Page 133 of Realm of Wind and Vines
It’s so abrupt that I almost barrel right into her.
Throwing myself sideways, I barely manage to jump out of the way and come to a halt a few steps from her instead. On her other side, Alistair stumbles upright as well.
“No,” Lavendera says. Shock laces that one word, and her face is full of disbelief as she stares at Isera and Orion.
They glance down at their own bodies, no doubt confirming that the slight shimmer, which is what people see from the inside of a glamour, is now gone. Then they turn slowly to face Lavendera.
“No!” she repeats. This time, the word rips out of her like a desperate scream.
“We’re getting you out,” I tell her.
Her gaze snaps to me, and fury burns in her pink and purple eyes. “I don’t want to get out! I can’t.”
“You don’t?—”
Branches shoot towards me. A gasp rips from my lips, and I throw myself to the side right before they can crash into my chest. Rolling across the cobblestones, I leap to my feet right as fire roars through the air.
“Get away from me!” Lavendera screams.
I stare in shock as trees and branches and roots shoot out from around Lavendera and stab out in all four directions towards all of us in one massive attack. Jumping back, I yank out my knife and slash at the branches that try to ensnare me.
A dragon roars overhead.
Snapping my gaze up, I find four silver dragons speeding across the rooftops. Winds slam down into the market square from their wings as they pass.
A second later, three black dragons explode into view atop the rooftops farther to my left.
Dread crashes over me.
No. No, no, no. This wasn’t supposed to happen.
Draven, Lyra, and Galen, now in their dragon forms, let out bellowing roars as they shoot up into the sky. The four silver dragons screech and turn sharply in the air, focusing on them instead.
Wings boom as Draven and the others fly towards them at full speed. Opening their jaws, they breathe massive torrents of fire that shoot straight towards the silver dragons.
I dive forward as another tree slams towards me.
Lavendera, standing in the middle of the open square, shoots attacks at all four of us at the same time. Massive trees and sharpbranches and tangling twigs flash through the air with terrifying precision.
Flames roar across the ground as Alistair tries to keep up with her rapid pace and burn the wood to ash before it can reach him. On my other side, Isera is yanking up sheets of ice one after the other to stop the attacks that just keep smacking right through her ice.
Orion leaps back, barely avoiding the branches that aim to trap his ankles, while casting alarmed glances at Lavendera. His eyes, which were glowing in the beginning, are not glowing anymore. Which can only mean one thing. Just like mine, his magic apparently doesn’t work on Lavendera.
Dragons roar above us, and ice flames crackle through the air above. I suck in a sharp breath and duck instinctively, but the silver dragons weren’t aiming at us. They were aiming at Draven.
Torrents of fire stream through the air, crashing into the ice flames, as Draven and the others block the attack.
Black storm clouds gather in the sky above. Thunder rumbles, joining the booming of wings and roaring of fire and ice, as Draven summons his magic.
I slash desperately at the branches before me as Lavendera intensifies her attacks. Branches shoot towards me like arrows, followed by entire trees. Forced to abandon my attempts with the knife, I instead focus solely on trying to evade the rapid onslaught. Leaping and twisting and ducking, I throw myself back and forth across the cobblestones to escape.
Alistair shoots massive waves of fire at the trees that crash over him while Isera slams up wall after wall of ice to protect herself. Across from me, Orion is leaping and ducking the branches as well.
Lightning cracks through the air above.
I suck in a sharp breath as the boom splits the air loudly enough to rattle the windows around us.
Draven roars and breathes more fire at his attackers whilestorm winds howl around him. Thunder and lightning echo between the stone houses as Draven spreads the black storm across half of the city. The dark clouds block out the sunlight, casting the square around us in murky darkness. From inside the buildings around us, people cry out in fear.
