The portal dumped Makaela and the others in the center of an open pavilion in the center of the city. A stone ring that held the magical rift in time and space laid behind them. Cluttered buildings surrounded them, most of them illuminated by the street lamps and torches in metal fixtures.

Had she not been about to die, it would've been a nice sight.

Immediately after stepping out the portal, she was met with a flurry of blinding lights and intense shouts. Everyone was fending off attacks from the Aegeon soldiers with their shield charms. They had been forced into a tight circle formation.

They were outnumbered, but not by much. All they had to do was hold fast for a few minutes until Asahi and his dragons flew into the city. The prince of House Doragon had been flying from the portal spire and into Thania. If they could stay alive long enough for him to arrive, they would be fine.

They just needed to stay alive first.

Asahi and his crew were taking longer to arrive than she thought he would. Shades were beginning to drop around her and their defenses were waning.

"Where is he?" Makaela hissed. She raised her shield charm, blocking a stunning spell. She immediately retaliated with a blast of orange magic that sent three soldiers crashing to the ground.

"I don't know!" Amora yelled. A soldier had slipped through their ranks and was charging at the girl with a pointed spear. She sidestepped, conjured her vayrir, and swiped the black dagger across their neck.

They fell to the cobblestone, a bleeding line trailing over their throat like a red river.

"We need to move!" Igor yelled over the sound of explosions and spell casting.

He was right, but there were low on options. House Aegeon's portal had dumped them in the center of a pavilion with little to no cover. There had been a few short walls and the stone fixture for the portal in their vicinity, but it wasn't enough to protect all the Shades.

She was currently ducking behind a broken sandstone pillar. Dust and plaster settled on her braided hair, making it look like she had a horrible case of dandruff. In front of her, a few soldiers were closing in. They never got to her, as Emile had dispatched them both with shards of black energy.

They all dropped to the ground. The sound of them gargling on their own blood filled her ears. She inhaled the metallic scent of their blood and almost purred. It took everything within her to stay hiding and not to feast on their bodies.

Not now. Not now.

She managed to maintain control for the time being. More explosions and yelling sounded around her, rattling her eardrums and stinging her skin. Energy charged the atmosphere like electricity hiding in thunderclouds. Bodies were flying, shield charms were raised, and magic hurtled through the night air.

More bolts of light struck the pillar she crouched behind. Pieces of the stone were falling off. Small cracks ran up along the edges. It was going to fall any second.

I need to move.

With her heart thumping, Makaela whipped her head around in search of a place to hide. Her body perked when she spotted a narrow alleyway off to the side. "Over there!" She pointed at the opening and booked it.

Out the corner of her eye, she spotted Amora and Emile following behind her. Powerful streams of water from basins laid around the ground and bolts of magic raced towards them. They ducked and covered their heads until the made it into the alley. Breathing as if she'd just ran a marathon, she pressed her back into the wall and tried to calm herself.

With her heightened hearing, she picked up on a few heavy footsteps approaching them.

"We can't stay here," she panted.

"Yeah, no kidding," Amora said. Makaela could see her eyes roll from beneath her viper mask. The Thauvin girl stepped into the bright opening and unleashed a barrage of shadow magic at the oncoming soldiers. They cried out and dispersed before the black light could hit them.

"What spell was that?"

"Don't worry about it."

Before she could question the girl again, a series of faint screeches tore through the dark sky. Everyone on the battlefield stopped fighting each other and brought their gazes to the black expanse littered with twinkling stars. Everything fell silent for what seemed like an eternity.

Another screech—louder this time—caterwauled throughout the island city. One of the Aegeon soldiers pointed at something in the distance and yelled, "Dragons!"

Makaela couldn't help but grin. A sigh of relief left her chest.

Moments later, multiple streams of blazing fire poured from the sky and onto the soldiers below. Shades shadow-jumped to safety while the Aegeon magicians scrambled for cover. Flames danced along the stone floor and climbed up the walls of nearby buildings. Soon, the entire area was alight like a massive candle.

"Let's move," Emile ordered.

Makaela and Amora nodded and followed behind the man.

As they ran, a few magicians with blackened armor plates and soot-covered faces chased after them. Blue and white streaks of magic crashed into the walls next to them. One managed to hit Makaela's elbow. She cried out but ignored the pain and continued forward.

The three Shades sprinted down dark corridors and alleyways, desperately trying to shake the soldiers on their tail. Makaela began to slow down. Despite her best efforts, the pain from whatever spell hit her arm was beginning to take over.

"Keep up!" Emile barked.

Gritting her teeth, she tried to speed up.

Behind her, she heard someone shout, "Repellis!" The spell collided into her back and propelled her into the wall next to her. She bounced off the stone and hit the floor. Hard. Her head swam and sparks of pain shot up her aching spine. Groaning, she pushed herself up with her hands and stole a glance behind her.

