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I saw her nod her head below me.
Tucking my wings, I soared past her and dove down towards the city.
“Theron!”
He appeared in the air a second later. He looked to me, then to the ensuing chaos below. He didn’t need to be told what to do. In the next instant, he disappeared and I saw him appear in the city below.
The Glaev was getting closer, already touching the buildings on the outskirts and turning them to ash in seconds. I pumped my wings to fly down even faster. When I reached the city, I flared them out to soften my landing as my boots rumbled against the ground. I glanced around as people were scattering away from the Glaev and toward the elemental bridges.
Kya was still in the air, coming down as fast as she safely could. She at least knew that if she pushed herself too hard, she wouldn’t be helpful.
“Touch the dragon! He will travel you to safety!” I roared over the sounds of panic.
I leapt into motion, grabbing those in closest proximity to the Glaev and too far from bridges and flying them safely past the edges of the Glaev so they could be escorted by the warriors. Theron Traveled as many people as he could, disappearing and reappearing alone, over and over. Bridges fell when the Glaev touched their edges, and warriors re-manipulated bridges farther away until it was too wide to build across. Some of the stronger wielders were able to manipulate their element in a waythat allowed them to launch people over the Glaev and be caught by someone else. Until they couldn’t even do that anymore.
I kept my eye on Kya as much as I could, as she flew the smaller children across and handed them off before going back again. I saw Odarum appear. He was Traveling as many people as he could as well.
Buildings came crashing down all around the city before being completely consumed. The Glaev crept closer to the center. There were still too many people to get out in time.
Just before one of the buildings on the far end of the street was being decimated, a male rushed out holding a sick-looking female in his arms and a young child in hers. My eyes widened, and then I was airborne in the next blink, flying to them as fast as I could.
“Theron. Theron! Get to them!”I bellowed.
I flew harder and harder, as fast as I possibly could. The Glaev was faster than the male and I wasn’t going to reach them in time. But I pushed and pushed. My wings screamed with the force. It wasn’t enough.
“Ryker!”I barely heard Kya through the bond.
The male glanced behind him just as the Glaev was on his heels. He saw me rushing for him. He kissed the female on the head before he launched her through the air away from him—just as the Glaev touched him and his body turned to ash. The female rolled to the ground, protecting the child in her arms. She looked back and began screaming for the male that was no longer there. The child was crying. I was so close. But even as the female began weakly running away with the child in her arms, I wasn’t close enough. I was nearly touching her outreached hand when she and the child were consumed.
“Fuck!” My roar echoed across the decimated landscape as I flew back to get more people.
“Ryker,”Kya called for me.
I found her and landed next to her in the middle of the city.
“He’s here,”Kya said with an eerie calm.
Her eyes were set in a hard stare with a composition that I knew to be that of a Roav. Her bow was drawn with an arrow with black tipped feathers.
My heart dropped for a moment before she backed up against me, comforted by her proximity and touch. I instinctively splayed my wings out in a primal threat to protect my mate. My eyes darted around, looking for the dark wielder.
I reached out to Mavris and Hakoa, speaking in their minds to ask where they were and hoping that they were able to get the people to safety. They both responded, thank the Gods, and said they were ushering people within the city.
Theron and Odarum appeared next to us silently. The air was still and stale, so unnatural, like the calm before the storm. I fought every instinct in my body against taking Kya away from here and to safety the moment I saw the figure emerging from behind one of the buildings.
He was nearly as tall as me, with dark pants and a hooded cloak over broad shoulders. His eyes were a deep blue that shone with malicious intent in the setting sun. He strode closer, and I felt Kya’s body tense and straighten. He stopped within a building’s length and looked between us before staring down at Kya and revealing white teeth in a cruel grin. My hand came around Kya’s waist and pulled her against me.
Mavris and Hakoa ran up from behind us, standing between me and Theron and handing me a sword.
“Ryker, listen to his mind. What is he thinking?”Kya asked.
I reached for his mind. His thoughts were erratic, so unlike the calm demeanor he displayed on the outside. But before I could make sense of anything, he put up a wall around his mind, shielding him from my grasp. His cobalt eyes cut to mine.
“Your little tricks won’t work on me.” Daegel’s strange, accented voice carried through the air. “My request is simple. Give me the Diamond and I will leave your people in peace.” He held out his gloved hand to her, holding my stare.
My grip on her tightened to the point of bruising. I would give my life before I ever let him so much as touch her.
The dark wielder looked at Kya. “Come. There’s no need for more death today,” he spoke softly to her.
