I stood on a large ledge, overlooking the ground below the pillar. Dawn was breaking.

  I was over ten thousand feet high above the ground, and I could see everything. I could see the mountains we had crossed during our journey to Ash. Past those, I saw the wide, open, desolate desert where the Grootslang attacked us. Beyond, where I couldn’t see, was the dark forest Goro and Gora took us through.

  ‘So . . . some secret path, huh? You think Dog climbs these to get around quickly?’ Fern asked. I could feel him gesturing to the small sets of stairs carved into the exterior side of the pillar.

  In the past, being so high up and so exposed on the side of a giant tower would have softened my knees into jelly. But now, with all that I’d gone through—using the grapple gauntlets, learning to transform, and fighting ghosts, giant lizards, and demonic-looking celestial guards—the height didn’t seem to bother me as it once would have.

  If so, that’s not as mystical as I would have expected from him. I still don’t trust him. He’s involved in some way. He even quoted one of the voices from when I went through the portal.

  ‘Even so, he has helped us out twice now, with the sword and this door.’

  Yes, but don’t forget the sword was cursed. I don’t like not knowing his motivations. We’re left with no other options; we’re forced to take his help.

  ‘I’m less concerned about Dog and more about you and your supposed plan to take down the magelord. My question is just how exactly do you intend to separate the dark soul inside him with your brothers?’ Fern asked.

  I’m sure there’s some way. I just said that to calm Luna down. I’ll figure out something. I’m sure hearing my voice should at least get Noah’s attention. Even if it creates a brief opening for Luna or someone to strike, it would be worth it. If Noah isn’t able to be saved, I’d rather save everyone else.

  I felt a cold gust of wind brush against the pillar, causing me to fold my arms and rub them, keeping them warm.

  A sweet smell of burned herbs tickled my nose, and then I heard shouting from behind me.

  “Ah, here you are, young Erik!” Major Philip said, crouching to get through the short doorway onto the ledge. “We saw the flare and brought the toughest men from Ash to help. Oh, great heavens!” His eyes bulged when he saw how exposed and high up we were. Another gust of wind blasted everyone in the face, buffeting the pillar.

  Laska crept out next, wrapped in black padded armor from head to toe. She was prepared for the winds.

  “I-i-it’s v-v-very cold,” she stuttered, shivering.

  “Sergeant, with all due respect, stop your complaining. At least you have the clothes fit for this,” Waelid said, stepping out next. Behind him was a group of miners—most of them from the group that rode up with us to the second floor almost a month ago.

  Coren, the one who had been friendly with Waelid, pushed through everyone and stood up on the ledge with no fear.

  “Blast it.” Coren clenched his fist.

  “What is it, friend?” Waelid leaned forward, putting his hand on Coren’s shoulder.

  The tall, sturdy man wrinkled his nose. “That acrid, smoky smell . . . Look.” He eyed the town far below.

  Across the small land bridge ten thousand feet below, at the base of a mountain range, the town of Ash sat. And above the buildings was not chimney smoke. No, the town darkened with smoke because someone was burning the buildings.

  Small flashes of light burst in the town center like fireworks, only to then cause more buildings to catch fire.

  “Those bastards!” Coren said. He turned around and quickly held out his hand to one of his fellow miners still inside the room in the pillar. They handed him a black backpack, and he put it on in a hurry.

  “Now, Master Coren,” Major Philip said, holding up a finger. “I highly advise against this. You know those packs are experimental.”

  ‘What’s happening?’ Fern asked, curious about the commotion.

  “Nope, not now, little Phil.” Coren pushed the major aside and waved up his few fellow miners. Five of them spread out beside him across the large ledge, all wearing black backpacks.

  “Wait . . . Are you going to parachute down to the surface?” I asked, leaning over to see Coren.

  “Not parachuting, gliding. Just because we didn’t have the fearless, tough souls you Cinders have doesn’t mean we can’t put up a fight. I’m not going to sit here and watch my only home burn before my eyes.” He looked over at his crew and gave a thumbs-up. They returned it.

