Akari watched as the fire closed in around her team. Radiant bursts of color and heat spread across the horizon, climbing hundreds of feet into the air. It moved with unnatural speed, and the ancient trees turned to shriveled black skeletons. Smoke choked the sky until the only light came from Glim’s shield.
“What happens when it reaches us?” Relia called out.
Good question. Glim could defend them, but how long would that last? Elend was gone, and so was the house. That left her with no source of power.
“Akari,” Glim’s voice echoed through the shield.
“Yeah?” Akari glanced back and forth, but there were no mirrors inside the dome.
“Get ready to make a portal.”
“Where?” She’d already tried looking for an escape route, but the world beyond was pitch black. Even if it wasn’t, Valeria’s fire would melt her Missile like a snowflake.
“Here.” Several glowing arrows formed on the shield itself, and they all directed her to a specific point. “It will take you out of the neighborhood—into the city.”
Akari’s hands shook as she fell into a combat stance and cycled her mana “What about you?”
“Elend can remake me,” she said. “Just go!”
Akari unleashed her Missile, and the shield flickered as Glim let it pass. The mana flew for several long seconds after that, and Akari focused on it with all her mental might. This new spot must be several miles away.
Finally, her mana hit an obstacle, and she pulled at the edges, forming it into half a portal. She’d never made a portal from this distance, but Glim seemed to have a solid grasp of her abilities.
Akari’s teammates stepped back, and she shot another Missile into the grass, opening the second half of her portal. She craned her neck forward and glimpsed Koreldon City’s skyline beyond. A part of her itched to jump through, but that would be a mistake. This entire city was a war zone right now. If she died, then her teammates had no way out.
Instead, she gestured to Relia and Zukan. “You two go first.” They did so, and Akari pointed to Elise. “Follow them. Make an illusion for us”
“Clear,” Zukan shouted from beyond the portal.
Elise gathered dream mana into her palms as she jumped through. Arturo followed her without comment, then Akari and Kalden went together.
They emerged on a rooftop somewhere downtown. She couldn’t tell which building, but it must have been well over a hundred stories tall. From here, they had a clear view of Storm’s Eye in the bay, along with all the destruction it had caused. Several buildings lay broken and burning, and mana spawn swarmed the streets below. Some people fought back, but most of them fled for shelter. Tidal waves broke against the shield wall, and more mana flashed like lightning in the bay beyond. Akari had never seen Mystics fight in person before, and she couldn’t help but stare at the scene.
“Where are we?” Relia asked.
Arturo glanced around at the surrounding structures, then at the massive spire behind them. “Looks like Skyreach Tower.”
“Dragon!” Elise shouted.
Akari snapped her head back toward the east. There, Valeria Antano approached, faster than an airship at full speed.
Shit. Glim had protected Akari’s Missile from the flames, and the dragon must have felt it happen.
Akari ran toward the edge of the roof and shot another portal toward the street below. She formed the other half at her feet, and everyone jumped through without being told. They emerged in an alley a second later, and Valeria unleashed her fire against Skyreach Tower. The building itself survived the blast, but the flames covered the roof like a flaming crown.
Talek. Two more seconds, and they’d all be dead.
A bus-sized Missile flew up from the street, colliding with Valeria’s left wing. The dragon let out a roar as she spun to face her attacker. Several more Missiles flew up from the same spot. These were a different aspect from the first, and the joint effort forced her to retreat.
Akari’s gaze fell to the sidewalk where a gray-haired couple sat on motorized scooters. They were well into their second century, and too old to be summoned to Vaslana. Still, they were obviously Masters, and mana didn’t age like bodies did. The man bombarded Valeria with more Missiles, and the woman turned to the nearby spawn, destroying several dozen with a flick of her wrist.
It was kind of funny to watch, but Akari’s smile faded when her gaze fell to their sorroundings. Broken bodies covered the sidewalks, and puddles of blood stained the concrete and asphalt.
“She’ll be back,” Elise said. “We should keep moving.”
