Alura assessed the situation in a split second, and then to everyone’s shock, she took a step backward, angling for Fordham to take lead. Alura was the best of them. She was their commander. She’d trained them for the last year, but she’d deferred to Fordham.

Fordham moved into position, as if the change in rank had no effect on him. He was the crowned prince. This was his battle, his sister, his people.

“It doesn’t have to be this way,” Fordham said in answer to his sister.

“Oh, I think it does. I felt your magic on the battlefield. I could feel your whore beside you. The wall is down, and you still want to imprison us,” Wynter said. “We’re not too happy about that.”

“I want freedom for my people, not war and bloodshed.”

“Then, you are not truly one of us any longer.”

Wynter smiled dangerously and then raised her hands, pulling the shadows toward her. Fordham snarled and launched himself at her. The acolytes bellowed, and Kerrigan couldn’t keep her focus on Fordham any longer. She raised her sword, letting the magic pull in close around her as she fought the first of Wynter’s fanatics as Aisling went for Alura.

Kerrigan met sword to sword with the smallest female. Her eyes were rabid and hungry. Kerrigan couldn’t believe her strength as she buffeted Kerrigan back.

“You are not worthy,” she gritted out.

Kerrigan ignored her, pushing her back and then swinging the blade wide as flames raced up the length of it. She shot them toward the girl, who ducked and rolled out of the way. Water crashed into Kerrigan’s side, and she tumbled sideways. Her sword went wide, falling into the river.

Kerrigan caught the edge of the dock before she could go into the racing water with it. Then, Roake was there, pulling rocks from the ground and hurling them at the acolytes, as if he were playing Dragon Eggs. They collided heavily with a pair of acolytes, bowling them over and crashing them into the wall. Kerrigan hoisted herself up and did a somersault to gain more traction as she threw a blast of air. One acolyte got caught in her storm and was whipped around in a cyclone before crashing into the water.

Audria had taken out a handful of their own while Alura clashed with Aisling. Wynter and Fordham kept appearing and disappearing with their dark shadow magic. Kerrigan hoped he had enough energy for that. He’d already pushed it further than he should. Wynter was probably well rested, waiting for this very moment.

Alura called out a command, and then they all engaged as they had been practicing for the last year. Together, they weren’t the might of ten thousand soldiers, but it was the force they had to get through to be able to retreat to the safety of their dragons and get back into the fight.