Page 280 of A Flame of the Phoenix

“We have to eliminate this threat,” Faythe said.

“Agreed, but short of caving in the entire mountain, it’s going to be difficult to kill so many efficiently. This isn’t the only room of cages.”

Their eyes met, and Zaiana knew what the heir was about to say.

“Do you think you can cave in the mountain?”

Zaiana considered. Though she’d previously thought the idea pleasurable, the true possibility of watching this place collapse made her doubtful for a moment.

“If I had the ruin to amplify my magick, maybe,” she answered.

Zaiana’s mind began to flood with memories against her will. They weren’t all terrible, living here. There were moments she kept locked and treasured with her friends, Acelin, Kellias, Drya, Selain, Tynan, Amaya…Finnian.

This mountain was where she’d met him. The first time she’d fallen in love—her most forbidden secret. This mountain was where she’d killed him.

At that dark memory that slashed through anything warm, Zaiana’s resolve hardened. She said, “If we work together, both using lightning, it might be enough to bring this place down.”

Faythe’s expression firmed to determination with her nod. It was a monumental task—these mountains were huge and ancient. Even together, Zaiana wasn’t certain they could achieve the task.

Zaiana began leading them toward the best point of the mountain she believed would be the greatest impact point. The pit.

The lines of darklings were still there, as were all five masters. Zaiana whistled low in a three-beat sequence that echoed gently through the hall. Faythe passed her a questioning look, but it was answered by the stealthy appearance of Tynan and Amaya.

“You’ve been complaining about my company all this time when you brought your own?” Faythe said sourly.

“Unlike you, Tynan and Amaya know the layout of this place and are far more useful to me.” She turned to them. “We’re going to bring this place down, but we need to evacuate the darklings first. As many as we can.”

Tynan nodded. “We’ll start with the dorms and communal spaces.”

Amaya’s expression had turned ghostly. “Collapse the whole mountain? You can do that?”

“We’re going to find out.”

“What about the masters?” Tynan asked in concern.

“They’re mine.”

He looked about to protest, but he thought better than to underestimate her. “Where will the darklings go?”

“High Farrow,” Faythe said. “They’re innocents. We’ll keep them safe.”

That surprised Zaiana, and it worried her. She didn’t doubt Faythe’s word; the heir was a walking bleeding heart. But she did doubt the acceptance of the others, like Nikalias—and he was the king with the overruling authority to order them all dead.

For now, they didn’t have an alternative choice.

Zaiana nodded for Tynan to direct the darklings there for now.

They left swiftly, leaving Zaiana to calculate how she was going to get the ones below out of the storm they were about to unleash. The hole at the top of the pit would have to be their escape, and she hoped most, if not all, could actually fly. Sometimes the young were late in gaining the strength in their wings to carry them, or their wings never grew tall and wide enough to support them.

“What are you thinking?” Faythe asked, too close to her for comfort.

Zaiana considered Faythe, deeming she might actually be a great asset after all. “How many minds can you reach at once?” she asked.

“With the ruin, probably all of them. We should have brought one. Without it, maybe a dozen at a time.”

“They might not trust an unseen voice in their head, but I’m hoping they will once they see me. Tell the darklings to make their escape above when the fighting starts.”

Without another word, Zaiana boldly stepped out onto the balcony, first attracting the attention of Nephra, who blazed at the sight of her from a few balconies to her side. Zaiana smiled arrogantly, released her wings, and swooped down to the ground below.

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