Page 64 of The Cruel Dawn (Vallendor #2)

High Lord Izariel Megidrail wears crimson-and-orange robes, but beneath that fabric is the ink of a true warrior who can ascend no higher, whose smallest finger is covered with tales of the destruction he has wrought.

It seems that the world will never stop quaking as sixty—eighty—one hundred strong Mera land upon the flats of Devour. They wear bare chests or bandeaus, each bigger than Zephar and the Mera Crusaders who’d been punished and stripped of their stature.

My eyes cloud with grateful tears. Though I can barely see Zephar Itikin, I ask, “Did you have something you needed to say to Izariel ?”

The Prince of Lissome Blades growls at me and glares at my father. “You dare—”

High Lord Megidrail slaps the air and strikes Zephar in the face with a burst of wind.

Zephar slams into the row of horrified Mera Crusaders behind him. The blow has ripped a gash across his cheek that spans from his temple to his top lip.

“That’s for betraying my daughter,” Father says, jabbing a finger at him.

He sends another blow at Zephar, who doubles over, clutching his stomach. “That’s for disrespecting her rank.” Father turns to Elyn. “Adjudicator!”

A cloak of fog billows outward, one that doesn’t come from the sea or the daystar and is unlike anything seen in Vallendor.

Elyn Fynal guides the fog as she commands the Raqiel guards to keep the Crusaders from leaving this arena.

Then she lifts Justice, and immediately, two Raqiel guards take up positions behind her.

“I am Elyn Fynal. As Grand Adjudicator of Vallendor and the Nine Realms, Sentinel and Divine Mediator, with approval of the Council of High Orders, including Lord Izariel Megidrail, I sentence you, Zephar Itikin, former Commander and Defender of Vallendor, Lord of the Shielded Fount and Prince of Lissome Blades”—she glances at the company that stands behind him—“and all of you…to death.”

The Mera standing in formation behind me shout, “Yekaa!”

On the other side, the Crusaders reply, “Yekaa!” and race toward us.

The two sides meet as lightning flashes and whitecaps surge across the Sea of Devour.

I eye the setting daystar. Suddenly, with a loud clap, my shoulder is burning.

“Shit!” I shout, looking around for whoever threw this ball of flame at me.

Zephar!

I lob balls of fire back at him, each ball unerringly striking his chest. He falls back on his ass, his face twisted with shock.

All action around us stops as a ball of fire forms on Zephar’s upturned palm. He’s slowing the world to kill me, rather than using any extra time to reflect on what he’s done and change his course before it’s too late. No, he grins at that lovely, deadly fireball—

Shari lunges at him and bites that fiery hand.

Zephar shouts, “Ost!” and loses control of the realm’s spinning. He gawks at Shari in shock.

A Crusader shouts, “Bitch!” and kicks Shari in the snout.

Both Zephar and I instinctively hurl fire at the Diminished who kicked our wolf. This is our last mutual act.

Shari hasn’t forgotten her job, though, and she lunges again at Zephar, biting down on his hand.

I narrow my eyes at Zephar as he struggles in Shari’s ironclad hold. He pales from the pain of her teeth sinking deeper into his flesh.

“Release him, Shari,” I say.

The wolf gives him one last shake before she loosens her jaw, dropping his bloodied hand. She sits on her haunches, her piercing gold eyes warily locked on Zephar.

The Prince of Lissome Blades grimaces, flicks his bloody hand, and climbs unsteadily to his feet.

But now, I am a titan, I am leviathan, larger than him, larger than he’d ever imagined I could be. Even now, I’m still growing taller—wider— more .

Like every battle, my shoulder aches from his fireball, my skin red and blistered, and all of my muscles throb.

But my new amulet pulses against my chest, a steady, reassuring rhythm, humming with power.

Its warmth spreads through me, and the pain of my injuries fades, replaced by a soothing sensation that wraps around me like a protective shield.

A tugging sensation makes me look over my—

Wings unfurl from my shoulder blades. They are a breathtaking crimson, shimmering with golden luster.

Energy hums through the space around me as moths the size of eagles emerge from the folds of my wings, their own soft wings dotted with glowing flecks.

The glittering moths catch the air, and my feet leave the ground.

I rise. The noise and chaos of battle fade the higher I soar. The atmosphere around me is cool and crisp. The moths—loyal and powerful—spiral around me.

Zephar gasps as I fly above him. But then he swings his pair of swords. Heat shoots past me and into the sky, but then that energy falls back to earth and burns a hole in the ground the size of a castle.

I dodge that strike, and now I aim Cruel Dawn at him. The blade cuts off his right ear.

He screams and stumbles toward me, falling onto one knee a few paces away from me. I look down at him, recalling the other times I’ve seen him on his knees before me, wondering at how both of us have changed. He drops one of his blades and grabs my foot.

His touch burns like lava. I cry out in pain.

Lightning crackles across the sky.

I bring Cruel Dawn’s pommel down on top of his head with an unmistakable crack . The impact against his skull reverberates up and down my arms.

Zephar releases me and rolls away, bleeding and racked with pain. He sends a wave of fire at me, wider than a river and twice as fast.

I dodge, but the flames are too powerful. They singe my head, and I smell burning hair. My amulet pulses again and heals the superficial burns on my face and scalp.

We’re now fighting fire with fire.

Yekaa!

I light up the sky with more fireballs. Flames burst from my fingers like lava erupting from a volcano, and I drown Zephar in fire.

Every corner of the realm is subjected to his terrible cries. He falls backward as my fire consumes him. His hands, still clutching his pristine swords, turn to ash. His body becomes a thick vein of shining black ore that mortals of Vallendor could mine for ages.

Today, the realm loses its commander. And I lose someone else I loved.

Zephar Itikin, Beautiful Warrior, Breaker of Realms, Lord of the Shielded Fount, Prince of Lissome Blades, Warrior of the Righteous, Divine Xisi…and once upon a time, my Beloved Zee.

Farewell.