“Masks first, and yell if we damage something.”
Benedict made an inarticulate noise of panic, then Meruse kicked the cork out of the water barrel. She waved her hands, covering Benedict’s mask in water. My heart went out to Benedict he cried out, water racing up his face.
“You aren’t drowning, it will be just a moment! Please stay calm!”
I kept a hand on his chest, trying to ground him as both witches stood with squared feet, concentrating hard on the iron mask in front of them. For an agonizing minute nothing happened, even as I felt my Benedict’s pulse skyrocket as he went longer and longer without air. Then I saw it; a small smattering of orange beginning to spread across the front of the mask.
“It’s working! Hang on!”
The rust spread, weakening the metal and corroding it from the inside out. Astrid gave a yell and the masks cracked in half, falling to the ground as Benedict gasped for air. His face was pale, and his body shook. I wanted to hold him close and soothe him.
“No time. Gauntlets next.”
Kieran turned, showing off the iron shackles keeping their wings weighed down. I hadn’t even noticed them. Astrid and Meruse managed to get Benedict’s and Kieran’s gauntlets off and had just broken through the weights on Kieran’s wings when the lykos began to stir. Worse than that, three shadow demons fell from the sky, along with a pale face I saw in my nightmares. The same vampyre who’d shot my down from the sky, and who I now knew was the Overlord’s right-hand: Severn.
“Told you we should have killed them,” Meruse hissed.
Severn took one look at me, and my heart dropped out of my chest, adrenaline spurring me into action.
“Run!”
We took off through the forest, not daring to fly in case we lost the witches. Benedict struggled with the iron weights still around his wings but didn’t complain.
“If we can reach the river, I can hold them off!”
Meruse pointed to the river ahead, it’s inky surface glinting in the moonlight. I swore as I tripped over a root, unable to see through the gloom in human form. I went to shift but Benedict scooped me up, not even flinching as I smeared horse manure over his body.
“No. They can’t know. I will carry you.”
“They already know, Severn knows—"
He shushed me with a growl, and I knew it was pointless to argue. Benedict couldn’t keep up with so much extra weight pulling him down, but gods above...he did. He passed the witches, pulled ahead of Kieran, and we dove into the river, the current grabbing us immediately and sucking us under. It was just as well Benedict was carrying me because there was no way I would have gone in otherwise. My worst fears reached up and grabbed me as I was ripped from Benedict’s arms. He disappeared under the water, the iron on his wings acting like an anchor that pulled him to the bottom like dead weight. All around me was black, black...
“MERUSE!”
Her name was the last thing I screamed as my lungs filled with water, leaving Severn far behind.
Fourteen
I awoke coughing, my chest on fire as Meruse’s wet, bedraggled face was inches away from mine.
“Again,” I heard Astrid calmly say.
Meruse reared back and punched her hand forward, and my chest spasmed as an invisible forced punched me, expelling water and blood. Astrid caught my head as I fell back, and with a twist of her fingers a small orb of beautiful, glorious pure air filled my lungs instead. I hated water.
“She’s stable. The others?”
I shot straight up at the sound of my mates grumbling, and then the next moment I was in their arms as they sniffed me all over.
“I’m fine! I’m fine!"
Benedict got to me first, wrapping me in his arms and pressing me against his chest. He held on for longer than normal, and I put on hand on the side of his cheek. His purple eyes were strained.
“It’s ok. It’s over.” I don’t know who needed to hear that statement more between the both of us. Kieran put a hand on the small of my back and I turned, launching myself into him next. Meruse rolled her eyes even as Astrid shook her head.
“You’re welcome, by the way. You drakens are heavy as dead weight.”
The witches let out an ‘oomph’ of surprise as I attacked them next, dragging them down as I wrapped my arms around both their necks. The weights that were around Benedict’s wings lay on the ground next to him, cracked in half.
“We’d be dead without you.” I whispered, pulling back to meet their eyes. “Thank you.”
Meruse looked away, blushing.
“Yes, well...I wouldn’t thank me yet.”
Then I noticed the lack of scales and fangs...and wings. Benedict and Kieran were in their human forms, and so was I. I looked around seeing nothing but the dark woods.
“We’re under the largest bridge that leads into Cantrada, just a few miles down the road. From here on out, I advise against being in your draken forms. This town is ruled by vampyres and demons.”
I ran a hand through my wet hair.
“I didn’t get a chance to tell you. Ronan says it may be impossible to shift back to Lyoness. The demons have put some sort of enchantment up, trapping everyone on the island.”
Benedict ran a hand over his own tired face, and Kieran grasped him on the shoulder.
“Well, we wanted to see what was going on in Cantrada. Now is our chance.”
Astrid and Meruse glanced at each other.
“We are unable to pass as humans as easily as you are. We plan to head back and continue the search for the sea witches and investigate the claims by the fire witches about Luci. If they are true, she is not safe even on Lyoness. They left before we were attacked by the lykos.”
Benedict reached out his hand, his head bowed.
“Happy hunting. Our race looks forward to working with yours in the
