Chapter 3

CHAPTER THREE

I 'd shed my breastplate, using it as a wedge to slam into the ice and haul myself up the sheer slope, but my arms were roaring with effort, and I'd only made it ten feet.

My thoughts snapped onto a low growl that carried from the shadows behind me, but I didn't look back, even when a guttural, mechanical noise clacked through the air too.

I shuddered, gazing up at the impossible climb and digging my bare heels into the ice. My teeth were gritted and my arms shook, but I wouldn't let go. Determination lived in my bones, its meaning carved into my soul, and I wouldn't falter at the sight of ruin.

I jammed my foot into a small dent in the ice, then released a growl of effort as I yanked the breast plate out of the ice wall, my stomach dropping as the wind tugged at my hair, pulling me back towards the deadly chasm. Then I drove the metal plate into the ice as far above my head as I could reach and dragged myself higher once more.

"Eské tamin, Koe morden mas ocil harbrin," I gritted out in Cascalian. Fuck fate, I make my own tonight.

The heavy shadow of Ironwraith, the island of the sky, had descended over the outpost of Castelorain and the sound of battle carried to me from afar. Ransom and his friends were long gone, likely off to prove their mettle, leaving me to my fate in this Scorpio-forsaken valley of death.

A whirring of metal sounded beneath me, a scrape of jagged claws tearing through the ice and that horrid growling sound set the hairs rising along the back of my neck.

I glanced down, knowing I'd regret it and proving myself right as my gaze fell on the monstrous beast below. It was wolf-like in its gait, its body a mixture of sharp metal and powerful flesh, its face a twisted creation that resembled an ape's. Its mouth was full of curved silver teeth that were so sharp they could strip the flesh from my bones in seconds and the desperate hunger in its eyes promised that fate to me.

The monstrous creature sliced its claws into the ice, climbing after me with far more ease than I could possibly match. Fear carved through my chest as I drove my heels into the ice once more, finding enough purchase to rip the breast plate free and force it into the frigid surface above.

I scrambled higher as the beast swung a metal paw at me, its claws raking through the ice and carving a huge chunk out of it. My heart thrashed as I fought to hold onto the plate, my feet skidding against the ice as I hunted for another foothold.

A rumbling noise sounded beneath me and I chanced another look, finding a bright orange glow blazing between the monster's jaws. Magic sparked and crackled within, and I could see my death staring back at me as that pulse of power exploded from its mouth.

With a cry of fright, I swung myself sideways, abandoning my breast plate just before the shot of power tore right through it. I hit the ice wall and went skidding down it at a wild pace, finding myself slamming back to the bottom of the slope as that blast of power crashed into the top of The Boundary. Parts of the bank shattered under the impact and my lips parted in alarm as huge slabs of jagged ice came crashing down the slope towards me.

I raced for cover, diving behind a boulder just as the first slabs smashed to the ground.

A great wrenching of metal and a guttural roar made me chance a look beyond my hiding place and I found the beast crushed under the impact of the ice, two of its limbs torn clean off, metal sparking with magic and wet with blood as the monster struggled beneath the ever-mounting weight of the ice. I'd been raised on spine-chilling stories about the beasts that roamed the wastelands down here, their creation designed to stop anyone from crossing the barren space between nations, the metal magically forged to flesh with twisted blood magic that stopped them from dying of hunger, but left them forever famished, desperate to fill their bellies yet unable to ever do so.

My breaths skittered past my lips, my gaze locking on the severed front limbs of the beast as the avalanche eased.

I broke into a run, an idea locking into place inside my head as I grabbed one of the metal legs, heaving the heavy thing into my arms and whacking it against a rock to break off the clawed foot. My lip curled at the blood which oozed from the flesh still moulded to it, but I repeated the process with the other limb, then used two thick pieces of wire from the body of the beast to tether them across my hands, binding the metallic claws tight to my skin.

I gazed up at the icy wall with a newfound resolve, locking my sights on the places the rock had been exposed where the slabs of ice had fallen. Moving to the base of the slope, I drove the claws bound to my right hand into the ice above me, the sharp metal sliding into place far easier than my breast plate had. As I tried my weight on it, the claws locked tight and offered a perfect grip.

"Hia kaské." Holy shit.

I laughed a little manically at my creation, reaching up to lock my left claws in place too. Then I was climbing, moving far faster than before, and after an ascent that left my feet frozen and my body numb, I found myself scrabbling over the top of the cliff and rolling onto my back in exhaustion.

The Boundary crackled beside me as I shed the metallic claws from my hands, tossing them back down into the canyon. I eyed the wall of magic with trepidation, all I had known about this magical barrier now turned on its head. I'd passed through it with ease. And I didn't know why.

I reached for it, the clash of war only growing, and one look upwards showed a battalion of Skyforgers sweeping down upon wings, air magic and machines alike. My pulse ratcheted up at the sight of battle descending, the cries of my people igniting a bloodlust in me to defend this beautiful town of mine.

A roar of challenge sounded from the warriors of Castelorain, this outpost where weapons were forged. This northern corner of our land was tasked with defending against any Stonebreakers who worked to form land bridges across The Crux and the wilds, or Flamebringers who tried to come at us from the sea. A legion of our finest warriors were placed right here, and they were a hellish force to be reckoned with.

It wasn't the first attack I had witnessed, and as sure as the tide, it wouldn't be the last. But it was one I would be ready to prove myself in, to defend this land which was made by the courage of the Raincarvers, which was rich with the blood of our people who had fought and died to protect it.

