“We’re almost there!” Uncle Liam shouts.
“Ahren, be ready!” Enrique shouts.
There are too many of them, and there’s not enough time to back up.
I take one step back, steadying my breath. The world seems to tilt around me as I draw deeper into my power. My aura surges. My wolf rises with it. She howls inside me, clawing to be free. I raise both hands and let the power loose.
Darkness erupts from the ground like a scream. It swallows warriors in tendrils of shadow. Some escape. Most don’t. I draw both swords and leap forward, slashing through the stunned survivors. One tries to escape, but I twist around his defence and cut him down. Another lunges. I kick him in the chest, muttering a spell under my breath, and watch as the earth opens up beneath him.
I’m not just fighting anymore, I’m surviving.
All around, chaos reigns. I glimpse at Heaven and Allie battling a beast not of this world. It towers over them, saliva dripping from jagged fangs. Blades bounce off its thick hide, leaving only scratches.
Then I spot some movement that makes me turn sharply.
Not far from us, the Masked Mustard Man – Mama’sridiculous name echoing in my mind – steps into view. Dante lunges at him. The man doesn’t even blink. He catches Dante mid-air and hurls him across the battlefield like he’s nothing. Jayce appears, two bags slung over his shoulder, panic in his eyes.
His gaze locks with mine.
Ahren reacts the moment they come into view, placing a hand on both Liam and Jayce’s shoulders, and they vanish just as the masked man slams into the spot where Jayce had stood. The impact shakes the ground. Dust erupts.
“KILL. THEM. ALL!” the masked man roars. The command carries across the sands, thundering in the sky with pure, white-hot rage.
So, this was the real plan. They never intended to kill us right away. They wanted us to find this place. They knew only Jayce could… How much do they know that we don’t?
Jayce’s voice crackles through the Schattensicht. “We’re not leaving them! That wasn’t the plan!”
“You are the priority!” Ahren’s voice follows, filled with strained tension.
“YOU LEFT HER!”
And then the connection fizzles into silence.
My heart pounds. Please let them be safe. Please.
Dante’s wolves charge again, but the masked man cuts through them like they’re nothing. His blade hums with magic. Blood splashes the sand. He is fast, and he’s pissed.
I roar, shifting mid-charge. My wolf form erupts from me in a rush of dark red fur and shadows. Power rolls from my body in waves. I hit the line of warriors head-on, tearing them apart.My teeth find flesh. My claws find bone. Screams echo, the blood blinding me.
How many were lying in wait or standing ready? How did they get so far without being detected?
Velasara crashes into the sand, her body limp. Blood pours from her wounds. Enrique stands over her, breathing hard.
“Now!” he shouts.
We retreat as one, falling back, a barrier rising around us. Not invincible, but strong enough to provide us with sufficient time to get out of here. Or so we hoped.
Theo lands beside us, Artemis slung over his shoulder. She’s bleeding and unmoving. He places her gently beside Brock and turns, snarling at the monster still locked in battle with Dante.
I lift my head, blood on my tongue, my heart pounding as I keep backing up.
I turn, ready for the next command, when the ground pulses.
This is far from over.
My stomach twists as something I have never seen before approaches us through the sand.
The ground shakes slightly as the monster steps into view, hulking, bone-armoured, its skin mottled and bruised like rotting meat stretched too tight over muscle, eyes like burning coals. Saliva strings from its fangs, hissing where it hits the sand.
