by Devri Walls
They were shoved further away from the section of lake that Arturo had been aiming for, and Kiora was lifted off his back. She clung to his mane to keep herself from flying off. She had to find the Omelians and break the connection between them.
They have to be here somewhere, she thought. Maybe on a boat. Neither the Illusionist nor the Omelians can fly—it’s the only way they could get this far out onto the lake.
I can’t . . . do this. Arturo pushed his head into the wind, flapping as hard as he could. It’s too . . . His thought cut off and they continued to slide backwards despite his efforts.
Kiora covered her face with her arm, looking down at the drop between her and the water below. Let’s hope they didn’t waste energy putting up an illusion where no one could see.
Be careful!
I will. Get out of here. Kiora sent out a burst of light meant to blind anyone looking at them. It flared white. Kiora threw herself off Arturo, diving toward the lake. Arturo turned, allowing the wind to carry him away.
The fall was longer than she had thought and her feet came over her head. She slammed into the water, her back and side taking the hit. From the height she had fallen, it felt like she landed on solid ground.
Seeing stars, she struggled in the freezing water, putting up a regular bubble to conceal her thread before adding an air bubble that enclosed only her head. The gasp and cry of pain she had been holding expelled as soon as the air bubbled sealed.
She looked around, her mouth gapping at what she saw.
The lake rippled with waves from the wind, just as she had seen from the air and just as it was in reality. But in front of her, the waves stopped, and in their place, an ice bridge led all the way to the mainland shore.
She was sinking, rapidly, her wet clothes pulling her down. She struggled to take off her boots—finally she unlaced them and kicked them off. She shrugged out of her heavy coat.
The freezing wind was not being used to make the rebels uncomfortable, or to speed the enemy’s forces. The Omelians were freezing a passageway for the rest of the army that couldn’t fly, a land passage to bypass the water buffer. And the Illusionist was not only adding forces in the sky—it was concealing the Omelians’ efforts.
With the air bubble only around her head, she could still swim, and she paddled toward the bridge. It was probably fifteen feet wide and thick enough to support the weight of an army. She peered up through the thick ice, trying to ignore her chattering teeth. The distinctive outline of the Omelians’ three-toed ostrich feet stood out clearly next to the dark shape of the Illusionist.
The Omelians stood in a circle, holding hands. She needed to separate them. And then she needed to break this bridge before the forces from the mainland came marching across the lake.
***
DRAGON FIRE SEARED EMANE’S torso and down his leg. He howled, falling forward. His Marlock bellowed and fell to the sand, writhing in agony, Emane’s burned leg pinned beneath him.
The Shifter-Dragon moved toward Emane, malice glittering in its eyes. This particular Shifter had come in for an attack and bounced off one of its dead comrades that the rebels had not been able to remove from the spears. The Dragon’s head pulled back as its chest puffed in preparation—there was nothing Emane could do. He struggled one last time beneath the weight of the Marlock, but it was fruitless. The animal was in the throes of agony.
The Dragon released its torrent of fire.
Emane threw his arm over his face, turning away. Of all the ways to die, by fire was the one he most feared. A yell of terror lodged in his throat. Emane heard the fire connect—the boom, the hissing, but felt nothing. Pulling back his arm, he looked up to see a shield covering him. The fire rolled across it, inches from his face.
His lungs screamed for air, but the shock of near death rendered him unable to breathe. Emane slowly turned his head to see an Omelian protecting him.
The Shifter-Dragon turned with a roar toward the Omelian, who took off at a dead run across the island, firing magic over his shoulder The Shifter-Dragon pounded down the beach in pursuit.
Emane sucked in mouthfuls of air and healed the Marlock’s side. “Get off!” he groaned, pushing at the animal.
The Marlock cooed in delight and rolled to its feet.
As Emane healed himself, he was acutely aware of every drop of magic he had used, and how much he had left. He had done everything within his power not to do any healing—even turning away a rebel whose injuries were not serious enough. He had no idea what each minute could bring and he didn’t want to be found wanting if an emergency presented itself.
