Blossom whistled sharply. “To your stations, aderyan! Line up against the wall and follow the grumpy demon. If you have a knife, use the pointy end on the bad guys! We’ll see you on the other side!”

  With a loud whoop, Blossom landed on Sabine’s shoulder and grabbed her hair. Sabine, Malek, and Aeron stepped back into the tunnel. Aeron unsheathed his curved sword and gave her a silent nod. Taking a deep breath, Sabine reached for the land again and sealed the tunnel from view.

  Turning toward the large barricade she’d formed to block the wyvern’s dragonfire, she pressed her hands on the rock wall. Calling upon the power at her command, she sent a roiling shockwave through the tunnel to topple anything standing beyond the boundary.

  “That should do it,” Malek said, grabbing her hand. “Let’s get out of here.”

  A chorus of shouts and roars thundered through the mountain. Summoning a light source in the palm of her hand, Sabine tossed it into the air to light their path. The time for stealth was gone. Now they’d have to rely on speed and sheer luck if they hoped to survive.

  They turned and raced down the sloping tunnel toward the dark void poisoning the land.

  CHAPTER 56

  The path dipped and curved, descending into the bowels of Ishu. At each intersection they passed, Sabine tossed another lightsource into the hallway before creating another barrier. The magic wouldn’t last long, but it would hopefully draw the wyverns’ attention away from Bane and the others.

  As they ran, Sabine brushed her fingertips against the rock wall. Many of the odd null spaces were congregating on her large barrier, except for the giant one almost directly below them.

  She staggered as another concentrated burst of dragonfire attacked the barrier. Malek caught her arm, keeping her upright.

  “How much farther?” Malek asked, glancing over their shoulder as they continued to run and dodge around debris. “Sabine can’t keep the barrier up much longer.”

  “We’re close,” Aeron said, leaping over some broken crockery and landing with his wings extended. “The captives should be up ahead.”

  Blossom sniffed. “I smell fresh air.”

  “There,” Aeron said, pointing toward a small window-sized opening in the wall up ahead. In the distance beyond it, Sabine could make out the pale light of the moon. They were rapidly approaching the end of the tunnel.

  The barricade behind them fractured, and Sabine cried out as dragonfire pierced the remnants of her water shield. Malek caught her around the waist and swept her into his arms, running toward the intersection in a dash of speed.

  “Move!” he shouted to Aeron as the ground rumbled and the sharp smell of sulfur filled the air.

  “Faster!” Blossom shouted, grabbing Sabine’s hair. “Crispy pixie is not a good look! Run faster!”

  They dove into the intersection and pressed against the wall as a blast of dragonfire shot through the tunnel. Blossom squeaked and hugged Sabine’s neck. Sabine lifted her hands, forming a secondary water barrier around them to shield them from the oppressive heat. The water bubbled and boiled, but it held.

  “That wyvern is going to die,” Malek said in a low voice.

  “Can I make him itchy first?” Blossom asked, looking over her shoulder at her wings. “Whew! No scorch marks.”

  Sabine leaned her head against the wall. “You have my permission to make him painfully itchy in the most uncomfortable of areas.”

  “We need to move,” Aeron said quietly, motioning for them follow. He stepped through an opening in the wall that was too narrow for a wyvern unless it was in human form. More traces of marble were on the walls and floors in this hallway, but most had been chipped away or destroyed.

  The hallway was lit with oil lanterns that cast swirls of dark smoke on the walls and ceiling. Sabine wrinkled her nose at the smelly lanterns and released her lightsource.

  “Drakes,” Malek said, gesturing to the ground where more claw marks were etched into the broken marble and rock. “Most are smaller than their wyvern cousins. They don’t usually breathe dragonfire, but many can spit acid. These worn ridges on the marble are their work.”

  “Belching fire, spitting acid,” Blossom said, wrinkling her nose. “You guys might want to check your diets. You need more fiber.”

  Sabine touched a distinctive tile that still had traces of gold gilt on the edges. She had a vague recollection of being carried through this hallway when she was slipping in and out of consciousness.

  Malek placed his hand on her shoulder. “This is where Typheron brought you, didn’t he?”

  She nodded. “I believe so.”

