Page 49 of Kingdom of Spirits

Oh, how Tahlia wanted to hear Fara say something dark and worrisome. She looked awful, slumped inside the cage of flames.

“Maybe we should fight fire with fire?” Tahlia ran from the chamber, heading for the dragons.

Vodolija?Tahlia tried to speak to the Seabreak inside her head again.Lija?No answer. Perhaps Tahlia needed more practice.

“Vodolija?” she called out as soon as she was back in the remains of the great hall.

The dragon flew over the half-collapsed roof, then dove into the great hall, her wings barely able to work in the broken space.

Marius and Trevain ran up behind Tahlia.

She climbed onto Lija, scrambling to the saddle. “We need to get the chamber uncovered so they can try their fire on the cage.”

“Worth a try,” Marius said quickly.

Howling erupted outside the walls. Goosebumps ran the length of Tahlia’s body.

Trevain grew even more transparent. “They’re here. The varjuline. I don’t know if they can hurt your dragons, but you, you must flee!”

Staring the ghost down, Tahlia shook her head. “I’m not leaving Fara.”

“We don’t abandon our own,” Marius said.

Ragewing hovered above the ruins, wings blowing the spindly branches of a tree growing out of the wall.

“Which is why I haven’t left you yet, High Captain,” Tahlia said, climbing onto Lija’s back.

Marius growled and showed his fangs to Tahlia, then he leapt onto Ragewing.

Black shadows coursed into the old keep, their movements like oil seeping into the empty spaces in the walls and spreading over the floor, only to crest like waves. When they peaked, their Fae-like silhouettes had heads, flowing hair in varying lengths, arms, and torsos.

“Gods, they are creepy. Lija, try frying them.”

I like that plan.

The Seabreak’s four wings fluttered as she flew out of the ruins and hovered beside Ragewing. Both dragons blew fire into the oily shadows, but the dark shapes fled before the fire could hit them.

“They are running from the flames, so it must hurt them,” Tahlia called out to Marius. “Can you not use that power you wielded last time?”

“I will attempt it.” He lifted his hands, but no sparkling magic flashed.

Damn.She guessed he couldn’t control whatever that power was.

Shaking his head, he pulled his whip from his shoulder and let it whirl and crack over the area where the varjuline had gathered. They didn’t dart away from the whip’s end like they had from the fire, but their heads had turned.

Marius locked his gaze on Tahlia. “At the same time.”

She knew what he meant. He’d crack the whip and distract them while the dragons breathed fire again.

Marius raised his arm, but a shadow shot from the group and curled around his hand. He shouted, obviously in pain.

Had the shadows learned from the first battle? Did they know that Marius, possibly because of his curse, could wield magic? Were they taking action against that power somehow?

He shook his hand, but the shadow clung tightly. His grimace told her that the shadow’s touch poured agony into him. Ragewing flew higher, and finally, the varjuline dropped away from Marius. His whip hand looked paler. He put his whip in his other hand, then unleashed it with a crack.

The varjuline eyed the whip, their motions almost in sync.

“Now,” Tahlia said to Lija.