As if collectively deciding to not make matters worse than they already are, everyone stops moving. No one breaths too deeply, and no one dares lift a finger higher than to tighten it around the grip on their sword.

Two armies standing opposite each other, one led by three kings, the other led by a single witch preparing himself to make the ultimate sacrifice. Or to avoid it. A dry wind rushes through the courtyard, stirring up dead leaves and the crumpled petals of flowers already forgotten. The gardens haven't seen attention in weeks. Each flower is wilted, the bushes dying, yet growing wider every day without proper care.

This is the worst possible place to have a battle, but we're already here. If I've seen this courtyard crumbled once already, there's no fault in having that type of destruction occur twice.

I shift my stare to the front line of our army, coming across too many familiar faces for it to be a coincidence. This is where the long road ends.

Through the silent order given through shared blood, the king's men position themselves at his side in front of the castle. They block the entrances and exits, climbing up the walls to station themselves at a higher vantage. Unknown to them, it's easier to take them out at once. If Avalie's life wasn't on the line, Citlali and I could direct our powers at both sides and wipe them off the field. And the king would stand alone.

Down the line, she clenches her hands into fists and stares down her sharp nose at the king. His hand wraps firmly around Avalie's throat, the other holding her there with the blade of a dagger pressing so high into her jaw that I wonder how it hasn't broken through skin yet. Tears cut a clean path through her soot-stained cheeks, and the titanium band on her wrist is covered in enough grime to indicate she hasn't seen the light of day in weeks.

She can't use that volatile power that would end the king's life in one swift beat. How simple that would be if such a thing didn't exist. But standing at his side, unharmed and utterly clean—Hallie won't look at us. She has yet to realize her father stands towards the front of our army, but how would she? The shame overcoming her body is too much to bear. Staring at the army at her side instead of facing the demons gifted to her upon birth is much easier.

I watch the rage curdle in Silas's eyes. A new flame comes to life underneath his skin and it rages brighter than any star or blazing inferno. I can't imagine being on the other side of that stare and expect anything other than a brutal death to come from it.

"How nice. Both of my sons back together," the king purrs. He pushes his way to the front of his army, therein by pushing Avalie along with him. She whimpers. Silas growls under his breath but he doesn't dare move. "I didn't think you'd make it this far but I suppose I trained you to be the monsters you are today. Ruthless and cunning, you are." He won't buy his way out of this with meaningless compliments.

Silas's arm shakes when he raises it towards his father. "Either you let her go, or I rip every tooth out of your head and shove them into every crevice your body will allow. Even the ones I create. She belongs to no one; especially not you," he seethes.

"I find it interesting that you left without her, Silas." The king tightens his grip on Avalie's throat and she winces. "I figured you would do anything to ensure she's still alive. Hallie pointed her out for me. A chip on the playing field."

Silas shakes his head. "That's not what she is."

Something flickers out of the corner of my eye and I look towards the large castle looming in front of us, standing tall behind the king's frame and his army. His soldiers are stationed on the lower levels, but not higher. I catch the flicker again, a flash of recognition, and my blood runs cold. Looking down the line casually...he's not here. I can't find his face anywhere. Not in the front lines where he was mere minutes ago and definitely not towards the back, where he believes he should remain.

I clench Renit's hand tight in my own to tell him. Our powers whisper the truth to each other and the banished prince looks up to that familiar flash of light. No more interesting than the sun reflecting off the windows. It seems we're the only two that notice the oddity. That small pinch of recognition disappears and when I look down the line again, Citlali is already staring at me. I know what this means, I know what is about to happen.

The two sides of the army separated by the king are easy targets now that Avalie is confirmed to be out of the castle. Though Silas rages at the sight of her, she's alive and mostly unharmed. I can't imagine the emotional toll that she'll face whether this ends with decently or one of a new hell, but the end of the world is close and I can see it in her wide, frightened eyes.

"My alliance does not include this, Smoltz," the king recognizes, his voice low and blood-curdling.

At that, Hallie whirls and scans our faces without regard for Silas or anyone else. We're not who she's looking for. The sound of her father's name is accompanied by his face, and he steps forward to break from the fray. All the life drains from Hallie's eyes when she spots his sinister stare, one she hasn't known since she was a young witch. Too young to remember anything other than betrayal.