  “All of these caverns are like honeycombs,” Aeron said quietly, gesturing to another opening in the wall. “The oldest and most powerful of the aderyan are kept on this level. They are rarely left unguarded. There should be a cell through here and another across from it. That’s where we were chained.”

  Sabine gestured toward the opening and murmured, “Blossom, scout ahead.”

  “You’ve got it,” Blossom whispered.

  Her form shimmered and took on the appearance of a pale moth with wings the color of moonlight. As it flittered through the opening, Malek unsheathed his sword. Blossom reappeared a moment later and landed on Sabine’s outstretched palm.

  “We’ve got two uglies with scales guarding the door. I didn’t get close enough to check, but I bet they have stinky acid breath.”

  “Good enough.” Sabine lifted her hands and wrapped a thin sheen of glamour around them. Tweaking the illusion, she blended their appearance to closely match the walls.

  Malek and Aeron moved forward while Sabine remained a step behind them to hold the illusion in place. As they rounded the turn in the corridor, Sabine caught sight of the two drakes.

  Their scales were murky in the dim light, and they stood as silent sentinels guarding a heavy iron door. Without hesitation, Malek surged forward, the blade in his hand catching the scant light as he closed the distance.

  The left drake barely had time to register his approach before Malek’s sword arced through the air and sliced through its scales. Heat flared from Malek’s hand as he reached toward the drake, punching through the creature’s scales to grip its heart. The drake collapsed with a gurgling thud, its body twitching as it died.

  Aeron darted toward the second drake. This one reacted quicker, its snarl filling the air as it lunged forward with bared fangs. Sabine extended her hand, shouting a command that unleashed a torrent of binding light, wrapping around the drake’s legs and pinning it briefly to the ground.

  Blossom darted forward, her tiny body radiating an intense light that dazzled the drake, blinding it momentarily. Aeron seized the opportunity, his sword driving deep into the creature’s heart. With a final heave, he twisted the blade, ensuring the drake would not rise again.

  “Woo hoo,” Blossom exclaimed, dancing midair. “See what happens when you mess with wings? You end up squashed! Like a bug!”

  Sabine arched her brow. “The light show is new.”

  Blossom gave her a sheepish grin and said, “That starfruit essence has a kick.”

  Sabine made a noncommittal noise. Blossom’s power boost in the underworld had given the pixie a much greater propensity for magic—and mischief.

  Malek grabbed the iron key off the wall and unlatched the door. With a groan, it swung open to reveal a darkened interior. Sabine summoned another lightsource and stepped over the dead drakes to follow Malek inside.

  Three aderyan, two men and a woman, were chained upright with their wings extended. Their bodies were scantily clad and covered with scars from centuries of abuse. Large, glowing chains pulsed softly with every beat of their wings. They lifted their heads, a combination of defiance and exhaustion etched on their faces.

  Fury roiled through Sabine, her skin markings shining with barely restrained power. The ground beneath her feet began to rumble. She forced herself to pull back on her power when all she wanted was to drop the damn mountain on Typheron’s head.

  Malek muttered a curse. “We need to get them down. Now.”

  “Aeron?” the woman said, her eyes widening in shock. “Is that truly you?”

  “We have not been abandoned, Efa,” Aeron said, approaching her with Malek at his side. “Our Aderylin hears our Song. We fly again.”

  Sabine turned at the sound of heavy footsteps and the slither of scales against the walls. Another drake rushed through the doorway.

  “Sabine!” Malek shouted in warning.

  The creature’s golden eyes focused on her, its mouth opening and dripping with acid. It reared back as though preparing to spit the foul substance in her direction.

  Sabine stepped in front of the drake and lifted her hand. “Vashado!”

  Power burst from her fingertips, searing the room with a blinding flash of light. It slammed into the creature, ripping through his scales and slicing him in half. Steam rose up from the carcass, filling the air with the smell of charred meat. She shook out her hand, the tingles of magic sending little shockwaves up her arm. That command seemed to be growing in strength every time she used it.

  Blossom pinched her nose. “This is why I’m a vegetarian.”

  Malek approached and took her hand. He studied her fingers before meeting her gaze. “You’re unhurt?”

