Page 70 of Unseen Eye (Aetherian Chronicles #1)

It takes mere seconds for me to lace my boots and secure my daggers.

Any sense of the quiet moment with Cal vanished in a heartbeat.

With a quick nod, Cal grabs my hand, and in the blink of an eye, we’re back in Ardu.

The familiar forest encircling the city now feels ominous as we arrive at the same spot as before.

Hellhounds circle the city walls like predators closing in on prey. Their handlers march behind them, whips cracking, while the nightmares loom in the background. The army is smaller than the one that attacked Astermiri, but that doesn’t mean we’re any less screwed.

We’re vastly outnumbered.

“The shields are still up,” Cal mutters, scanning the horde.

“Should we get reinforcements?”

“I’m betting they’ve already signaled for it when the army showed up. The alarm is like the stones we used in Astermiri—Theo has the other half.”

“How the hell did they even find Ardu?” I whisper, the unease creeping deeper into me.

Cal’s face hardens. “No fucking clue. But we’ll worry about that later.”

Before I can press him further, movement catches my eye. A massive figure steps forward from the horde—a shadow warden, his size dwarfing those around him. He approaches the glowing shield, his giant axe crackling with dark energy as he lifts it.

“How many of these bastards are there?” I mutter, watching as the warden raises the weapon.

“Too many.” Cal’s voice is low and tense as he pulls his sword free. I’ve never been so grateful for his habit of never leaving home without a weapon.

The warden’s axe crashes into the shield, sending a spray of sparks into the air. He strikes it again, and again, the force of each blow reverberating through the trees.

“How much can the shield take?” I glance over at Cal, trying to gauge how worried I should be.

He doesn’t take his eyes off the warden. “As long as I’m alive, it holds. Or it should. I tied the shield to my life force—it was the only thing I could think of that might work.”

That sends a cold spike of dread through me. “Do they know that?”

“No. Only you, Theo, and Izzy know.”

The shadow warden is a fearsome sight. His axe is massive, its blade glowing with a dark energy that seems to absorb the light around it.

The army cheers him on from the sidelines. Hellhounds snarl, their handlers barely able to restrain them. Nightmares stomp their feet, each movement vibrating across the field.

The warden bangs his axe against the shield once more, the sound like thunder cracking in the forest. The whole scene is a nightmare come to life, and every part of me screams to run.

“Couldn’t the villagers just stay inside the city until they leave?” I ask, more out of desperation than hope.

“They could... but I’m guessing they’re also worried about how the shield will hold up. And if the Shadow King shows up, I don’t want to test it.” Cal’s eyes stay locked on the warden, his grip on his sword tightening.

Before either of us can say anything more, a low whistle sounds from the direction of the city. It’s faint but distinct, cutting through the growing chaos.

“They’re coming out,” Cal mutters as he draws his sword fully.

Sure enough, figures emerge from the shadows near the city gates.

Theo, Izzy, and several guards from the barracks rush forward, weapons gleaming in the firelight.

Among them, I spot Axel with his huge axe, and Troy with his bow.

The battle erupts in seconds—hellhounds charging, villagers meeting them head-on.

Theo is a force. His blade flashing with deadly precision as he cuts down a hellhound mid-leap.

Izzy moves like a shadow herself. Her twin blades a blur as she slices through two handlers.

Axel crushes a nightmare’s skull with a single swing, while Troy’s arrow skewer hellhounds from a distance.

Even Dacia, dual-wielding her swords, takes on a pack of hellhounds without hesitation.

Then, from the side, a group of elemental fighters join the fray, their abilities lighting up the battlefield in bursts of red, blue, and white.

Fireballs and jets of water flash through the air, crashing into enemy ranks.

Lightning strikes from one fighter, hitting a hellhound with deadly precision, while steam rises from the ground where fire and water collide.

“Hell of a light show,” Cal says, impressed despite the dire situation. He turns to me, giving me a quick kiss before charging into the chaos. “Stay close.”

I follow him, already flinging my dagger at a hellhound lunging in our direction.

With a flick of my wrist, the blade returns to my hand, a newfound control over my magic making retrieval effortless.

Cal carves a path ahead of us, his sword cutting through anything that gets in his way.

