Valeria Antano chased her prey through the city. Blasts of fire propelled her forward, from the dark skies above to the narrow streets below. Her Master senses guided her movements, and she crossed several blocks in a single breath.

Akari Zeller would run out of tricks eventually. When that happened, she couldn’t escape her fate.

Still, the girl’s instincts were impressive—no one could deny that. Zeller had only been a Novice when she’d killed Zakiel last year. Now, she moved more like a Master. A weak and cowardly Master, but a Master all the same. She had no offensive techniques, but her planning and foresight defied all reason. She escaped every trap and dodged every attack. What’s more, her portals and darts always put her in Valeria’s blind spots, and she used that time to widen the distance even more.

How? How could she have lasted this long?

Apprentices got tunnel vision in the heat of battle. Their senses and fear overwhelmed their minds, leaving them no time to think or plan. Despite that fact, Valeria almost lost the girl more than once. It didn’t help that Koreldon City crammed thousands of people into a city block.

Fortunately, Valeria had spent decades as her brother’s Spymaster, and a true dragon always found her prey.

She sent a burst of fire mana to her left and rounded a corner between several skyscrapers. Up ahead, Zeller ducked into the nearest subway tunnel.

Valeria bared her teeth as she closed the distance. The girl had used this tactic twice already—luring Valeria into a narrow space, then vanishing at the last moment. So instead of following her underground, Valeria focused harder on her scent, and the path of the tunnel—it ran north to south with no easy escape.

She cycled fire mana to her palms and unleashed a barrage on the sidewalk. Smoke and stone filled the air as she collapsed the tunnel.

But Zeller was already gone. She’d vanished even before the fire struck the stone.

What? How could she have predicted that?

Valeria caught the girl’s scent to the southwest, and she threw a blast of fire mana into the street, propelling her body in that direction. Rain struck her cheeks as she flew, and the storm winds threatened to pull her off course.

Her dragon form was better for flying, but the transition was too slow. Besides, that form had already gotten her attacked by some local Masters. People were much slower to intervene if she looked like a human. Especially now, with everyone focused on Storm’s Eye and its spawn.

She flew for two more blocks and found Zeller hiding on the top floor of a bank. But instead of attacking this time, Valeria dove deeper into her senses. This let her see the world as it truly was, with all the crude matter stripped away and the currents of power laid bare. Strands of knowledge mana flowed out from Zeller, invisible to the naked eye. They flowed to some distant rooftop to the north . . .

Yes, of course. Kalden Trengsen was a knowledge artist. They must have linked their minds with some piece of sigilcraft tech. He’d been watching Valeria this whole time, feeding Zeller a constant stream of updates.

Once again, there was no end to Zeller’s tricks or dishonor. But what had Valeria expected? This was the girl who hid in the shadows, only to sneak up on Artisans and stab them in the back with stolen blades. Artegium students like her came to Creta and hunted young dragons for sport. Then, when the time for justice finally came, they fled back home, hiding behind their parents and teachers.

She could always focus on Trengsen instead. Zeller couldn’t move him as fast as she moved herself.

No. Stay focused on the true prey. They had a famous saying back in the motherland: he who chases two humans catches none.

The chase continued through the city. At one point, Valeria cornered Zeller in a narrow alley and raised her hand for the kill.

Relia Dawnfire appeared between them at the last second, blocking the fire with a wall of crystal light.

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An Aeon. How had she missed this during her research?

No . . . She hadn’t missed anything. Dawnfire had never used that technique in public. Not even against Storm’s Eye’s spawn. Had Zeller’s team been holding back this whole time?

No matter. Sozen Trengsen was an Aeon, and he’d died screaming. So would Dawnfire.

But in that moment, Valeria understood. She understood why the Sons of Talek had agreed to aid her in this quest. It was never about her, her family, or their vengeance. This was about the future of their world.

Someone had to stop Akari Zeller and her team of monsters. Did that make Valeria a pawn? Probably. But at least she knew her place in the world, unlike some people.

Zeller landed in an empty street a few seconds later. This time, she collapsed to her knees, barely catching herself before she fell face-first on the slick asphalt.

Was she finally out of mana? By all accounts, this should have happened several minutes ago.

