Page 174 of A Fate of Ice and Lies
“See if you can find George, Everly, and my uncle,”I told Nalari.
Without replying, she raised her head and sniffed. Then she was in the air, leaving the three dragons at my side.
“Someone is coming,” I told the small group of fae. “A mage thousands of years old with an army of the creatures we’ve been fighting. Once we survive this, I’ll explain everything. But for now, we must do everything to kill her, or she’ll destroy our realm, as well as this one and every other.”
More fae ran toward us, each one learning about the upcoming battle. I searched the faces for my friends and kept glancing at the sky for Nalari.
The snow seemed to stop. Freeze the same way the humans had.
Then I heard her—that silken voice that made the hairs on my arms stand as snow began to fall once again.
“No more hiding,” she sang out. “No more lies.”
With one hand holding mine, Teddy used her other to grip my arm, digging her nails into my skin.
“The trees,” she whispered.
Hundreds of lirio stood in front of the trees. Just as thunder clapped, dozens of nyxx rose from the fallen snow.
“Elias.” Teddy’s voice cracked.
Despite her fear that clouded my senses, she let go of me to take out her gun once again. Her hands trembled, but she held it out, pointing toward the lirio, who still hadn’t moved. The nyxx held just as still while more thunder rumbled, growing closer.
The dragons inched away from us, their attention on the threat that still didn’t move.
When I pulled her behind me, the fae lined up to stand in front and around her, surrounding her like a shield. Hayden nodded at me.
“No one will hurt your mate,” he said.
I gripped his forearm before I drew my attention back to the unmoving nyxx.
“Nalari,”I sent through our connection.
A gray dragon flew from the horizon. He flapped his wings irregularly, as if each one pained more than the other. The lirio and nyxx gazed up to watch my uncle’s Guardian approach. One of the nyxx threw a spike made of ice toward Sama, but I used my magic to fog the spike and reduce it to steam. Still, Sama plunged toward the ground as if hit by an invisible weapon and crashed into the snow.
“Help him,”Nalari ordered.
The three dragons flew the short distance to Sama. The fae turned to me, their gazes jumping toward Teddy and Sama.
“Nalari said to help him,” Teddy said. “So we help him.”
With her gun at her side, she ran toward Sama with the fae still forming a shield around her.
Blood spilled from open wounds that resembled the bullet wound Brenton had received. I sent my magic through him, pulling out each bullet the same way I had Brenton’s. While the dragon healed himself, I noted thedifferent metals each bullet was made of, three of which were iron.
Lucky for Sama, iron wasn’t deadly to dragons. Only us fae.
More thunder exploded, this time closer, and when I braced myself for the incoming flock, I saw Nalari leading them. Hundreds of thunderbirds with Adela and the ones we’d freed flying alongside them.
That was all we had. A handful of fae, some dragons, a few hundred thunderbirds, and Teddy. It had to be enough.
Before the thunderbirds arrived, the nyxx barreled toward us. Teddy pushed past the fae who meant to keep her safe and when the fae looked at me for direction, I shook my head. For us to stand a chance, I had to allow the fae to fight without the restriction of protecting Teddy.
The fae fanned out, arranging themselves in the formation we’d been trained to do. Overhead, the thunderbirds struck, and several nyxx dissolved into nothing. More came, and I signaled for the archers to loosen their fiery arrows. Before any hit their mark, they stilled in the air and fell, their flames going out before they hit the ground.
An angry swirl of black ribboned in a circle between us and the creatures. The nyxx and lirio stopped to kneel before the black spiral. With a thunderous roar, Nalari blew fire at the creatures, and several thunderbirds also struck. Their attack ricochetted off a barrier that, when struck, shimmered into shades of black and gold.
With a haughty laugh, Leanora stepped through the thready black swirl with my parents, friends, and uncle at her side.