His strikes are fluid, deadly, and unrelenting, as if he’s been waiting for this moment to unleash everything.

Out of the corner of my eye, I spot a group of villagers, vastly outnumbered by a nightmare. Without hesitating, I channel my magic, sending a beam of light in their direction. The nightmare collapses before it can strike. The villagers, wide-eyed, nod in thanks before returning to the fight.

The battlefield is utter chaos. The snarling of hellhounds, the clash of weapons, and the cries of combatants fill the air, mingling with the crackling of fire and the acrid stench of fear and blood.

Cal fights alongside Theo now, the two of them back-to-back, cutting down enemies with terrifying precision.

As I call a blade back to my hand, Izzy finds her way over to me, slicing through an enemy as she reaches me.

“How the hell did they find this place?” I yell, barely audible over the clamor of battle.

“No idea! But I’d love to beat it out of someone!” she shouts back, sending a gust of wind toward a pack of hellhounds, knocking them off balance.

Despite the chaos, one figure stands out— the shadow warden. He’s still hanging back, watching, almost like he’s waiting for the right moment to strike.

And then I see him—Malachai, the elder of Ardu, locked in combat with a pack of hellhounds. He’s fighting valiantly, but he’s starting to falter. The warden has spotted him. His focus sharpening, and with a swift movement, he advances toward Malachai, raising his massive axe.

I freeze for a heartbeat, and then it’s as if everything else fades. Without thinking, I’m sprinting toward them. My feet carry me without hesitation, and my heart thunders in my chest. I can’t let him—he can’t—

“Don’t you dare,” Izzy calls after me, her voice tinged with panic as she sees my direction.

But I don’t hear her. Malachai is in danger. I have to stop the warden before he—

I gather my energy and send a beam of light straight at the warden, catching his attention—and everyone else’s.

“Cal did say the next one was mine,” I call over my shoulder, my voice barely cutting through the noise.

Izzy’s curses follow me, but I don’t slow down.

The shadow warden, hell-bent on finding me, swings his massive axe in all directions, cleaving through hellhounds and nightmares alike, clearly focused on one thing: me. I spot Cal in the distance, handling six hellhounds at once. Showoff.

I hurl a few more daggers into the fray before finally reaching the warden. Or rather, where he’s been waiting for me. And just as I get there, it dawns on me: no sword, just four measly daggers.

“Well, that was smart,” I mutter, more annoyed with myself than anything else.

The warden notices my lack of weaponry and lets out a low, eerie chuckle that makes my skin crawl. “Missing something?” he taunts, voice dripping with malice.

“Nah,” I say with a shrug, forcing nonchalance. “It just makes beating you more interesting.”

Without wasting another second, I send up a quick prayer and fling a dagger at his shoulder, aiming for the gap in his armor. It hits, thank the gods. He bellows in pain, tearing the dagger out and disintegrating it in his hand.

Three daggers left. Fantastic.

He swings his axe with a brutal, wild force, each strike threatening to split me in two.

I duck and dodge, my pulse pounding in my ears.

The more he misses, the more erratic his swings become.

I retaliate with a quick, sharp throw, aiming for the smallest weaknesses in his armor.

The dagger hits, but it’s more of an annoyance than real damage—if anything, it’s just making him angrier.

Suddenly, he lunges, faster than I expect for someone his size, and I barely roll out of the way in time.

Coming up on one knee, I channel a beam of light straight at his chest. It strikes, forcing him back with a snarl of pain.

Taking advantage of the moment, I send another dagger flying, this one embedding just above his knee. He roars, more in fury than pain.

“You’ll pay for that, girl!” he bellows, ripping the dagger out and crushing it to dust.

Two left.

I summon more light, feeling it flow through me like fire in my veins.

Another beam shoots from my hands, but this time he deflects it with his axe, sending sparks scattering across the battlefield.

He charges again, but I’m ready. I sidestep, hurling a blinding flash of light straight into his eyes.

“Is that seriously all you’ve got?” I taunt, trying to keep the tremor out of my voice. Adrenaline’s making my hands shake.

He swings wildly, furious and blinded. I duck and dodge, using my smaller size to my advantage. His wild attacks are getting sloppier, his breathing heavier.

