The ground trembled.
The stampede-like vibration made my teeth clack together in painful ways as I sprinted to the closest tree. Torches had long extinguished, leaving the forest more black than not. Only a few flickered here and there near the interior of the battle, illuminating grisly scenes.
When the dragons arrived, sweeps of fire landed over the top of the gathered mortals. Blankets of smoldering red fell in rampant destruction. Screams, sizzles, grunts. At least ten dragons appeared immediately after my call.
Wind burst through the sky, barely audible over the thud of dragon wings that sprawled like snapping leather blankets. The supple scales, flickering tails, disappeared into the canopy. Their fire cast strange shadows and a shifting reality over the world.
Get any amulet! I cried to the Protectors. Use the distraction you have. Forget your assignments, go for whatever you can find. The demigods and mortals will try to bring down the dragons with god magic, which will illuminate the amulets. Watch for them to reveal themselves, then attack. We have five amulets left to obtain.
The expected plethora of voices replied.
Understood.
I climbed higher up the closest ancient. Slippery hand holds in the bark led me up, but precariously so. A vine appeared, wrapping my waist. It caught me when my bare foot slid out of a hole and prevented my plunge to the mud-soaked earth.
“Thank you,” I whispered.
Twenty paces higher, I stopped to peer over my shoulder. Torchlight dotted the darkness, kept alive only by incantations in the midst of the downpour. Smoke sizzled from extinguished areas, where mortals fled the hot breath of advancing dragons. Amulets illuminated the night here and there, like fireflies. Dragons swung their heads and giant necks around, eyes glittering like full moons as they assessed their next target.
Who is on the eastern side? I asked. Near ancients three and four?
No response.
Anyone?
I don’t know where I am, Merrick muttered. I’m away from the circle, chasing another demigod.
West, Matthais said. By ancients nine and ten.
No response from Papa or Chi. With a growl, I transported to the other side, right where I’d seen the amulet. Chaos met me. Screaming mortals. Fighting Guardians. A sword slid right over my head, a finger’s-breadth away from chopping my ear off. I ducked a breath early. The Guardian and mortal grappled away, shouting.
Dark shadows burst from the circle as a giant dragon glided through the air. Light gray washed through ebony scales in ribbons of slate. Behind it, a familiar red-and-black dragon, carrying the silhouette of a burly witch.
Reebis and Nicholas.
Despite the sprawling lizards, mortals continued to pour into the circle, injured or not. Their ferocity had an animalistic quality.
The mortals and demigods are pouring something like acid on the roots of the ancients, Papa said, panting. It’s eating away at the bark. They’re digging tunnels, or creating them out of magic, and pouring it down.
Matthais spoke next. The mortals are here to distract us, then, from the true purpose of killing the ancient trees.
Arborra? I whispered.
The magic gave Arborra the words Papa had just said, which meant I didn’t have to repeat their horrible sounds. My heart squeezed painfully while I waited for its response.
This is true.
Will you die?
We will fight.
That’s not an answer, I growled.
We will fight.
Any word from Baxter? Chi asked, his voice low and quiet.
Helplessly I whispered, No.
Talons scored the earth as dragons reached for racing mortals, wings unfurled, their giant bodies taking to the sky. Mortals screamed, skin seared from the hot dragon talons.
Can you sense god magic? I asked Reebis as she winged overhead.
It is everywhere.
You can’t find individual amulets?
There is too much here. It blinds us.
Frustration zipped through me as I ran to another tree, uselessly searching. Elis, the largest dragon—a massive, elegant beast with dark gray rippling through his scales—screamed when a spear pierced his wing. The translucent, webbing-like skin bled. A demigod must have used magic, for the spear wrenched down. The wing tore with another scream of pain. The dragon’s head lashed around, fire bursting in bright plumes of white and yellow.
Reebis cried out with an anguished scream.
Elis!
The mighty dragon twisted in the air, fire spraying all around him.
He fell.
The crash of his body into the earth sent a shudder through the ground. Witches peeled away, shouting. Through the chaos, I thought I heard Chi say in deepest frustration, the demigod has escaped me again. I cannot track them or the amulets. This is impossible.
Mortals rampaged over tired Guardians, who couldn’t transport to safety fast enough. Bodies littered the ground, welling in puddles of blood and mud. Rain thickened in a foggy haze, turning to sharp pieces of hail. Another crash of thunder boomed through the forest. A reminder of whom we really fought.
