ORIANA

"What? Why?" I demanded to know, curling my fingers into fists. Crystals facets embedded in the walls flared along with my temper, causing the gathered Kirin to ripple with nervous energy.

That boy is a danger to himself and others, the War Queen declared. He is a conduit for Nya's power and could turn at any moment. He has also seen our stronghold, and while I hold no love for wyverns, I would not seek to cripple our new allies by allowing him to visit theirs.

Sebastian snarled in warning as the Kirin pressed closer, his canines lengthening with an impending transformation. "I am not your enemy," he snapped, skin taking on a silver sheen that belied his words.

No, the War Queen replied, faintly amused by his distress. But you are our enemy's son. And I will not compromise our greatest weapon in this holy war because Rya's Chosen has a fondness for 'sucking your face', as you pitiful creatures so eloquently put it.

A chill sloshed down my spine when I realised she was talking about the revelations in my visions. The War Queen must have seen everything the Earth Mother saw; and the same had to be true of Rana, Gretchen and Sebastian as well. The Trial of Truth was over. Judgment had been passed.

"He's worth more alive than he is dead," I blurted out, thoughts racing as I flung out my arms. As if that could protect him from the lighting chaining on all of their lowered horns. "Rogan would do anything to get his son back. If we play the hostage card at the right time —"

Near or far, the mate bond will find you and bind you, the War Queen said, neither pleased nor displeased with the dark turn of events. The only recourse is to kill him and erase it all together. Be grateful that I granted you the privacy to say your goodbyes.

Panic, hot and slippery, rose in the back of my throat. "That's not true. We can take it away; I've done it before —"

The War Queen trumpeted the order. Electricity arced through the air in slow motion as I fumbled for my power, still mute and limp inside of me. Too late did I realise that I should have leapt in front of him to take the blow; I'd left it too long and wouldn't be able to make it now. Sebastian was still mid transformation. It would catch him in the chest just as his paws touched the ground, before he could even lunge to defend himself —

Rana grunted as she caught the bolt of lightning on her glaive, the tendons in her neck snapping taut as she redirected the energy into the ground. "Do something," she growled at Gretchen, dark eyes flashing with rage.

Yes, I crowed, having forgotten the Witch of the East until now. She was one of the Earth Mother's Children too; she could convince them to stop!

Gretchen hesitated. That second was enough for the Kirin to gather another bolt of lightning and strike again, but Sebastian was gone and the Wraith was already moving in his place, ducking and weaving between the stamping stallions. Sparks showered as the lightning bolt caught on another kirin's antlers, rolling through its body and locking its muscles in place. It seemed they weren't entirely immune to the effects, either.

"Come on," I hissed, trying to stoke my magic with anger and desperation. The crystals in the walls flickered and brightened, but it was all I could manage; the mountain was suffocating my flames, just like it had when I was taken by the River Nymph.

I didn't have days to recover my strength. I barely even had seconds, and it wasn't until the black pearl clasp of my cloak pulled tight against my throat that I realised what I had to do.

Just as I had in my dreams, I curled into that sliver of power, adrenaline coursing through my jugular as the silver cloak spread along my skin, joining at the seams and sealing tight. It was my little piece of the Night Goddess's shape shifting power, and I used it to fashion myself in Rana's image, gouging my talons into the rock for stability as I grew taller and larger. My clothes held out for a surprisingly long time before they snapped apart like frayed rope, giving way to gleaming scales. I felt a flicker of disappointment, for I'd come to love those clothes, the first that ever truly fit me.

"Rya's tits," Rana gasped, eyes wide as dinner plates. "You are a wyvern!"

I wasn't so sure; and even if I was, years of poisoning had stunted my natural ability to shift. But the power coursing through my body felt unspeakably right as I beat my wings at the startled kirin, upsetting their balance before sweeping my tail through the ranks of their long, proud legs. Electricity vaulted up my spine, rooting my feet to the ground.

Nya, if ever you listened, I thought, frantically trying to move through the paralysis. If ever you loved your son, help us now!

The walls rumbled, rocks tumbling down the steep slope. The drop was so long that I didn't even hear the splash below.

"Everybody get down," Rana shouted, ushering everybody — including the kirin — into the centre of the platform. "Stay together!"

The next second her waving hands disappeared and two wings snapped out in their place, shielding everyone from the debris. I copied her behaviour and took whatever damage her wingspan couldn't cover, sparing friend and foe alike from the rocky avalanche that followed. Gretchen tumbled to her knees and the leather journal went flying, falling open on its most recent page. My eyes widened at the neat cursive, answered by a blocky, pragmatic scrawl.

I have the one you seek. Send your Nightfall Legion to the tallest knuckle.

On our way, Gordon had replied.

She'd given away our position. Gretchen had thrown us to the wolves, and I couldn't help but appreciate the timing as cracks threaded their way through the walls, silver light spilling through and lighting up the waterfall. In the space of a moment the top of the hollow mountain was splitting and shifting with an ancient scream, the middle finger of the Grey Fist chopped clean at the knuckle. A low, threatening rumble spilled through my jaws — perhaps a wyvern's approximation of a gasp — as the top of the chamber lifted clean away, cracked and scooped up by a silver spoon of power. I felt a flicker of hope as the light waxed blindingly bright, and I had to blink my inner eyelids to help my vision adjust, waiting to recharge in the power of the sun.

To my dismay, it was thickest night outside; that, or the Kirin had amassed such clouds that the premise of day was a deluded dream. What shone in the sun's stead was a man suspended in the air, with long, flowing hair that whipped behind him like a banner, gleaming like a freshly minted coin. His skin glowed fiercely with Nya's Grace, and I was mesmerised by the path of his hands as he mimed lifting the rock, face scrunching up as if he felt the weight in his soul.

Green light flared beneath my wings as Gretchen reached out into the web of life. The top of the mountain was set aside with a heavy boom that must have ended thousands of lives, and I had no doubt that she fed on their strength so as not to waste it.

Something beneath the glowing man moved; two mighty wings of deepest navy, so perfectly camouflaged against the dark I hadn't noticed he was actually riding something. The wyvern was enormous, easily twice my size, his wing beats sending up clouds of dust that temporarily obscured the sky. Rana let out a sound that was somewhere between hope and grief, and my eyes darted between the two magnificent creatures, wondering if there was more to their similarities than I thought.

"Sebastian Starfall," called the unearthly rider. His voice was amplified by Nya's Grace along with all of his senses. "You took something from me, and I'm here to take it back!"

Oh shit, I thought, meeting the Wraith's ruby eyes. That's Hunter.

Even more disconcerting was that they were brothers, and I'd somehow been caught in the middle. Did Hunter truly think he could still stake a claim to my hand in marriage?

Hunter raised a glowing arm, heralding a storm of pale, veiny bats, blocking out the sky in droves. Rana keened as they descended, realising before I did that they were all stunted wyverns with milky eyes and twisted limbs. The hatchlings, I realised, stomach twisting in a knot. That's what they did with all the stolen hatchlings —

Hunter's mighty steed swooped, cutting through the heart of them all. I could only watch in mute horror as he took on the likeness of a falling star, aiming straight for me.