Wings of Lomay (36 page)

The displaced water shoved her farther away as the ice from below pushed through—splitting the large berg into multiple pieces.

An Omelian slid into the water. He was dressed in a resplendent cloak that covered his ostrich body completely. It was heavy and pulled him down. Kiora pushed one of the giant pieces of ice toward him, shoving him farther down until he disappeared in the dark water.

The rest of the Omelians and the Illusionist clung to a large piece of ice that was tipped up on end. The berg hung there, perfectly balanced for a moment, before it began to fall. It careened back toward the lake, slamming down with a thunderous underwater boom.

To Kiora’s dismay, the Omelians and the Illusionist were still safe above the surface. She took control of the ice they were on, pulling the edges down and attempting to spill them into the water. Two more Omelians slid in, their ostrich feet kicking frantically, but their waterlogged cloaks hindered their efforts. One shot a magical barbed arrow at her, but it went wide. Kiora used the water to push them away from her and out of range.

***

THE INCOMING FORCES OF the enemy finally waned and the rebels on the beach fought with renewed vigor. Without reinforcements, the last of the enemy that had managed to land on the beach was dispatched and the rebels turned their attention to the sky. The Dragons made quick work of their imitators—Shifter-Dragons fell from the sky, crashing into the water barrier and the lake. Emane’s heart soared as the tides turned.

No sooner had he allowed himself to relax than the island went dark. The eyes of the celebrating rebels turned skyward. Above them, hundreds of Winged people un-bubbled, blocking the little light that had been filtering through the water barrier.

Emane ran toward the Domats that were manning the oculus. He leaped over tree stumps and dead bodies, yelling, “Shields!”

The Domats put up their shields and adjusted the spears to ensure that no one passed through. The spears were so long and heavy, it took two Domats to each cart to keep them steady.

The Winged people circled, looking for a weakness. It wasn’t long until the first one found the oculus. He dropped through, firing magic as he went.

Emane crouched, holding his shield over his head. The pounding of attack magic vibrated through his arm and up his shoulder.

The wind that had been berating them since the fight had vanished. With sickening clarity, he heard the Winged man being run through with the spear.

Emane ran over as two of the Domats yanked the wheeled spear backwards. Another Domat immediately pushed another spear forward, filling the hole, just as they had practiced. Emane grabbed the Winged man by his limp arms, looking away from the man’s bloody, gaping mouth as he tugged him off the spear.

The hole above had been left intentionally small, only meant for one at time. But the flying foxes and Shifter-Dragons the rebels had sent up were much larger than the Winged people coming through, and three more dropped through the hole.

Emane pulled back his bow, taking out one man while the other two speared themselves on the rebels’ unexpected defenses.

Faces from above, having felt the immediate loss of life, looked down to ascertain the situation. Emane pulled back an arrow, waiting.

Instead, the Winged people retreated from the oculus. One dove straight into the watery barrier, trying to break through. She was immediately swept up by the current, her blond hair spinning. More entered the water barrier. Each was caught up like the last, joining the dead Shifter-Dragons.

***

THE WIND WAS ATROCIOUS. The fighting had all but stopped as everyone’s efforts turned to simply staying in the air as they were hurled about by the freezing, brutal gales. There was no pattern or flow to the gusts and it pushed and pulled, making it impossible to turn. Alcander lay flat against his fox, clutching the fur. They spiraled close to one of the Shifter-Dragons, who turned to snap his jaws in Alcander’s direction.

A hoard of Winged people’s threads appeared and Alcander twisted his head, trying to get a view of the island. It was completely veiled by a wall of Winged people.

How many more armies was Jasmine hiding?

***

KIORA’S TEETH CHATTERED AND she could no longer feel her hands or feet. Her mind was sluggish. She had to get out of this lake or she was going to die.

The remaining Omelians had bubbled, and the Illusionist had placed apparitions of floating icebergs all around her. This time it had completed the illusion, and from Kiora’s underwater perspective, each looked to be full of Omelians. She had no idea which one was reality.