Emane pulled himself back on his Marlock, turned the beast, and charged straight at another Shifter-Dragon who was trying to burn down the stakes.
***
ALCANDER GRABBED HIS STAFF just before it hit the surface of the lake. He and his fellow Taveans were nearly surrounded. Magic and fire were exchanged in short range and the rebel Taveans backed themselves into a circle in the air, facing out to return fire.
The enemy tightened in a circle around them. But then the attack suddenly ceased. Alcander looked around, trying to ascertain what was going on.
Each of the Shifter-Dragons puffed up their chests.
“Shields!” Alcander yelled.
He was worried his voice didn’t make it over the wind, but the rebel Taveans’ shields burst out, butting up against one another’s and connecting at the edges, sealing their little force within. Alcander added the power of the staff to the shield.
Shifter-Dragons launched their attack. Their shields changed to red, yellow, and orange as fire encased them. The attack went on for minutes without respite. The shields thinned in places as their magical reserves waned. Little holes opened up beneath the attacks, allowing fire to lick through before someone in the group could reinforce the breach.
Alcander had been in some dire straits, but this one was worse. Inside the rounded shield, the shouts of encouragement fell silent. As their leader, he felt like he should say something, but there was nothing. Anything would have sounded like a good-bye—which is exactly what it was.
***
EMANE CHARGED, SLICING A Tavean in half with his sword. But then, every head turned, their attention on the backside of the island. Even his Marlock slowed to a slow lope
He tried to determine the source of interest, but couldn’t see anything besides the island and the watery barrier above. Everyone else was surely feeling threads while he was forced to wait until he could see whatever they already knew was there.
He feared it was Jasmine. But instead of a dark- haired female figure, the long, stretched-out bodies of Dragons silhouetted against the water barrier above. One after another they shot overhead, heading toward the air battle.
At first, Emane thought it was more Shifter-Dragons come to join the fight. But then the rebels cheered, waving their swords in triumph in the air, and Emane realized that Kiora’s impact on others had once again come into play. The Dragons were here to help.
***
THE FIRE OUTSIDE THE shield suddenly cut off, and for a second, Alcander thought the enemy was regrouping for another attack—which his force couldn’t handle—when he felt the threads. He shook his head slowly, disbelieving. His fellow Taveans shared the same stunned look.
The Dragons roared, their voices blending together in horrifying, unified musicality. Alcander felt the vibrations to his bones. They were here—the Dragons were finally entering the fight.
He dropped his shield as the Shifter-Dragons turned to face the new, and infinitely more dangerous, threat.
The Dragon colony ripped through the ranks, slamming into the enemy, blowing fire, grappling with their claws, dealing death blows.
The rebel Shifters and Taveans cheered, feeling hope for the first time since the threads of the enemy had first appeared in the sky. With a shout, Alcander dove back into the fray.
***
KIORA FELT THE DRAGONS arrive and paused for a moment, emotio
n and gratitude choking her up. Then the Omelian feet above her moved, turning, and the ice bridge that had been consistently inching forward stopped as the freezing wind was redirected.
Up until now, the Omelians had just been hindering the efforts above, focusing much of their power into using the wind to freeze the surface of the water to create their bridge. Now the wind was refocused. They used their full capacity to knock out everyone in the sky, on their side or not.
Kiora quickly decided on a course of action. She ignored the painful tingling in her extremities and thrust her arms out. Walls of water burst through the surface on either side of the bridge and straight into the air.
From beneath the ice, she couldn’t tell how tall the waves were, so she kept pumping water into them, ensuring the force would be enough, and released them. Tons of water dropped straight down, splintering the ice bridge. Immense pieces of ice plunged down into the lake like sleek underwater ships.
A section of the bridge remained above water, and the Illusionist and Omelians continued their assault from it.
