Page 55

Daimon

Furies charged them from behind, while a new drove came from the direction of the cavern. They had no choice but to forge ahead. They were surrounded, a flock of birds closing in on a single worm.

“Ranick, Elias, create a path for us!” Daimon shouted. “Brielle, focus your fire on keeping them off our back. I’ll watch the sides.”

He didn’t have to tell Evelina what needed to be done—she was already scorching the dark rebels that were getting too close into ash.

Aegis fire met cursed rebels as the fleet blazed a path toward the cave. Clumps of soil, rock, and debris flew from the energy of the magic clashing. Evelina’s shield pulsed against his skin, the heat of her magic so hot that his skin crawled. It was chaos, the rebels growing frustrated that their magic and weapons were bouncing off the invisible shield Evelina had wrapped around them.

The Furies were growing in number behind them, pushing them closer and closer to the cave. They were nearly there now, Ranick and Elias fighting to clear a path ahead while Brielle fended them off as much as she could from the back .

But Daimon could feel the tamper on his magic, his shadows barely holding off the enemy coming from the sides. He threw up wall after wall, blocking the Furies from closing in. One slipped past his shadows, heading straight for them. Daimon’s eyes widened as he felt Evelina’s magic flare, seemingly unaffected by the cursed magic.

The rebel that slipped past had the look of victory gleaming in her eye, but the moment she reached Evelina’s shield, she began to scream. The black veins glowing beneath her skin writhed, as if trying to escape the light. It only lasted a moment before her flesh dissolved into ash.

The tree coverage thinned as the cavern opened up ahead. They reached their destination—the nest of the Furies.

Furies flew out of the cavern, their movements animalistic and unnatural. They were pouring from the exit in droves, far more of them than the Alpha Fleet could manage alone. Not to mention the writhing darkness pulsing from the cave’s mouth.

Daimon grabbed Evelina’s hand as rebels surrounded them. The fleet stood back-to-back, doing what they could to keep the enemy at bay. Brielle, Ranick, and Elias all used as much fire as they could, but it wasn’t enough. The Furies were pressing closer, fingers brushing against Evelina’s shield and disintegrating on contact. Her hand was cold and clammy in Daimon’s. She couldn’t hold it forever.

“Hold steady, Eve,” he gritted out.

He wasn’t going to let them die.

The tamper on his Essence was still there, but he reached for it anyway, sending a prayer to Nyx to let his status as bastard of a god mean something for once in his life. Evelina’s shield flickered and a Fury shot at Ranick, grabbing him by the throat. Her shield roared to life again, searing the rebel from the inside out.

Beneath the hold on Daimon’s magic, he felt a darkness, a primal magic so ancient that he was always too afraid to let it out.

He didn’t have a choice now.

He held his breath, and a wall of shadows cocooned his friends—his family—in a web of black, blocking the Furies from their view. Warmth grew between Daimon and Evelina’s connected hands. As Daimon yanked on his magic, the warmth where his skin touched hers blazed. He felt the familiar tingle of her shield press against him. A surge of energy burst through his body, an energy that was purity incarnate. It was Evelina—her Essence, intertwining with his. He felt her magic flowing through him, and he felt his magic flowing through her. In this moment, they were one. Their magic, their minds—they were light and they were darkness. The sun and the moon. And together, they would take the Furies down.

When he exhaled, the wall of shadows blasted back, a pulsing, shimmering light mingling with it. As their combined magic was unleashed, it sent the rebels, trees, rocks—everything close to them—flying in all directions.

Even the darkness over the cave had paused, momentarily receding.

The boulders above them shook from the force of their magic, threatening to crumble and fall.

“Into the cave!” Daimon shouted.

They ran into the cavern as the rocks loosened and rained down onto the ground below. Daimon held Evelina’s hand as tight as he could, pulling her along with him. The mouth of the cave collapsed, sealing them off from the outside.

Daimon’s chest heaved, straining his eyes to see through the thick dust flying around the dark cave. Slithers of light beamed in from the outside, illuminating the area around them. His body was buzzing, like he had been struck by lightning, after calling on more magic than he ever had. He braced himself, his muscles tensing in preparation for another fight within the cave.

But the only sound was his heaving breath and Brielle coughing. Water dripped from above. His chest constricted; it was suffocatingly humid.

The cave was completely empty. Quiet .

“Where is everyone?” Elias whispered.

Something was wrong.

“Evelina,” Daimon said slowly. “Can you still sense Moros?”

Evelina squinted, the warmth of her shield now gone. “I can still sense him, but he feels like he’s…everywhere.”

Ranick grunted in frustration. “Then what are we supposed?—”

“Nice of you to join us,” a voice interrupted. A deep laugh bounced off the walls, echoes scattering everywhere.

They spun around, searching for the voice.

“Come out, Moros,” Daimon snapped.

Another laugh. “If you insist.”

A whoosh of icy air blasted from a small tunnel in the back of the cave. Daimon felt as if the air was being sucked out of his lungs. The fleet collapsed in coughs, struggling for air.

“I can’t shield,” Evelina choked. “I’m trying, but it isn’t working.”

“Of course it won’t work, Evelina, darling.” Moros was close now, his voice no longer an empty echo. “Lovely to see you again.”

