Page 161 of The Last Valkyrie

As Dahlia crumpled in a heap, my mates and I were already sprinting forward with our weapons drawn, silent as death.

Kelvar vanished into a shadow and reappeared in Korvan’s, behind him. He twirled two daggers, crouched, and stabbed—

Just as Korvan spun and smacked the Whisperer across the face.

And he fuckingflew.

Kelvar landed at the feet of the jotnar, his cloak billowing around him before covering his body. The giants took a singlestep back and stared down at the Whisperer blankly, the looks on their faces judging him.

Gods, he’s fucking strong!

As my mates and I spread out and circled him, coming at Korvan all at once, I noticed a hitch in his step that hadn’t been there back in Selby Village.

He tried to ply his mindshaping magic on me, staring into my soul—

Then he grimaced, screwed his eyes shut, and shook his head. I didn’t even have to fight it off.

He saw the group of magic-wielders heading straight for him and hopped, slapping his wings on the ground and lifting himself twenty feet into the air.

My mates reached but missed—Magnus’ bloodblade, the swords of Arne, Grim, Magnus, and Corym, all sweeping past the mark.

Korvan’s eyes flared dark red.

“Watch out!” I screamed.

A stream of fire erupted from the dragonkin’s mouth and surged to the ground beneath him, billowing out in an explosion on all sides.

My men rolled and scattered. Magnus’ cloak singed and went up in flames, though Arne was quickly beside him, blanketing the fabric in sheets of water.

As my guys regained their balance, I threw my arms down and jolted up with my wings beating.

“Ravinica, no!” Sven cried out.

Wind sailed past my face and I met Korvan in the air.

My spear lunged, but with the strange weightlessness of being airborne, Korvan easily batted aside my thrust with his wing and dashed to my left.

He had more control with his wings, clearly, given his decades or centuries of experience with them. But I was fueledwith rage and animosity, and it helped me against the strange sluggishness that seemed to weigh him down.

The Runesphere . . . somehow?

Black energy rocketed from his sword in a swirl.

I dive-rolled to the right, banking hard on the wind and fluttering to stay aloft. My wings curved around me and absorbed the magic, but not before pain lanced through like I’d been shocked by electricity.

Wincing, fighting against the clattering of my teeth, I went upright, levitating with my wings taking an updraft and billowing out.

“It is not in your best interest to fight me, daughter,” Korvan growled with a cruel smile. “You cannot win.”

“Give me back my mother, you fucking fiend!”

He had gained the high ground—if there was such a thing when you had wings.

A spear of ice whizzed past Korvan and he stared down at my mates angrily. “Fools.”

Twirling his wrist, portals opened up on the ground. Rock-faced apparitions emerged from the half-dozen windows of blue light. They were vaguely humanoid, built of sheer stone like some sort of mad scientist’s automatons, and trudged toward my mates.

I gasped.

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