Three Horned Man Region

Claire repeated the words of her Sprite song, taking up her position in the harness on Koldis's back, strapping herself in with absentminded ease. The moon was large against the horizon, lending a soft glow to an otherwise dark sky. Koldis took off, the others in formation around him.

Settling into flight, she closed her eyes and continued repeating the Sprite words, weaving them together in her mind. She didn't necessarily understand their meaning. They spoke of death. Of flames. Of justice. Yet they hummed with goodness and whispered of purity.

"We're here." Koldis said after a time. His voice was a whisper against her thoughts.

She opened her eyes. Her stomach lurched as he turned on his wing tip, making a wide circle.

Jovari followed, leading a second wing.

They were positioned far above the villages, which lay somewhere below, nestled in the wilderness. The ground was black beneath them, as if they were suspended in nothingness. Even through narrowed eyes, it was impossible to see where each village was, how far one was from the other, the miles between them. That didn't stop her imagination. She thought of what it might be like to call such a place home. How frightened the villagers must be, laying in wait for the inevitable appearance of Kane's Vodar. Terrified for what was to come.

Her stomach crawled. She was afraid for them. Afraid of what might happen if things went wrong.

Her mind stayed open to the Drengr. The mental connection to so many beings was strange, like they were linked by invisible silver strands. So many minds brushing against hers, each a unique fingerprint, each ready to send its thoughts at a moment's notice.

She shuddered. Their anticipation buzzed through her, making it difficult to discern her own emotions from those traveling across the strands of consciousness. She pulled her cloak more tightly about her shoulders.

Your magic is growing. You are getting stronger...

She frowned. Getting stronger? She wanted to ask Cyrus what he meant, but now was not the time.

She fixed her gaze on the dark landscape below. There were six pairs in the villages and fourteen in the sky. Each skyborne pair was assigned to one of three groups, one of three villages. Jovari had opted to join Kilian's group in Lormont.

As soon as the signal was given, each group would depart to protect the villagers and distract the Vodar. This would buy her time to work her magic. She and Koldis would remain skyborne, safely above, unseen to everyone below, the Vodar included.

"Lady Claire." Odrick was the first to contact her. She felt Til's presence piggybacking his. "The trench is complete. Villagers are in position. Watch for our signal."

"Thanks, Odrick." She paused before adding, "Be careful." It was more of a plea than anything.

"Aye, my lady. We will."

The others checked in similarly, each giving their status. Koldis had taken to circling overhead, flying large loops above. The others did the same in tight formation...waiting.

She ground her teeth together, frustrated that she didn't have a dragon's eyesight.

"We can't go any lower yet," Koldis explained after she voiced her complaint. "If we cross in front of the moon or if they smell us on the wind, the Vodar may be alerted to our presence. Who knows, they might sense us no matter how careful we are."

She took a deep breath. "I hope not. We only get one shot at this."

"Know what you need to do?" he asked. "Are you ready to do it?"

"I...yes. When it is time, I'll be ready." She fidgeted in the harness, clasping the leather with her hands, only to release it and clench her fists more tightly about her cloak. Her palms were sticky. A fluttery emptiness had taken hold of her stomach as she played through all the things that could happen.

"Koldis?"

"Hmm?"

"Are you sure they won't be suspicious when they see the trenches?"

"No. I'm not certain. Hopefully they will assume the villagers are taking matters into their own hands, a feeble attempt at protection." She chewed on the inside of her cheek. "The Vodar glide over short distances. They won't actually touch the ground."

"So..." Her brows knitted together. "They won't know they're gliding over a trench?"

"They won't feel it. If they do notice, you really think they will abandon their kill for the night? What have they to fear from a group of weak villagers?"

"And once the fire is going, they won't simply fly away?"

"No. A ring of fire for the Vodar is binding, remember?"

"I guess...I'm just nervous is all."

"I understand."

Each minute was agonizing as they circled. She wasn't even aware of her trembling until Koldis told her to relax. He must have felt it through the harness. She took deep breaths, willing herself to be calm, but her body was like a bowstring stretched tight.

She all but snapped when Hiondel's voice sounded in her mind. "Something stirs in the darkness..." Her skin prickled. Hiondel was in Osbourne. "There are shadows in the distance. They are coming."

She sucked in a breath. There was a flash of motion in her mind, piercing like a sharp pain. She saw moonlit fields, black shapes moving directly towards her. Another flash of images and the shapes were gliding into the village. A flicker of flames. Then a surge of blinding fire, saturating her sensitive eyes.

