Page 66 of Between Fear and Favor

“Oh, but that’s not what I want at all,” the Supreme said. And to Nereza, “Summon his queen.”

The Nythyrian queen cleared her throat, as if she wanted to give the Supreme a piece of her mind, but instead, lifted her hands. Aurelia gasped as shadows poured from Nereza’s open palms.

The wolves hadn’t been the Supreme’s at all.

A dozen of them landed along the perimeter of the pit, snarling and snapping at each of us. The little girl screamed, shoving at Lasu to free herself. She slipped out of his grasp, and started to run.

“Grab her!” I shouted, lunging toward her myself, despite my distance. Because, while she’d run from the wolves she could see, she hadn’t known there were more creatures behind her.

Lasu dove for the little girl, and I lifted my hand, divine fire dancing on my palm. But one of the Supreme’s creatures jumped, its sharp teeth enclosing around my elbow. Screaming erupted around me as my soldiers were attacked. Using that divine fire, I rid myself of the wolf clinging to my flesh, but it didn’t stop the assault. I’d killed three of them before I had a chance to breathe, searching for the little girl.

I couldn’t see the child, but her mother was certainly dead. Two of the shadow beasts tore into her body, ripping the flesh from her bones. Lasu struck one with his club, though it did little to hinder their ravaging.

Em’s divine fire was the only thing that would stop them. And for every wolf I slaughtered, Nereza sent more. Within minutes, we’d all been shoved to the center of the pit. Elbow to elbow, I stood with my soldiers, flinching at each snap and snarl from the shadows.

“Give me your club,” I commanded Lasu, who faced the opposite direction. Between us, the body of the woman and the infant lay still and silent. I could only hope the toddler was beneath her mother’s body, protected from the horrors we’d just experienced and what was yet to come.

Lasu passed his weapon without question, and when I set it alight with my fire, it offered a brief glimmer of hope. It was too bad the rest of my soldiers only carried swords. Bleeding and broken, we fought, but with my divine fire as the only thing capable of stopping them, I wasn’t sure how long we’d last.

And as Nythyrian soldiers started shoving overpowered Vestians into the pit, and the screams grew louder, I knew that was the point. Though the Supreme didn’t know Em and I could feel each other’s emotions through the bond, something unheard of before between conduits, he knew she wouldn’t be able to ignore the tug of the bond as I used her divinity.

And when I’d felt her anger grow through our golden connection, her rage turning into a simmering confidence, I knew he was right. She was coming, and I couldn’t stop her.

But I wasn’t sure I wanted to.

With my head tipped back toward the sky, I sought comfort in the constellations. I closed my eyes, pouring all of my divinity into protecting those around me, prolonging our demise. I envisioned the ring of divine fire, its sweltering protection all I could offer for those who would die alongside me.

But when I heard an earth-shattering roar, I opened my eyes and found our salvation. I was certain my vision deceived me, the size of the opalescent creature soaring overhead much larger than possible. But it didn’t matter.

Damia, death-bringer.

The constellation of stars on Em’s shoulder lit the night sky behind her.

My dear heart had come—and she’d brought her dragons.

Chapter 33

EMMELINE

The air wascool but my fury kept me warm.

Irses, with his new ability, flew ahead of us. I knew he wouldn’t tolerate me leaving with Lux and not him, so I’d had to change him as I changed her. I was angry with myself for not thinking of it sooner. I’d created these beautiful creatures out of memory and shadow—and intent.

And I could make them better suited for battle in the same way.

This entire time, I’d been able to make more of a difference. My inaction, my stupidity, had enabled so much death.

But now, I thought of only one person, one death I could not allow.

With Rain in imminent danger, I didn’t have time to give the same treatment to all of my dragons, but I’d altered Lux and Irses to better protect them. I’d changed their scales, especially on their underbellies, making them thick enough to defend from the wicked, reaching spears the enemy was desperate to use.

And I’d more than doubled their sizes.

Irses had been my biggest dragon from the beginning, but now, he was large enough to intimidate even the most arrogant and thoughtless of monsters like Nereza and the Supreme. This high up, it was hard to tell how much bigger I had made him—he hadn’t been able to properly stretch his wings within the hollow. If we were to fly above the palace on a bright, sunny day, I wouldn’t be surprised if his wings cast the entire grounds in shadow.

But if Irses was massive, Lux was monstrous.

Riding between her shoulder blades on a makeshift saddle formed from shadow, I couldn’t quite wrap my head around her enormity. I wondered if I might have made a mistake. I was exhausted. My head ached because of the lengths I’d gone to between them.

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