The deluge thickened. Dragons peeled away, unable to navigate with the weight of rain on their wings.
We cannot stay in the air, Reebis said. It is too much. We will fight on the ground.
Behind the ancients, a groan. A crackle. The pop of breaking wood, and a shout. Mortals and witches scattered as a tree behind the ancients toppled with a groan. Pain tore through me, like a dragon talon across my chest, as it plummeted to the ground. I gasped from the force of it.
Tontes boomed, his audible voice breaking across the midnight sky.
“Witches of Alkarra, your land is mine.”
* * *
We’re not going to make it.
I said the words to Arborra, because Tontes made it impossible to think into the Protector magic. Concentrated thunder descended on the forest in waves so thick it hurt. Wind drove the rain into my skin with painful bursts. My teeth ground together, my brain ached. The booms didn’t stop, undulating between rapid raindrops and painful pebbles of hail that smacked my face. Surges of wind worsened the hysteria.
All around the circle of the ancients, disorder prevailed. Mortals advanced, witches fell back with grimaces and shouts that no one heard. Feet splashed through growing puddles the size of ponds. All the while, cries of pain and fear came from the forest to rend me from the inside out.
Arborra’s strange silence told me there was more to fear than I wanted to acknowledge.
Increasingly foreboding updates streamed through my head from the Protectors.
No amulet.
Can’t see anything.
Demigods have taken off.
They’re hiding their amulets well.
All of us fight, Arborra said, to the end. I shall call the others.
A tap on my shoulder caused me to tilt my head, look up. While witches raced past, getting out of the way of a growing mudslide, I stared into the high canopy. My arm lifted to protect my eyes, enabling me to see just beyond the pouring moisture.
A vine hovered over me. It retracted, drawing back until it stopped at the closest branch. I blinked, peering right into the yellow-moon eyes of a forest lion.
Once I made eye contact with it, it snarled. White, pearly teeth appeared in a flash. I blinked back a bolt of terror.
Forest lions?
We all fight, Arborra whispered. To the end.
All?
Trust us. Save your witches. This is all we have to give.
During a break from the wild thunder, I turned back to the Protector magic. Talmund, recall all the Guardians. Have them retreat out of the circle. They shouldn’t leave, but tell them to stop fighting.
A moment of astonished silence, then, What?
Trust me.
Ten seconds later, shouts rippled through the amassed Guardians. They began to fall back, like departing stars. Mortals chased them, then stopped to cheer. The sheer number of them congregated in the middle of the circle took my breath away.
How were there so many?
More savvy mortals lingered along the edges, weapons in hand, shoulders taut and ready for the next wave. Their weapons startled me. Morning stars, maces, spears. A curved sword with two pointed tips, another spear with a dagger tied to each end. Throwing stars filled the hands of another mortal, who crouched, head tilted back. Water poured down their faces, dripped off crude armor.
All are clear, Talmund muttered what felt like an eternity later. Exhaustion filled his voice. How much time had passed, anyway? Minutes? Hours? Would the sun ever rise again through such thick clouds?
The forest provides, I said to the Protectors. It’s our last chance to find the amulets.
A strange stillness had overtaken the air. It wavered, then shattered when a distant, guttural shriek broke through the night. My shoulders lifted, bunched around my ears, when a second high-pitched, screeching sound zipped past me.
“Eeeeeee!”
Explosions of brilliant colors filled the air, like thrown confetti. Thousands of fairies freckled the darkened night sky with glowing bodies, elegant dresses, and bared fangs. Mortals recoiled, staring at the tiny bodies in astonishment.
I eyed one fairy in particular. She sped around, darting from mortal to mortal, with so much attitude I would have known her Networks away.
Dafina, the fairy that helped me escape Mabel’s clutches in the Western Network. Dafina and her pack had overtaken the Witchery, a turret that my friends and I shared while living at Chatham Castle, for far too long after we departed it.
Mortals screamed as the flying fairies stabbed at eyes, poked holes into necks, issued guttural bellows as they swooped down to bite swollen flesh.
While the bitty warriors distracted the mortals, forest lions slinked out of the shadows on the ground. Out of utter darkness, they raced past witches, lean bodies lithe and powerful, and leapt. Entire packs appeared from the darkness, moving silently.