  She nodded and gestured to the aderyan. “I am, but they’re not. The devices entrapping them are sealed with dragonfire.”

  He lifted her hand and kissed it before releasing her. “I’ll take care of it, and then I’m going to tear off Typheron’s scales. I’d prefer if you avoided jumping in front of any more drakes.”

  Sabine watched as Aeron showed Malek how to disengage the skythrall conduit. Using dragonfire, he quickly disabled it while Aeron unlocked the restraints using the iron key. They lowered Efa to the ground, and she whimpered as she pulled her dark wings tight against her back.

  “By the gods’ breath, that hurts,” Efa muttered and squeezed her eyes shut.

  Blossom sniffed. “Her poor wings. Mine hurt just looking at her.”

  “How long have they kept you chained this time?” Aeron asked, helping Efa sit up.

  “Too long,” Efa said, her voice raspy. “They’re giving us fewer breaks as our numbers dwindle. There was some commotion earlier. We thought they might be doing another purge, but they brought Jac back and then ran out of here like their scales were on fire.”

  Aeron glanced over at Sabine. “Our magic can weaken the longer we remain underground or without adequate time to rest. Typheron regularly culls those whose magic falters.”

  Sabine flexed her hands, trying to control her magic. There was no excuse or claim to power that could ever justify such acts of cruelty. If her people had known the aderyan lived and chose to do nothing, they were just as culpable as the ones who closed the shackles around the aderyan’s necks.

  Malek’s jaw clenched. “Let’s get the others down.”

  “I'll keep an eye out for more drakes,” Blossom said, changing back into her moth disguise.

  Sabine walked over to a table containing a small pitcher and wooden cup. They were both empty.

  “Another torment,” Aeron said in disgust.

  “It will be one of their last.” Sabine pulled some moisture from the air and filled the cup. She brought it over to Efa and held it for the woman to drink. Efa eagerly tipped back the cup and then gagged.

  “Not too fast or you’ll throw it up,” Aeron warned, working on the shackles of another captive while Malek disabled the device attached to his wings. Efa scowled and took several slower sips.

  Sabine studied the woman while she drained the cup. Her hair was cut short and was dark as midnight, framing a face that was thin and far too pale. Her wings were the color of the sky at twilight, when the moon was just beginning the night’s journey. Despite being chained and abused, there was a fierce determination about Efa that Sabine couldn’t help but admire and respect.

  “More?” Sabine asked.

  Efa shook her head and put the cup aside. “He’s right. Too much will just come back up. You were the reason for the commotion earlier, weren’t you?”

  “Yes.”

  “Good. I hope you made them pay.”

  Sabine smiled and took Efa’s hands. “Will you allow me to share my strength with you?”

  Efa nodded and winced as she sat up straighter.

  In the ancient tongue of the gods, Sabine murmured words of protection, clarity of mind, and strength. The glow from Sabine’s skin encompassed Efa’s, causing her wings to tremble at the rush of magic spreading through her.

  Efa looked up at her with gray eyes like the sky during a storm. In her irises, Sabine could have sworn she saw lightning flash.

  “By the wind’s breath, you’re potent,” Efa said with a laugh. “Tell me you’ve come to kill that bastard Typheron.”

  Sabine picked up the empty cup and stood. “I’m here to restore the balance and purge this land of those who would imprison and harm Aeslion’s children. The land itself has rejected Typheron and his allies. I intend to see justice done in her name.”

  “You ally with our enemies,” one of the men said, his voice hoarse as though he’d spent a long time screaming. Sabine turned to him, noting many of his wounds appeared to be recent.

  Aeron shook his head as they lowered the man to the ground. “No, Tristan. I believed the same, but I have seen the difference in this dragon. Malek and his clan fight for our Aderylin, even against their own.”

  Sabine approached Tristan and kneeled beside him. His golden hair had been shorn on one side of his head, exposing an intricate triangle tattoo with sharp angles that had been etched into the side of his neck and across his skull.

  Refilling the cup with a wave of her hand, she offered it to him and said, “Trust takes time. For now, you have my word I am not here to impose my will over you, nor elicit any oaths. I simply seek to restore the balance.”

