Wings of Tavea

Chapter TWENTY-FOUR

The Manor


ALCANDER, KIORA, AND DRUSTAN stood staring at the Manor from the other side of the pond. It was beautiful. The large house was surrounded by trees painted in fantastic fall colors. It shouldn’t have been pretty, Kiora thought, not when she knew what transpired inside.

“Something is very wrong,” Alcander said, stopping Kiora as she moved to walk around the pond. “Very.” His eyes darted around from within their bubble. “They are not bubbled. No protection of any sort, and yet they have been left alone for days.”

She hesitated. She didn’t want anything to be wrong; they couldn’t afford any more delays. But he was right. The situation smacked of something unseen.

Alcander turned in a slow circle, his eyes scanning the forest. “The Shadow’s forces want two things right now. ” Alcander said, trying to piece the puzzle together. “One is sitting in that Manor. So why have they left Emane there? And why, after Dralazar stole Emane out from under their noses and made them look like fools, have they not come for him?”

“Maybe that’s exactly why,” Drustan pointed out. “Would you want to tell the Shadow what happened? Maybe they kept their mouths shut to keep themselves alive.”

Alcander crouched down, still scanning, as if the change in height would allow him to see things more clearly. “I doubt that,” he said. “The Shadow always has men in place, men who are completely loyal. Nothing in this land goes unknown.”

Kiora stared at the Manor, closing her eyes as the puzzle piece Alcander sought slid into place. The Shadow wanted two things, true. But Kiora knew full well which one of their threads would have caught the Shadow’s attention when they came through the pass. “They are leaving Emane alone because there is something they want even more.” She looked at Alcander. “Me.”

He rose to his feet, swearing. “Mother of Creators, they are doing exactly what Dralazar is doing. It’s another cursed trap.”

“Dralazar is using Emane to draw me out, and the Shadow is using Dralazar,” Kiora said.

She heard Drustan growl as the sliver of hope she had held onto, that perhaps they would not be facing the Shadow at the Manor, flitted away.

“The Shadow’s forces will be around here somewhere,” Alcander said, his eyes flicking around the clearing. “If the past is any indicator, we are probably dealing with scouts. They will be watching for Kiora. Once they spot her, they will call in the rest as needed.”

“Are you sure?” Drustan asked.

“No. But it is unlikely they would station an army to hide in the woods for an unknown. There was no guarantee you would show up here,” he said to Kiora.

“It doesn’t really matter how many there are,” she said. “The second we drop our bubbles they will send for the rest. And then what? We can’t fight the Shadow and Dralazar.” If what Niall had said were true, they would be lucky to set eyes on the Shadow and live, let alone survive a battle.

Alcander’s head snapped up as if she had spoken something brilliant. “No, they will send for the rest if you drop your bubble. If I drop my bubble, they will come for me instead.”

“They would disobey an order from the Shadow?” Drustan asked.

Kiora thought she understood where Alcander was going. “It wouldn’t be disobeying an order if I wasn’t here.”

“Exactly. And if they are here, the price on my head should be tempting enough to draw them out.”

“How high a price?” Kiora asked.

Alcander crossed his arms. “They could probably buy their way into the new royal family.”

“And if they are not here?” Drustan questioned. “We lose the element of surprise.”

Kiora looked at the Manor. “The risk is worth it. Besides, the worst that happens if the scouts aren’t here is Dralazar comes out for Alcander. I can unbubble, and the battle happens regardless. Dralazar will not let Emane go without a fight.”

“And what about the giant dragon sleeping behind the Manor?” Drustan reminded them. “Do you think he will just let Alcander stand there while we wait to see if the unknown scouts appear?”

“He’s right,” Alcander admitted.

Kiora put her finger to her lip, tapping it as she thought. “Drustan,” she said, trying to project more confidence than she felt. “If you deal with Soolan while Alcander unbubbles, it will keep Alcander open. I can stay by him to help with the scouts. If they are here, we can stop them from delivering the message. If not, then Alcander and I will go in after Emane.” She looked to Drustan and then to Alcander. Both looked grim but nodded their approval.

As they moved closer to the manor, they sent Drustan out first. Shifting back into a dragon, he leapt out of the bubble, launching an attack on Soolan before the other dragon even woke. Soolan snarled and bellowed through the clearing as the two dragons rose into the air. Next, Alcander stepped out of the bubble. Kiora could feel movement within the manor. Dralazar was aware of them. A moment later two Taveans dropped their bubble at the tree line, grinning like red-eyed wolves. Both had long black hair, although one still had blond tips at the very end.