The screaming intensified.
Mortals collapsed under giant lion paws. Others swatted at fairies. A few mortals were utterly overtaken, stabbed to death by the fairies’ sharp spears. A thump, and a splinter of wood, drew my gaze higher. I stepped away from the tree.
From behind shingles of bark emerged blue-gray creatures with wide shoulders, thick arms, and forearms like clubs. They were eyeless, with translucent skin, staggered teeth, and purple spittle that foamed from wide mouths.
Beluas.
The horrible creatures smelled like sulfur and never touched the ground. They burrowed holes into trees, created nests, and had babies in the heights. I rarely saw them from where I remained on the forest floor. Their fists alone were deadly foes.
Ten emerged.
Twenty.
Falling gnomes dropped from branches, screaming as they fell. They whacked mortals on the top of their heads with hammer-like weapons. One mortal dropped, out cold. Another shouted as ten gnomes swarmed him, stabbing with their sharp little knives.
Burrowing gnomes popped out of the ground with shrieks, biting ankles, tripping others. They attacked passing mortals by slicing at bare calves with every opportunity, aiming for the tendon at the back of the leg.
Mortegas approached, sharp antlers ready as they ran into the melee.
Owls swooped down, scoring faces with broad talons.
Dragons fought from the ground, using their secundum to wipe out mortals or obvious leaders. Just beyond the vague light in the circle, a thud, thud, thud walked by. Shadows tall as the trees shifted by. My heart leapt into my throat.
A troll?
A . . . something?
All of Letum Wood had come to protect Alkarra. Their sacrifice snapped me out of my shock.
Five amulets left! I cried to the Protector magic.
Merrick’s voice came to my mind. It sounded closed off, which seemed to indicate he spoke only to me.
Any word from Baxter?
I ducked an attacking mortal and swung Viveet around to fend off an advance. The mortal skidded to a stop, rushed back to his comrades, running from a dragon whelp that chased him with a mouthful of fire.
No.
Where are you?
To the north-northwest, between ancients ten and eleven.
Merrick appeared twenty paces away. He whirled around. Our eyes connected and relief showed there. He strode over, grabbed my face, pulled me into a kiss. Passion, fear, terror, relief. I felt it all in the grip of his hand on my jaw, the desperate searching of his lips against mine.
He pulled away. A scratch crossed his cheek, smearing blood all the way to his jaw. “If we’re going to be in another battle at the same time,” he muttered. “We’re going to do it together, all right?”
“Always.”
A wry smile crossed his face as he readjusted his grip. “I’m behind by two amulets, if my count is correct.”
I opened my mouth to reply, but stalled. Reports poured into my mind from the Protectors. Miniature surges of hope against raging evil and torrents of god magic that we couldn’t stop.
I’m on the tail of a demigod that’s stuck in a belua’s hand, Matthais said, his voice strained. Should have an amulet in a minute.
I see you, Rognvald called. I’ll intercept from the north. We’ll close in together.
Chi’s quiet purr followed. I stalk another trapped against a tree by a mortega. Will update.
A stillness in the air drew my attention. I tilted my head back, looked around. Not a branch shifted. No breeze.
No wind.
“Merrick?”
“What?”
“There’s no more wind.”
He whirled in a circle. “What does it mean?”
“I have no idea, but it’s . . . gone.”
“Think Baxter is distracting his father?”
“I hope so,” I murmured.
Lightning illuminated the distant fog, drawing my gaze outside the circle, to the left. In the strobes of light, a dark, shadowed profile appeared. Flares of electricity illuminated from different angles, revealing a thick, broad-shouldered man with what appeared to be long hair. He stood fifty paces away, facing me. I knew him the moment I saw him.
Tontes.
My throat turned dry as a desert.
I grabbed Merrick’s arm and spun him to face me before he also spotted the god of thunder. “Go help Chi,” I commanded. “We need the amulets more than anything else.”
“B—”
“Now!”
“What about you?”
“I have something else to deal with.”
My firm tone left no room for questions. He hesitated, but I shoved against his shoulders. Tears filled my eyes, but I blinked them back. No, I couldn’t think about another parting now. I’d faced the gods once, I could do it again.
