Ryder couldn't help with that. He couldn't attack other Nephilim. But since he hadn't been tasked with guarding the prison, he could leave with us. That didn't go against his orders, per se.
There was one guard remaining conscious as we walked out with the prisoners, the guard who had first freed me. He held out his hand. "Please, free us," he pleaded.
"I swear it."
THIRTY THREE
A World Of Sighs
ROSE
She gave me for my pains a world of sighs
— William Shakespeare, Othello
AS WE MARCHED through the golden hues of early morning to attack the Forgotten City, my heart sank lower into my chest. How could I do this? How could I sacrifice the lives of hundreds, maybe even thousands, to save Derek? But how could I watch him being tortured and do nothing to stop it? Resisting wouldn't save these people. They would still die at the hands of the Emzara under the will of Talon. Resisting would just end my family. Destroy my heart.
Talon walked beside me, the Orb that fed his powers attached to his staff and glowing in the morning light.
Behind us, the Emzara marched to battle, their faces expressionless, their eyes dead. They had no free will. No will at all but what Talon demanded of them.
But he couldn't control me with his Orb. Only with my heart. I still had my will. With part of my attention on our march to war, I split the rest of my attention off and dove into my inner world where all my magic dwelled. Where my animals lived. I had to find the control I needed or all would be lost.
The Emzara wasted no time in crashing through the stone gates that kept the Forgotten City safe.
I worked to keep my focus. I tried to wipe away my fear of shifting, when the were-pup I'd met earlier, Red's child, ran across the path.
Talon screamed, part animal, part human. "Kill them all. Spare none."
Emzara pulled out swords and attacked defenseless families, and one lunged toward the child in the street, who stood in animal form, big eyes staring at the Nephilim about to plunge a sword into his heart.
No matter the cost, I couldn't let Talon kill children. I threw myself in front of the were-pup and raised my hands, a gold glow of light streamed from me, protecting us from the death blow of the sword.
Talon roared. "You dare defy me? Your magic can't protect you."
I held the child in my arms, back turned to the Emzara. I had to find my power before it was too late.
"Leave my wife alone, Talon!"
Derek!
I looked up and saw Derek and Ryder running through the crowd with Drake, Beleth and a horde of prisoners following them.
But Talon had a much larger army, and so much power. "Emzara, capture Derek and bring him to me!"
The group surrounding Talon turned as one and surrounded Derek, who couldn't fight them all. His allies were fighting their own battles. One of the Emzara disarmed Derek and forced him to kneel. Talon walked to him and I jumped up, pushing the were-pup away with a plea to run and hide.
"Rose, you have defied me, and you must learn. Perhaps with your husband dead you will realize that fighting for others is futile. I am doing you a favor," he said, holding a sword to Derek's throat. "I am destroying the last of your weakness."
The blade dug into his throat, a line of blood forming. My heart constricted and I couldn't breathe. "No! Don't hurt him. Please."
I fell to my knees as one of the Emzara pushed me to the ground to force me to watch as they executed the man I loved.
Derek's beautiful blue eyes locked with mine and I saw the love he had for me. It welled inside of me and nearly crushed me with the weight of it. "You're strong, Rose. Even without me, you will survive and fight on. I love you. Forever."
I thought when Blake took my dark powers that I was free of the prophesy that said I would kill my first love. But it all came to this moment. My choices would be the death of Derek, even without those powers. There was no way to win.
I nearly gave up in that moment. My heart hurt too much. My life fell apart in fractals of broken hope.
But when I looked into Derek's eyes, I saw my own strength. I finally saw what he'd seen in me this whole time.
And the door that I'd shut in fear, the door that had kept me from my power, swung open, releasing everything I'd feared and craved in equal measure.
"Talon!" I screamed. He paused, his sword frozen as he looked over to me. His eyes widened.
My body shifted, changing, as I felt into each of my animal powers, taking the strongest, most powerful trait of each, doing something I'd never done before. I created a new shifting form, with the giant body of a bear, the giant head of a wolf, wings to carry me. I glowed silver like the moon, glorious and powerful.
I burst forward, shooting through the Emzara, and crashed into Talon, pinning him to the ground.
"Your reign of terror is over, Talon."
"How did you do that?" he asked, his voice full of awe despite the circumstances.
I tilted my head. "My power is pure. Yours is stolen. You can never hope to do what I have done."
He started shifting, his bones changing and cracking, fur growing. He was changing into the Beast.
"It's over!" I yelled.