We each moved our arms to the sides, Earth Wielding deep within us as it created a wall of dirt to protect the Wielders near us.
Justise and Ridley were together, Ridley doing his best to heal those who were hurt as they went, and Justise in charge of the battlements.
He had created weapons for those who didn’t have magic, for those Maisons who could only fight with steel and might.
“Give us the Spirit Priestess, and we’ll let you all live,” one of the League Wielders shouted above the din of battle.
I didn’t even hesitate to throw out a burst of Fire, while Easton and Teagan did the same, our three flames combining. The League member who had shouted ducked out of the way and shot Water at us.
Wyn moved forward, pushed her forearms together, and created a wall of mud—Earth and Water blended together to demolish anyone in front of her.
I had never seen her perform that trick before. Someone had been teaching her.
Rhodes? Or maybe Ridley. After all, he was a Water Wielder, though he used his powers to heal rather than to fight. Sadly, we would need him now more than ever. There was more to this than using offensive and defensive talents.
Rhodes moved to the right of us, the Wielders behind him those he had trained before he even met me. He pushed a wall of Water towards the enemy, shouting out orders as his Air and Water Wielders moved as one, a unit fighting with grace.
Rosamond used her Wielding, as well, Emory at her side. I didn’t understand why Emory was here, nor did I know everything she could do with the powers she had now. But it seemed she wasn’t truly fighting the entire time anyway. I could see that Rosamond’s eyes were wide, the surface slightly glassy. Every few moments or so, she’d shake as if being slapped hard with another vision. Emory braced Rosamond’s body each time, and when Rosamond whispered, Emory moved to the side to fight, using the sword that Justise had given her. She still wore the cuffs to hold back her siphon abilities, but I didn’t know how long those would last.
Would we need her to use that power in the future? I wasn’t sure, but at the moment, they were fighting as a team, Emory moving with a finesse I had never seen from her before.
Easton tugged on my arm, and I brought myself back into the fight, slamming my palms together in a whoosh of Air before pushing it forward towards the Wielders in front of us. Easton stomped his foot on the ground, a large boulder hovering in the air before shooting towards the enemy.
I followed his movements, using methods I hadn’t been trained in, but I could feel the Wielding inside of me.
Wyn appeared, doing the same with a dozen other Earth Wielders. We stomped on the ground, boulders rising into the air before being shot off into the distance, reminding me of the pirates and Slavik. Rocks came back at us from the other side, some doused with Fire, and I knew the Earth and Fire Wielders working for The Gray were collaborating, so we did our best, as well.
The Lord of Fire had such control over his element. I couldn’t forget how he had danced with his wife, a burning ache that had sent tears to my eyes at its beauty.
He had lost his soulmate, that much was clear. Because he was only a shell of a man.
I knew that anger and agony were the only things keeping him going, along with his son. Still, he was here with Teagan, pushing Fire at the enemy.
Alura danced along the battle lines, using her sword to fight. I still didn’t know what her Wielding was, but it didn’t matter because she was on our side, and she was fighting.
The factions that had once been our enemies surprised me the most, though.
Creed and League warriors fought against our brethren but fought for us.
They had been disenchanted by the king of the Lumière, had been lied to for decades. Now, they were here, battling against those they had once called their own. Wielders they had called their brothers and sisters.
Water against Water, Air against Air.
But it wouldn’t be enough; I could feel that.
We had our armies too spread out over the kingdom, protecting innocents and doing what The Gray wasn’t. He wasn’t helping any of the people fighting for him. The Gray’s forces were coming at us full force, and here we were, in an old castle, trying to fight without the crystals’ help.
Thanks to Lore and the damage he’d done to the crystals, we had fewer Wielders on our side than they did. That was just fact.
Before the crystals had shattered into a million pieces and settled into my skin, they had pulsated with power and destruction, removing the Wielding from people one by one.
Many of the fighters battling near us were Danes or Maisons that were losing their power and Wielding. And because Lore had used the crystal for personal gain, we had more Danes than the other side.
The Lumière had used bone magic, and even blood magic to strengthen their base. We hadn’t.
And now, The Gray had more power than we did, at least in this battle.
But we would not die. It wouldn’t end like this.
The Gray wasn’t even here.
I kept looking. Every time I pushed out with my Wielding, I searched for him.
But he wasn’t here.
Was this all a distraction? Or was this only the beginning?
As the enemy began to close in on us, working together with swift and deliberate movements, I was afraid we were about to discover the answer.
There were so many of them. As Fire came at us, the flames licking as it burned, I pushed with all my Wielding and hoped to hell we would find a way out of this.
Chapter Eleven
Easton
I threw my hands into the air, Fire gliding through my fingertips as I created a wall, blocking the heat from the Wielders in front of us.
I let out a curse, looked to my left, and allowed a relieved breath to slide from my body as I saw Lyric standing there, her hands outstretched, all five of her Wieldings pushing forward into a chasm of bliss and power.
Somehow, she had mixed the five elements, something I hadn’t seen her do before, and it was stunning.
The Wielders that had come at us had strength in their veins, using any and all Wielding they possessed. There were more of them than us because we had separated our forces into groups to protect the innocent and those weaker than we were.
I wouldn’t regret that. I couldn’t. But as I heard the dying screams of those who weren’t going to make it because we weren’t strong enough to protect them, I knew those echoes would haunt me until the end of time.
I had to push those thoughts away, bury them deep. I would think about it later. I needed to keep the rest of us alive so I could mourn those we’d lost.
I didn’t know what Lyric’s Spirit Wielding could do, but as people fell to their knees in front of her, their whole bodies shaking, I had to wonder if she was touching their spirits somehow. As if she heard my thoughts, she shook her head.
“The Spirit Wielding only increases my other Wielding at this point. I’m not stealing souls,” she said. I moved closer, my hands outstretched, Wielding still flowing. Then I kissed her again. I just needed a touch. Her eyes widened a bit, but there wasn’t time to talk. We had to fight.
They came at us with Fire, Earth, Air, and Water.
Sweat poured down my back as I pushed my Wielding to its limits. Even my reserves were almost depleted.
I had spent my life training to fight, to protect my world, my kingdom, and my people. Now, I feared I wouldn’t be enough. I worried none of us were going to be enough.