“Go! If we don’t get the amulets, all of this was for nothing. Merrick, do it now! I’ll see you once this is all over, all right? Help Chi make this happen. We’ve only found two! We need six more at a minimum.”
He growled, tightened his hold on his sword, and transported away. The fury in his face made it clear he would not be happy about this later.
Another illumination brought Tontes back into view. He stared hard at me, brow heavy with a scowl. I headed toward him against a sea of screaming gnomes throwing rocks at approaching mortals. They left me alone as I veered through, closer to the place of crackling, dark energy.
Right to Tontes.
* * *
“Lady-witch of Letum Wood,” Tontes drawled. “You and your forest provide an admirable fight.”
Another flash brightened the same cloud. Up close, his profile was more daunting than I’d thought. Shoulders the size of boulders. Hair to his neck, unbound. Thighs that could crush. Everything about Tontes exuded power—and I only saw his silhouette.
Thoughts of Papa, Merrick, Leda, my home, propelled me to close the distance between us. According to Baxter, Tontes loved a game. He loved a big victory, not just a little one. Let him have his fun with me while the rest of Alkarra fought for our lives.
“Thank you.”
I slowed my approach. We stood ten paces away from one another now, on the edge of the circle of ancients, not far from Arborra. The battle continued around us, as if he shielded us from it somehow.
“I thought the dragons were a nice touch.”
“I accept your surrender.”
“I haven’t given it.”
“Then why do you approach?”
“Same reason you did.”
Amusement rippled through his tone. “To personally watch you fall?”
I smiled, not entirely certain he could see me.
“To make sure you do.”
The clouds grumbled overhead, but I couldn’t tell if they held annoyance or mirth. The fog in which he stood had thickened, his profile disappeared. It lent an oddly exposed feeling, and the unnerving sense that I’d already lost track of him.
His voice came from behind. “Summon your creatures, if you wish, Lady-witch, but they will also die. You waste precious life that I would rather make good use of when I take over Alkarra. Call them back, preserve their lives, and surrender yourself.”
“I’ll pass.”
He laughed. “In another circumstance, perhaps I might have liked you.”
“The feeling is not mutual.”
Another voice spoke to me, this from without. The distant quality, far away, hid pain. Desperation. Gasping breath. The sound of Baxter’s reeling voice left me feeling cold.
I found it, he gasped. Gelas has it.
I opened my mouth to reply, but stopped. He wouldn’t hear me. I couldn’t god-magic a reply to him.
Grimacing, I turned away.
Gelas has Nicomedianthekus, I said to the Protectors.
A chorus of, Understood, followed.
Tontes reappeared a few steps away. Instead of a silhouette, I caught a glimpse of shadow on skin. Wavy hair rustling in the wind.
I gripped Viveet.
Fight a god with me, I said to Arborra.
We are with you.
This is our purpose, I said. We were created to be mighty.
The ancients rose in my mind, careful voices, steady with intention. I crouched, bracing myself. Magic welled at my feet. It climbed higher, a warm feeling. Shared power. Rampant ability. The chance to save all that I loved. With the heady exultation of raw magic came a familiar voice.
Deasylva.
You and the forest as one have access to my power. Save my land, daughter of the forest, and you save yourself.
The magic surged past my heart, into my head. Undeniable capacity filled me. Again a conduit to raw power, I touched the brilliant-white magic in my mind and felt no edge.
A flash-bang brought me firmly out. Vines wrapped around my arms at the same moment, yanking me back. They moved more quickly than made sense, definitely propelled by magic. I flew back a second before lightning slammed into the ground at my feet.
Heat singed the air. The smell of sparks and burnt leaves filled my nostrils. I tumbled back, gained my feet. Bushes straightened nearby. Tree branches lowered. Vines congregated at my back.
Move, Arborra commanded.
I dove to the left. Lightning crackled at the spot I stood before. Another dive took me just out of reach of a third consecutive bolt. My shoulder slammed into a log as I rolled across the mud-strewn earth. I winced through the pain.
Amulet obtained, Papa cried, his words broken. Letum Wood took it. That means we’ve taken four.
Five down, called Chi. I have given it to the forest. The demigods seem to be losing power. The mortals are not disappearing and healing anymore.
A vine grabbed my waist, jerked me back, as another bolt of lightning attempted to score me. I sprinted away, slipped behind a trunk. Lightning crackled as it burst against the wood. My touch lingered, sending blue fire into the grains.
