“You too!” Felix waved as he and Momoko also drifted into their spots.

Momoko was at the back with Celestina, Julianne and—lucky her—Rupert filing in behind her.

Felix only had Gavino and Josh, but he’d be near the front of our forces—directly before Killian and me when we made the push.

Killian sauntered closer to me and took my hand in his. “Are you ready?”

“I feel like throwing up.”

He tugged on my hand so I leaned into him, thumping against his chest. “I’m sorry. I know this will be hard for you.”

I grabbed the lapels of his suitcoat to give myself an anchor to hold on to. “It’s tougher knowing I’m bringing my House into this. But this is for us, too. After all we’ve done, Queen Nyte won’t let us merrily skip off.”

Killian rested his free hand on my lower back. “We’ll win.”

I snorted. “After what we’ve done? Heck yeah we will!” I tried to swallow, but my metallic-tasting spit refused to go down. “We’re in this together.”

His loose hug tightened for a moment. “Yes.”

That simple reply put more steel in my spine than any pep talk could have.

Killian was with me. With the two of us teaming up, it would take a lot to defeat us.

We would win this fight, and we’d make sure Queen Nyte wouldn’t hurt a Drake vampire or a Medeis wizard ever again.

I took a deep breath and stepped back. “Let’s do this.”

Together—our hands still linked—we took our place behind the front row of wizards and vampires.

Great Aunt Marraine had reached the sidelines by now and was passing over the leather folder to Elite Bellus for inspection.

With the paperwork settled—I know, meta much?—we waited for the signal from the officials.

“Keep to the strategy.” Killian’s usually muted British accent was clear and crisp today. “We push hard and breach the Night Court’s forces all the way to Queen Nyte and Consort Ira. Then Hazel and I will handle it while you keep the fae off us.”

“Sir!” The vampires all saluted Killian in perfect unison, and I felt the weight of their red eyes when they looked expectantly at me, along with the wizards from my House—who were all white-faced with strain.

“Stay safe,” I shouted. “Work together and keep an eye out for one another. No one gets left behind.”

The Drake vampires saluted me, and my wizards let out a few smatterings of applause before their expressions turned grim.

We waited in silence until the Paragon and the Elite stood up together.

Elite Bellus tossed a fireball into the sky, signaling the start.

We moved as a group. The vampires kept to a slow jog as my wizards squared their shoulders and drew on the magic in the air, their black wizard marks surfacing on their jaws and cheeks.

Killian and I ran side by side as our forces arranged themselves around us in an oval shape, keeping us on reserve until we faced Queen Nyte and Consort Ira.

The fae shouted, roared, and yelled as they stormed toward us.

Our people were silent—every fiber of their being concentrated on the battle and their role in it.

I could see Queen Nyte and Consort Ira—not because they particularly stuck out since they were also dressed in silver armor, but because of the giant, dome-like shield that sprouted around them and flickered green like newly awakened grass.

I guess it’s a good thing Killian brought his mints!

“Brace yourself,” Killian shouted, shattering our silence moments before the two sides collided.

Iridescent blue shields sprouted in front of my wizards, stretching high above our heads and sizzling as they locked into place, connecting with the neighboring shield to create a solid wall that enclosed our forces.

The sun hovered above the horizon now, and with the shields up we were officially on a timer.

“Hold your positions!” Josh shouted. He was leading the front lines as Celestina brought up the back, guarding our weakest point.

Once we infiltrated the fae forces, we’d be surrounded. If any of the shields gave out, it was over.

Felix and Leslie—the two wizards directly in front of me—crouched, making sure the shields extended all the way to the ground.

“On your mark,” Felix said.

“Momoko, now!” I yelled.

Momoko—the only wizard who hadn’t put up a shield besides me—pointed a finger to the sky, and fireballs exploded in front of us with pinpoint precision.

Since the first layer of fae were those untrained in combat, they fled, tripping over each other. I saw eyes wide with fear and heard screams as they parted for us, but I smiled grimly.

I’d rather have them afraid and alive than watch the vampires cut through them like fodder to get to Nyte.

“Push!” Killian yelled.

The House Medeis wizards relentlessly marched, their arms pushed out in front of them and their teeth gritted as they knocked fae out of the way and plowed ahead.

We made it all the way to the fae soldiers, where we rammed into a protective barrier they’d raised.