Kiora stretched out her shaking hands, ready to pull everything to the bottom of the lake, when a spear of magic bolted through the water. She jerked to the side, but her reactions were slowing and the magic sheared through both her air bubble and her concealment bubble, popping them both.

Kiora sucked in a mouthful of freezing water before she realized what had happened. Twisting away, she put up another air bubble around her head. She coughed and hacked, trying to expel the water from her lungs.

With her thread out in the open, a flurry of spear-shaped magical attacks flooded the water from the Omelians above.

Kiora kicked away from them. They acted unlike any magical shot she had ever seen before. The magic turned with her, following as if it were still being directed.

She flipped over to face the attack and pushed out a shield. Her eyes widened as the heads of the spears punched through, stopping only inches from her nose, before dissipating into nothing.

Breathing deeply, she shook her head. Despite the shock of the attack and the adrenaline coursing through her veins, she was still fighting half asleep. The cold was too much.

She was running out of options. She considered trying to tap into nature again, but if she died in this lake, there would be no one to stop Jasmine from killing everyone. Before the Omelians could fire off another shot, Kiora unlocked that center of magic within herself, the one she reserved, and her remaining magic roared forward. She didn’t bother with a concealment bubble and grabbed the water with her mind, forcing it into a spiral. The whirlpool of water pulled in everything around it, including her. She had to divert some of her magic just to keep herself in place.

The icebergs began to spin with the current as the water pulled them down.

***

THE WIND STOPPED SO SUDDENLY that Alcander’s fox swerved to the right and had to drop into a barrel roll to keep itself from falling out of the sky. Alcander was vaguely aware of yelling coming from the direction of the island as he struggled to right his fox from the spin.

Some of the Shifter-Dragons and Taveans peeled off from the others. Alcander thought for a moment that they were retreating—but they were going the wrong way. They headed straight toward the island that was now hidden beneath a canopy of Winged people.

Whatever illusion had been concealing the Omelians and Illusionist had vanished. They stood on large pieces of ice in the lake that swirled around, about to yield to the gaping jaws of a whirlpool the size of which Alcander had never witnessed. The Omelians fired into the water, trying to hit Kiora.

Finally under control, Alcander turned his fox only to come nose to nose with a smaller Dragon. She looked older than the rest and he immediately recognized her by her distinct coloring—the yellow scales around her face, the red neck that faded to orange, and yellow at the tail.

“Your Majesty,” Alcander said, startled. He had seen her image before, but never in person.

“Behind you,” the queen said.

Alcander whirled, throwing a shot as he did that connected with an enemy Tavean, knocking him off the Shifter-Dragon he rode. The imposter Dragon turned and retreated at the sight of the queen.

“How long has Kiora been under the water?” the queen demanded.

“I don’t know,” Alcander said. “She bubbled some time ago.”

“That water is too cold for her,” the queen said, her eyes flashing. “And I did not bring my colony all this way to watch her freeze to death.”

Alcander was speechless. Not only had the Dragons come, but the queen seemed to have the same affinity for Kiora he had witnessed from all those who knew her.

The queen seemed to hesitate for a second, her lips pulling back from her teeth as if she had tasted something bad. “I am trusting you with my Dragons, Tavean king. Do not make me regret it.” Turning, she pulled her white wings tight to her body and angled down, speeding toward the lake.

Alcander focused his attention to the battle that had finally turned in their favor. Without the wind, the rebels and the true Dragons had gained the advantage. Shifter-Dragons fell from the sky and their Tavean riders had resorted to defensive maneuvers, throwing shields and diving out of the way.

Although there were still plenty of Shifter-Dragons battling with the true Dragons, this portion of the battle was almost over for him—he wasn’t needed here anymore.

Alcander flew over to Einar, who was exchanging shots with a powerful Tavean. Alcander used his staff, feeling no shame as he caught the enemy in the back. At the loss of his rider, the Shifter-Dragon faced Alcander. As he puffed up his chest, Einar darted forward on his fox, spearing the Shifter-Dragon through the heart.

“You are starting to favor that,” Alcander said, eyeing Einar’s sword.

Einar spun the sword in his hand, looking at the bloody blade in appreciation. “It really is quite useful.”

