“Kalix, what is the antidote for Somnex?”
Kalix yanks his impaled sword from a crow’s gut, blood splashing on his boots. “Millicent Le Strange, if we survive this, I am going to kill you myself!” he screams furiously.
“Noted,” I shout back over the clash of screams.
“It’s night lily! In my office, labeled and deep purple!” he says as he kicks the chest of an approaching crow.
The building shakes, floor and walls trembling as a low roar vibrates through the air. All of us stagger, nearly losing our footing.
Felix braces himself against his throne, flinching as debris rains from the ceiling. “Fuck. You pissed off Vyraxis didn’t you?” he snaps.
“What’ll she do if Cage is unconscious?” I shout, a crow’s shriek clipping the end of my question as Twyx tears it cleanly in half.
“She’ll hunt you down and kill you,” Kalix calls, laughing grimly. He charges a crow diving toward Iris, driving his blade through the underside of its beak.
“Good,” I say through clenched teeth. I raise my hands, channeling magic until it sears like lightning through my veins and my vision floods with blue.
I don’t hesitate and fire upward.
The roof explodes in a deafening blast. Shards of stone come crashing down like hail.
It does not take long for Vyraxis to answer. Her enormous head forces through the gap, stones cracking and tumbling off her horns.
I leave Nyx and Twyx, saturating the room with my aura. Felix’s guards are dead. I pull a sword from one of their fallen bodies and run.
Vyraxis senses me, and her silver fire consumes the space. Screaming fills the air from humans and crows alike. I divethrough the nearest door, casting a shield over myself to avoid being burned to a crisp. The heat licks at the edges of my ward.
Once I hit the hallway, I release what magic I can spare, preserving only enough to keep Nyx and Twyx present. As long as they’re active, my aura lingers enough to keep Vyraxis in place.
Her next blast confirms it. More flames roar behind me, engulfing what’s left of the ballroom.
I sprint down the corridor. Crows dive at me from all sides. I dodge instead of fighting. Magic risks drawing Vyraxis after me. She needs to stay where her fire protects the only people I have grown to care for…in my own way.
I need Oliver.
I frantically pull on our bond, and he appears by my side in an instant. His form flickers with yellow, the color of panic. His wide eyes take in the chaos in the blood-soaked halls. Above us, the shrieks of hunting crows still echo through the corridor as they hunt any human they can find.
“Kalix’s apothecary,” I instruct, breathless. “Night lily. It’s labeled and deep purple. Quickly now, go.”
He vanishes in a flash, his urgency rippling through our connection.
I burst through my chamber door and drop to my knees beside Cage. My heart pounds, adrenaline masking the ache in my muscles.
Ollie returns just as I lift Cage’s head. We move in tandem, prying open his mouth while Ollie uncorks the bottle and pours the antidote in. I clamp his jaw shut, covering his nose until his throat convulses with a swallow.
A beat of silence—
Then his silver eyes open. His magic bristles, and I see the wrath stirring beneath the surface as the drug clears his system. He begins to shift, trying to sit up.
“Hey, easy,” I whisper, steadying his neck. “Cage, you can be mad at me later. Please. I was not going to kill anyone, but we need you.”
“You drugged me,” he growls, rubbing the back of his head. “I’m livid, Millicent. ‘Mad’ doesn’t even begin to cover it. You’ll not run from your punishment this time.”
I smile faintly. “I’ll take whatever punishment you want.” I glance toward the door. “The golden box, it’s open.”
His expression shifts, alarm replacing the anger. “Fuck, we need to go. Now.”
He pushes to stand, but his balance wavers. I step beneath his arm to anchor him. “Come on,” I murmur. “Time to fix what I broke.”