Valeria rained fire from the sky as she closed in. Predictably, Dawnfire appeared beside Zeller with a dome of Moonshard. The technique deflected her technique, even as it turned the surrounding asphalt to liquid. Valeria kept up her until assault she settled down a few paces away.

This might be a trap, but what could they do against her? Valeria didn’t sense another Master within three miles. They’d all fled, or gone to fight the spawn in the west. Dawnfire’s Moonshard could technically harm a Master, but she kept a close eye on that one. Despite everything, Dawnfire was still just an Artisan. She couldn’t pull off a surprise attack from this distance. Even Sozen had failed to surprise her up close.

There was a flash of spacetime mana, and something shifted on the ground nearby. Valeria glanced down at her left boot where she found a small, cylindrical device that looked like a grenade. The device expanded and unfolded before her eyes, then it pulled at her with a sudden burst of power.

Valeria had never learned sigilcraft, but the thing’s intent was as clear as a written promise. This was a pocket space designed to trap a Master like her.

A clever trick, but it wouldn’t save them. Valeria pushed back against the device with all her mental might, the same way she flew through a storm with its raging winds. It fizzled out a second later, and a smile crept across her face. This might have worked in the hands of another Master, but these two lacked the raw power and skill to wield it. Valeria took her time as she examined the device for more traps, but she felt nothing. Satisfied, she released a burst of flame from her left palm, turning the thing to ash.

“Enough games.” She unveiled her soul for the first time, flooding the pair with raw mana and intent. This had its risks, of course. She might as well put up a beacon for her enemies to see. But Storm’s Eye kept the Solidors busy, and her other allies had dealt with the cultists. Thousands of others had watched this chase from the sidelines, but no one had tried to stop her.

Both girls collapsed on the slick asphalt, and Valeria caught a flash of true panic in Zeller’s eyes. The girl tried to escape—to cycle her mana—but it froze in her channels. She pushed harder, and the girl screwed her eyes shut, whimpering in pain. Good. This was true justice. This was the fear she should have felt back in Creta.

The storm clouds swirled up above in a hundred shades of blue, from deep cobalt to pale azure. Valeria wanted to savor the moment, but that would be foolish. Instead, she concentrated her attack on Zeller. A little harder, and she would crush the girl’s bones . . .

In that moment, something pushed against Valeria’s intent.

Another Master?

No, there were no other Masters here. This was Dawnfire. Somehow, she’d summoned enough willpower to push back with her Angelic mana.

Anger flared in Valeria’s chest and she re-gathered her strength. Aeons were truly an abomination—an insult to all the mana artists who’d earned their power fairly.

Valeria focused her power forward in a second burst, and Dawnfire’s will shattered like an egg. She was about to crush them both when her instincts screamed a warning. Dawnfire’s intent had felt wrong—more like a diversion than a last-ditch effort. Even now, the girl was holding something back.

She focused her senses on the surrounding street. Yes . . . There was someone there, sneaking up on her, the way they’d snuck up on her son.

Valeria broke through the illusion, just as her hand drove a burning hole in her attacker’s chest. The girl had long, golden hair, pulled back in a braid. Her blue eyes shot open, and her mouth went wide in a silent scream. She clutched a second pocket cell in her outstretched hands, and it clattered to the ground between them.

It took Valeria a second to process the sight, then she pulled back her hand as if she’d been burned. She veiled her soul in the same moment, reeling back her intent.

“Moonfire’s daughter?” Warm blood spilled out over Valeria’s hand, and a wave of pure panic ran down her spine. “No, no, no. You weren’t supposed to be here. He said you left the city.”

She stopped the flames from spreading, but it was too late. She’d driven a hole straight through Elise Moonfire’s sternum, and the fires had already spread to the surrounding organs. The girl collapsed like a rag doll, and Dawnfire rushed forward, catching her body before it hit the street.

Valeria glanced up at the surrounding buildings, where hundreds of people pointed their cameras straight at her. There was no escape now. Moonfire would see the footage, then he would kill her.

Zeller had vanished again, but there was no time to pursue her. Better to save herself while she still could.

Valeria focused on her dragon form, and a burst of bright green mana gathered around her. Her torso and limbs extended. Her clothes vanished into her pocket storage, and her muscles swelled until she filled the street.

Finally, she stretched out her wings and retreated into the sky.