We had a good spot in the field, perched on the thick branches of a tree, on the edge of a small forest patch. I could see the Adlet flare burning bright above the mountain. Our allies were laying siege on the city. Azure Heights was being conquered, one level at a time.

Fires burned here and there, with columns of black smoke billowing and reaching for the sky. We could all hear the roars, the bangs, the spine-tingling screeches of swords clashing, even from afar.

But the worst was yet to come. The drums of war grew louder as the daemon army crossed the two-mile field and headed for the city. Our patch was at a reasonably safe distance from their path, but my nerves were still stretched to the point of snapping. We were on the edge and could not, under any circumstances, reveal our presence here.

Laughlan passed around his satchel of invisibility paste. “Take the equivalent of a fingertip,” he whispered. Rush and Amina were the first to ingest it. “We only need it while these mongrels pass us by.”

Rush then passed the satchel over. I scooped out a small amount, then gave it back to Laughlan, who tied it back around his belt. We all looked out at the daemon army—their boots stomping on the ground, their swords hitting their shields. They aimed to make as much noise as possible. Just like before, the daemons relied on being loud and intimidating, on top of their increased numbers. They were looking to inspire dread—and they were certainly succeeding.

“Oh, great, Death Claws, too,” I murmured, staring at the dark cloud flying over the army.

“There are hundreds of them,” Amina breathed, her eyes wide with horror.

Laughlan scoffed, scratching the back of his head. “They had better hurry up with Lumi,” he said. “If those daemons hit the city before the shield comes down, we are absolutely screwed.”

The army was now just two hundred feet away and moving at a rapid pace. They were going to pass by our patch within the next ten minutes, based on their speed. My blood boiled, thinking of all the innocents still stuck in Azure Heights. I worried about Harper and the others, as well. They had a lot on their plates, dealing with the likes of Shaytan and the Lords.

I’d seen the atrocities that those creatures were willing to commit, just so they could continue tormenting and draining the life out of us. They were vicious and always had dirty tricks up their sleeves.

“What if something went wrong?” I asked, suddenly animated by a sense of alarm. “What if they’re having trouble? Maybe I should go help…”

“Don’t even think about it!” Laughlan replied, his tone clipped. His reprimanding gaze kept me in place. I clutched my branch.

“I just hate sitting here. I’m useless,” I muttered.

“Nonsense!” Laughlan shot back, while Rush and Amina nodded in agreement. “You are essential to this part of the mission. What if GASP can’t steer their interplanetary spell and land right in the middle of that mayhem? I need you here more than they need you out there, Vesta,” he added. “Besides, I promised your parents I’d make sure you’re safe when all this is over. I don’t plan on breaking my word.”

“Well, they promised they’d stay alive, too, so… whatever.” I scoffed, crossing my arms.

He had a point, though. Once the shield came down, we had to keep an eye out for the big ball of light coming down from the sky. I’d learned to manipulate the winds quite well over the past couple of years. Water had always come naturally to me. According to Mom, that applied to my pre-amnesia years, too.

However, as soon as I’d figured out that I could manipulate the other elements as well, I’d started training. With all the moving around I did in my adoptive tribe, I knew I wouldn’t always have water around to help me. But there was always dirt or stone. There was always air. Sometimes, a fire could do the trick.

The war drums grew louder, making me cringe. They brought back flashbacks from Ragnar Peak, sending shivers down my back. Chills rushed through me at the sight of pit wolves running ahead of the daemon squadrons and slightly spreading out.

“Uh-oh,” I murmured. “I don’t like that.”

“They might catch our scent,” Rush added.

“No worries,” Laughlan replied, then put his palms together, closed his eyes, and muttered a spell. By the time he was done, a circle had formed in the grass around our tiny forest patch. It lit up red for a split second, then faded away in a puff of smoke.

By the time the pit wolves reached our area, the fumes had spread out.

“Everybody, stay calm and quiet,” Laughlan whispered.

