Page 153 of Between Sun and Moon

Folkoln’s massive, black wings were spread out above us, gliding on the current as he flew us through the air. Each feather was rimmed in twinkling silver. The sight of them . . . it snatched the oxygen from my lungs.

They wereincredible.

Beautiful.

And apart from the glimmer of brilliant silver, they reminded me of Von’s.

I looked at Folkoln’s face, reminding myself that he was not Von, but what I saw in his eyes snapped me out of my spell. Reflected upon a canvas of black were colors that had no place being there—oranges, reds, and yellows.

Panic launched its mighty fist into my stomach as I turned my head.

Valenthia was on fire.

The once proud town that served as the central hub for the resistance had been reduced to flames and ash. The tents, the houses. Their strong frames that had borne the brunt of years of war had caved in on themselves. And the ones that hadn’t, the ones that were still burning, resembled little more than toothpicks. Smoke billowed into the air, signaling to the world the destruction that had taken place here. It was thick and heavy and it clogged up my lungs and irritated my eyes.

When we reached a spot where the dense smoke parted, that was when I saw them . . .

The charred corpses. Both big and small.

I screamed, tears brimming.

Devastation painted the ground before me.

And ravens—so manysoul-collecting ravens.

“Let me down!” I cried out.

“They have passed from this realm, Sage.”

“That . . . that can’t be.”

“I’m afraid it is,” he said, his voice surprisingly gentle. “By the looks of it, the army is tracking east.”

The army.

Realization dawned as sure as the morning sun I had grown to despise.

Aurelius. He had done this. He had brought his army here and caused this destruction, just as he’d said he would. But his soldiers were nowhere in sight, which meant they were on the move, sweeping across the Cursed Lands. Were my friends out there as well? Fighting or trying to help get the Cursed to safety?

I glanced down, scanning the ground below, the loss of life.

What if they were among them—

No!

I refused to believe that.They are alive, I told myself.And I need to get to them.

I looked eastward. The army had left one massive, scorched footprint behind. Urgency filled my voice. “We must follow them, Folkoln.”

“We will.” His wings flexed, shooting up and slamming back down with such tremendous strength that we catapulted forward at an incomprehensible speed. The grounds below became a blur of ash and despair, the same horrific message repeated over and over again.

Until it wasn’t. Until the world slowed.

My body went rigid.

War had come. And it had stained the world in blood and gore and sadness.

Cursed and Demi Gods collided, fighting with everything they had—magic, weapons, and fists. The ground, which should be blanketed in snow, had turned to mud from the heat of battle—of fire fighting fire.

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