DREYA
“We must hurry,” Dreya said.
Hunters scurried around them, shouting out in confusion as, deep within the Guild, a bell tolled—a signal for an emergency meeting, for order. Everyone had felt the Violet Sage’s cries. But did they know the true weight of that fear? The true penalty to Aidan’s crime? Perhaps only she and her companions understood the threat. But they could not risk hesitating or turning back. They couldn’t aid the Guild. Not like this.
“Where are we going?” Kianna asked.
Dreya looked to her brother. He nodded.
“To the Witches.” She looked to Kianna. “That was the Violet Sage. Aidan has brought the Dark Lady to her. We must rally all who can use magic. All who can read the runes. The final battle comes.”
Despite everything, there was no excitement on Kianna’s features. Dreya knew her well enough to know she lived for bloodshed and battle, just as she knew Kianna understood the true weight of this proclamation.
“And Aidan?” she asked. “Tenn?”
Dreya shook her head. “We have to hope they are both still alive. They have created this. They must end it.”
“But what have they created?”
A pause.
“There is only one reason the Dark Lady would seek the Violet Sage. She wishes to attune to Maya. And then...”
“And then? Isn’t that enough?”
Dreya shook her head.
“The Dark Lady will continue her work. She wanted to create a true immortal, a creature not even God could bend. A force the world has never seen.” She swallowed. “Once she has Maya, she will learn how to drain it from others.”
Kianna’s eyes widened. “She’s going to create a Wight.”
“Yes. The question is simply whom she will pick as a host.”
But deep down, Dreya already knew. The Dark Lady wouldn’t seek to create a simple Howl. She would want to create a Kin. One who could wield magic. And she wouldn’t settle for Tenn or Aidan, mages who could wield two Spheres at most. She now had the one mage who could wield all four.
“We have to stop her,” Kianna growled. “We can track down Tenn. Finish them before it begins.”
“That would be suicide. The Dark Lady cannot be taken unawares. If she is already attuned to Maya, we would be killed before we even had a chance. We must gather our defenses.”
“But we could still—”
“No. It is already too late. The boys will be fine. I know it in my heart. But they will need us. They will need to return to something safe. They will need an army to lead. And only we can create that.”
Kianna swallowed. She didn’t like this. Truth be told, neither did Dreya. She would much rather teleport in and steal the boys from the Dark Lady. But she knew Aidan was lost to them, and they would have Tenn under lock and key.
She also knew her words were a lie.
The boys couldn’t finish this. The boys would never make it out alive.
They were on their own.
“Come,” Dreya said, brushing the fear away with a gust of Air. “We have work to do.”
She traced the runes of travel in the dust at their feet, and as they opened to their powers, she prayed to every spirit listening that they still had a chance to make things right.