I take a split second to glance around the battlefield. Cal’s still hacking through enemies like he was born for it. Theo and Izzy are holding their own nearby, and the villagers… well, they’re fighting, but I can see them starting to tire. This has to end soon.

Cal catches my eye, his expression shifting from intense concentration to wide-eyed alarm. Apparently, he missed my earlier display of light. His look promises a long talk later—assuming I survive. He starts pushing toward me, but he’s got a whole mess of enemies between us.

I don’t need him.

I can do this.

Instead of thinking back to Kendrys’ lectures on speed and agility, I focus on all the lessons with Theo—the constant corrections, the pointers.

I think of Izzy, her lessons on summoning my affinity and shifting it into different forms and shapes.

Regardless of being alone in this battle, I know I am far from it.

I am determined, focused, and above all, ready to protect my home and the people I love.

I let my light surge forward, bending it to my will, shaping it into a sword. The warmth fills me, and more swords materialize around me, each one glowing.

The warden hesitates for the first time, his eyes narrowing as he realizes what’s happening.

With a flick of my wrist, I send the first sword flying at him.

It streaks through the air, radiant and deadly, embedding itself in the joint of his armor with a satisfying sizzle. He howls in pain, but I’m not done.

Sword after sword appears, each one slicing through the air, each one finding its mark. His thigh, his abdomen—he’s a walking pincushion of light. His movements slow as the swords pin him down, but he’s still trying to fight, swinging that massive axe in a futile attempt to dislodge them.

Blood trickles from his wounds, dark and sluggish against the glowing light of my blades.

Gathering what power I have left, I summon one final sword, larger than the others. I feel the warmth of blood running from my nose, and I know I’m close to burning out, but I can’t stop now. With a fierce cry, I send the last sword bellowing toward his chest.

The light pierces him clean through, sinking deep into bone and flesh.

His scream is gut-wrenching. His body spasming as the light sears him from the inside out.

He falls to his knees, the fight leaving him.

His axe slips from his grip, and his eyes dim.

He collapses, lifeless, the glowing swords sticking out of his body disappearing.

Breathing hard, I wipe the blood from my face and can’t resist a grin as I walk over to his corpse. “Told you I didn’t need a sword.”

Cal finally reaches me, a matching grin on his face. “Remind me never to piss you off.”

“Just now figuring that out, are you?” I joke, already turning my focus back to the chaos of the battlefield.

As if sensing the loss of their commander, the remaining hellhounds and their handlers begin to falter. Theo and Axel rally the troops, cutting down the remaining enemies.

Cal and I join the fray, moving together with practiced ease, our strikes in perfect sync.

I send beams of light toward the hellhounds, their dark forms disintegrating under the intense brightness.

Cal’s sword flashes, cutting down handlers left and right, his strength seemingly endless.

But with every burst of light I summon, I feel the drain of energy weighing heavier on me.

Cal must notice, because between swings, he glances at me sharply. “You’re close to a burnout,” he says, his voice tense. “You need to stop.”

I swipe the blood from my nose, shaking off the warning. “I’m fine.”

His eyes narrow. “Don’t be stubborn. You’ve already done enough. Let us handle the rest.”

But I won’t sit this one out, not when we’re so close. “I’m finishing this,” I insist, turning back to the battlefield.

With a frustrated sigh, Cal mutters something under his breath, probably cursing my recklessness, but doesn’t push it further. I can feel the strain pulling at my bones, the burn of exhaustion creeping in, but I ignore it. There’s no time for that now.

Every swing of Cal’s sword is deadly, and every beam of light I throw disintegrates the creatures before they can even get close. My muscles scream in protest, the edge of burnout nagging at me, but I push through it.

Slowly but surely, the last hellhound falls. Its handler taken down by a precise strike from Theo. The villagers let out a triumphant cheer, their voices echoing through the trees. The enemy forces are defeated, their bodies littering the ground.

Breathing heavily, I wipe the blood from my face, barely holding back a smile. “We did it,” I say, the exhaustion and triumph clear in my voice.

Cal comes to my side, his eyes flicking over me with concern. “Yeah, you did,” he replies, shaking his head. “But you need to be more careful.”

I shrug, still riding the high of victory. “Maybe next time,” I tease, though deep down, I know he’s right.