The Aegeon soldiers stalked forward, their hands and weapons raised defensively. Ahead of her, Emile and Amora had yet to realize she wasn't behind them. They wouldn't figure it out for another few moments, and by the time they did, she might've already been dead.

She had to face these magicians on her own.

She struggled to her feet and sneered at the trio of magicians before her. The whispers in her head grew louder and she didn't even try to stop them. Memories of the day before at the spire flooded her mind. She craved that power. That strength. It was her drug and she couldn't get enough of it.

The shackles within her mind faded into obscurity as the demon inside was let free. The familiar feeling of dark energy rushing through her veins returned to her and she grinned, flashing her fangs.

She could see the fear radiating off the soldiers' pathetic bodies as they inched away from her.

She felt her claws growing and her muscles tightening. Once her transformation was complete, she pounced.

The three magicians had been dispatched with the drop of a hat. They all writhed on the ground, clutching at the bleeding wounds she had given them. She hissed at them like an angry cat before running after Amora and Emile.

Makaela and her two companions eventually found themselves hiding in the shadows of a bridge stretching over a river. Soldiers were still running around, barking orders at each other and trying to find the Shades who had dispersed throughout the city.

She peaked above her. Sucking in a breath, she retracted her head and tried her hardest blend in with the darkness around her. A crew of magicians marched above her. Though, they didn't seem privy to the existence of the three dark magicians beneath them.

"What now?" She turned to Emile.

The man had removed his ram mask. His dark face was slick with sweat. He rubbed his chin, his brow knitted together.

"We need to get back out there and fight," Amora urged.

Emile shook his head. "No. The others will handle it."

Makaela frowned. "What are we doing then?"

"We need to head to Sirus' palace," Emile told them. "That is where Thorian will be headed once he arrives. He'll need our help to take care of Sirus and their allies."

She nodded. "Where's the palace?"

''Baldy here should know," Amora mumbled.

The man rolled his eyes before sighing. "I actually don't." He cupped his hand over his brow and squinted. Makaela followed his line of vision and spotted a few domed roofs stretching over green hills in the distance.

"I think we found it," she said. She stared at the castle in the distance, her eyes narrowed.

That was where Sebastian was. That was where they all were. They had to be. There was no way they'd be out in the city at this time, especially if they were anticipating an attack. If they were smart, they would be keeping as close to Sirus as possible. And Sebastian was smart.

Sebastian...

Her nails, which were no longer sharpened, dug into her palms. She bit her lip at the thought of the boy. The last time she had seen him was when she had been sent in to kill him. She had failed. Or maybe she didn't.

But he wouldn't get away this time. The sympathy she had for him—for all of them—had waned over the past few days. They had chosen their side, and they chose wrong. After the night was over, they would see defeat. They would know what it was like to fight a losing battle. Thorian's plan for them all was a good one. All he wanted was for magicians to return to where they belonged. The Ordinaires had their time.

Now it was there's. Anyone who stood in their way would be dealt with accordingly no matter who they were.

"Let's get a move on," Emile said, his words pulling her out her thoughts.

Nodding, she moved out from under the bridge and back onto the stone walkway snaking through the city. As the three of them headed towards the palace, she heard something rustling above her. She stopped and glared at the window of a building in front of her.

"What is it?" Emile asked.

"Someone's watching us."

The blue curtains covering the window swayed ever so slightly. Had her senses not been dialed up to ten, courtesy of her Nightling enhancements, she wouldn't have seen it. But she did. She also spotted the pair of blue eyes staring back at her from beyond the curtains.

She instinctively raised her palm and prepared to shoot off a blasting spell before realizing the eyes belonged to a child. A scared child at that. They stood beyond the drapes, trembling and doe-eyed.

She lowered her hand.

"It's just a kid—"

She was interrupted by the room caving in on itself. Sandstone and pieces of smoking wood rained down from the gaping hole. Her eyes widened when she saw the top of the child's head peeking out from the rubble.

Oh no...

Seething, she faced Amora. "What did you do?"

"We were being watched," the girl replied nonchalantly. "The child could've given away our position."

"It was a child, Amora."

"War doesn't choose its victims."

She snarled at her. The demon inside her threatened to reveal itself. However, Emile must've recognized this, because he steered her away from the other girl by her shoulder.

"We don't have time for this," he hissed, his face twisted in annoyance. She seldom saw him express any emotion close to anger. But the look in his dark eyes struck fear in her heart. She nodded quickly at him.

She still wasn't happy with what Amora did. Emile was right, though. They didn't have time to argue over ethics. They were at war.

In a nearby alley, she heard clunky footsteps approaching. She stiffened. More soldiers.

"Let's go," Emile whispered.

Makaela and Amora nodded at him before they all took off for House Aegeon's palace.