Chapter 39

Instead of death, came life. Lavinia's shadows stuttered out and that light fell away with it just a hair's breadth from our skin. I broke apart from Tory, turning my gaze to the Shadow Queen below where she gazed at her trembling hands in terrified disbelief.

The shadows still coiled about her skin, but none of that light gleamed and sparked around her. She screamed her fury, raising her hands to try and cast it, but none of it came to her aid.

My heart thundered and I raced for her with a surge of excitement, my wings beating faster and faster as I gained on her by the second, seeing the moment of weakness and claiming it before it was gone.

Fire tore from my flesh in a blazing torrent of oncoming destruction and Lavinia shrieked, taking something from her pocket and throwing it into the air. She disappeared into a glitter of stardust, and I sailed through the place she had been just moments ago with fire swirling around me. A snarl tore from my lips and failure cast my heart into a pit of despair.

Tory swept past me, her hands outstretched with equal heat blazing from her skin and she let fire tear from her to cut through a line of Nymphs upon the shore.

My blue hair was plastered to my cheeks by the rain, and I panted heavily as I struggled with my failure. She had gotten away just seconds before she could have been destroyed for good. But as my eyes fell on the battle still waging on below, I forced myself to move, to follow after Tory and let my rage loose upon the sinning souls of the Nymphs who had dared step foot in our haven, turning them to ash and dust.

With Lavinia's power no longer in play and our fire tearing through the battalion of Nymphs across campus, the tide of the battle turned fast. The Dragons who spotted us turned tail and raced away into the mist, and the rebels began to release cries of victory as the storm eased.

Dante swooped down from the clouds, chasing a scarlet Dragon and snapping at its tail as it raced for escape. The beast put on a burst of speed, tearing off into the distance and Dante turned back, leaving that fight for another day, his wings beating unevenly as he circled down from the sky, revealing his exhaustion. Claw marks were ripped all across his scales, dripping blood, but the Storm Dragon had a strength in his eyes that spoke of his victory.

Slowly but surely, the battle was won, Lionel's followers stardusting away in droves, or chased off campus by the bolstered rebels.

The storm clouds began to part, and Tory and I came to land upon the very top of the Earth Observatory, gazing out across campus where steam plumed up from freshly extinguished fires and shouts of victory called out to us as rebels spotted us from below. We shared a look of relief, but I knew my heart wouldn't stop rioting until I'd found all of our loved ones alive and well.

My gaze locked with Orion's as he shot into view with the Shadow Beast bounding along at his heels, and I leapt off of the building with a cry of joy, sweeping down to him and knocking him from his feet. We hit the mud, and our mouths came together, his hands gripping my arms and sending a wave of healing magic through me, though there were few wounds to find, despite how close we'd come to death.

Strong hands pulled me upright as a very naked Seth dragged me into a hug that crushed bones and I squeezed him tight, so relieved to find he was okay. Orion's arms came around us and I pushed my hand into the Shadow Beast's fur as he nuzzled us too, pressing his nose into my hair with a grunt of greeting.

I knew in the back of my mind that although the battle may have been won today, the war was far from over. And if Lavinia returned with that terrible power at her aid once more, we might not survive it twice.