Flipping her body around, Kiora magically grabbed hold of multiple pieces of Dragon-sized icebergs, pulling them toward her. She kicked out of the way, her numb legs aching in protest. She positioned the jagged ice pieces beneath the Omelians and the Illusionist, then shoved them upwards with a grunt.
The displaced water shoved her farther away as the ice from below pushed through—splitting the large berg into multiple pieces.
An Omelian slid into the water. He was dressed in a resplendent cloak that covered his ostrich body completely. It was heavy and pulled him down. Kiora pushed one of the giant pieces of ice toward him, shoving him farther down until he disappeared in the dark water.
The rest of the Omelians and the Illusionist clung to a large piece of ice that was tipped up on end. The berg hung there, perfectly balanced for a moment, before it began to fall. It careened back toward the lake, slamming down with a thunderous underwater boom.
To Kiora’s dismay, the Omelians and the Illusionist were still safe above the surface. She took control of the ice they were on, pulling the edges down and attempting to spill them into the water. Two more Omelians slid in, their ostrich feet kicking frantically, but their waterlogged cloaks hindered their efforts. One shot a magical barbed arrow at her, but it went wide. Kiora used the water to push them away from her and out of range.
***
THE INCOMING FORCES OF the enemy finally waned and the rebels on the beach fought with renewed vigor. Without reinforcements, the last of the enemy that had managed to land on the beach was dispatched and the rebels turned their attention to the sky. The Dragons made quick work of their imitators—Shifter-Dragons fell from the sky, crashing into the water barrier and the lake. Emane’s heart soared as the tides turned.
No sooner had he allowed himself to relax than the island went dark. The eyes of the celebrating rebels turned skyward. Above them, hundreds of Winged people un-bubbled, blocking the little light that had been filtering through the water barrier.
Emane ran toward the Domats that were manning the oculus. He leaped over tree stumps and dead bodies, yelling, “Shields!”
The Domats put up their shields and adjusted the spears to ensure that no one passed through. The spears were so long and heavy, it took two Domats to each cart to keep them steady.
The Winged people circled, looking for a weakness. It wasn’t long until the first one found the oculus. He dropped through, firing magic as he went.
Emane crouched, holding his shield over his head. The pounding of attack magic vibrated through his arm and up his shoulder.
The wind that had been berating them since the fight had vanished. With sickening clarity, he heard the Winged man being run through with the spear.
Emane ran over as two of the Domats yanked the wheeled spear backwards. Another Domat immediately pushed another spear forward, filling the hole, just as they had practiced. Emane grabbed the Winged man by his limp arms, looking away from the man’s bloody, gaping mouth as he tugged him off the spear.
The hole above had been left intentionally small, only meant for one at time. But the flying foxes and Shifter-Dragons the rebels had sent up were much larger than the Winged people coming through, and three more dropped through the hole.
Emane pulled back his bow, taking out one man while the other two speared themselves on the rebels’ unexpected defenses.
Faces from above, having felt the immediate loss of life, looked down to ascertain the situation. Emane pulled back an arrow, waiting.
Instead, the Winged people retreated from the oculus. One dove straight into the watery barrier, trying to break through. She was immediately swept up by the current, her blond hair spinning. More entered the water barrier. Each was caught up like the last, joining the dead Shifter-Dragons.
***
THE WIND WAS ATROCIOUS. The fighting had all but stopped as everyone’s efforts turned to simply staying in the air as they were hurled about by the freezing, brutal gales. There was no pattern or flow to the gusts and it pushed and pulled, making it impossible to turn. Alcander lay flat against his fox, clutching the fur. They spiraled close to one of the Shifter-Dragons, who turned to snap his jaws in Alcander’s direction.
A hoard of Winged people’s threads appeared and Alcander twisted his head, trying to get a view of the island. It was completely veiled by a wall of Winged people.
How many more armies was Jasmine hiding?