He materialized from the depths of the middle tunnel, shadows enveloping him. The cold air slowed, giving them their breath back. Daimon stepped in front of Evelina, shielding her with his body.

“Traitor,” Brielle hissed.

Moros laughed. “Brielle, lovely as always.”

Brielle bared her teeth. Moros took a step closer, and Daimon’s shadows roared to life, wrapping around his wrists and arms. Moros’s gaze shot to Daimon. He smiled. Daimon growled, warning him.

“Stop this madness,” Evelina demanded. “You could end this war—all this death—right now. You’re sacrificing your own souls for nothing.”

“ Nothing ?” Moros sneered. “Do you think we’ve enjoyed being the ‘weaker’ race? Fae have been slaughtering humans for years. Humans are nothing to them—an irritating bug on the land that they smash. Our use of Furies and cursed weapons are our salvation from the way the crown has ruled for generations.”

This time, it was Evelina who growled. The noise was so intense that it took Daimon by surprise. “My mother has done her best after being betrayed by you .”

Moros smiled. “And yet, she didn’t do enough, it seems. We finally grew tired of being a plaything for bored immortals who place themselves on the same level as the gods. Things changed when the gods answered our prayers.”

Moros took a step back, now positioned closer to the opening of the cavern. “And Evelina?” He chuckled. “I’m so very sorry for the loss of your mother. Maybe the next queen will be willing to see what she couldn’t.”

Daimon’s lip curled, pure hatred boiling inside him. He stepped forward just as Moros flung a hand out, shadows flecked with crackles of light barreling toward them.

“No!” Evelina bellowed as she lurched forward. She jumped in front of Daimon, screaming as the warmth of her shield exploded from her body. Brielle lunged after her, dutifully protecting her side even as the shadows raced toward them.

The shadows slammed into an invisible barrier. Moros’s dark magic pushed harder against her shield. Evelina screamed, blood dripping from her nose.

Ranick and Elias were only a few steps behind, sending streams of fire at Moros, but the moment the flame reached him, it flared around him, bouncing off. Moros turned toward the Aegis like they were nothing more than a fly irritating him.

Evelina screamed and her light flared bright, fighting against Moros’s dark shadows. Her magic pushed against him, forcing him back a step. This time, it wasn’t a shield she pushed; it was rays of light aimed at him like arrows. She sent them hurtling toward him, one of them catching his arm and slicing through the muscle.

He screamed out in pain, his eyes widening. She sent another wave of light at him and he stumbled back another step. His eyes grew wide with panic, his chest heaving. He twisted around and sent a slamming wave of shadows out of the cave.

Daimon didn’t see what happened until it was too late. All he could see were the shadows flying off and past them as Moros’s magic flew out in all directions, Evelina’s shield firmly in place around Daimon and Brielle.

But not Ranick and Elias.

They were dead the moment the shadows swept over them, their bodies dropping lifeless to the ground. The force of Moros’s magic blasted the rocks away from the mouth of the cave, opening it up to the outside world.

Before Evelina could go on the offense once more, Moros fled the cave, leaving silence in his wake.

The second the shadows stopped pressing against her shield, she slipped out of Daimon’s grasp and sprinted to the Aegis’ side. Daimon ran past her, searching outside for any signs of Moros. But there were none. He was gone.

Everything was quiet…too quiet. No sounds of fighting, no battle happening outside. He turned to find Brielle pressing her finger just beneath Ranick’s jaw.

“No pulse.” Her usually stable voice cracked. She twisted to where Elias had fallen, his body unnaturally still, and did the same to him, shaking her head solemnly.

Daimon fought back the tears that threatened to spill down his face. Evelina had collapsed a distance away, sobbing. He crouched down and cradled her face between his hands, forcing her eyes away from their bodies.

“Eve, we need to go.” Her breathing was shallow and sobs racked her body. “ Evelina ,” he snapped. “Look at me.” It took a few moments, but she finally brought her gaze to him. “We have to leave, now ,” he repeated. “Before they decide to come back.”

Her eyes were vacant. “He said my mother was dead.”

He fought against the nausea, the bile climbing the back of his throat. If he fell apart, he could be risking her life. That was the only thing keeping him moving. Focused.

He tugged on his bond with Zephyr, nearly gasping in relief when he found it was still there.

Zephyr landed moments later, followed by Aster, Willow, and Ranick and Elias’s wyverns. Daimon was relieved to see Willow’s wyvern alive, her wing patched with mud and leaves, a small reprieve from the unbearable grief.

“A mass of shadows swept over the valley, killing rebels and Valon soldiers alike,” Aster said breathlessly. “What happened?—”

His eyes landed on Ranick and Elias.

Willow was frozen atop Khaline, her mouth agape in horror.

Aster slid off his beast and ran to Daimon. He took in the scene before him: a sobbing Evelina, a hauntingly quiet Brielle, and their fallen comrades beside them.

“Help me tie them to the wyverns,” Daimon said. “We’re going home.”

Aster blinked before nodding his head. They silently gathered their friends to take them home and give them a proper burial. One where the stench of darkness wasn’t surrounding them, and they could pass into Caelum, finally free from this needless war.