Page 31 of Celestial Shadows
The vision breaks and my chest burns with a raging fire.
My father releases me and I fall to the ground, heaving onto the dirt. I look up to where Eilish and the others ride towards the battlefield. I want to call to them, to tell them to stay back. But we know what’s at stake if we choose not to fight.
I’m not the coward I once was. Eilish’s love has changed me. “You will fail, Father.”
“Don’t you understand?!”
“Understand what?” I spit back.
“When Theren used his blood to send me into the Chasm, he bound us together. If I die, then so does he.” Elioth grips my hair, yanking me to my feet. “Do you want this to end with the blood of your beloved brother?”
“He... knows the price,” I reply weakly, no longer sure what to do. “And he will destroy you.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
EILISH
Plains of Reckoning
I see Abedon.
He stands on a pile of bodies that appear to be elven. Thorned wyverns and the Knights of Umbra surround him protectively. A horde of undead skeletons, orcs, shadow demons, ghouls, and possessed Seelie stretches towards the horizon in the distance. The forces of Abedon and Elioth outnumber us one to a thousand.
“He has Cambion,” I hear myself say. My gaze moves over to Theren. I can see the fear in his eyes.
“We can’t just let him kill my brother.”
“I’m not going to let Elioth kill Cambion.” I lift my hand and signal Pyre. He shoots an arrow at Elioth, but it never reaches its target. Abedon blasts it out of the air with a flare of magic. A victorious smile appears on his face, but it’s short lived. Though the arrow doesn’t hit Elioth, it provides a distraction. Cambion uses the opportunity to kick his father back and dive for cover.
Elioth bellows in rage, launching spells at his son. Theren looks to me with a silent plea in his eyes.
“Go to him,” I order. “End Elioth. We’ll focus on Abedon.” And the war begins as swiftly as the wind blows. The Knights of Umbra charge on their winged steeds with a screech that fills the air. A volley of arrows soars across the battlefield.
I raise my blade and the soldiers move into formation. “Steady,” I call, watching as the line of orcs pushes towards the ravine. “Now!” The wraith warriors float to the front and barrel through the orcs. Pyre signals the archers once more and arrows rain down on the opposition. Baron shifts in the saddle, seeming eager to join the fight.
The gargoyles take to the sky. Knights of Umbra clash against the stone guardians. Swords of shadow batter against enchanted armor. Myerdoth covers Dragan as they attempt to even the odds. Theren moves swiftly through the chaos, inching his way towards his brother. Shadow demons swarm him. My heart sinks but I can’t worry for him. I have to defend my people. “Mages, ready! Attack!”
A spectrum of color flashes like fireworks as spells break through the darkness. Magic hovers all around, lingering for only the blink of an eye before exploding against our enemy. “Baron!” I shout. The vampire releases a battle cry and shadow walks to the other side of the ravine. Ghouls descend on him. I swallow thickly, eyes scanning the fight before me as I search for Cambion.
Lydia vaults over a troll and pulls herself onto the back of Cambion’s mount. The Amazon leader rides toward me, leaving behind a trail of severed heads and a cloud of dust. She pulls to a stop beside me, sweat beading on her brow and upper lip. “There’s a way around the ravine. We can send some of our forces to the other side to trap the horde, but if those demons find a way across…”
Then our soldiers won’t stand a chance.
“Take Belroth and the golems with you. Aima and Kolvar will lead the next wave of attacks. Make sure you steer clear of Abedon.” I snap the reins and urge my horse forward. “On my signal, we ride east.” The soldiers meet my gaze squarely as Lydia and her tribe move out of sight. I hear the sounds of great wings flapping and the hairs on my arms stand on end. Without another second of hesitation, I fling my dagger.
It whirls through the air and strikes one of the Knights of Umbra, stealing his soul and leaving him as nothing more than a pile of ash.
Soldiers rush towards the ravine to keep the demons at bay.
Variant spreads his wings and launches himself into the sky. Wyverns roar. Fire spits from their powerful jaws, searing the ground and spreading flames across the barren lands. Dark spellcasters form a bridge and orcs spill onto our side of the field. I ride hard into the fight, crashing against iron shields. My mount tumbles.
I hit the ground with a painful grunt, bouncing once before I roll into a crouch. A demon with pus yellow flesh and large horns lifts its hammer above its oddly small head. I jump back, slamming my body into a ghoul waving around a wickedly curved sword. It slashes towards my head, but I shove the ghoul at the demon. The enormous war hammer smashes the ghoul’s skull in one fatal blow. I dive for the sword.
My hand brushes the hilt. The sharp hiss of a wyvern catches my attention. I hold still, glancing to my left until my eyes land on the serpent-like creature with wings and a mane of thorns. The narrow muzzle curves upward, showing off a set of sharp teeth that could rip me to pieces. I grab the sword quickly and kick the wyvern away from me. A growl escapes the demon as I use the blade to deflect its attacks. My foot catches on a body and I fall to the ground once more.
Silvanus appears. He blasts the demon with magic and summons dual axes. The primordial god twirls his weapons and fights with a warrior’s grace. His broad shoulders flex each time he swings his axes.
I jump to my feet and spread my wings as the wyvern circles me. With Silvanus occupying the demon, I’m left to deal with Abedon’s lapdog. The wyvern’s taloned thumb swipes, its wings cutting through the air effortlessly. I duck and slice through the webbing of its wing, causing the creature to shriek. A second wyvern crawls towards me at a terrifying speed. I grip my sword and run in the opposite direction.
