Chapter Twenty-Nine WITCHING MOON

Chapter Twenty-Nine

WITCHING MOON

Week Three, Day One

Year 3000

The battle started flawlessly.

By the time Zanya and the rest of the High Court made their way above deck, the ship had already opened fire on the endless ranks of guards scrambling to form up. Einar's crew loaded bulky cylinders into the cannons and lit the fuses, and the cylinders exploded out the other end as dozens of tiny, deadly projectiles that slammed into the front ranks and sent bodies flying.

Ash's touch on Zanya's cheek drew her attention away from the carnage. "Can you feel Sachi yet?"

Bracing herself against the disorienting sensation of the Dream webs, she summoned shadows. They came swiftly enough, swirling around her. But when she closed her eyes and reached for Sachi, delicate filaments as strong as steel caged her in. Somewhere on the other side of the webbed barrier, Sachi's bright presence flared like a beacon. "She's in the castle somewhere," Zanya said as she released her shadows. "But I can't get to her. I can't move at all. The whole place is riddled with those webs."

"Then you take the low way, and I'll take the high way. One of us will reach her."

Zanya dragged him down into a rough, abrupt kiss. She broke off just as abruptly and pushed him toward the open stretch of deck. "Don't get killed."

"I wouldn't dare."

Two steps back, and his flames erupted. Zanya watched Ash's fiery wings flare out on either side of his body as the Dragon burst from his human form. He took flight with one powerful sweep of his wings, the wind of his passage whipping past her. His roar of challenge echoed across the valley.

Zanya hoped the Betrayer could hear his own death in it.

As soon as Ash was clear, the Raven Guard made their own transformation. A massive swarm of dark, beautiful birds burst from the ship's deck and sailed over the confused mass of guards to land behind their lines. When the ravens swirled again, reforming as warriors, they hit the Imperial forces hard , further collapsing any hope of their officers gaining control.

Zanya had planned to use her shadows to get past the guards and head for the palace, but thankfully she had a fallback plan. "Naia!"

The sweet-faced young god appeared, pausing only to point one slender finger at an archer who'd taken aim at the ship with a fire-arrow. Water fountained out of the lake in front of him and crashed down, extinguishing the fire and driving him onto the stone platform hard enough to stun him.

Apparently Zanya wasn't the only one who'd been practicing.

"What do you need?" Naia asked when she turned back. Her eyes were bright, her cheeks flushed. "A ride?"

"Can you get me behind the Raven Guard?"

She gestured to the railing of the ship. "Jump up and take a deep breath."

Unsure exactly what to expect, Zanya stepped up and sucked in air. A moment later, water shot up around her, catching her on the tip of a wave that rose impossibly high. The wave twisted, and Zanya tumbled inside it, temporarily losing all sense of direction.

Just when panic was about to set in, the ground loomed in front of her. The water hit first, cushioning her landing. Once her boots found traction, the water spilled away, dragging every drop of moisture with it as it cascaded down her body and retreated toward Naia. Zanya's hair and clothes weren't even damp.

The two guards standing watch over the outer gate gaped at her. Zanya shot both hands forward, letting shadows explode from her with enough force to blast them both back against the wall. They hit and slumped down, and she used a second blast of shadows like a battering ram. The gates burst open, revealing another long stone pathway framed by sad little gardens. At the far end, stairs led up to the palace.

Between her and the castle's entrance, reinforcements scrambled to form a defense. Behind her, the howl of a wolf rose, triumphant and furious, a promise that the High Court was coming to assist her.

Smiling, Zanya drew her sword and ran toward that bright presence inside the castle.

Toward Sachi.