She gasped, eyelids fluttering. Everything turned black again. She was in the sky. She shook her head, trying to rid herself of the confusion. The images were definitely not her own.

She clenched her fists so tightly that her hands ached. Cyrus? He gave no answer, no explanation.

And there was no time to question it.

"There!" Koldis shouted in her mind. "Osbourne!" A flicker of gold far, far below, shining through the darkness. Within seconds a blazing ring took form surrounding the entire village.

"Gristas, Bianca! It's time!" she called, sending her first command. Gristas and his mate Bianca were in charge of the Osbourne group.

"We follow." His voice resounded in her mind like a plucked string. A brief mental flash flooded her senses, similar to the one before. This one came from a different vantage point. She found herself plummeting toward the earth, nosediving toward Osbourne. She blinked and the image was gone. Gristas, Bianca, and their small group of pairs took off into the darkness to reinforce Hiondel, Lilly, Nokin, and Madeleine. The Riders, she noticed, had their bows drawn.

"We will hold as long as we can!" Hiondel's voice again. Another image came with it. A brief flash of a blade near the fire line. She blinked and looked away. The image vanished.

Things descended into chaos. A second and third fire blazed into life. Thin, golden rings against a black landscape below. A cage. The Vodar were trapped in the villages with their human prey.

"Kilian, Heidi! You're up!" She all but screamed the order. "Get your team to Lormont! Faedrol, Hannah, to Swinston! And remember, distractions only. No killing blows. That's my job."

The last thing she needed was a rogue Vodar popping back into existence a few days later because someone's blade slipped too far.

"We follow," came the responses.

"Good! Hurry!"

The sky was aflutter with wings, leaving her alone with Koldis. More images bombarded her mind as Drengr reinforcements arrived in their respective villages. She shook her head, trying to clear them away, blinking against them.

Why was this happening? And why now, of all times, when she needed to focus. Was her magic going haywire?

I told you, Cyrus said, you are growing stronger.

She blinked, but the images kept coming. Blades. Black shapes. Screams. Fire. Fear.

She wanted to ignore it, to sever ties with the Drengr, but they needed her. She put her head in her hands and squeezed her eyes shut, drawing deep breaths, bracing herself against the rising pressure beating against her temples. The skin around her mark tingled, itching. A reminder. She knew what she needed to do.

She opened her eyes, dragging in air, filling her lungs.

You can do this...Cyrus's confidence radiated deep in her chest.

Turning her gaze below, she began to sing. Her voice shook at first. She struggled to keep it steady, to control her fear of failure, to battle the wind as it fought against her. "Fallam nemaloh sasilo valandur ellohdar." But knowing the words of a song was not enough.

She pictured the Vodar within the glowing boundaries. Imagined the evil that seeped out of them. Imagined the way she wanted to see their bodies consumed by flames.

Her voice cracked as a series of panicked images bombarded her mind, flashing across her consciousness like the flipping of channels on a television screen. She faltered. Each came from a different point of view, from a different Drengr.

In Lormont, reinforcements were forcing the Vodar back into a concentrated group, keeping them away from the villagers. Jovari was there. He fought with his Sverak in one hand and magic like electricity rolling off him with the other.

Osbourne was more chaotic. Villagers ran about screaming and scurrying as wraiths stormed through their homes, dragging them out, using them as leverage against the Drengr and their Riders. Nothing about this situation was contained. Bianca, Lilly, and Madeleine stood on a nearby rooftop, arrows wizzing as they shouted orders to those below.

In Swinston, Faedrol, Odrick and Til had driven the Vodar into two separate groups, keeping them away from cottages. Their Sveraks flashed in the firelight, accompanied by bursts of magic.

"Claire!" Koldis broke through her mind. Her voice, she suddenly realized, had gone silent. She'd stopped singing altogether. "Pull yourself together!" he shouted. There was a panicked edge to his words.

Her pulse raced.

"Claire, what's going on?" Jovari all but yelled from where he fought down below. "We can't hold them for much longer!"

Other voices followed his, pressing in around her, begging her to hurry.

"I'm trying, Koldis. I...It's..." She trembled. She opened her mouth, but the only sound was a croak. It was happening. She was failing, just like she feared she would. "I was wrong. I can't..." She knew the words of the song but there were too many thoughts, too many images, too many feelings.

Too much fear.