I watched one of the beasts casually come closer. It was huge, its skin black, its eyes bright red, and its tongue hanging from the side of its ginormous mouth. It sniffed the air, then shook its head with what looked like disgust and rushed back to the pack. They thundered past our patch and rumbled toward the city. There was less than a mile left before they’d reach it. Maybe twenty minutes before the daemons would hit the first level.

“What did you do?” I asked Laughlan. He looked at me and put on a satisfied grin.

“A little trick I used to employ when my teacher’s crops on Persea were targeted by pests,” he replied. “The smell is nasty to pretty much any animal. Thankfully, it applies to pit wolves, too.”

“Your Druid teachers had crops?” Rush asked, slightly confused.

“Of course. Our herbs had to come from somewhere, right? So did our food. The Druid Temple was always self-sufficient. It was part of our apprenticeship to look after our fields. We’re naturally bound to the environment that we inhabit, after all,” he replied, then stilled as the daemons finally started coming through.

We all turned into living statues. I held my breath for a while, my muscles tight and burning with a mixture of fear and anger. I couldn’t wait to see them all go down for their crimes.

“Don’t move,” Laughlan mumbled. “Don’t make a sound.”

We didn’t.

Death Claws flew across the field in front of us, cawing and screeching. The flapping of their leathery wings sent currents of warm air outward, making the leaves in our forest patch rustle.

The daemons followed, grunting and smacking their swords against their meranium shields. The drums thundered on the edges of this first squadron. The others were farther away, as the army advanced in a horizontal line against the city. We were right on the edge, and, fortunately, only had to put up with the bloodcurdling ruckus for about three minutes before they were all gone.

They’d brought catapults and ballistae. I could hear their giant wooden and iron structures moaning and grumbling as they were pushed through the tall grass. Daemon Legions, the oversized generals I’d learned to steer clear of, whipped the weaker soldiers around, forcing them to stay in line as they advanced toward the city.

“Oh, man, they’re in a heap of trouble,” Laughlan murmured, watching them go.

He took a lens out from his pocket, along with two small vials of what looked like colored oil. He proceeded to spread both liquids over the lens, making it shimmer in a pale shade of blue.

“Worst part is that there are so many innocent Imen stuck up there,” I replied, finally able to breathe again, since the daemons were out of our range.

“The Exiled Maras are the worst,” Rush said, gritting his teeth. “Absolute cowards, hiding behind defenseless creatures like that.”

“It’s despicable,” Amina added. “You know, my mother was part of the council that banished them, along with House Dorchadas. I remember my father vehemently protesting the decision to exile them, instead of wiping them all out. Gah… If only they’d known.”

I exhaled sharply. “Unfortunately, we can’t go back and change history,” I muttered. “But we can sure as hell fix as much of the damage they’ve done here as possible.”

“Which is why it’s imperative that we intercept GASP when they come down,” Laughlan said. “They need to know who the innocents and the rebels are. I’m guessing they’ve brought more dragons with them. They can’t just let them loose on Azure Heights.”

I shook my head slowly. “We’ll make sure they don’t just blitz the place. Though I would love to see dragon fire swallow that entire mountain in one breath.”

“What are you doing?” Rush asked Laughlan, who kept looking through the blue lens, then added more colored oils to its surface.

“We don’t have a sentry’s vision, but I do remember some tricks to help us see better,” Laughlan replied, then put the lens against his lips and muttered a spell. “There… This should be good to go in a few minutes, once the oil dries.”

I looked up at the mountain, wondering where Harper and Lumi were in particular. My heart swelled with hope as I thought about a future where Neraka would be free, where the Imen, who had taken me in and loved me unconditionally, would get to rebuild their world and their cities. I longed to see this world ridded of the crippling fear of going out at night and getting your soul eaten, of leaving your house and having your blood drained by a hungry Mara.

Enough is enough.

Our fates were now in Lumi’s hands.

I closed my eyes, and, for the first time since I’d first heard the rumors about the Hermessi, the elemental spirits that fueled this world and the other, I prayed to them. I prayed to the wind, the seas, the deserts and the limestone, the lightning and the fire, the rivers and the mountain springs.

I prayed to every natural element that resonated with my fae nature that we’d get the much-needed break to tip the scales on Neraka. I prayed for peace.