I’m sorry.
We protect you, the tree whispered.
All I must do to truly cripple my sister, Tontes sang in my head, is kill the Lady-witch of Letum Wood. I’ve been a fool for not realizing that before. You’re like an annoying gnat, you know? You keep coming back. You’re harmless in the broad scheme of things, but you think you’re not.
Drop, Arborra said.
Saplings bent over me as I slid across a bed of old leaves, skidding on my side. Thunder percussed. Lightning struck, but the trees absorbed the initial shock. I gritted my teeth through the crackling electricity left in the air. The hair on the back of my arms sparked with the force of it.
Can we attack him? I asked Arborra.
The god cannot die.
Frustration rushed through me.
Then how do we fight?
We distract.
Grim-faced, I steeled myself. Survival was the game until Gelas and the Protectors came through. Letum Wood whisked me away mid step. Behind me, another bolt split into the ground with a terrific crash. Instinctively, I hurtled deeper into the forest, away from the circle.
Tontes followed.
Fog crawled along the ground at my back, tripling at a stunning rate. The profile of a striding man illuminated by the flashes of lightning within the cloud. I tripped over a fallen tree, glanced over my shoulder, then shot back to my feet. Fast as a blink, vines yanked me into the air as gnarled electricity sped along the ground, hungry for me.
I whirled into a mid-air somersault. The vine tossed me to another one, which wrapped around my arms, then gently lowered me behind another giant tree. There, I pressed my back to the trunk and panted. We had wandered away from the torches. Darkness would aid—or cripple—me now.
Obtained another one, Matthais cried, exultant. The storm is relenting, which is increasing visibility. That’s six.
Our count stands at six amulets, Merrick said. We have two left for a minimum, but Baxter wants seven total amulets if we can. Just to be safe. I’m on the tail of a waning demigod. She appears confused. The beluas have her pinned to a spot.
Regina has eyes on another one, Papa said. Confidence filled his voice again with a sturdy timbre. I see another. We’ll proceed. The more amulets, the merrier. Let us continue, Protectors. Sisterhood.
Tontes interrupted their steady, bolstering flow.
You can’t hide from me forever, little witch. I can do this all night.
Tontes’ singsong voice sickened me. He truly enjoyed this far too much.
“You’ve been here all night?” I called.
You think I would trust demigods to lead the advance? To bring all the mortals as one? To heal the falling bodies?
Well, that explained a lot. The gods had been watching everything. They had removed the injured mortals, healed them, and sent them back. Who knew what else they’d participated in tonight, which explained the definitive edge they held from the beginning of the battle.
“So you do have a soft spot for mortals.”
Only for what they provide. Necessary manpower.
I whirled around. Running through the forest was about to expire as an option. My fingers flexed at my hip as I hurried through alternate plans, all-too-aware that a god chased me through these dark acres.
Arborra, I whispered. Can we hold him off in different ways? This is what I’m thinking.
I see your thoughts. Yes, we can.
Building power thickened the air, a sure sign lightning was about to hit yet again.
Then get ready!
I ducked, throwing an arm in front of me. Earth flew in the air, bubbling higher in an instant wall. Roots, boulders, and old bones rose with the mound of dirt. The lightning struck it, fizzling out.
On a thought, Letum ivy raced across the ground, heading toward Tontes. I might not be able to kill him, but I could trap him. The green shoots wrapped his ankles. I opened my hand, commanding them to me with a thought, just like god magic.
The ends of the ivy sprang into my hand. Tontes glanced down, gaze on his ankles.
I yanked.
The ivy tightened around his calves, upending him where he stood. Feet flew into the air. Instead of slamming into the ground, Tontes twisted. He rose higher, breaking through the Letum ivy. It jerked out of my hand as he landed back on his feet in a crouch. The clouds dissipated around him.
He snarled.
My heart shriveled.
His giant shoulders sprawled out, tensed. Legs tight, braced, his back bent over in a ready position. He growled, upper lip curled over perfectly white teeth, nostrils wide with indignation. I shuffled back a step, startled by the intensity in his gaze.
“What is this?” he asked in a gentle purr. “Is the Lady-witch of Letum Wood finally frightened of something?”
“No.”
