Space warped around Kalden, and his body spun through the air. One minute, he’d been sitting on the sofa, holding Akari’s hand and making small circles with his thumb. His brother sat in the seat opposite them, and Elise Moonfire stood in the doorway.

Then someone displaced his body without warning. His back struck the earth, and the gray sky filled his vision. A few trees drifted in the morning wind, showing the first signs of their spring leaves.

Kalden’s instincts kicked in a second later. Three weeks ago, he might have spent several seconds in the grass, gathering his wits and waiting for his stomach to settle. But they’d trained with this technique every day since Akari’s last dream, and he sprang to his feet at once.

Akari always tried to warn them before a swap, but warnings weren’t always an option in the heat of battle. Sometimes she moved them to safety as their enemies closed in. Other times, she would see an opportunity, and her brain was two steps ahead of her mouth. Either way, it was best to adjust as quickly as possible.

He found himself in the Darklight’s backyard, a quarter mile from the house. The others all stood beside him—not just Akari and Elise, but also Relia, Arturo, and Zukan.

Naturally, they’d all had the same reaction to the swap. Akari, Relia, and Zukan cycled mana to their hands, while, Arturo held an assault rifle, and Elise looked ready to raise a shield.

Kalden’s cycled his battle mana, and time slowed around him. This wasn’t a true Cloak technique, but it sharpened his senses and his thoughts, letting him take in more of his surroundings. The wind blew harder, and the clouds darkened with the first signs of a storm. Worst of all, he felt a pressure on his soul—a pressure only he’d felt once before.

Light flashed from the east—a beam of blinding white mana, just like that day in Vordica. Kalden closed his eyes, and formed a shield in front of his body. This wouldn’t do much against Storm’s Eye, but he had to do something.

The ground shook beneath his feet. He crashed into Akari and Elise, and the three of them fell in a heap on the ground. An explosion ripped through the air. Something blocked out the sound, but the waves tore through the earth, and he felt them in his bones.

Kalden waited for the light to fade before he opened his eyes again. Even Relia might struggle to heal a burnt retina, and it wasn’t worth the risk. When he finally pulled them open, the world was a blur of black and white. He rubbed at his eyes, but his vision swayed, and his limbs felt like jelly. His ears rang, drowning out the shouts of his teammates.

He turned back to the house, expecting to see the familiar, two-story structure with its old brick exterior. The place they’d called home for the past year.

But as his eyes adjusted to the scene, he saw the truth of things. The house was gone.

Storm’s Eye had cut a deep trench through the earth. It stretched for several miles from the bay, and probably extended deeper into the city proper. Shards of wood and stone lay scattered across the yard, and smoke wafted up from the scorched landscape.

And there, on the horizon, loomed the infamous mana spirit, glowing bright blue against the storm clouds. Smaller spirits crawled out from the trench, like neon blue paint wafting through the smoky air. Some of their forms resembled animals, while others looked more human.

Kalden struggled to breathe, but his lungs refused to open. This couldn’t be real; none of it made any sense. Koreldon City was safe. Storm’s Eye was down in Vaslana with the Masters and Mystics. How could it travel more than a thousand miles so quickly?

His ears stopped ringing over the next few heartbeats, and he heard his teammates again. They’d been talking this whole time, but he couldn’t make out any words until now.

“How’d we get outside?” someone asked. It sounded like Relia or Elise, but he couldn’t be sure.

“Wasn’t me,” Akari replied through several deep breaths.

“Glim,” Kalden said as his brain caught up. “Displacement—it’s one of our evac plans.” His vision grew clearer, and he noticed a transparent blue dome around them. Glim must have also shielded them from the blast. She’d taken all their mana signatures before, so—

Kalden froze as he surveyed the group once again. All five of his teammates were inside the dome, unharmed, but they were missing someone. “Where’s Sozen?” he asked. His brother had been sitting across from them less a minute ago.

“Nine o’clock,” Glim’s voice replied, and Kalden spotted a piece of stone rubble in the grass. “He’s injured,” she said. “But still alive. I didn’t have his signature, so I had to push him out with pure mana.”

“We have to help him.” Kalden stepped forward and pressed his hands to the Construct.

“Wait,” Glim said. “Someone’s coming.”

If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

Kalden turned toward the horizon where several bright blasts of mana filled the sky. That must be Prime Minister Salerian; he’d stayed to defend the city while the other Mystics were in Vaslana. But where were Elend, Irina, and the others?

Hundreds of spawn gathered near the ruins of the house, forming a loose perimeter around the backyard. Others dotted the sky like a swarm of mana bugs, and smaller groups broke off from the main horde, surveying the forest.

This was no random attack. Storm’s Eye had come for them.

A dark shadow filled the clearing, and a gust of wind ruffled the surviving trees. Kalden glanced up and spotted a massive dragon stretching its wings overhead . It wasn’t as large as Creta’s Dragonlord, but its wingspan could still fill an entire city block.

The dragon banked around before settling in the grass in front of them. Mana flashed in a burst of green, and the creature shrank before his eyes, taking on the form of a half-dragon woman. She looked far more human than Zukan, with smooth green skin, and waves of long black hair that fell past her shoulders.

“That’s her,” Akari whispered from beside him. “Valeria Antano.”

The Dragonlord’s sister. The same one who’d tried to capture her during the qualifying rounds last year.