  Tristan eyed her warily but accepted the cup and took a long drink. He coughed and wiped the droplets with the back of his hand.

  Sabine took the cup and placed it on the ground beside her. “I’m no healer, but I can help restore your magic. Will you allow me to share my strength with you?”

  Tristan nodded and placed his hands in hers. Sabine repeated the ancient words for protection and vitality, allowing her power to flow down her arms and through him.

  His blue eyes widened, and he gripped her hands tightly. His wings snapped out, the white and golden feathers brilliant against the light from the oil lanterns. “Lyra. She… lives? She is Aetherbound?”

  Sabine stared at him in shock. The shape of the eyes and the coloring of his wings were undeniable. “You’re her father?”

  Aeron stilled. “She’s yours? By the Song, Tristan. I did not know Lyra was of your blood. I would have tried to get word to you.”

  Tristan’s expression was thunderous. “Tell me what you know.”

  “We managed to smuggle her into Imenel almost a year ago,” Aeron said, removing the neck shackle from the last prisoner. “The bastards left her for dead. It took a long time for her to recover, even with Fiona’s help. She was slated to be sent to the islands on our next trip, but our Aderylin arrived before then.”

  Tristan’s gaze whipped back to Sabine. “You can sense her?”

  Sabine closed her eyes, reaching for Lyra with her thoughts. “She’s with her mother, Thalassa, and one of my trusted warriors. They’re freeing the prisoners on the upper levels and are approaching the surface.”

  “My clan is waiting to take them and the rest of the aderyan to safety,” Malek said, studying the last device.

  Tristan’s eyes silvered, and he snarled. “Haven’t your kind done enough?”

  Sabine squeezed Tristan’s hands, drawing his attention back to her. “Malek has been helping to protect her since we found her in Imenel. He would no more harm her than he would me. Lyra’s a remarkable child and is very much loved.”

  Malek’s eyes warmed, and a rush of love swept through their bond.

  “You’ve never spoken of your daughter,” Efa said quietly.

  “I—” Tristan’s voice broke off, and he lowered his head. “I’ve only seen her twice. The first was when she was born. I was allowed to ease Ceridwen’s birthing pains and hold my daughter for mere moments before she was taken from me.”

  Tristan lifted his head, his stormy blue eyes filled with a fierce anger. “The second time they brought her to me, they placed a knife against her throat as a warning. Ceridwen pleaded with me to bind Lyra’s magic, rather than have her subjected to the same torments they inflicted upon the rest of us. Neither of us believed they would cut off a child’s wings. After Ceridwen and I refused to couple again, Typheron led us to believe our daughter was dead.”

  Sabine wrapped her arms around the man as he wept. She lifted her head to meet Malek’s furious gaze. He turned back to the device on the third captive and thrust his dragonfire into the lock, shattering it into pieces.

  She stroked Tristan’s hair and murmured, “Lyra is alive and whole. I’ve returned her wings. Your daughter has been learning what it means to be aderyan. Both Aeron and Thalassa have taken her under their wings, guiding and teaching her in your absence. She flies now, Tristan.”

  Efa kneeled beside Tristan. “Your daughter and her mother both live. That’s more than many of us can claim.”

  Tristan lifted his head and snapped his wings against his back. “If you intend to kill Typheron, I will aid you.”

  “Typheron’s holed up in his lair,” the other captive said, rubbing his neck where the shackle had pierced his skin. Sabine refilled the cup of water and offered it to him. He closed his eyes and downed it quickly.

  Aeron frowned. “How do you know this, Jac?”

  “They brought me up an hour ago,” Jac said with a scowl. “Typheron enjoys taking us down there for his little amusements. You’ve missed a great deal of amusement in the years since your escape, Aeron.”

  Aeron flinched. It was barely noticeable, but Jac’s words had obviously hit their mark.

  She moved in front of Jac and said, “I saw the conditions of the aderyans’ so-called refuge in Imenel. I’ve seen some of what your people have suffered in this prison. I’ve witnessed the careless disregard Typheron and others like him have for your lives. Yet when Aeron learned I intended to travel to the Sky Cities and attempt to free your people, he was the first to step forward to aid me.”

 

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