The wobbly lie didn’t convince him. Ebony strands of hair dropped down his back in gleaming waves. Equally inky tattoos trailed across the top of his shoulders, decorating the broad planes of his back to his bare waist in unbroken designs. He wore a pair of loose, flowing pants, all the way to bare feet. At his full height, he reminded me of Tiberius. A giant, hulking man.
“You’re a terrible liar.”
“I’m not as frightened of you as you think,” I managed to say with a little more strength.
He lifted an eyebrow.
I licked my lips and continued. Each second pulsed by, a promise of more time. More hope.
A chance.
“It’s the havoc you leave in your wake that I’m more worried about than you,” I called. “The god of thunder has a great reputation for desecration.”
“What a compliment.”
“Take it as such, if you like.”
“I shall.”
In the quiet that followed, not a sound could be heard. Had I run so far from the circle? No rain dribbled on me here. No wind. Nothing but abject stillness in the heart of the wood.
“I’ve heard you like to toy with your prey, too,” I sidled back a step. He shuffled forward one.
Gelas’s insight into Tontes was the only weapon I had left. Tontes loves a good hunt. He toys with his prey. He likes to come out on top after a long and challenging struggle.
“Hunting is only fun if it’s difficult,” Tontes said in a musing voice. He stalked toward me. For every pace forward, I slipped one back. Arborra guided my steps around obstacles so I moved smooth as a wraith.
“What is it about the chase you love?”
His eyes gleamed. “The end.”
When the hair on the back of my arms stood up, I leapt. Vines reached for me, faster than comprehension again. They yanked me away at the last millisecond before the lightning exploded at my feet. The vine unrolled from around me, gently depositing me back to the ground. I froze behind a tree.
When I peered around the side, Tontes strode through the smoke with an arrogant grin, gaze intent on me.
Amulets? I asked the Protectors. My attempt to hide my desperation failed. The word came out as a gasp. We only need two more.
No response.
The sky rumbled, a distinct sound that sounded just like . . . laughter. Tontes’ gleaming teeth were visible in the murky night.
Act weak, Arborra said.
What does that mean?
Be what you aren’t.
The cryptic message made no sense. A root snaked behind my foot, tripped me. I landed with an oomph. Tontes slowed. His lazy smirk meant he enjoyed every second of the stalk. Twigs and branches scraped my hands as I scrambled back, out of reach.
Stop, Arborra commanded.
I obeyed.
My gaze locked on Tontes. He used magic to put himself right in front of me, his foot a pace from mine. I held my breath, stared at him. His cold eyes. Angry tattoos. Chiseled expression twisted with malcontent and a gleam of pleasure.
Another! Papa cried. Regina was successful.
One left, Matthais called.
Hope surged within. Tontes crouched next to me, so close that I could feel magic emanating from him. He crackled like lightning, difficult to bear with so fulsome a presence.
He smiled. A hand reached out, touched my skin. I jerked back. His touch sizzled, too hot to tolerate. Electricity fizzled under my skin where his fingers trailed, harrowing and bright. I was locked in position, unable to move. My head swam.
Trust us, Arborra whispered.
Always.
“Lady-witch of Letum Wood. How appropriate for you to die here, of all places. Now of all times.” He leaned closer, until only a handspan separated us. “I am going to destroy Deasylva one tree at a time until I stand on the flooded and charred remains of her power. I will think of you while I’m doing it.”
His finger trailed down my cheek.
I swallowed.
The demigods are disappearing, Rognvald said. All of them are leaving.
Low level panic infused Papa’s voice, though he held it steady. I can’t find any demigods. The mortals are confused. They’re scrambling around, in chaos. The attack has stopped.
We need one more amulet to end this, Matthais growled.
Terror filled me.
“They know,” I whispered. The sound of my own voice shocked me. I sucked in a breath, wondering why I’d said it aloud.
Tontes’ head tilted to the side. “Who knows?”
A shaft of moonlight canted through the trees, falling for the first time in weeks. It landed on my hand, gentle as a moonbeam.
Moonlight meant no clouds.
Beneath me, the forest floor shifted. Trembled. Dirt broke apart in gaping cracks.
“Your demigods. They know.”
“What do they know?”
I leaned closer. “That you’re about to lose.”
Tontes frowned. His gaze became distant, as if he just clued into something beyond here.
Amulet obtained! Merrick cried. Leda just showed up with it. I . . . I have no idea how. The forest has taken it.