Alcander spun towards them, dropping into a crouch with his hands out.

“Well, well, well,” one yelled across the clearing. “What do we have here?”

Alcander turned his head slightly to the side, the shake of his head almost imperceptible. He didn’t want her to drop her bubble, not yet.

“Since when does the mighty Prince Alcander travel with Shifters?” the other asked as the two strolled across the grassy expanse.

“Lomay sent me after the Witow,” Alcander announced, still crouched. “It looks like you are here for the same.”

“If we wanted him, we would have taken him days ago,” the first said, stopping within a few feet of Alcander.

Alcander was pumping them for information. Kiora didn’t like it. The tension was crackling her nerves. Movement at a window of the Manor caught her attention as Layla pulled back the curtains to peek out.

“We are looking for something else,” the second one said, “but now we found you.”

He laughed. “If you think you can take me, then why are we all standing here?”

The two Taveans glanced at each other. He makes them nervous, Kiora realized. They aren’t sure what to do.

“The others will be here soon enough,” one said.

Alcander scoffed. “You haven’t called them, not when you could take me in all by yourselves. I have heard the reward is quite substantial.” Kiora saw what Alcander was looking for—confirmation in their eyes. They had not called anyone.

The two Taveans dropped low to match his stance, magic flickering across their fingers. “It is two against one, my prince,” the first one mocked. “Alive or dead, it makes no matter to us.”

“If I couldn’t win against two, I would have been dead a long time ago,” Alcander said. His wrist flicked, the other hand throwing a shield. The first shot sent one Tavean to his knees, while the other attack bounced off Alcander’s shield. Alcander leapt into the air, straddling the Tavean he had knocked down. Swiftly reaching down, he grabbed the Tavean’s head with both hands and twisted it violently to the side. His neck snapped as it broke.

Kiora’s body jerked at the violence. Swallowing back bile, she dropped her bubble to help. The other Tavean froze for a second, looking between Alcander and Kiora before he turned to run, throwing a bubble.

“Go get Emane,” Alcander yelled, sprinting past her after the Tavean. He flicked out a sphere, the light traveling in front of him and revealing the Tavean as he broke through the tree line.

She ran towards the Manor. If Alcander didn’t catch him, she had no idea how much time she had left. She was almost to the house when the two dragons careened towards her, Soolan spraying fire. Yelping, Kiora threw herself against the side of the Manor as a line of fire scorched the grass where she had just been standing. Drustan came in at an angle, gripping Soolan’s neck with his teeth and forcing him off course. Kiora leapt up. Pushing the door open she ran into the Manor. She followed the threads until she reached the room Emane was in.

Layla was waiting just inside, stationed between Kiora and Emane. Layla’s stance was wide, her arms straight out with her fingers spread in a magical threat.

“Layla,” Kiora said, skidding to a stop.

“Kiora,” Emane yelled, running to the bars. Kiora glanced at him. He looked healthy—good.

A dark, brooding laughter bubbled up from Dralazar, who was sitting calmly in an armchair by the fireplace. “What are you waiting for, Layla?” he asked. “Take care of your sister.”

Screaming, Layla spurted fire from her fingers. It caught Kiora off guard to actually see her sister do magic, but Layla’s attack was much slower than what she had been training with. Kiora threw up a shield, and the attack sheeted down the front like red water.

Kiora looked over at Dralazar. Why would he send Layla after her? Why was he just sitting there? Dralazar ran his fingers over the arms of his chair, a calculating smile on his face.

“Again, Layla,” he cooed.

Layla obeyed, attacking again. This time she darted to the side, trying to get around Kiora’s shield.

Dralazar didn’t just want her dead, she realized sickly. He wanted her to suffer.

Kiora moved her shield to the side. “Layla, please don’t do this. He knows you can’t beat me. He’s trying to force me to hurt you.”

Layla’s eyes blazed with a hatred Kiora had seen for years. But it burned brighter now, no doubt fueled by Dralazar. “Did he force you to leave us in the village when the dragons attacked?” she screamed. “Did he force you to leave us in the woods to be eaten by Hounds?” She threw out more fire.

“Kiora!” Emane yelled again. “Get out of here!”

Dralazar laughed at the show.