Akari poked her head out from the alley. “Any ideas?”
“The Winterlance Plaza.” Arturo pointed somewhere to the north. “They’ve got wards for defense and privacy. Should keep that dragon from finding us.”
Akari tried to follow his gaze, but nothing stood out. “Um, which one’s the Winter Plaza?”
“The white one,” Elise said. “Looks like an ice palace.”
“My parents have a penthouse there,” Arturo said. “Right balcony, third floor from the top.”
Akari cycled mana to her glasses, activating the zoom function and crosshairs over her lenses. Then she released a pair of Missiles—one on the balcony, and one on the alley’s brick wall.
Arturo stepped onto the balcony and pressed his palm to the signature pad. The door opened a second later, and her teammates all piled into the penthouse. Akari followed them, but she left her portal closed in the alley. They might be safe from Valeria in the hotel, but Storm’s Eye could still shoot another blast. They might need an escape plan if it came to that.
Darkness shrouded the room beyond, and the furniture cast long shadows over the floors. Kalden collapsed onto the nearest sofa, and his eyes were dark and distant.
Meanwhile, Relia stepped over to a nearby light switch and flipped it up and down. “No power?”
“Stormy probably knocked out half the city.” Arturo opened a closet and started tinkering with something. “I’ll see if I can fix it.”
How was he going to fix the power when half the city was out? Then again, this was Arturo. He probably had a giant mana battery in his bag.
Akari sat down next to Kalden, close enough for their knees to touch. She knew what it felt like to lose someone you loved. She also knew that words wouldn’t make it better.
“This is bad,” Relia muttered as she paced the room. “Does anyone have family left in town?”
“I assume you mean me,” Arturo said from the closet. “Zukan’s an orphan.”
“Do you?” she asked hopefully.
“My parents are down south,” he replied. “So are my aunts and uncles. But I might have some cousins in town . . .” The lights came on a second later, and Arturo emerged from the closet. “There. This should last a few hours if we ration it.”
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
He flipped the lights off and turned on the TV instead—a ten-foot-long monstrosity that filled one entire wall. The screen showed footage of Storm’s Eye in the bay, then it cut to scenes of its spawn wreaking havoc in the streets. The news reporters sounded as shaken as Akari felt, and there were several long pauses as they scrambled for words.
Relia kept pacing “Why’s it doing this? What does it even want?”
Arturo reached out and gently seized her wrist. “Sit down, spira. We can’t help anyone unless we rest.”
Relia followed his advice, settling down on the sofa beside him.
Helicopter footage showed the damage from Storm’s Eye’s first blast. A massive trench cut through the entire city, revealing the sewers and subway tunnels beneath. The Unity Bridge was shattered, and so were half the buildings in Mystic Square. Hundreds of people abandoned their cars in the street and took cover inside the nearest buildings. But even that wouldn’t keep them safe for long. The spawn could change their shape at will, squeezing under doors and through vents. Modern security systems weren’t built to handle that.
Akari’s blood ran like ice water in her veins. She’d seen her share of war, but those fights had all happened on distant battlefields—places she’d expected to find death and destruction. Meanwhile, Koreldon City had actually started to feel like home these past few months. She’d walked along those sidewalks, ridden those trains, and drank coffee in those cafes. She’d been prepared for the Sons of Talek to make another move, but not this. How had Storm’s Eye traveled so far, so quickly?
“I’m seeing tons of rumors online,” Arturo said. “The Mystics set a trap for Stormy, but it teleported away.”
“Teleported?” Relia asked from beside him.
“Yeah.” He gestured vaguely toward the east. “People saw a big-ass portal in the bay. Just before it showed up here.”
“So it was holding back this whole time?”
“Maybe. Or it had help.”
“What about everyone in Vaslana?”
“Trapped,” Arturo said. “They made wards around the battlefield so nobody could get in or out. Probably a bunch of Mystics working together.”
“That’s not standard Espirian procedure,” Zukan said. He’d barely spoken a word since they left the Darklight’s house, but his voice was surprisingly calm. “They should have had escape routes in place.”