Josh unsheathed one of his swords. “Formation two!” he shouted. “Formation two!”

Felix and Leslie stepped apart, creating a tiny gap between their shields.

Killian casually tossed a mint, which hit the fae barrier.

The magic of the barrier rippled, then crumbled.

Vampires shot out of the tiny opening between Felix’s and Leslie’s shields, falling on the unprepared fae troops. They moved like quicksilver, overwhelming the soldiers with speed.

They didn’t actually kill that many fae—that would slow us down and make it harder to push past the bodies.

Instead they ran through their ranks, causing unrest and raising the alarm.

I saw Julianne run dangerously far from our protective circle and kick a soldier, slamming him into two of his comrades, before she zipped back.

Josh pistol whipped one fae and slammed his palm into the nose of another, then caught them both as they fell and tossed them at their brethren.

In their confusion under the wide-spread attack, the fae soldiers gave up ground, allowing Felix and Leslie to push ahead, leading us deeper into the army.

“Stop them!” Queen Nyte screamed, her voice as sharp as shattered glass. “Nobles, march!”

The silver line of armored nobles moved forward, pushing through the fae soldiers to meet us.

“Fall back!” Killian ordered.

Josh, Julianne, and the other vampires returned, slipping back into the protective circle of shields.

As soon as the last vampire zipped through, Leslie and Felix slammed their shields together, closing the hole.

“Momoko, try lightning this time,” I yelled as the nobles marched forward, magic runes on their armor glittering as their weapons started to glow and the scent of fae magic grew overwhelming.

“Gotcha.” Momoko took a deep breath, her eyes fixed on the fae nobles as her wizard mark darkened.

Lightning struck the leading nobleman, then raced up and down the line of armored fae.

It didn’t electrocute them—it looked like their armor was spelled against that—but it snuffed out a few of the glowing weapons, tossed a couple of fae as if they were dolls, and made some of the gems encrusted on a few nobles’ helms explode, toppling them over.

“Formation two-B,” Killian said, his voice ringing above the panicked cries of the fae and the sharp sizzle of magic.

On Felix’s other side, June and April stepped apart, creating a new gap.

Once again, vampires sprinted through the hole, flooding the area in front of us and falling on the fae nobles. Unfortunately, the nobles were better outfitted and armed with magic weapons.

The two forces clashed.

Josh pounced on the leading fae, the blade of his sword singing when he blocked the first strike.

Manjeet and Tasha fought back to back, fending off the attack of three nobles. Whenever they struck at one of the fae, two more fae would attack, driving them back.

It was a similar situation everywhere I looked. The armor prevented the vampires from hitting any weak spots, and the fae drew on magic to make themselves stronger.

For a moment, it appeared that the fae might overwhelm the vampires…Until Gavino shot a fae in the foot, revealing that the armor was spelled against magic and bladed weapons, but not bullets.

At about that time, all around us the regular fae forces and soldiers started to recover and reform their ranks. They rammed the shields, but the House Medeis wizards held strong, sweat dripping down their faces.

I wanted to tap my magic so badly my blood boiled, but I gritted my teeth and stood with Killian.

I glanced at the sun, which was now brushing the horizon.

We didn’t have long. But through the fighting nobles, I could see the green shield that protected Queen Nyte and Consort Ira.

“House Medeis, keep pushing ahead!” I shouted. “We’re almost there!”

The wizards pushed with renewed vigor.

“Medeis!” Mr. Baree yelled.

“For the House!” Mrs. Yamada shouted.

“For the Drakes!” Felix roared.

They leaned into it, pushing with every muscle in their bodies.

Every part of me screamed for magic, but I unsheathed my chisa katana and walked with Killian as we closed in on the barrier.

Manjeet and Gavino forcibly shoved fae out of the way, driving them to the sides so we could inch forward.

Soon we were twenty steps away, then ten, then five.

Killian stepped in front of me, a smirk on his face as he flicked a mint at the barrier.

Even over the screams and clangs of weapons, I heard the click the mint made when it hit the barrier…and was pulverized.

My heart froze. “It didn’t work?”

Killian frowned. “It seems a direct application might be necessary.” He slipped through the gap, scooped a handful of mints from his tin, then slammed his fist into the barrier.

Magic sparked around his hand, glowing white hot as he pressed the mints into the barrier’s surface.

I watched in shock as he dug his fingers in, making tiny hairline cracks in the shield.