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My vision blurs. I rub my temples as pain stabs the backs of my eyes.
I see what is coming. I have seen it before but now it makes sense.
The wave smashes into Luminael with terrifying force. Buildings crumble like they’re made of sand. Streets vanish beneath the deluge. I hear screams, cut short as the water engulfs everything.
The flood races through the city, unstoppable, merciless. Fae of all kinds are swept away, their wings useless against the torrent. The water rises higher and higher, swallowing entire districts in seconds.
The vision fades, leaving me gasping, my heart pounding. I cannot stop it. Alana’s wall of water is already gathering pace, moving through the city.
And I have no choice but to let it.
She does not linger to witness the fruits of her destruction. Instead she swoops back down to the castle and strides through it as though it belongs to her.
I follow behind, unable to do anything but marvel at her power.
Every Shadowkind we pass, she shoots a bolt of purple smoke towards them. It paralyses them, and then they fall.
They are utterly defenceless. They have no magic, and they do not see their fate coming.
Perhaps they should have, and run when they had the chance.
As each falls, I stare into their vacant eyes and try to decide whether I care that they are dead. If there are feelings present, I can’t find them. So, instead, I focus on Alana.
“We should return to the roof and watch for Finn.” My wings flick out sideways as I try to keep up with her pace.
“I have somewhere else to go first.” She turns a corner. She is heading for the healing wing.
When she reaches it, she goes straight for the door to Raine’s room. My breath catches in my chest. She yanks the door open and screams, “Maura! Show yourself.”
I wait in the hallway, listening for screams or the sound of a battle.
Nothing comes.
Moments later, Alana marches back into the hall with fury in her eyes and on her skin. “They’ve gone,” she spits. “No matter. After this is over, I will find them.”
“She hurt you.” I catch Alana’s gaze.
“She destroyed me.” For a second, just one brief second, hurt swims in her eyes. But then she shakes it off, and the darkness returns.
“But before I can have vengeance, we must destroy Finn.”
She stops, as if the momentum in her stride has suddenly begun to waver. She inhales deeply. Is she forcing herself not to think of him? Or is she simply enjoying the raging waves of power that are surging through her body? “You’re right,” she says. “We should wait on the roof. We are not going to him. He will come to us. And I can’t think of a better place to end this. Can you?”
TWENTY-NINE
Briony
The sky is darkening. Grey and purple clouds swarm together above our heads. Thunder rumbles, like the sky is trying to split itself in two. Lightning. Not pale white but bright violet. It streaks across the sky, forking and carving out a path through the clouds.
Behind me, back at the castle, Alana’s power swells and grows.
“This is where I leave you.” Pria nods at me.
“Where are you going?”
She shakes her head. “No idea, and if I did know, it’s not likely I’d tell you.” She offers me a firm pat on the shoulder. “Good luck, Briony.”
I watch as she leaves, disappearing down a dark alleyway, then quicken my pace. I know where I am heading, and I cannot get there quickly enough.