  “You can’t be serious,” I said, looking up at the major. “We can’t let them jump. What if the mages see them?”

  “Oh, they most certainly will, but they are not under my command. I will not tell a man how to act when his family is being threatened.” He stood back and crossed his arms. His mustache twitched, and he closed his eyes as the miners got ready.

  “Erik is right,” Waelid said through clenched teeth. “Coren, I know you’re worried about Luci, but you’ll be easy targets for them. It’s still daylight, for burning’s sake!”

  Coren turned around and patted Waelid on the shoulder. “When it’s night, our families will be dead. We have to try.”

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  The man turned back around opened his eyes and nodded to his five other men. Then they jumped.

  They fell fast, straight down the side of the pillar. For a moment I lost sight of them, and then they pulled the strings on their backpacks.

  Six sets of mechanical wings deployed, and they glided across the sky away from the pillar, toward the town of Ash, whose plumes of smoke numbered in the dozens now.

  For a moment, it was inspiring to see them soar toward Ash. They flew in formation, like birds in the sky. Coren led them, banking to the right, aiming for a part of town where the smoke hadn’t accumulated yet.

  Then a shot of lightning ripped through the air and pierced one of the flying miners. The man fell from the sky and crashed through a roof. Coren and the other men scrambled and quickly descended into the town below, between the buildings.

  I took a deep breath in.

  “You saw it too?” Waelid said next to me. I looked at him; his eyes were wide, round, and the color of fire. He was using his phoenix infusion inside of him to see.

  “They shot one of them down!” I said, looking now to the major.

  He shook his head. “We told them not to. Hopefully, the others can find safety and hide.”

  “Hide? That’s not what they went there to do. We have to help them,” I said

  He looked down at me. “Young Erik, must you be reminded that magebloods—our sworn enemy and unwanted masters—have broken into our sanctuary? We need to stick together and formulate a plan, lest we end up like everyone else.”

  “We don’t even know how everyone else is. Right now, we know Coren and those guys need help. They don’t have infusions; they can’t stand up against a mage,” I said.

  “The major is right, Erik,” Laska said. “We need to think clearly and stay together. Let us take these steps down and use the moment to surprise the magebloods.”

  “What good is that if everyone is dead by the time we get there?” Waelid mumbled.

  “What was that, Private?” Major Philip asked Waelid.

  I looked over at Waelid, hoping to catch his eyes. I did. Two fiery, round eyes looked back at me, giving the smallest nod.

  “New plan!” I clapped my hands, backing up. A warm tingle started at my toes as my feet morphed into thick hooves. “We split up. You two take the stairs, and we”—I pushed my wings out my back, hearing my battle outfit rip—“will take the skies.” I ran and leaped off the edge.

  I heard the major yell after me, but I couldn’t be led around waiting for things to go wrong. I had to take action before more people got hurt. I dove downward, finishing my transformation midair.

  A loud screech echoed and rocketed past me. Waelid’s hybrid phoenix form burned through the sky, hurtling toward the town of Ash like a meteor.

  I mimicked the miners and extended my wings to change direction, then started flying over the land bridge. I was slower than Waelid, but luckily, he was a perfect distraction.

  Bolts of magic—fire, water, and lightning—shot through the sky at Waelid; however, he flew around them with ease. I kept myself lower to the ground since whoever was shooting the magic was focused on the sky. I flew to the right and landed softly on the outer walls of Ash.

  The walls of Ash were not as tall as some of the buildings inside were. Thankfully, that meant I could stay out of sight of the mages in town. I closed my eyes and focused my concentration on my hearing. I felt blood rush around my veins in my head and felt a tingle of energy as I strained to hear. Through the thunder and the cracks of fire being released in the air at Waelid, I heard two voices shouting.

  “. . . damn bird! Is this the demonic possession you were talking about, Master?” a young voice said.

