constricting and sinking into the greenish-tinged flesh of my attackers. They fell to the ground, shaking and jerking, trying in vain to pull away from the shadows permeating their skin, right down to the brittle bones that broke and splintered as the black cords pulled and tugged their bodies in ways they weren’t meant to bend.
Raif’s soul shadows had killed fifty in all, but it wasn’t enough to level the playing field. The contents of the bottle had been enough to protect me in the event of a chance meeting or minor ambush, but not in a full-scale attack. I threw the useless bottle to the ground, hoping Tyler wouldn’t gallop out of the grass until after they’d killed me. Maybe then he’d do what I asked and save himself. I stood proud, pushed my chin up a notch or two, and waited to die.
I didn’t think much of it when the first cries sounded from the rear of the Lyhtan ranks. I assumed the Enphigmale had become hungry again and were seeking new prey. But soon a feeling of joy and salvation filled the darkest and most hopeless parts of my soul. My wish had been granted, and I didn’t have to see him to know that Raif had finally come, and death came swiftly on his heels.
The next few moments passed in a haze. Raif had brought a small army with him, and the many Shaedes filtered in through the black space beneath the bower like ants fleeing their mound. Behind Raif charged the king himself, hacking through the crowd of Lyhtans, his sword bright with rusty orange blood and cutting a path to the center of the circle—cutting a path to me.
Lyhtan and Shaede alike lay bleeding and screaming. Raif, Xander, and a few others had broken from the masses, continuing their charge to the center of the circle. I looked frantically toward the dais, where I’d left Delilah. Between the battling bodies, I caught a glimpse of an empty stone table.
Coming to my senses, I pushed the sensation of passing time from my mind—
Xander saw my struggle and immediately changed his course. With wide-armed swings, his blade cut the air and struck down a Lyhtan; blood gushed from the stump of its arm where the king had severed it at the elbow. He jabbed another straight through its distended stomach and another through the throat. Their wounds were healing fast, though, and if twilight didn’t hurry the fuck up, we’d be screwed before the fight was fair.
A Lyhtan grabbed me by the ankle just as I was about to break through the crowd to the granite dais. I was strong, but it held fast and pulled me close to its sharp-toothed face. “How did you do it?” the Lyhtan demanded, giving me a hard shake. “How do you join with the light and the shadow? Tell me!”
My teeth chattered in my head as the Lyhtan shook me again, and its clawed hands bit deep into my arms, piercing the skin. I waited for the debilitating effects of its poison to kick in, but to both of our surprise, it had no effect whatsoever. I had become immune.
The Lyhtan gave a screeching cry, drawing the attention of the others. An instant shift took place as the battle swung in my direction, the Lyhtans making their way to their prize while the Shaedes sought to impede their progress. And I was caught, kicking and yanking my arms free, with one single-minded mission: find Delilah
“Are you all right?” he asked breathlessly, his face buried in the tangles of my hair.
“Yes,” I said, but I couldn’t have been further from fine. “I need to find Delilah and Azriel,” I said, pulling away. “They’re here somewhere. She’s the one.” I shoved against him. “She’s behind it all. I have to—”
No longer light or dark, the scope of my evolved abilities became obvious to me now. I was not restrained by anything. Time did not matter. The sun, moon; the absence and presence of both swayed me. No longer a slave to my corporeal form at any hour, I had become one with those hours. I had, in essence, become time.
“What’s happened to you?” Xander asked.
I didn’t have time to give him a sufficient answer, because Tyler’s bear cry tore through the air, stealing the breath from my lungs.
Delilah had to take a backseat to a more important crisis. The Shaede army was making short work of the Lyhtans, whose power had diminished significantly once the sun had set. The injured were dying; the dying were now dead. And fresh blood flowed at the hands of Raif and his companions as their swords met little to no resistance. But one formidable enemy had been forgotten in all the chaos. More dangerous than Delilah, more devious than Azriel, and more deadly than the most vicious Lyhtan, the Enphigmale had joined the fray.
As if he knew my thoughts, Raif paused and caught my eye. He ran his sword through his opponent’s chest and pulled a scabbard from around his shoulder. With a great heave, my katana soared above the heads of the fighting armies, and I dug my heels into the ground and took off at a run. I leapt as the katana arched and came down, and caught it in a swift and fluid motion. Ripping the blade from its protective sheath, I discarded the black scabbard and ran through the ranks of allies and foes alike, my form nothing but a passing breeze.
Three of the four gargoyles had converged on Tyler. Bright teeth flashed in the graying light and claws dug into his golden fur. He bit and fought, twisting and swinging with his massive paws, but the tables had turned against him, and he was losing. Blood trickled down his face, and the fur around one shoulder was matted where the flesh was torn. I saw his composure falter, and his glistening nose sniffed the air for barely a moment. He made eye contact, and before he swept his foreleg at a biting mouth, he thrashed his massive head as if to tell me to keep my distance. An Enphigmale seized the opportunity of his distraction and sank its teeth deep into Tyler’s throat.
He should have known I didn’t follow directions well. Panic surged within me as I put Raif’s training to good use and jumped right in the middle of the feeding frenzy. Tyler had slumped to the ground; I didn’t have time to gauge whether he was conscious or not. My only thought centered on keeping him safe. I kicked at the beast whose jaws snapped repeatedly, trying to finish what it started. The force of the impact sent it flying a good twenty feet or so, and it barreled into a Lyhtan trying to flee the melee. It made a quick and easy meal for the insatiable Enphigmale that gobbled its prey like it hadn’t already glutted itself for hours.
I swung with the katana at the second gargoyle, who tried to flog me with its great, leathery wings. I cut through the skin-covered appendage and the beast swung around, snarling and snapping, grazing my arm in the process. I jerked back and stabbed high, piercing one of the glowing silver eyes. The creature reared and stomped down, shaking the earth with the movement. It pawed at the bleeding hole in its head, thrashing and whimpering as it bucked and jumped away.
Twilight faded into ever-darkening night, and the Shaede army continued its efforts against the Lyhtans, who refused to surrender despite their vulnerable state. A flash of red leather caught my eye and a long braid whipped through the air as Anya spun and danced in battle. She flashed a wicked smile in my direction, the exulting rush of battle lust flushing her cheeks, and the joy of victory glowing in her violet eyes.
The other Shaedes had twenty-seven minutes and nine seconds before they could pass into shadow, but I was not held by such restraints. I passed into the gray again and again as the Enphigmale tried to make purchase on my twisting form. I cut and stabbed, sliced and jabbed, protecting Tyler the only way I could, while he lay bleeding and damaged. One of the braver gargoyles charged, and I rammed the katana into the earth as I waited for the charging beast. My breathing slowed, my focus sharpened, and I stood my ground. Its progress came slow