“I am going to the island,” Alcander said as he took another shot over Einar’s shoulder. “Stay here until the threat is neutralized, then join me. The Dragons are with us now—they should be treated and protected as any other rebel.”

Einar almost smiled as a Dragon swooped by his right flank to grapple with a Shifter-Dragon. “I never thought I would see the day.”

***

KIORA SLUGGISHLY TWISTED TO avoid the magic the Omelians were throwing. The whirlpool faltered and threatened to collapse. She tried to focus on the task at hand, but her eyelids felt like lead—it required an extraordinary amount of mental effort just to open her eyes again.

The icebergs tipped and were pulled into the core. Mercifully, the swirling water was working in her favor to pull many of the Omelian attacks off course—otherwise she might already be dead.

A streak of color twisted its way around the surface of the whirlpool. It dove. What was that? Kiora blinked, trying to focus. Finally she understood what she was seeing. A royal Dragon was heading straight for her. She cut through the water with her wings pinned against her back.

The Dragon Queen angled up, using the momentum she had gained from her drop into the lake to push her through the water. She wrapped her clawed feet around Kiora, jerking her up with her. As soon as they broke the surface, the queen spread her wings, pumping with all her might to get them back into the sky.

***

EMANE AND THE REST of the rebels stood silently, watching and waiting, as the Winged people abandoned their attempt to penetrate the water barrier—too many of their kind were already dead. They spun in a flurry of legs, wings, and arms within the horrible current Kiora and Alcander had created.

Some of the Shifter-Dragons had escaped the ongoing air battle with the Dragons and flew over the top of the island. The Winged people pulled back to allow them through and they spread out around the water barrier.

Emane narrowed his eyes, trying to ascertain their plan.

Each Shifter-Dragon hovered in place. They simultaneously pulled back their heads and unleashed a torrent of fire over the top of the barrier. Steam rushed up, hissing, and concealing the attacking force in a veil of white.

Emane’s jaw dropped. They weren’t trying to break through the barrier—they were trying to evaporate it. And it was working.

***

ALCANDER BUBBLED AS HE approached the forces surrounding the island. He was alone. He hovered above the enemy on his fox, watching as the Shifter-Dragons moved into place and steam billowed upwards. Alcander frowned. It would take them a while, but it was a good plan. They didn’t need to evaporate all of it—just enough that they could break through without getting caught up in the current.

Alcander prepared to drop down and take out a Shifter-Dragon on his way in. He had to get through the oculus on his first attempt—his magic was critically low and he couldn’t hold off an attack, even with his staff.

Just before he dropped his bubble, the magic left him and he found himself completely exposed. Someone had unsheathed a talisman. The water barrier started to fail. It dipped—Jasmine’s talisman was in use. But suddenly it became solid again—Kiora had just unsheathed hers as well.

Cries from the enemy below told him he had been spotted. The Winged people were subject to the same loss of magic, but the Shifter-Dragons still had fire.

Swearing, he headed straight for the oculus. His fox dropped through the hole and Alcander yelled out to the Domats below, but they had no warning he was coming. He leaned back, cringing—the spears were too close to miss.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Demise

THE ILLUSIONIST TRIED TO put up a false image once it realized where Kiora was, but it was too late—Kiora had already seen the direness of their situation from the air. The Omelians and Illusionist were deeper within the whirlpool than she had realized, and she released the water.

The whirlpool stuttered, and then the rim collapsed in on itself. A moment later, the sides flowed back to the center, colliding with the dropping top and spraying water skyward. The threads of the Omelians and Illusionist went silent.

Kiora’s magic vanished as a scream of anger rolled through the sky. Jasmine.

She pulled the cover off her own talisman with thick, heavy fingers. Her magic immediately returned.

The queen looked down at her as they flew toward the island. “You are beyond cold, little one.”

Kiora smiled through chattering teeth. “Thank you . . . for everything.”

The queen gave her a flickering smile before focusing forward with grim determination. “You don’t have much time to recover before we reach the island, and I don’t know where Jasmine is—she is still hiding. Get ready.”