Fortunately, this wasn’t a real earthquake. The tremors we felt had to be caused by the bunker collapsing below the earth. Still, the sound of trees groaning as their roots were unceremoniously pushed from the ground wasn’t reassuring, and I doubted the wildlife appreciated the distinction between a real earthquake and a magically induced one.

I continued to peer through the blades of grass at the compound, anxiously waiting for the spell to cease. There was nothing to see except the golden blaze and the mages standing outside of it—the wall of magic was glowing so brightly it was impossible to see what was happening within. My ears picked up groans and rumbles from beneath the ground, and muffled explosions from beyond the glowing wall. Judging by the noise, the destruction above and belowground had to be cataclysmic.

Finally, the golden glow began to fade, gradually melting back down into the ground. I waited to see if there were any residual tremors, then slowly got back to my feet, helping Annia up as I went. What would we see, now that the spell was done? Would anything remain?

Noria let out a horrified gasp as the last of the glow disappeared. Not a single building was left standing—the ground below where they once stood had sunk into a deep crater, swallowing whatever remained of the facilities. Or so I assumed. From our vantage point, all we could see was the blackened ground and the edges of the hole. Every tree and blade of grass was completely burned away. The stench of burnt carbon wafted toward me, thick and pungent in the air.

“My goodness,” one of the human drivers said, his voice hushed. “That was quite a spectacle.”

“A horrifying one, but yes, I agree,” Rylan said, sounding shell-shocked. His tanned skin had gone pale, and I could smell the fear rolling off him. I couldn’t exactly blame him, as my knees were a feeling a little on the wobbly side. But I stood up straighter and firmed my shoulders.

“It was necessary.” I stared at the devastation as I struggled to overcome my own shock. “Necessary not just because of what went on inside the compound, but to demonstrate exactly what you’re up against when it comes to the mages. Guns and numbers aren’t enough against a race who can dish out destruction like that.”

“Yeah, I get it,” Noria said bitterly, her eyes brimming with unshed tears and anguish as she gazed toward Iannis. “The mages are too powerful for us to stand up against, and because they have all that power, they don’t have to listen to us.” She turned her bleak gaze toward me. “You win, Naya. You fucking win.”

But as she turned and stomped off toward the carriages, I sure didn’t feel like a winner.

21