I couldn’t make sense of it. Couldn’t think. The ground kept shaking. Sensing my distraction, the sister slashed her blade down in a mighty strike. Though I recoiled, though I lifted my own blade to parry, another knife whizzed past my face—close enough to feel its heat on my cheek—and lodged in the sister’s chest.

With a squeak of surprise, she sank to her knees, slipped sideways, and moved no more.

Behind us, Beau stood triumphant. Elinor stilled at his feet. “Did you see that?” Though he waved his Balisarda at the vengeful witch’s body, he glanced away quickly. He swallowed hard. “I saved your life.”

I blocked his view of their corpses. Knocked his shoulder with my own. Forced him to turn. “You also set me on fire.”

“Perhaps you could conjure some up for the rest of these—”

With another thunderous roar, Zenna swept into view. The sight of her wings against the sky, of her white-hot flame, stole the breath from my throat. And I remembered. A torch-lit stage. A starry cloak. And Zenna—Zenna weaving a heart-wrenching tale of dragon and maiden.

A magic chain, her kin doth wield to stay him on an even keel.

And when Tarasque did spiral down, her father felled him to the ground.

With Seraphine atop her back, Zenna dove low—too low—scouring the streets for persons unknown. When she saw us, she swooped even lower. She didn’t see the chain until it was too late.

“Wait! No, STOP!”

At the desperate wave of my arms, she banked, but her foot still caught the links. The chain moved of its own volition, slinging rapidly around her leg, up her haunch. With a bellow of rage, she began to fall, and as she did, her leg—it transformed into that of a human. Gruesomely. The witches descended like ants when she crashed to the ground. The impact threw Seraphine through the air with frightening speed. She collided with the trash cans nearest us.

“Oh my god,” Beau said. “Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god.”

Zenna’s roars transitioned to screams as Seraphine struggled to move. I bolted toward her, kicking the trash cans aside. “Seraphine—”

She pushed my hands away with surprising strength. “Go.” Though Beau attempted to drag her upright, she shook him off too, unsheathing another sword from down her back. She swung both equally with surprising dexterity. “Find Claud and the others. Find Lou. He intervened.”

“What?” Beau asked, perplexed.

My gaze darted toward Zenna, who the witches had lashed and beaten with the chain. She’d fully transformed now. Human once more. Vulnerable. “Let us help—”

“I am no damsel.” Springing to her feet, she knocked us aside and streaked toward her mate. “Find Claud. Leave Zenna to me.”

The ground gave a mighty lurch in response, and we had no choice.

We sprinted up the street.