“Demons,” the messenger pants. “Demons on the mountains.”
My gaze darts towards Thal as my blood chills with fear. “On the mountains?”
“Crawling everywhere,” the messenger says, face paling.
I rush past the messenger, shoving him to the side as I burst out into the sunlight. “March!” I bellow, sprinting down the lines of tents and soldiers to urge them into action. We have no time anymore. Not if the enemy has already been spotted.
I skid to a halt as the mountains come into view; black shadows writhe over the surface like ants on fallen food. My heart skips a beat and I understand instantly why the messenger could hardly pass his message. Haru is at my side, joined by Moritz. I feel Thal at my shoulder, gasping.
“Gods,” he breathes, eyes wide.
I round on Moritz. “Get your generals, get your men. We need to march. We need to march now.”
My squires run to my side, hauling my heavy golden armor behind them. I stand still as they tie my armor into place and pass me my long sword. Thal stares wide-eyed at me. “You aren’t going to the front lines, are you?” I don’t answer, instead belting my sword securely at my waist. I press into the thick of soldiers preparing for battle. Thal follows me, on my heels and breathing fast with fear. “Altair, you can’t fight. We can’t afford losing you.”
“If I fall, I want you to rule in my stead,” I say over my shoulder.
“You can’t be serious,” Thal laughs nervously as I swing onto my horse.
I stare down at him, forcing all of my emotions into the depths of my chest. I can’t lose this battle. I can’t be distracted by fear or anger. “My councilors already know.” I tug at the reins, turning towards the mountains.
Thal shouts indiscernibly after me as I gallop away. Our soldiers are pouring out on either side of me, heading for the empty plains at the base of the mountains. I hear my generals and Moritz’s generals shouting orders, organizing our forces. I stare up at the mountains, swallowing painfully. So much for bottlenecking, I think unhappily as the demons swarm down the cliff faces and steep slopes of the high peaks.
I ride to the front of the lines, facing off against the assembling demons. Behind me, I can feel the intense power of the elite soldiers riding to my side. I inhale deeply, glancing over my shoulder. All I can see over the rolling hills is the golden armor of my men and the black, matte finish of Moritz’s soldiers. I feel a hint of pride as I stare at the assembly.
But then my gaze strays back to the enemy, and any hope I had is overwhelmed by a sense of doom. The horizon is seared with shadows, shadow that I know must be Sadal’s doing. In the sky, I see thousands of red cloaks fluttering in the breeze. I feel a wave of fury thinking any of them could be Maaz.
I raise my right fist into the air and a hush falls over the hills. Swallowing thickly, I drop my fist. The fall of my clenched fist brings shouts of courage echoing around me. Horses streak past me, black and gold riders leaning forward with swords drawn.
The slamming of horse hooves is like an avalanche. My hair rustles as they rush past me and I scowl at their receding forms. I wonder how many of them will live to see the sun set behind us.
The cavalry crashes into the demons and blood arcs through the air. Gray, thick, goop mingles with red, slick blood. I lean forward, heart pounding with fear and adrenaline as I watch silver flash as swords fall on the demons. Cries of fear ring out over the distance. And suddenly I hear it. I hear the sharp shrieks of the demons and it feels as if my chest caves in.
The demons’ foot-long claws rip through our Fae armor like it’s nothing more than paper. I swallow a cry as I watch one of the beasts lift a Fae soldier with a clawed hand and suspend him in the air. The demon lowers the Fae soldier towards its open maw, and I can hear the soldier screaming. My hand wraps tightly around the sword at my side and I urge my horse forward.
All of our careful planning means nothing now. We could never have imagined the raw force of these beasts; their immense size. Behind me, I hear soldiers murmuring. I don’t bother urging them into battle. I know my generals will send them in after me. As I approach the crest of the hill, I stop and see more demons crawling from the crevices in the mountain.
I swing off of my horse, armored feet landing heavily on the thick grass. I can hear the men behind me preparing for action. I slap my horse, sending it back to the ranks, and drop my sword in the field. I won’t need it.
Breathing deeply, I let the residual oozing of the curse flow through me. My nails elongate into sharp claws, hands morphing into jaguar paws. From my back, I can feel my bones and muscles stretching as wings tear through my skin. Fur coats my skin and I blink to adjust my new, heightened vision. Fully transformed, I stretch my enormous, black wings and shake out my fur.
I launch myself into the air, a growl rumbling in my chest as the demons’ shrieking heightens. With powerful beats of my wings, I fly forward towards the army. I bellow, roaring my fury as I throw myself into their ranks. I tear through them with my claws, snatching one’s neck in my jaws.
Foul-tasting blood oozes into my mouth as I bite through the strange, scaled skin and into its hard muscles. It goes slack in my jaws and I drop it to the ground,