"I am doing what is best for the land and my people. Your future promises nothing but pain, and I cannot allow that to stretch beyond the walls of your kingdom," Smoltz retorts.

"Through that alliance, you are protected."

Smoltz closes his eyes and shakes his head in disagreement. "We all know of your plan. You want the world for yourself, and you'll stop at nothing to get it. Alliance or not. I wish for my land to stand, not fall against your petty desires."

A shuddered breath releases from Avalie's throat and the king grips her tighter as a warning to not make any sudden movements. The back of her head presses against the chest plate of his armor, her continual effort to push her neck away from the blade close to cutting through her flesh.

The king flashes his teeth. "You're a coward, then. No man in his right mind would dare break off such an alliance with a kingdom as strong as mine. I could've given your land everything—I can still put a crown on your daughter's head if that is what you desire."

I must be the only one seeing it. A shallow and muddled person standing on the castle embrasure, one of the lower points accessed through the stairways. Shrouded in vines and golden stone. No weapons in his hands, only a simple titanium band against his leather gloves. I take a deep breath and hardly jerk my chin in Citlali's direction, no more than a random twitch, and we step forward.

My fingers fall through Renit's and he lets me go without a second of protest. His warmth lingers like a promise. The king, one step ahead of us, is already wary. "Take another step, third hand, and I will spill her blood," he warns.

I hold up my hands. "We don't wish to hurt her. Or you. There's a way we can make a deal out of this."

The fire in Silas's eyes tells me to back down. I flash him a warning look that all hell is about to break loose. I know who stands behind the king and his army. He's waiting for my signal. In order for this to work...everything must tie together perfectly. Down to the last second of chance or Avalie's life is over before it started.

Him first.

"My daughter does not deserve a crown after what she has done," Smoltz justifies. Keep talking. "She is weak for betraying Silas and siding with you instead. This land, this world, will be better served without you in it."

Stalling. Smoltz is stalling.

But it doesn't last long enough. A witch of deflection from the king's side cries out, giving warning to the intruder on the castle, and the king whirls as Binx comes into view, leaping off the castle wall. Aiming directly for the leader of this land. I don't have the chance to see where Avalie is or what the king does with her as my focus goes to keeping the king's army from swarming around him.

A wall of ground taller than the castle itself rises on his right and a section of the ancient structure falters. His army slams into the wall, and at the same moment, Citlali crafts one of her own. They never receive the chance to go around. I use all of my strength, enough to form a splitting headache, and thrust my arms to the right.

The wall, so much stronger and taller than the attempts I used to make with Bren out on the cliffsides, swallows the right side of the king's army without a hitch. Renit stands at my back, protecting me in a second. Out of the corner of my eye, I can't find Silas. A scuffle, screaming and grunting, comes from where the king stands. I want to look, but...I can't.

Scraps of the king's men break through, their powers colliding devilishly with ours, but they're quickly brought to a halt by our force. Like picking weeds from the garden. They have nowhere to go; they aren't quick enough. My head throbs and my vision turns black as I push one hand out towards the courtyard walls and create a crack in the world. The ground rumbles and pops, splintering as part of the castle heaves into it. The king's men scream.

I use the rest of the available power at my fingertips to shove them in, piling their bodies on top of each other. The frantic attempt to climb the wall—others are too late to do anything other than grasp the realization that they are in their last moments. Our army picks off the stragglers one by one and they fall at the hands of our available strength. The mortal witches use their swords and arrows to their advantage, killing ruthlessly. The unlucky fall at the hands of our enemies. The king's men are fighters; they won't go down without one.

Some of the king's men attempt to crawl out of the hole in the world I've created, but with one last grip on power that I hopefully won't have to exert this much again, I slam it closed without a second thought. My power doesn't register the blocking of their bodies and they're squished within, trapped under the surface and killed instantly. The only mercy I can provide for the converted.

I whirl, finding those that I care about most, and stop in my tracks. Silas yanks Avalie away from his father, tossing her over his shoulder and running back towards our army. Renit stands before his father, a sword gripped tightly in his fists. Binx...he's on the ground. A sword trapped in his abdomen.