Arturo shrugged. “Just tellin’ you what I heard.”
“Then how’d Storm’s Eye get away?” Relia asked.
“Someone betrayed them,” Akari muttered. “You can’t make portals through wards. You’d have to plan ahead—make them before the wards went up.”
Arturo gave a slow nod. “What she said.”
“I think my dad did this,” Elise said without looking up from her phone.
“Wait.” Arturo lifted the remote and turned down the volume on the TV. “What’d you say, spira?”
She cleared her throat and uncurled herself from the plush chair between the two sofas. “I think my dad made that portal in the bay. He might have sealed their escape routes, too.”
Silence filled the room, but no one contradicted her. Ashur Moonfire wasn’t a Mystic yet, but he was the world’s most powerful space artist. If nothing else, that made him a prime suspect for a feat like this.
“Why?” Zukan asked. “This is his city. What does he gain from destroying it?”
“There’s an old phrase,” Elise said. “Never let a good storm go to waste.”
Kalden gave a slow nod from his spot beside Akari. “She’s right. Just look at history. War hurts the planet as a whole, but someone usually come out on top.”
“Still . . .” Arturo glanced back at the TV screen. “That’s one hell of an accusation, spira. And why wouldn’t he get his family out first?”
“He did,” Elise said. “I mean—he tried. He told me to go to our house in North Stocia. I had to trick his airship crew to get away. He made some excuse about Aeon cultists, but that didn’t make any sense.” She glanced back at the window. “Either he caused this, or he knew it would happen.”
“And the dragon?” Arturo asked.
“That was my cousin,” Zukan said from his spot in the corner. “Valeria Antano.”
Cousin? That was news to Akari. Fortunately, Zukan already knew that she’d killed Valeria’s son last year, and he didn’t seem to hold it against her.
Akari cleared her throat. “Valeria’s a member of the Sons of Talek. They’re the ones who tried to kidnap me.”
“And my parents were part of that.” Elise was still staring down at her lap, but she forced herself to look up. “So was I. I helped them eliminate Akari from the qualifying rounds . . . ” She trailed off, and rubbed at her eyes. “I told my parents I was done helping them—even before I knew about all this.”
The others kept talking, but no one seemed particularly surprised. They’d all connected the dots by now, even if they’d never discussed it openly as a team.
Akari turned to look out the window again. The glass shook in its frame, and debris flew through the storm winds outside. Screams and sirens echoed in the distance, along with the thunder of gunshots and distant mana techniques.
Storm’s Eye could attack this hotel at any second, and they’d all be helpless to stop it. Valeria and her fellow Masters could track Akari here and destroy building’s wards. The Sons of Talek could break down the door, or a group of spawn could emerge from the vents.
She’d relied on the Darklights for safety these past few months, but she couldn’t rely on them indefinitely. The prime minister could call them to war at any moment, and they had no say in the matter.
There was only one path forward. One way to make a difference in this world. She had to get stronger. Today.
Akari forced herself to her feet, and her knees wobbled at the sudden movement. She took a deep breath, turned around, and met Kalden’s gaze. Several quick thoughts passed between them, and she saw the conviction in his eyes. It was too late to save his brother, but they could still make a difference for someone else.
She swallowed, then turned to the rest of her team. “We never told you why Sozen came to the house today.”
The others perked up at that. Arturo must have noticed something in her tone, because he flicked off the TV and turned on the lamp instead. The pool of orange light was just wide enough to surround them all.
Akari took another moment to gather her thoughts. Where was she even supposed to start? A part of her rebelled at this whole idea. It was safer to keep her plans close, especially with Elise Moonfire on her team. But then she remembered Irina’s lessons from Garriland.
Sometimes, trust was given rather than earned.
“Sozen works for the Solidors,” she said. “He came to retrieve me and Kalden. We were supposed to meet them today . . .”
