Page 65 of Fated for Dawn

The army of the dead lurched forward, their vacant eyes locked on us as they shambled across the lawn. The stench of decay filled the air, making my stomach churn and my eyes water. It was like a scene ripped from the worst kind of horror movie, only this was terrifyingly real.

Eris’s smile widened, her eyes gleaming with triumph. “Do you see now, Evelyn? This is true power. The ability to command life and death itself.”

I clenched the hilt of my sword. “This isn’t power,” I spat. “It’s an abomination. Did you rob a cemetery?” I shouted, desperate to stall her and think of some way to stop this. “You disturbed those who rested for your own benefit. Only a monster would do that.”

Her laughter rang out, cold and sharp as shattered ice. “Oh, my dear. You understand so little. But you will learn.”

With a flick of her wrist, the undead ran faster in our direction. Students screamed, scrambling to get away as the corpses advanced with nightmarish coordination. SLEA agents rushed to form a barrier, their voices hoarse from shouting commands, but they were quickly overwhelmed by the sheer numbers.

I stood frozen for a moment, watching in horror as the army of corpses attacked the living.

Chad’s triumphant whoop cut through my shock. He had transformed into his hellhound form, leaping above me and landing amid the undead horde, snarling and snapping at the corpses as he tore into them.

I snapped back into action, igniting my sword with flames. With a wide arc, I sent a wave of fire and lightning into the oncoming horde. Corpses burned, their dry flesh catching quickly, but more kept coming, pressing forward without hesitation.

Around me, chaos continued as students ran to safety—it’s a good thing we had the evacuation tunnels. But some stood transfixed, apparently frozen by the nightmarish scene unfolding before them. Supernatural Law Enforcement Agency officers kept barking orders, struggling to keep order and engage the threat. Teachers had stepped forward to grab students and slice corpses with their magical powers.

Overhead, Ryker’s massive dragon form appeared, raining fire down on the army. Lucien tossed potions left and right, creating shields and explosions that repelled some of the undead, buying time.

Alister…where was Alister?

With my sword in hand, I sliced left and right and paved my way to join my friends and protect the students, too scared to retaliate. As I fought, I noticed Alister, sword in hand, fighting alongside the SLEA officers.

On the far side, I saw Adrien, Raven, and Viper holding their ground together. Adrien was conjuring shields, giving students precious seconds to escape while blocking the relentless horde, while Raven threw conjuring spells at them.

Glancing up, I saw Rafe and Zade diving through the sky, celestial energy blazing as they tore through the ranks of the undead. But for every corpse we took down, more seemed to materialize, filling the spaces we’d cleared.

“Chad!” I shouted over the chaos. “Cover me!”

He snapped his massive jaws around a corpse’s torso, ripping it in half before nodding in acknowledgment. Then, he lunged into a defensive stance in front of me.

I reached deep within myself, tapping into the well of power that had once freed spellbound civilians. It had worked before—I could do it again.

I pushed outward, sending a wave of golden energy surging across the battlefield. It pulsed over the horde…

But nothing happened.

The corpses didn’t falter. They just kept coming.

My power passed over them like they weren’t even there.

Because they weren’t.

They weren’t alive—they had no minds to free.

Frustration surged through me.

We were severely outnumbered, so taking a defensive position was pointless. I had to defeat the one conjuring the corpses. Clenching my jaw, I fought toward Eris, cutting through the horde as fast as possible.

She had retreated to the far end, watching the carnage with a serene smile. When our eyes met across the battlefield, her smile widened, chilling satisfaction gleaming in her expression.

“Is this the best you can do?” she called, her voice carrying effortlessly over the roar of battle. “I expected more from Hecate’s chosen.”

Fury erupted inside me. Lightning crackled along my sword as I channeled my magic into a single, massive bolt and hurled it at her. She deflected it with a casual flick of her wrist, like swatting away a fly.

“Oh, come now,” Eris taunted, her tone dripping with condescension. “Surely you can do better than that, Evelyn. Or has your spark already fizzled out?”

I gritted my teeth, my grip on the hilt of my sword tightening until my knuckles ached. Flames flickered along the blade, and I prepared to launch another strike when a piercing scream distracted me.

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