A pair of helicopters set down in the clearing beside her, and a dozen human soldiers stepped out onto the grass. Most of them were Artisans, armed with mana rods and assault rifles. Meanwhile, the spawn kept their distance, which contradicted everything he’d learned in Nightfang’s class. These creatures were supposed to attack everyone on sight—even Masters and Mystics.

Did this mean the Sons of Talek were controlling Storm’s Eye? Or maybe they’d allied with it, depending on how smart it was. Kalden shot a sidelong look at Elise; she’d known her father was planning something, even if she didn’t know what it was.

Valeria Antano surveyed the destruction, and her soldiers fanned through the clearing. Finally, the half-dragon strode toward them. The sky darkened to a deeper shade of blue, and her long hair blew like a banner in the wind.

“Can she see us?” Relia asked.

“No,” Glim replied. “I’m putting all my power into this illusion.”

“Do you need help?” Elise asked her.

“No offense,” Glim said, “but she’s a Master. Your mana would barely be a drop in the bucket.”

Several soldiers jogged over to the nearby rubble, then they turned back to their leader. “Lady Antano,” one of them called out. “We found someone.”

Valeria strode over, bent down, and lifted a pillar that must have weighed eight hundred pounds. She hurled it across the yard, and Sozen let out a gasp of pain. Kalden couldn’t see much from this vantage, but it looked like the pillar had crushed both of his brother’s legs.

“Ah,” Valeria said in her raspy voice. “The little human traitor with his little human lies.” She sounded half-mad right now. Clearly, the life of exile hadn’t been kind to her. “Where are the others?” she asked. “Where is Akari Zeller?”

Sozen made a show of looking around, then he glanced back at the house. “They were . . . Inside . . . when it happened.”

“Is that so?” She brought a clawed finger to his chin. “And where’s the Etherite?”

“E-Etherite?” Sozen asked. He sounded surprised, but he must have known about the pieces in the vault. Kalden and Akari would need those for the Aeon ritual.

“I took it,” Glim’s voice echoed from somewhere in the dome. “It’s in Kalden’s pouch.”

Kalden glanced down at his pouch, and gave a slow nod. “What about my brother? We have to help him.”

“No,” Glim said in a shaky voice. “It’s a trap.”

“She’s just a Master. You can take her.”

“It’s a trap,” Glim repeated. “There are three Masters out there. The other two are disguised as regular soldiers. They’re veiling their souls.”

“Last chance,” Valeria said to Sozen. “Give me Zeller, or the Etherite. I don’t care which.”

“I don’t know where they are,” he said through several ragged breaths. “I swear.”

“No, no. I think you do. The Solidors are on their way here, aren’t they? You came to retrieve Zeller and bring her to them.”

“I lost them in the explosion,” he said. “And I’ve been a little busy bleeding out.”

“Then swear to help me find them. Swear it on your soul, and I’ll return the favor. If not . . .” She trailed off, and molten orange mana gathered in her palm.

Kalden forced himself to take a deep breath. “She’s bluffing right?”

Glim didn’t answer, and his teammates remained equally silent.

“Damnit.” Kalden pounded on the shield again. “We can’t just stand here.”

“I’m sorry,” Glim said in a low voice.

“You can take them. We have the element of surprise.”

“That wasn’t my job,” Glim said, her voice barely above a whisper. “Elend told me to keep you safe. I can’t do that if I’m fighting three Masters.”

Sozen reached out his right hand, offering his wrist to Valeria—probably buying himself more time. Despite everything, Kalden cycled his battle mana and stayed calm. Sozen must have a plan. Even if he didn’t, Elend and Irina would be back any second. They would deal with this mess when they got here.

But his aspect disagreed. It told him the danger was real. It also agreed with Glim’s decision. Kalden cared about his brother, but things had been complicated these past few years. They’d barely seen each other, and he couldn’t risk Akari and Relia’s safety for this battle.

Another part of him rebelled against that idea. He shouldn’t have to sacrifice his family to save his friends.

Valeria clasped his brother’s wrist, and he forced out his oath. “I . . . Sozen Trengsen, swear to—” His other arm moved in a blur, forming a blade of glowing Moonshard. It looked just like the technique that had severed Dansin Roth’s arm last year

The dragon caught Sozen’s wrist with her free hand, and she let out a long, irritated sigh. Then her hand burst into flames. Sozen screamed as the technique spread down his arm, consuming his entire torso with unnatural speed.

Valeria laughed in her raspy voice as the flames gathered around her. “So much for your Aeon powers, little human.”

The flames engulfed Sozen’s body, bones and all. A second later, nothing but black ash remained, and the wind carried that away, spreading it through the trees.

Kalden sank to his knees. He felt Akari press her weight against his back, wrapping her arms tight around his shoulders. Relia was there too, squeezing his hand.

His mind went blank, unable to process the sight. He’d seen death before—dozens of times. He’d even come close to losing Akari and Relia. He thought he understood how it would feel, but he was wrong. Nothing could have prepared him for this.

Valeria got back to her feet and brushed some ash from her cheek. “Burn everything,” she said. “Don’t stop until you find them.”

Green mana gathered around her a second later as she transformed back to her dragon body. Her soldiers jogged away, and she spread out her massive wings. Finally, she gathered a burst of orange mana from deep within her throat and set fire to the surrounding forest.