Kiora looked between the three. She didn’t have time for this. She didn’t want to hurt Layla, but she couldn’t stand here fending off attacks until the Shadow came. Grabbing the wind, she pushed it forward with a grunt, picking up Layla and throwing her across the room. She landed hard, sliding across the floor before cracking her head on the fireplace.

Kiora held her breath. Layla’s thread stayed strong, but she didn’t move.

Dralazar looked down at Layla, groaning as if highly annoyed, and pushed himself from the chair. Kiora put one foot behind her, preparing to throw her first attack when the Manor groaned and popped in protest. Splintering pieces of wood and dirt rained down on them. Kiora shrieked, covering her head with a shield.

Dralazar whirled, roaring at the ceiling. “Soolan! You idiot dragon, get off the roof!”

The roof cracked open as one giant dragon foot broke through, sending a large beam plummeting towards them. Kiora dove out of the way, and the beam landed between her and Dralazar. Soolan’s snout poked through the hole, preparing to breath fire.

Dralazar yelled. Soolan’s fire wouldn’t just take out Kiora. He took a shot at the underside of Soolan’s jaw, redirecting the fiery attack and sending it careening into the curtains, which went up like tender.

Drustan’s thread reappeared overhead, and Soolan roared in pain. The volume of it rattled the windows and door. Soolan’s foot and snout yanked itself free of the roof as the dragons took the fight back to the air.

“Drustan,” Dralazar growled, glaring at the hole Soolan had left behind.

Kiora took advantage of the chaos and ran towards Emane.

“You have to get out of here,” he shouted frantically.

She put her hand out to grab the bars.

“Don’t,” Emane shouted. “You can’t touch them.”

She pulled back, looking over the crackling red cell.

Emane reached through the bars, grabbing her arm. “Kiora, you have to go! I know you feel my pain. Please, go. If Dralazar figures it out—”

She shook her head, “I fixed it. I have to get you out of here.” Something slammed into her shoulder like a red-hot hammer. She jerked forward, the motion pulling Emane’s arm through one of the bars. He fell backwards, his skin flayed open from elbow to wrist, blackened. He twisted, biting back his cry as his eyes ran frantically over Kiora. She could see relief flood him as he grabbed his arm to heal it.

Kiora turned, trying to ignore the throbbing in her shoulder as she threw a shield a second before Dralazar’s next attack hit.

“Was he telling you what a marvelous healer he is?” Dralazar asked, lobbing magic from both hands before holding up his once wounded hand and wiggling his fingers.

She turned her head to look back at Emane. His arm was nearly healed as he looked up at her from underneath his hair. “I’m sorry,” he said. “It was the only way I could make it stop. I couldn’t let him hurt you anymore.”

Dralazar doubled his power, and his red magic began to burn through her shield. A hole opened and a blast slashed down her arm. She screamed. Bubbling, she scrambled to her feet and ran.

Dralazar spun around, laughing as if he hadn’t had this much fun in years. “Hiding, Kiora? Is that the best you can do?”

She was already angry at Dralazar, but the thought of Emane lying there, tortured, and feeling her feeling it as well—her ears burned with rage. Moving to the curtains, she dropped her bubble. She swept the fire across the floor towards Dralazar.

Dralazar called wind, pushing the fire back towards her. In a split second decision, she dropped to her knees and redirected the wind. The fire followed the path, burning a circle around her.

“You’ve been training,” Dralazar said. “But you forget, I can control all four elements as well.”

* * *

ALCANDER RACED THROUGH THE forest, sending out another sphere to track down the Tavean. Nothing. He leapt into one of the trees. Pulling himself up several branches, he sent out a second sphere. This one was larger and burst out in a circle. He searched as his magic rushed through the trees. There, to the left.

He sent a burst of magical attacks volleying into the sky as he leapt down and ran in the new direction. He heard the Tavean yell as one of his attacks struck him, sending him face first into the dirt. The Tavean looked over his shoulder, throwing an attack with one hand while using the other to push himself up.

Alcander put up a hand shield, knocking the attack to the side while leaping over a fallen log. The Tavean tried to put up another bubble, but Alcander was too close—the Tavean should have known better. Alcander spread out both hands, shooting a spray of magic. The bubble popped almost instantly. The Tavean turned, firing a similar shot, forcing Alcander to put up a shield.

* * *

ANOTHER BEAM FELL FROM the ceiling, this one crashing through Emane’s cage. The bars sizzled and snapped from contact with the wood, smoke already beginning to curl upward. Emane scrambled back, nearly falling into the bars again. She had to get him out of there.

