More vines rise from the earth, and I duck behind one of the buildings to get out of the way, narrowly missing the snap of its long tail. My heart pings as I realize Gil isn’t alone. Someone is fighting behind a veil—someone familiar with a battlefield.

Annika is here.

I move to the edge of the wall, looking around the corner to watch Theo tear himself from Gil’s grip, just as a new wave of guards plant themselves in a circle around them.

Gil yanks a dagger from his belt and sends it flying toward one of the guards, who bats it away with a hand like it’s nothing more than an annoyance. The circle closes in, and blue flames erupt from Gil’s fists, ready for a fight.

I don’t know how his eyes find mine in so much chaos, but they do, and for a moment I’m terrified I’ve distracted him.

Legion Guards point their swords at my friends, and even when Theo sends a shock wave toward them, they hardly move. Gil calls down more hellfire from the sky, but guards teleport all around the battlefield and avoid a single blow.

One of the guards lands with a thud behind Gil, sword raised for a final blow. I don’t think—I run.

Gil’s eyes snap toward mine, horrified. He raises his hand like he’s trying to stop me, but I don’t stop. I can’t.

I won’t let him get hurt.

The earth shakes, and more vines emerge, tossing guards left and right, clearing the path once more for the others to retreat. But Theo is still fighting to get to his brother, who is now somewhere far beyond his reach—he just hasn’t accepted it yet.

And then a branch erupts from the ground, splitting the soil in two. It crashes against me and it feels like running face-first into a concrete wall. My body recoils through the air, and my spine shatters against a building. My bones become lava, and it feels like I’m breaking apart from the inside. Pain fills my veins like lead, forcing itself through me. My body crumples helplessly to the floor.

I try to scream out, but all the air has left me. I see flashes of white, and nothing else. All around me the world sounds like it’s falling to pieces.

And then a roar, like a beast appearing on the horizon, and the whistle of wind, crackling like thunder.

It’s impossible to forget the sound of a Nightling. When I hear it again, here in Victory, whatever is left of me shudders.

Screams erupt from the diminished crowd, humans and Residents alike. I manage to turn my head slightly, watching the black cloud of static leaping over anything and everything, searching for fear. It snarls, flicks its tail, and thrashes its claws at the approaching guards.