The messenger's skin blackened and rapidly turned to ash.

"Holy gods," Matias cursed from beside her.

Cal slowly turned to look behind her. Lance was as pale as the clouds above them, his eyes wide in horror and despair. Luna held out a hand to where the messenger once stood. Violet and black flames-shadowfire-flickered on her hand, her expression cold and distant.

Screams and musket fire from the south end of Soturi arose and rapidly approached.

Luna's face contorted into a snarl, the shadowfire consuming her hands. Cal shoved Matias away from her and met Luna's corrupted magic with her fire. A thunderclap split the air and Cal slid back a few feet.

Dark figures ran up the street, muskets and swords in hand.

Luna pulled the shadowfire back and blew out the cobblestones under Cal's feet. Cal flew through the air and landed on the cobblestones. She got to her feet and raised her hand to the sky. She reached out to the sunlight and brought it down towards Luna. Luna dove out of the way and charged at Cal. Luna raised her fist. Cal caught her wrist, stepped aside, and kneed Luna in the stomach. Luna kicked Cal's legs out from under her, sending them to the ground. Luna got on top of her and raised her fist. Then the blows rained down. One, two, five, seven-until she lost count.

"Why. Are. You. Doing. This," Cal got out between blows. She hated how small and weak she sounded.

Luna's eyes were full of hatred as she snarled, "Because I hate you." She leaned in close to Cal. "And do you want to know something, Light-Bringer? I poisoned Matias, and I cured him."

Rage filled Cal and burned hotter than the sun.

Kill her.

Shadows grew deeper and Luna shielded her eyes as she looked to her right. She scrambled off of and rolled away from Cal as the beam of sunlight came crashing down and narrowly missed Luna.

They got to their feet again, their flames dancing in their hands.

"One more thing, Light-Bringer," said Luna. "I wasn't sent just to find you. I was sent to break and retrieve you."

-

Matias stole the sword off of a fallen Tenebrarum soldier. Musket fire and the now explosions of canons filled the air. Soldiers ran past him, Akaljot, Lucas, and Lance. Akaljot and Lucas fought to hold back the onslaught of Tenebrarum soldiers. He and Lance were fighting to get to the women they loved.

Matias raised his stolen sword and impaled a soldier approaching him. He swung and severed another's spine.

Get to Cal, get to Cal, he repeated in his mind. Over, and over, and over.

His vision began to darken at the edges, and his fingers and toes grew numb.

No, no!

Pain lanced through his skull and he fought to keep it together. The sword slipped from his grasp and he fell to his knees. Matias crawled and pulled himself forward inch by agonizing inch to his wife. His mind fogged over and he couldn't remember his name. He reached his hand out towards Cal, her name on his lips, as darkness swiftly and savagely came down on him.

-

I was sent to break and retrieve you.

Cal sent a barrage of magical attacks at Luna.

"I will kill you for this!" Cal shrieked. "I will kill you for poisoning my husband! I will kill you, and then I will kill the bitch that sent you."

Sol's fire met shadowfire and resulted in another thunderclap. Cal slid back. She gritted her teeth and pushed her fire out towards Luna.

Must keep going, she thought, sweat beading on her brow.

Cal's fire guttered and Luna's corrupted magic pushed harder. Blood dripped down her nose and her head began to pound. Cal raised a shaky hand to the sun, grasping at the rays of light.

I need a blade, she thought. I need a blade to give me and edge in this fight.

She brought the light down onto the shadowfire. Cal was thrown back, a loud crack sounding as the light speared the flames. She reached out with her hands to brace the impact. Her hands hit the cobblestones and pain shot up her arms. She felt her ribs crack as her body hit the ground. Her head smacked into the ground, her temple beginning to bleed. She rolled to a stop, face down.

Cal coughed once, twice-pain speared her ribs. She groaned in agony. Over the clamour of battle, she could hear footsteps approaching. She turned her head and saw Luna approach. Cal tried to summon every ounce of fire that she could but failed.

Luna crouched down in front of Cal and gripped Cal's jaw painfully. "So you really think that you can defeat my mother?" she asked, her voice cold and Tenebrarum accent thick.

Tears welled in her eyes. "It can't be," she breathed. "House Andhera has no heirs."

A cold grin split her face. "House Andhera has no male heirs."

"No. No."

Luna barked a heartless laugh. "That's right, Light-Bringer. I am Melania's daughter."

Cal felt like her whole world was crashing down. She had befriended her worst enemy's daughter. She searched Luna's eyes for any sign of humanity, but she found nothing.

"Stay down, Calista. I won't say it again." Luna let go and stood up. "Grab the prince," she shouted to no one in particular.

The prince. Matias. No.

"No," she got out, her voice sounding childish and broken. "No. You don't touch him!" Her last sentence was savage.

Luna had turned and started walking away. It could have been a trick of the light, but Cal saw thin string-like shadows attached to Luna like marionette strings. She closed her hand around Luna's ankle. Luna yanked her foot out of Cal's grasp and scowled down at her.

There was no emotion in Luna's voice when she said, "I warned you."

Cal's eyes widened as she saw Luna bring her foot back. Her vision went white as Luna's boot connected to her face and everything went dark.

-

He crept up behind the scout. The boy he had stabbed the previous night was none the wiser of who was behind him.

He would murder Lucas this time. He raised the sword in his hands, ready to cut off Lucas's head.

"Lucas, look out!" Akaljot shouted.

Lucas looked behind him and his eyes widened.

Arms wrapped around him, pinning his arms to his sides. Lucas wrenched the sword from his grasp.

"Pray to your puny gods," he shouted, throwing all of his weight into knocking the Everlight off balance. "They won't be able to save you!"

"Lucas, grab some chloroform from the apothecary and give it to me!" Akaljot barked.

He brought his heel down on the arch of Akaljot's foot and bashed the back of his head into the Everlight's face. Akaljot grunted but didn't let go.

"Put it over his mouth and nose," Akaljot barked. "Quickly. I can't hold him much longer."

Lucas pressed the cloth to his mouth and nose.

"No. You don't touch him!" a girl shrieked.

Out of the corner of his eye, he watched the ghost of a girl-Andhera-kick the fallen Light-Bringer in the face.

His vision began to fade in and out as he inhaled the chloroform. He would make her husband, the prince, remember this fight. And he would revel in the prince's suffering. He didn't fight it when the chloroform swept him into darkness.