Kiora rolled forward, firing a shot that knocked Dralazar’s feet out from underneath him. He threw a shot from where he lay before leaping to his feet.

Smoke filled the room, and fire danced up and around the walls and ceiling. The floor was still burning in spots. Kiora was running out of time even faster than she had thought.

“I think,” Dralazar said, stalking towards her, “I am done playing games.”

Games. Kiora jolted. That was exactly what she was doing. She was still holding back, even with Emane’s life at stake. She had to turn it off—the fear, the guilt, everything. Dropping down, she placed her hand on the floor, willing it to move. The ground rolled in response, bucking up the wooden floorboards and spilling Dralazar backwards.

His hand flung out as he snarled, spiraling splinters of flaming wood and ash towards her. She put her hands up, willing the attack to stop. Her arms were shaking from her injuries, and sweat dripped between her shoulder blades. The wood and ash hung in the air between them for a moment, each shoving against the other’s power. Dralazar suddenly dropped his resistance, throwing a quick shield as the wood rushed back to him. Then he dropped his shield and flung his arm to the side, sending Kiora flying into a wall. She yelled as she cracked against it.

“You are a very foolish girl,” he yelled. “And I think it’s time you pay for it.” She struggled against his magic, but he pinned her hands to the wall.

He glanced over with a smile as Layla stumbled to her feet, her hand on her head. The magic that had been holding Kiora to the wall threw her to the floor, pushing her between Layla and Emane. She struggled to her feet as Dralazar shouted over the crackling fire and creaking wood. “Listen very carefully, Kiora. I am giving you a choice of who lives and who dies.” He strutted in front of her, both his arms out—one pointed at Layla, one at Emane.

Kiora’s hand started to come up but Dralazar stopped her. “If you are busy attacking me, they both die.”

She stopped. The scene was very reminiscent of the woods in Meros. Only then Eleana had known Dralazar’s magic wouldn’t work from his wounded hand. Now his hand was very much healed.

“Dralazar?” Layla asked hesitantly, her eyes darting nervously between he and Kiora.

“I’m sorry, my love. But you were good for one thing and one thing only: hurting Kiora. And now you will fulfill your role. Choose, Kiora! Who will you save, your Protector or your sister?” With no more warning, two spires of red magic flew in opposite directions.

Kiora only had time to glance at the horrified look on Layla’s face before she threw herself and a shield in front of Emane. Layla screamed, falling to her knees as Dralazar’s magic shuddered through her. Another second and her body fell, limp and disjointed, to the ground. Kiora cried out as her sister’s thread silenced. She had chosen Emane over her own family. Shame washed over her.

“I can’t say I am surprised.” Dralazar laughed at her pain. “And I doubt Layla was either.”

Kiora stood, rage eliciting a screaming sound she had never heard herself make. She dropped her shield, using both hands to fire shot after shot at Dralazar’s shield. She fired, harder and faster until he couldn’t see anything past the magic raining down in front of him.

Putting up a bubble, Kiora leapt over a burning hole in the floor and circled Dralazar. Dropping her bubble, she forced more magic than she thought possible through her hands—straight into Dralazar’s back. He stiffened before falling forward. He wasn’t dead, but his breathing was shallow. The bars on Emane’s cage flickered.

* * *

RUNNING, THE TAVEAN SHOT burning blue over his shoulder. It sent Alcander sprawling, his leg sliced open along his shin. He swore, dragging himself up. He ran through the trees, blood pooling in his shoe as he went.

When Alcander caught sight of him, the Tavean was in front of two small tents, leaning over a basin on a four-legged stand. The Tavean looked up, breathing heavily and grinning. “They are coming.”

Alcander bellowed. He sent the basin flying into a tree as he leapt on the Tavean, pushing him to the ground. He grabbed the Tavean by the face, sending painful bursts of magic though him. “Who did you call?” he yelled. “How long until they get here?”

The Tavean twisted to free himself, magic popping around his fingertips but sputtering out under Alcander’s magical barrage.

“Who?” he demanded again, pushing more magic through. Blood began to run from the corners of the Tavean’s eyes.

“The Shadow,” he choked out. “The Shadow wants her.” He coughed, spattering blood across Alcander’s chest. “You’re all dead.”

* * *

KIORA WAS RAISING HER hand for another attack when the back half of the room collapsed beneath a falling dragon. Ceiling beams and pieces of burning roof clattered down. She heard Emane calling for her as she stumbled forward, coughing and hacking through the smoke and fire.