I blinked.
Of his sixteen amulets, we’d stolen eight. We’d crippled Tontes power.
We did it.
Tontes’ shoulders tensed, teeth bared. Clouds moved away from the moon, revealing greater light. He tilted his head back, gaze narrowed. Hidden shadows dissipated, brightening the forest to a dark blue instead of sheer black. Trunks, bushes, became visible.
Arborra?
Hold on, Arborra whispered.
All at once, the ground gave way. A vine snaked out, wrapping my wrist. I gripped it as the earth slid away from beneath me, opening into a giant chasm fathoms deep. Tontes dropped with a shout.
The sides of a sinkhole crumbled away as my body fell into the hole. The vine snaked down my leg, holding me firm. I gasped in a lungful of dirt, then coughed as the vine pulled me back to the top. My shoulder bumped earth. I scrabbled for purchase, scrambling out of the dank soil with one free hand. Clumps of grass gave me leverage to pull myself to the forest floor.
I rolled onto my back with a gasp.
The canopy towered overhead, a false darkness in its heights. Just beyond, the moon shone. Stars glittered. I shot to my feet, woozy.
Merrick?
Where are you? he asked.
I . . . I’m not sure.
To Arborra, I pled, Bring Merrick, please?
Moments later, Merrick appeared. Mud covered his left arm and leg. Blood smeared his right ear and cheek, and a split lip was swollen on the bottom. He swung around, my name on his lips, then paused when he saw me. Relief replaced the terror.
With a cry, I rushed to him. He caught me in his strong arms, pressed a kiss to the top of my head, raked his hands through my hair.
“We did it, B. The demigods have left. Mortals are disappearing or dying. Tipa returned, said that Gelas declared it done. The final amulet has been destroyed by Ignis and Gelas.”
Papa appeared across the way, near Regina. Matthais, Chi, and Rognvald followed, only a few paces back. Brought by the forest, no doubt.
Upon seeing me, Papa exhaled in relief. Regina’s shoulders slumped as she put a shaky hand on his shoulder. Half her hair had been singed off on one side, it stopped at her ear. A burn mark coated her cheek in blistering skin.
Their solemn expressions, panting shoulders, testified to the horrifying night. I stared at them with pride.
“You did it.”
Merrick’s gaze darted around until he saw the sinkhole not far away. His eyes widened. The depths already started to fill back in. Dirt rushed into the giant hole.
“What happened?” he asked.
“Tontes.”
Papa frowned. “Excuse me?”
Too late, I remembered that no one knew what I had been doing.
“I . . . uh . . .”
Papa glowered at me. “You were dealing with the god?”
Before I could defend myself, a shimmering cloud appeared between us. On instinct, I stumbled back and shoved Merrick away. Lightning cracked right in the middle of the cloud, breaking it apart. Protectors flew back, jolted by the power. Earth sprang up in front of me, protecting me from the blast. The barrier crumpled.
Tontes stood in the middle of a scorched circle, glowering. His skin had a pale, sickly tone. His nostrils flared. He grimaced, as if pained. Thunder curled quietly, a long distance away.
“You win the battle, Lady-witch of Letum Wood, but Deasylva will never win the war. This is eternity for us.”
Merrick tried to step in front of me, but I put a hand on his arm to stop him.
Tontes hunched.
“This is not over, witch,” he growled.
The Protectors dropped into battle-ready positions. Swords glimmered. Matthais side-stepped closer to me and Merrick, dagger in hand. Papa advanced one step, then two. Regina hovered at his side.
“Go home, Tontes. Enjoy reforging your power.”
His gaze flickered from me to Merrick, and back again. He straightened, shoulders back to their expansive norm.
“Failure hurts,” he murmured with unnerving calm. “Cleverness can only save so much. Instead of killing you and ending your agony, may you suffer for the rest of your life, as I will for the next several centuries.”
Electricity charged the air.
Everything thickened, even as it slowed. All at once, I knew what he intended to do. My heart did a painful double-thump as I spun on my heel.
Time stopped.
I lunged.
A scream of, “Merrick!” whipped off my lips just as the flash-bang followed. The blast of lightning hit too close, too quick. Not even Letum Wood could save me from the strike. Sheer electric power shoved me back.
Darkness swept over my mind like a veil.