  Another shot of lightning pierced the sky. Waelid dodged and then screeched. I looked up and saw him fly toward the town and then use his wing to knock away a firebolt that followed the lightning one.

  “It seems to be. Although it has been quite some time since we have seen a flying one. And this one doesn’t seem to have a white mask. Curious,” an older female voice said. Her tone was dark and sinister like she was ready to carve out someone’s heart.

  I crept forward down the stone wall into the edge of town. Coren and his men were nowhere to be found. I weaved my way quietly through the alley. I felt Fern’s snake head twist around, keeping watch behind me. I could sense what was happening there without him saying anything; our bond had deepened. I pulled out Lightcutter. The once-long dagger now looked like a small shiv in my hands. Still, the blade was sharper and longer than my new claws. I figured it would be good to still use weapons even in this form.

  I felt Fern open his mouth and the once-cursed blade slid out. The blade glowed a pale black light while Fern gripped it in his mouth. To anyone looking at us, we probably did look quite demonic.

  I walked quietly through the alleyways despite my enlarged size. My senses were all tuned to their maximum. I felt like I could see through walls. It was easier since the magebloods were making a lot of noise with their destruction—Waelid screeching above and the crumbling, burning buildings around us made it simple to move in silence. It wasn’t until I stood thirty feet away from the magebloods that they stopped and turned toward me.

  “Oh, Master. It seems we let one of the devils sneak up on us,” the younger mage said. He had curly blond hair, wore white-and-gold robes, and a gold symbol of seven crowns pinned to his left chest pocket.

  The older woman turned and yawned. She looked to be in her mid-thirties, with straight orange hair and several freckles dotted on her cheekbones. “No, no, I knew he was there. Just didn’t want to have to hunt him down. Are you here to stop us, devil?”

  “Why are you doing this?” I asked.

  The woman scratched her head and then looked at the young teenager next to her. He had to be no older than Lotrick.

  “Princeguard Murana?” the boy asked the older woman. “Why is the devil-man trying to talk to us?”

  She laughed and looked back at me. “Do what, goat-man? This?” She quickly moved her hands and shot a bolt of fire at a nearby building.

  Glass shattered, and screaming was heard from inside the now-burning structure.

  I clenched my fist and stepped toward the building.

  “Uh-uh-uh,” the woman said, holding a new spell between her hands.

  “You think we would still let you all run this place once we were able to get past that barrier? Please—are all voidbloods so . . . stupid?” the boy said.

  Then my memory flashed back. Blond hair, an arrogant attitude . . . this was the kid we fought after shopping with Fern. The one who told me to lick his shoes. The one who then got Fern in trouble so much that his mom went ballistic and on a beating spree.

  “Carlyle from Corello?”

  The young boy tilted his head and held up his hands. A bright light appeared in the space between them. As we’d been taught, I saw the strings of magic—the magic of the Law of Vibration.

  “I think I’ll kill this one, Master. Please?” Carlyle said, stepping forward. “It knows my name—that’s disgusting.”

  I tensed my body, ready to read his movements when a loud screech roared above me.

  The two mages looked up, and I burst forward, taking advantage of the distraction. Fern curled himself like a scorpion’s tail, sword poised in his mouth.

  Waelid clapped his fiery wings together, sending a tempest of wind below. A wave of dirt and sand exploded in front of me as I hid within that wave of dust. I moved with the wind, concealed in the cloud as it hit the two mages.

  When the dust cleared, Carlyle stood in front of me. He was crying but made no noise. He fell to his knees.

  Both arms had been cut off clean. One by Fern, whose snake head glared down at Carlyle. And one by me with Lightcutter.

  “Wh-wh-why!” Carlyle screamed.

  I looked to my right as Waelid hurled himself and his foot claws at the older woman, pinning down her arms. She screamed in terror, unable to move or cast a spell. Waelid held his large scimitar in the air and brought it down, severing the mageblood’s head.

  We didn’t come for mercy. We had come for vengeance.