The guards on the ground seemed to panic, running in every direction. They couldn’t see us high in the air; Hawthorne and Shadow blended with the clouds perfectly.
Great cracks appeared over the surface of the shield as though it were made of glass. The fireballs were destroying it!
‘It’s working!’ Fae yelled happily.
She whooped and cheered as I sent a rain of fire towards the ground, pummelling the shield mercilessly. It didn’t stand a chance. Within a minute, it flickered and died.
‘That was too easy,’ I said, my eyes narrowing on the Realm. My heart burned with hatred for every man and woman that worked for, or supported the Realm. With a shiver, I realised that I had become the very thing they’d depicted me to be. Violent and rebellious.
They deserved it.
The Realm had taken Helena, wiped her memories, and sold her into slavery. They’d done it to countless humans, and I would put a stop to it.
I thought back a few months ago, when I’d been upset about my parents setting the human-market alight. Even such a short time ago, I’d been opposed to such violence. What had changed?
Perhaps I had been away from Jack’s good nature for too long. Maybe Fae’s aggressive nature had influenced me.
Whatever the cause, I didn’t care. I wanted revenge.
Hawthorne flew me over the Realm Headquarters, above the great glass dome ceiling. I couldn’t see inside; the glass reflected the sky above. But it would shatter easily.
Summoning all the fire I could muster, I sent a great snake of flames towards the glass dome. The resulting crash was enough to blow the hair back from my face. The ceiling shattered into a thousand pieces, shards of glass flying in every direction, raining down upon everyone inside.
Now the way was clear, and I sent fiery rain upon the giant opening. Screams could be heard from inside, and I knew the building was filling with smoke. I felt no remorse.
Fae joined me, shooting arrows blindly into the broken ceiling.
‘Hey, Avalon,’ Fae said, her attention momentarily distracted. She was squinting towards the ground. ‘Do you see all those people?’
I looked down and was surprised to see swarms and swarms of people running towards the Realm. Hundreds of them poured out of houses and businesses, as though the beginning of the attack had summoned them. They surrounded the Realm gates; their tiny, pinprick faces staring up at me.
‘They’re not from the Realm,’ said Fae. ‘They’re outsiders.’
‘Do you think they’re protesters?’ I called back to Fae.
‘Maybe they heard you were coming and decided to help,’ she replied hopefully.
‘Well … no time to waste then.’ I said, digging my heels into Hawthorne’s sides, sending him into a steep dive. As we plummeted towards the ground, I ignited my hands in preparation. We pulled out of the dive at top speed, Hawthorne’s toes skimming the grass of the grounds. I took the split-second opportunity to send fireballs crashing into the wall of guards, setting their clothes alight.
Fae dived too, an arrow drawn in her bow, ready to be released. Shadow landed upon the ground with force, making the very ground quake. A guard launched himself at Fae with an enormous leap, to which Fae released her arrow, shooting it directly at his heart.
I watched as it sliced through the air towards him. I closed my eyes, unable to watch the inevitable penetration of his chest, but the scream never came.
Opening my eyes, I saw the same shield around the guard that had protected the Realm. A dark skinned girl had jumped forward and produced it just in time, saving her ally. I sent a continuous wave of fire at the shield, blasting it away.
Suddenly, a blow to the side of my body threw me from Hawthorne’s back, and I landed on the ground with a thud. The smell of the grass filled my nostrils before a mass of red pinned me to the ground. I’d been tackled right off Hawthorne’s back.
He pinned my wrists to the ground, a devilish smirk on his face. I did the first thing that came to my mind. I spat in his eye.
The Realm Official howled with pain and held his face, blinded by the molten lava, and I knew he’d never see out of that eye again.
I scrambled to my feet and jumped on Hawthorne’s back, threading my fingers through his fur for support. Hawthorne spread his wings and leapt from the ground, but was instantly weighed down by several Mages grabbing him by the legs. We spun, out of control, and hit the ground again. Hawthorne couldn’t handle so much weight.
Hawthorne snarled and snapped at the Mages who grabbed him, narrowly missing a guard’s fingers. I managed to dislodge one by kicking him in the face, but I was hesitant to shoot fire while they clung to Hawthorne, as I didn’t want to burn him.
I was saved when a large man punched and fought his way to my side. It was Dagon, and he could hit hard. Guards and Realm-men went flying, and were soon nothing more than a blur of colour.