Page 131 of Court of Lies and Deceit

“It’s here!” I scream. “The portal is here!”

Fire roars towards us. Draven shoves a storm wind straight at it, blowing the flames back at our enemies. They scream, and the winged serpent roars in fury as it’s forced to shoot upwards in the air to evade.

“The other side of the glen!” I yell over the howling winds.

Draven’s wings boom around us as he spins in the air towards the portal.

A blast of water slams into us from above.

I gasp, accidentally sucking cold water into my lungs, as the massive blast hits us so hard that we’re thrown straight out of the sky.

Draven wraps his wings around us as we crash down into the trees.

CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR

Grunts of pain rip from Draven’s chest as we slam into the mass of branches so hard that they crack and snap underneath us. His wings block out everything around me as we shoot downwards from the force of the hit and then slam into the ground.

I gasp as the air is knocked from my lungs. But Draven’s body took the brunt of the hit, and his wings protected us from the sharp branches when we fell. He draws in a strained breath as he unfurls his wings.

Sunlight hits me in the face. It streams down through the hole in the canopy that our bodies created, the light slightly distorted from the half-translucent dome above. I blink and struggle to my feet while Draven does the same next to me.

I turn towards him.

And dread explodes in my chest.

“Draven,” I gasp out. “Your wings.”

His massive black wings are ripped and torn in several places from the crash through the sharp branches. Blood slides down from the edges of some of the jagged tears.

He clenches his jaw. “I’m fine.”

A roar comes from above.

We throw ourselves to the side right before a stream of fire pours down through the hole in the canopy. Heat washes over us and embers sail up in the air. The torrent of fire ends when the winged serpent passes out of view and is forced to turn back to reach the hole in the treetops again.

But the attack did its damage.

The forest floor has caught fire.

My mouth dries out as I jump to my feet again and stare at the fire now spreading across the grass.

The winged serpent streaks past the hole with the riders on its back again, and lightning splits the air.

It cracks into the burning grass with an explosion that makes my ears ring. White light flashes before my eyes as our enemies manage another lightning bolt before their mount has passed the edges of the hole again.

Dark storm clouds start gathering around us.

“Selena!” Draven calls over the roaring flames. “You need to take out that winged serpent!”

My heart jerks. Me? How amIsupposed to take out?—

With a snarl, I cut the thought off before I can finish it.

I amnotthe weak link.

I can do this.

While blinking the flickering black afterimages of the lightning strike from my vision, I tilt my head back and summon my magic. Dark clouds spread out between the trees around us as Draven pours more power into his own magic. I drag in shallow breaths of scorching hot air as the fire rages around us.

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