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Daimon

Evelina was focused—sharp. Every bit of a warrior as the soldiers who traveled with them, even if she only considered herself a healer. Her high brows were pinched into concentration, her lips purple from the cold, blustering wind. Daimon was transfixed by her, especially as her Essence wrapped around his senses, warming the constant cold that clung to his body like a second skin.

“Conserve your magic,” he growled.

She ignored him, the warmth of her magic flaring hotter around him. “You do your job, and I’ll do mine,” she shouted over her shoulder.

He grunted, unable to fight with her as they neared the rebels below. He tried his best to keep his distance, to avoid pressing his chest against her back just to reassure himself she was safe.

But the moment a rebel hurtled fire their way, he wrapped his arm around her waist and yanked her against him. He knew she still had the shield firmly in place. And yet he still cast a wall of shadows, their magic winding together for a brief moment. The mass of flame bounced off it, leaving them untouched.

Willow and Keir focused on getting the group separated, Keir with his fire bursting through the middle of the circle they had formed. He would swoop down, send a blast of flames, and bank straight back up, only for Willow to swoop in behind him before they could reform, sending rocks, trees, roots—whatever she favored at the moment—to keep them split up.

Brielle, Daimon, and Aster circled the edges, pushing in toward whatever Keir and Willow concocted. It left the group unable to flee sideways or huddle close together.

A ball of flames shot into the sky from their right, headed toward Brielle’s back. Daimon threw up a shield of shadows, deflecting it before Evelina could try to put hers up.

A flicker caught Evelina’s attention from the corner of her left eye; another mass of fire was headed for them now.

Her shield snapped into place, sending the fire outward in all directions as it slammed into it. Daimon’s head jolted to the left, his arms tightening around her.

She threw a smirk over her shoulder and said, “Told you I had it.”

He huffed a laugh and steered Zephyr away from the cluster of rebels.

After several rounds, plucking out rebels to kill along the way, Ranick and Elias arrived with the ground unit. The two Aegis were lethal together, the final push of flames and mind influence building as the ground soldiers closed in around them.

“Daimon!” Evelina shouted, pointing to a cave in the distance. He watched as a line of rebels moved in and out of the cave, some running away from battle while others came out refreshed and ready to fight.

But a torrent of flames from the ground pulled his attention back to the fight. Zephyr rotated, flying sideways to avoid the fire. The ground unit worked with the aerial fleet, keeping the rebels distracted so the wyverns could swoop down. Several of the ground soldiers fell, and Codax took a nasty wound to the base of his neck, but they managed to whittle the rebels down until they were all gone .

Daimon was breathing heavily, and he could feel Evelina’s shield flicker. She had never shielded more than herself for this long. He nodded to his fleet, motioning for them to lower to the ground. Evelina’s shield receded, the chill returning to his skin.

“They were coming in and out of that cave,” he shouted. “Brielle and Willow, take the first shift to patrol the skies. Set up a wider perimeter than usual; we don’t want any lingering rebels catching us by surprise. Keir, Ranick, and Elias, investigate the cave.”

Evelina slumped her shoulders, her back resting heavily against him.

“She doesn’t look so good,” Keir said, narrowing his eyes. “Best to get her back to camp.”

Daimon glanced between Keir and Evelina, a tinge of distress working its way up his back. He knew she would be okay with Keir. He knew he had to stay and investigate the cave with his fleet.

But he didn’t want to leave her.

Daimon nodded stiffly, dismounting and helping Evelina down. She nearly fell off Zephyr, her knees giving out when her feet hit the ground and her body collapsing against him. Daimon wrapped Evelina in his arms as Keir helped him lift her into Codax’s saddle, securing her with the ropes. Keir didn’t waste any time before taking back to the skies.

Daimon knew the moment they landed at camp, Gloriana would sprint over, her arms outstretched to help Evelina down—scoop her up and scold her for exerting herself too much. She would check her over for wounds, even though Daimon had already done so—already knew there wasn’t a visible cut on her.

She was safe. He didn’t have to worry. As commander, he had to stick with his fleet.

But as he watched Codax’s wings turn into a black silhouette against the sky, all he could think was how it should have been him carrying her. Duty be damned.