A flicker from Hiondel flashed before her eyes. A wraith had a woman by the hair, dragging her from her cottage kicking and screaming. Hiondel raced forward to protect her, Sverak drawn, dragging her with him. She could only watch, wide-eyed, as he met the Vodar's short sword head on.

"Claire!" Entranced, she hardly heard Koldis shouting at her.

The Vodar released its hold on the woman, turning its full attention to Hiondel—to her—dealing several successive blows meant to cripple. Hiondel was tired, his magic all but depleted. The Vodar lunged, thrusting its blade forward. A sick laugh hissed from its lips. White-hot pain seared her abdomen. She screamed, clutching her stomach as she doubled over in her harness. She looked directly beneath the Vodar's hood, eyes locked on the dark shadows beneath as she clutched her wound. It was the last thing she saw, that awful hooded face, seared into her mind, and then nothing. Lilly's cry was a dying echo in her head.

"No!" she screamed. Her eyes snapped open and the pain vanished. "No! Hiondel!" Her breathing came in ragged gasps, faster and faster, until her head swam and her vision blurred. She clutched her stomach and looked down, expecting to see blood. There was nothing. No pain. No wound. She was fine.

A shudder wracked her. Failure clutched her in its claws, draining her strength like a monster that delighted in hopelessness. In the snap of a moment, Hiondel was gone, and it was entirely her fault. This was all her fault. They'd trusted her, and already she'd failed.

Do not give in, Claire! Cyrus pounded against the back of her mind with invisible fists. You can do this! Fight it! Fight your fear.

"But...he's gone," she whispered aloud, as if the sky would hear her and do something about it. "I...I can't."

You can. You must see them. You must truly see them in your mind, and then you sing your—

A sharp cry cut through Cyrus's words. It was her own. Points of pain erupted in various places across her body. A slice along her arm. A gash in her leg. She screamed again as each misplaced parry, each misstep, each blow struck her down. The Drengr were radiating their injuries along the connection, and she was helpless to stop the painful sensations assaulting her.

"We can't hold them any longer!" came one of their cries.

She was lost to pain, unable to discern the owner of the voice in her mind.

The face of Hiondel's killer filled her vision again. Rotting skin. Toothless snarl. Black eyes, glittering with disdain. The face of a demon. Even the stench of death reached her nostrils.

"Claire!" Koldis screamed at her. "Damn it, Claire! What the hell?! Get yourself under control before everyone dies!"

That seemed to snap her out of it.

Koldis was right. They needed her. Every injury. Every death. It was her fault. If she didn't do something now, it would all be for nothing. She had no other choice—she was their only hope.

She unclenched her hands from around Koldis's harness, and brought them to rest against his warm scales, hoping the heat would steady her frantic heart.

"I can do this," she whispered to herself, a lie she hardly believed. But she whispered it nonetheless. "No, I must do this."

Using strength from the gods only knew where, she opened her mouth, picturing the Vodar's face in her mind, and began to sing again. The words were shaky at first. After a few lines, they became surer than before, steadier than before. There was still chaos. There was still fear. There was still pain. But there was also a deep need to make everything right—to fix her failure before it spiraled out of control.

Each phrase tumbled from her lips like a promise. A renewed pledge to protect. And this time, she felt the magic deep in her chest, accompanied by a burning sensation where her Sprite mark tingled. Her voice fell upon the world below, words flowing like droplets of water, like rain, mixed with every emotion she felt, down a well carved path laced with intent and purpose.

This time, the wind did not swallow up her words. Instead it greeted her like a friend. It recognized her and rejoiced, carrying her, magnifying her magic for the world.

"It's working!" someone shouted. "Gods above! It's working."

She was so focused, she almost didn't hear the roar of satisfaction.

Koldis went lower, sweeping around in a wide arc. Her eyes watered. Tears poured down her cheeks, whether from fear, sadness, or relief, she did not know. But she kept singing. Her mark burned, searing white-hot like a fire poker branding her skin. It radiated with brilliant luminescence beneath her clothing. And then she too began to glow with it. She knew then, surer than ever, that her efforts were working.

Koldis was low enough now, gliding over one of the villages. Flashes of green flame erupted beneath her, just discernible. Images flooded her mind, brief glimpses of the Vodar as they burned and writhed, hissing in agony as her Sprite fire took them. One by one they disappeared, leaving behind nothing more than a pile of ash.

Her hoarse voice faded to a whisper. It was finally over. They were dead, gone. But it was a hollow victory. An empty victory. Because all she could think about was the loss of Hiondel's life and those she had failed to protect.

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