Akari stepped back toward the sofa and held out her hand. Kalden extended his own hand and produced three glowing crystal cuffs from his pouch. She took the cuffs and held them up for her teammates to see. “Lady Solidor was going to use these and turn us into Aeons.”
Arturo whistled at the sight. “Those are the same rings Elend took from Creta?”
She nodded. “We’ve also been taking soulshine everyday since Midwinter break.”
“Well yeah,” Arturo said. “That part was obvious. But why you? I mean, no offense shoka, but lots of people have Etherite.”
Akari hesitated, but only for a second. “They’re trying to get back to their homeworld—the Solidors, I mean. I dunno the whole story, but Elend said they need a spacetime artist. Probably a Mystic. They’re doing this to help me get stronger. Then I’ll owe them a favor someday.”
Zukan furrowed his scaly brow. “You would swear an oath to Aeon cultists?”
“Technically,” Arturo said. “The Solidors aren’t cultists. They’re more like the cult’s equivalent of Angels.”
Zukan’s frown deepened at that. He was far more religious than the rest of her team, and he’d never seemed to like the Aeons in the first place.
Akari couldn’t change his mind about that, so she pressed on. “We’ve talked about climbing to the top and becoming Mystics. And Mystics all have one thing in common—they bet on themselves, even if it means risking everything.”
“So why tell us this now?” Arturo asked.
Akari reached into her pocket, and pulled out the card Sozen had given them. “The Solidors will be at this address, today, at eleven.”
Elise gestured out the window, and a nervous laugh escaped her lips. “You think they’re still coming? After all this?”
That sent a shiver down Akari’s spine, followed by a wave of doubt. It was just passed ten o’clock right now, and the Solidors would need people to teleport them into the city. What if those people couldn’t work in this chaos? Or, more likely, what if they’d all changed their minds? What if Storm’s Eye had taken her only chance?
Kalden got to his feet and stood beside her. “It’s worth trying.” His eyes still looked a bit distant, but his resolve was firm.
Akari shot him a grateful smile then turned back to the others. Back in Hexember, Kalden had asked Arturo and Zukan to join this team, but this was so much more than a school competition. The stakes were higher than ever, and the rest of the world was falling apart around them.
“Kalden and I can’t do this alone.” Akari struggled to keep control of her breathing. She’d never been one for big speeches—or words in general—and she felt like a rookie mana artist who’d been thrown into a fighting pit. Her hands trembled, and her thoughts struggled to gain any traction.
One by one, she met the others’ eyes. She forced her voice to sound confident, even as she braced herself for rejection. “Are you with us?”
Relia immediately got to her feet and stood beside them. “You know I am.”
“I knew the danger when I left my home,” Elise said as she stood. “I wouldn’t have left if I didn’t plan to help you.”
Arturo fidgeted with his phone before he turned back to Zukan. “Sounds like we’ve got two options, draco. Stay and fight with the team, or get the hell out of town.”
“I don’t intend to run,” Zukan said. “This is what we’ve trained for. But these people are after Zeller. You realize what that means.”
“Yeah. Means we’re all in danger. More than usual, anyway.”
Akari glanced down at her boots, scrambling to find the right words. “I know I don’t have a lot to offer you guys. And I know I’ve been a shitty captain. But if you help me—”
Arturo held up a hand. “It’s okay, shoka. I believe you.” He turned back to Zukan. “She’s changed—ever since Garriland. She stepped up when Elend was gone. She’s helped us all at least once.”
Zukan ran a clawed finger across his chin. “Agreed.”
What? Just like that? Akari didn’t feel like she’d changed at all. If anything, she’d been faking it these past few weeks—doing the things she thought a good captain might do. But her teammates already knew the whole story, so she didn’t bother correcting them. In fact, she found herself at a loss for words once again.
Power was one thing. But having a team who would willingly follow her into battle, despite her flaws and failures? That was a feeling she couldn’t label or describe. In that moment, she was glad that Elend had made her the captain. And despite all the chaos and uncertainty around them, she wouldn’t trade this for anything.