenly bare legs.

I lie gasping.

Pinned.

Totally forgotten.

I wasn’t expecting to be rescued, but fuck .

Could you at least remember to leave me the godsdamned pants, Remy?

Groaning, I heave the corpse off of me. The spear is a loss, buried too deep in bone to pull free. I leave it and strip the kobold’s belt instead. The attached leather strips form a kind of armored skirt.

Enough to cover my ass.

The sword is too heavy to scavenge. I grab its buddy’s dagger and keep moving.

Disordered energy screams where I’m needed most. I spot a lone Sentinel, split off from his unit and backed against a standing piece of wall.

Flames shoot from his hands, and his eyes shine orange. Two nubby horns sprout from his forehead.

Crispin?

The red-head’s power rages as he tosses curtains of fire. He’s not rampaging yet, but he vibrates wildly as he strains to solo dozens of kobolds.

“Sentinel!” I call, releasing my aura. “To me!”

“ Guide .” Gasping the only word they never forget, Crispin punches through the kobolds’ line.

He sprints to me, arms and silks outstretched.

I connect to his spirit and groan.

The idiot is running in for a kiss.

Vhex and Remy can no-look-kill while they bicker and sniff my hair—this kid doesn’t have that kind of firepower.

Before Crispin can pucker, I’m already long-distance-purging his built-up poison. “Turn and fight. I’ll support you from behind.”

His eyes clear just enough.

After Crispin about-faces to deal with the few dozen enemies, I close the gap between us and press my hands to his back.

His shoulders ripple.

As I smooth through his magic, his silks try to suck me in.

“Easy.” I guide his chaotic power and easily rebuff his grab.

Even arms-shaking exhausted, this level of guidance is cake.

Crispin has no twists or hidden landmines. After a few redirections, his silks and magic hum through sparkling meridians.

Crispin’s fire stabilizes and burns hotter. Now his flame walls take down two or three kobolds at a time.

He doesn’t even need me to tell him where to aim.