Would she ever have that chance? As she stood on the battlefield, a rifle at her shoulder, she took aim and fired, again and again, unsure of which bullets might have found purchase, terrified by the rush of blood in her ears, the jackrabbit thump of her heart. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Scarab moving like a whirlwind through the ranks of Fjerdan troops, as Nightmoth, Harbinger, and Locust—Reyem—attacked from the air, plucking soldiers off their feet and snapping their necks with smooth efficiency.

“I’m glad they’re on our side,” said Tolya, wiping the sweat from his brow.

“Let’s hope it stays that way,” said Tamar.

Mayu heard a series of rapid explosions, and suddenly she was looking at a wall of fire crawling toward them across the Fjerdan lines. She looked up—Fjerdan flyers, dropping bomb after bomb.

She couldn’t believe what she was seeing. “They’re killing their own soldiers along with the Ravkans!”

“They don’t care,” said Tamar. “They intend to win at any cost.”

Two Ravkan flyers intercepted the Fjerdans, breaking their formation, but the enemy reassembled, taking the onslaught of the Ravkan guns head-on. A Fjerdan wing caught fire, and the flyer plummeted in a spiral of flame and smoke. It crashed onto the battlefield, plowed through soldiers, struck a tank, and exploded in a yellow ball of fire. Another flyer took its place in formation. Any sacrifice for victory.

“Call for retreat!” King Nikolai shouted. “Have the Squallers and Tidemakers create some kind of cover. We need to get our people out of here.”

“This is our last chance—” said Tolya.

“If they’re willing to bomb their own troops, we’re out of chances. They have too much firepower, and Brum doesn’t care what kind of casualties he racks up as long as Fjerda wins the day. I won’t line my people up for the slaughter. Retreat!”

The call went down the line as mist began to shroud the battlefield. But Mayu could see it wasn’t going to matter. The Fjerdans had been given their orders, and it made no difference if they couldn’t spot targets when they didn’t care about taking aim. They would bomb this battlefield into oblivion.

Mayu saw Reyem speeding toward the ranks of flyers, his wings beating the air. A creature flew beside him—that shadow she’d glimpsed before, but now she saw it had the shape of a beast. They seized one of the Fjerdan flyers and yanked its wings free. Ravkan Squallers hurled the debris away from the battlefield, trying to protect the troops below.

“Come on,” Reyem said as he set down beside her. He grabbed her around the waist. “I need to get you out of here.”

“Go,” said Tamar.

“Bergin—” Reyem attempted, but Bergin shook his head. He would not abandon this fight.

Reyem was already lifting Mayu off her feet.