***
KIORA’S TEETH CHATTERED AND she could no longer feel her hands or feet. Her mind was sluggish. She had to get out of this lake or she was going to die.
The remaining Omelians had bubbled, and the Illusionist had placed apparitions of floating icebergs all around her. This time it had completed the illusion, and from Kiora’s underwater perspective, each looked to be full of Omelians. She had no idea which one was reality.
Kiora stretched out her shaking hands, ready to pull everything to the bottom of the lake, when a spear of magic bolted through the water. She jerked to the side, but her reactions were slowing and the magic sheared through both her air bubble and her concealment bubble, popping them both.
Kiora sucked in a mouthful of freezing water before she realized what had happened. Twisting away, she put up another air bubble around her head. She coughed and hacked, trying to expel the water from her lungs.
With her thread out in the open, a flurry of spear-shaped magical attacks flooded the water from the Omelians above.
Kiora kicked away from them. They acted unlike any magical shot she had ever seen before. The magic turned with her, following as if it were still being directed.
She flipped over to face the attack and pushed out a shield. Her eyes widened as the heads of the spears punched through, stopping only inches from her nose, before dissipating into nothing.
Breathing deeply, she shook her head. Despite the shock of the attack and the adrenaline coursing through her veins, she was still fighting half asleep. The cold was too much.
She was running out of options. She considered trying to tap into nature again, but if she died in this lake, there would be no one to stop Jasmine from killing everyone. Before the Omelians could fire off another shot, Kiora unlocked that center of magic within herself, the one she reserved, and her remaining magic roared forward. She didn’t bother with a concealment bubble and grabbed the water with her mind, forcing it into a spiral. The whirlpool of water pulled in everything around it, including her. She had to divert some of her magic just to keep herself in place.
The icebergs began to spin with the current as the water pulled them down.
***
THE WIND STOPPED SO SUDDENLY that Alcander’s fox swerved to the right and had to drop into a barrel roll to keep itself from falling out of the sky. Alcander was vaguely aware of yelling coming from the direction of the island as he struggled to right his fox from the spin.
Some of the Shifter-Dragons and Taveans peeled off from t
he others. Alcander thought for a moment that they were retreating—but they were going the wrong way. They headed straight toward the island that was now hidden beneath a canopy of Winged people.
Whatever illusion had been concealing the Omelians and Illusionist had vanished. They stood on large pieces of ice in the lake that swirled around, about to yield to the gaping jaws of a whirlpool the size of which Alcander had never witnessed. The Omelians fired into the water, trying to hit Kiora.
Finally under control, Alcander turned his fox only to come nose to nose with a smaller Dragon. She looked older than the rest and he immediately recognized her by her distinct coloring—the yellow scales around her face, the red neck that faded to orange, and yellow at the tail.
“Your Majesty,” Alcander said, startled. He had seen her image before, but never in person.
“Behind you,” the queen said.
Alcander whirled, throwing a shot as he did that connected with an enemy Tavean, knocking him off the Shifter-Dragon he rode. The imposter Dragon turned and retreated at the sight of the queen.
“How long has Kiora been under the water?” the queen demanded.
“I don’t know,” Alcander said. “She bubbled some time ago.”
“That water is too cold for her,” the queen said, her eyes flashing. “And I did not bring my colony all this way to watch her freeze to death.”
Alcander was speechless. Not only had the Dragons come, but the queen seemed to have the same affinity for Kiora he had witnessed from all those who knew her.
The queen seemed to hesitate for a second, her lips pulling back from her teeth as if she had tasted something bad. “I am trusting you with my Dragons, Tavean king. Do not make me regret it.” Turning, she pulled her white wings tight to her body and angled down, speeding toward the lake.
Alcander focused his attention to the battle that had finally turned in their favor. Without the wind, the rebels and the true Dragons had gained the advantage. Shifter-Dragons fell from the sky and their Tavean riders had resorted to defensive maneuvers, throwing shields and diving out of the way.