As I climbed to my feet, a ball of magic hit Nulan squarely in the chest. She grunted once before she fell to her knees. I looked back in time to see Frankie climbing down from a tree. Then Zeran’s animation roared as it pounded through the crowd.

The Lord of Shadows was at the center of the stage now, and his generals had moved around the edges to protect him. In the gaps between them, I saw Oya, Orunmila, Miss Lucille, and Miss Ida leading another group of magical creatures, facing off against the Lord of Shadows’ army. The Bigfoot clan, standing tall with their axes. The aziza—Eleni’s people—with their shimmering skin and luminescent wings. Eli’s ghosts. Unicorns, phoenixes. Elokos—possibly the vegetarian ones from Azur—riding on the backs of dragons. And Zeran’s dad—Commander Rovey—with a group of darkbringer Resistance fighters. They had finally broken through the Lord of Shadows’ forces.

Eleni pulled the collar from around her neck. I had unlocked it before Eli slammed into me and ruined my plan. “Thanks, Sis!”

“Kill them all!” the Lord of Shadows roared. “Leave no one alive or answer to me.”

With his attention on Oya, Miss Lucille, Miss Ida, and the others, I poured my magic into the prod and transformed it into a sword, then I bent space. I knew it was risky to try again, but I needed to move faster than the Lord of Shadows. A split second later, I was hurtling through the air, swinging the sword. But before I could do any damage, one of the Lord of Shadows’ ribbons grabbed me from behind.

“Did you really think that you, a mere child, could stand in my way?” the Lord of Shadows bellowed. “You’ll die with the rest of your family.”

A sharp pain shot through my ribs as his ribbons squeezed the air out of my lungs. I heard Eleni screaming my name and felt a brush of her fairy magic. It was just enough to distract the Lord of Shadows. I swung the sword. It soared through the air and cut several of his ribbons.

The Lord of Shadows cried out as light spread across his shadows. He lost his grasp on the celestials, and their limp, almost lifeless bodies fell to the ground. I was already bending space again. This time I landed in front of the Lord of Shadows while Eleni was still behind him.

“You’re going to regret that, guardian,” he growled.

“I don’t think so,” I said as a gateway formed between us. “Now, Eleni!”