On the other side of the room, the two dragons struggled. Drustan pushed Soolan off with his back legs as they stumbled back outside, snapping and slashing at each other.

She reached out for Dralazar’s thread. He was still alive. Dralazar rose from the smoke, already healed. She heard, more than saw, the size of the attack he was launching. Using everything she had, her shield roared forth with a boom, much like the shield she had thrown on the island. The attack still sizzled and seared on the outside, threatening to break through.

She coughed into her sleeve, trying to wipe her burning eyes before looking back at Dralazar. The hole in the side of the Manor had helped to clear some of the smoke, but the breeze from outside was quickening the fire’s work on the rest of the Manor. Kiora felt her magic lessen, and she looked down at her hands. It was just like Niall had said. She was out of time. Her magic dropped again and panic surged through her. The Shadow was coming. She had to get Emane out, and she could think of only one way to get those bars down.

She looked at Emane. He saw everything—both the pain and her remaining indecision.

He gave one slow nod.

As her mind revolted, she heard Arturo’s words in her mind. The ones he had spoken to her the first time she had intentionally killed. They have murdered hundreds of thousands of innocent creatures because of what they believe. And they will continue to murder until there is nothing left. If you stand by and allow them to do as they wish, are you not as guilty as they?

Kiora knew with sinking certainty—Dralazar had to die. He had killed thousands, and would continue to kill more unless she stopped him.

She waited until his attack stopped before dropping her shield and doing the last thing he would have expected. She ran straight at him, spiraling blue cords from her fingers, wrapping his arms to his side. She dumped what magic she had left into the bands, pulling them tight around him.

For the first time, Dralazar looked unsure.

“Release Emane,” she demanded.

He struggled against her bands, which weakened under his attempt to break free. She didn’t have much longer. Suddenly Dralazar yelled in pain, jerking sharply to one side. She looked down to see Emane’s dagger sticking out of his leg.

Her head snapped to Emane, who had his hand outstretched, calling his sword to him out of the rubble. She hadn’t known he could do that.

“Are you going to kill me, Kiora?” Dralazar grunted as she tightened the cords. “I don’t think you have it in you.”

The next drop in magic was substantial, and Dralazar looked down at his hands as well. Kiora knew she didn’t have enough left in her for a killing shot. “You have killed, tortured, and manipulated.” Her voice shook as she tried to steel herself for her next move. “You have trapped an entire valley for your own purposes. If I let you live—” she choked back a sob as a single soot-filled tear ran down her cheek, “I am no better than you.” With a thought, she picked up a burning piece of timber and sent it flying straight through his back. The blackened piece of wood punched through him, protruding from his stomach.

She stepped back, releasing her hold. Dralazar grabbed at the wood as he dropped to his knees, blood gurgling out of his mouth and down his chin. He put his hands flat against his stomach, trying to heal himself, but she felt her magic drop nearly to nothing. He didn’t have enough left, not now.

The bars of Emane’s cage flickered and vanished as Dralazar collapsed on the ground. Choking on smoke and emotions, she ran towards Emane, leaping over a small river of flame that was inching towards her. Grabbing her, he wrapped his arms around her. She buried her head in his shoulder. It felt so good to be near him again.

* * *

KIORA AND EMANE BURST out of the Manor as Alcander came hurtling towards them. Drustan roared from above, “Look out!”

Alcander looked up to see a lifeless dragon tumbling from the sky. He ran forward as Soolan crashed behind him, his underbelly shredded and a gaping hole where his heart used to be.

“Dralazar?” Alcander asked, sliding to a stop and breathing hard.

“He’s dead,” Kiora said thickly.

He nodded his approval. “The Shadow is on its way—I was too late. Drustan!” he roared to the sky. “We need an escape route, fast!”

Drustan landed in front of them. Alcander pushed Kiora up the tail, Emane right behind her. Alcander sprinted around the side of the dragon, leaping up and landing in front of Kiora. “Go!” he yelled, looking over his shoulder at the black cloud rolling in, just as Niall had described it.

Drustan took off as the last of the magic drained from Kiora. The familiar, yet unwelcomed feeling, brought her back from her grief. She was a Witow, and totally helpless. They all were.

“Faster, Drustan,” Alcander yelled.

Kiora could feel Drustan’s muscles straining underneath her, pumping his wings with everything he had. She watched the blackness swallow the Manor behind them.