If there was one thing I had known since I was young, it was that my life would likely end in bloody carnage, and I had been taught to seek the honour of such a death so that I might earn my place beyond The Veil instead of my soul being cast to ash at the hands of the stars.

Gritting my teeth, I stepped through the barrier, facing the possibility of my demise as I fixed my focus on my mother and Harlon. They were out there in the thick of the bloodshed, and I knew Harlon would have taken up arms already, proving his place as a warrior in this world. I longed to join him and demonstrate that I was no runt. Perhaps I'd have my father's gaze fall upon me with pride by the end of this night.

The magical barrier let me through, the crackle of energy over my skin nothing but a tingle of static, despite how fierce I knew the magic to be. A lie. We had been told a lie. That stepping through this boundary would equal death. But why?

Of course, to protect fools from finding themselves in the jaws of the beasts in the wilds.

I sprinted off through the snow, the dark even thicker now that Ironwraith was shading the moon. The terror of that island hanging overhead coiled in my gut – it only remained in the sky thanks to the power of the Fae casting the magic to hold it there, and I hoped our forces could overpower their wielders and hurl it into the depths of the hungry sea.

I forced myself not to consider what would happen if it fell upon us instead. Ironwraith had been haunting the skies along with the other battle islands of the Skyforgers for hundreds of years, and though its shadow cast a chill of dread down my spine, I would not yield to fear.

My toes were so numb I could hardly feel my feet as I padded through the tracks of Ransom and his allies, finally making it to dry, warm land as I made it off the hill. And there at its base, chaos reigned.

The town clung to the hillside, made of closely packed streets which wound between the pale stone houses with red-tiled roofs. The roads were steep, falling away towards the shore where the ocean glinted silver under the moon, winking at me in promise of victory. Or at least, that was what I hoped.

Raincarver warriors were spilling between the buildings, racing to meet the Skyforgers as they descended from above like a tempest of destruction. Water magic blasted them from the air, shards of ice impacting with our foes and bringing them to the ground with bloody savagery. They tore our enemies from the sky, the Raincarvers casting shots of pure, ruinous magic that collided with the Skyforgers' shields and blasted them to oblivion.

The Skyforgers responded with magical attacks of their own, and as I raced between the streets, my mind fixed on making it to the armoury at the nearest watchtower. Without magic, I couldn't simply dive into battle, and I longed for a blade in hand so I could take up my place at the side of my people.

I made it to the town square, the cobblestones spreading out ahead of me, the fray of the fight centred right here. A Skyforger blasted a shot of air right between the eyes of a Raincarver warrior in front of me and my gut lurched. He hit the ground with a wet thump, blood splashing my legs and hardening my heart with hatred for the air folk who had come here to reap their bloody harvest.

"Everest!" a familiar, deep voice barked, drawing my attention to a man as familiar as my own heartbeat as he came running for me across the square which had turned into a battlefield.

Harlon looked right where he belonged; in the thick of battle with one huge sword in hand, bright purple magic pulsing along its edges. His muscles pressed against his dark blue battle leathers with the coiling sea serpent insignia of Cascada blazing silver on his chest. The look of them were too tight, like he had already outgrown his latest set once again. He was likely bigger than Ransom now, a fact my half-brother despised, even more so perhaps than the way he matched him in combat. It must have been partly to do with his Order, because since he had Emerged as a Monolrian Bear shifter, Harlon had been growing by the year. He had sun-kissed skin and his brown hair was lighter than mine, with a streak of gold through it that coiled against his cheek, and his eyes were two dark coins that stole my breath like usual.

Harlon had always made me feel safe, and even now amidst the turmoil of war, he became a steady focal point that settled the furious pounding of my heart. There was something about him that spoke of control, his movements decisive and his mouth set in that familiar vicious slant which said he could have the world if only he wanted it enough.

I raced to meet him, and he gripped my arm, looking down at me in concern. "What the fuck happened to you, Ever?"

"It doesn't matter," I said fiercely, knowing my torn clothes and bloodied knees were the least of our concern. "I need to get to the armoury."

"No." His grip on me tightened, his growl a firm command. "Your mother needs you. I saw the Sky Witch; she's headed straight for The Forge. I can't leave this fight, but you can. Go to her. And go quickly."

"The Sky Witch?" I echoed in horror.

That creature was nothing but a monster wrapped in a beautiful veil. She wasn't even Awakened yet, only twenty-years-old like me, but battle hardened over the last six years beneath the rule of the Storm Prince Dragor who cast children into war like pieces on a chessboard. She fought without air magic, yet the rumours of her control over Ether and the vile blood magics linked to it were as renowned as her prowess with a blade.

She had become a nightmare, whispered about behind locked doors; the girl with the face of a deity and a soul drenched in sin. She had murdered so many of my kind that the numbers were lost to legend, the tales of the deaths she reaped meaning that her title alone brought a snarl to my lips.

"Go, Ever," Harlon urged, that single golden lock swinging forward into his eyes. Those damn eyes which I could never resist when he looked at me like that. But of course I would go to my mama regardless of his orders.

"Stay alive," I demanded and he stepped back, swinging his sword as he searched for his next opponent.

"I always do," he said, tossing me that crooked smile which was so wild, it set a fire blazing in my soul.

I turned and ran across the courtyard, my bare feet no longer numb as they struck against the warm cobbles, moving as fast as possible. My mama could handle herself, but if I could get to her before the Sky Witch made it there, I could save her from the evil headed her way. So with hell raining down on me from above, my body battered and my limbs still burning from the climb out of the wilds, I made a bid for The Forge, to protect the woman I loved more dearly than anything in this world.