“There is no way we can outrun this thing,” she said, looking frantically around. Another idea entered her mind—it was madness. But the options were limited. And by limited she meant: certain death regardless of the choice. “Drustan, go for the lake.”

The lake was more of a pond between the Manor and the tree line. Alcander spun around, looking at her like she was mad. Emane and Drustan didn’t question her—which made her feel worse about possibly drowning them all.

The Shadow was closing the distance fast, and Drustan dove without hesitation into the lake. After passing the surface, Kiora felt a tingle of magic. As they cut deeper through the water, the pressure on her ears increased exponentially, as did her magic. She used the last of her air to say the incantation, forming an air bubble around the four of them. Above them the Shadow drifted over the lake, leaving them in total blackness.

Kiora couldn’t see anything, but she was sure they all sat with their necks craned towards the surface, waiting to see if the Shadow would reach down for them.

“How did you know?” Alcander asked, breaking the silence. “How did you know that would work?”

She was quiet for a minute. “I didn’t.”

“Why would you even think it would work?” he pushed.

“I don’t know,” she admitted. “Sometimes I get feelings or thoughts, only they don’t feel like mine. They are almost like someone else’s memories.” Like a vision without the pictures, she thought. Thankfully, no one pointed out what they were all thinking. If her thoughts had been no more than her own silly thoughts, they would have drowned.

They waited under the water, settled on the bottom, until long after the Shadow had left. Without the Shadow’s covering, light sliced through the water, illuminating their surroundings. Kiora was grateful all she saw were fish, no mermaids.

“All right,” she finally said. “I’ll pop the air bubble and replace it with a normal bubble. Drustan, can you swim us to the top as fast as you can?”

“Of course.”

“What if the Shadow is waiting?” Alcander asked.

Kiora looked at him helplessly and shrugged. “Then the bubble will pop when we leave the water. I don’t know what else to do. We can’t stay down here forever.”

Alcander shook his head, rolling his eyes to the heavens as if looking for divine help.

“Just trust her,” Emane said, wrapping his arm around her waist. “She did just save us all.”

Alcander’s eyes glanced at Emane’s arm, his lips tightening to a thin line. Turning around he asked, “How fast can Dragons swim?”

“Make sure you have a good hold,” Drustan answered.

The four took a deep breath as Kiora disabled the spell and put up a concealment bubble. Drustan kicked off the bottom with his powerful back legs and sped towards the surface, the force of the water threatening to pull them off his back.

Kiora’s lungs burned as they exploded from the lake, moving straight into the sky. An audible sigh of relief issued forth from all.

“Where to?” Drustan asked.

She looked around, completely unfamiliar with the area. “Alcander?”

He scanned the ground before pointing to some rocky outcroppings barely visible to the North. “There. It’s the highest ground I see.”

Drustan made a slight adjustment in his heading.

As the tension finally dissipated, Emane spoke up. “Thank you, all of you.”

“You didn’t think we would leave you there, did you?” she asked.

“I had hoped you would, for your sakes. But no, I didn’t think you would.”

“We can’t lose the Protector now,” Drustan said, “we just got started!”

Emane groaned. “How is it, after what we just went through, you can still be enthusiastic?”

“Dralazar is dead—I have much to be enthusiastic for.”

Dralazar was dead, at her hand. The look in his eyes as he dropped to his knees would probably haunt her dreams forever.

Emane placed his hand on her shoulder. “I am sorry about your sister.”

Alcander joined the sentiment. “Truly, Kiora, I am sorry as well.”

When she didn’t say anything, Emane leaned forward. “Kiora, it wasn’t your fault,” he said, somehow knowing her thoughts despite their severed connection. “She chose her side. You did what you had to.”

Her heart constricted. “I know,” she said, even though she wasn’t sure she did. “I lost Layla a long time ago.”

They flew silently for a moment before Drustan said, “So that was the Shadow. Didn’t look so bad.”

She smiled at Drustan’s attempt to lighten the mood “Not bad at all. Should be incredibly easy to get the lights back.”

THE END

Coming soon

Wings of Nestor


ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Devri Walls is the author of Solus Series as well as a brand new children’s book entitled Monster Security Services.

Devri lives in Kuna, ID with her husband, two kids and one very bouncy lab. After suffering from an abundance of creativity with not enough places to put it, she turned to writing. Which in the end, turned out to be exactly where she should have been putting it all along.